Cairo: Jesus in Egypt & God's Unusual Leaning
God seldom gives us all we need to understand, but He always gives us what we need in order to obey. The story of Jesus in Egypt as a boy offers a...
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Mar 18, 2018 7:00:00 PM
If you have a twinge of fear to follow God’s leading, you’re not alone. After all, your future is clear only to Him—and He is good at keeping secrets. At Beersheba, Jacob had this struggle. What God told him also applies to you.
(Photo: Beersheba tell from east. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
Beersheba epitomizes the faith God required to live in the Holy Land. Standing in the arid winds of Tel Beersheba, the truth seems both overwhelming and irresistible.
God used this unassuming, barren place to shape some of the most significant lives in the Bible.
With little rainfall, the area relied on wells for water. In fact, it was because of a well that Beersheba first appeared on the pages of biblical history.
Abraham paid the price of seven ewe lambs to secure ownership of a well at Beersheba.
Beersheba served as the last stop on the road called “The Way of the Patriarchs.” This ancient highway stretched along the watershed of the Hill Country and received its name from the patriarchs who traveled north and south along it.
The road dead-ended at Beersheba.
(Photo: Beersheba excavations. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
Because the ancient site was the last stop, it remained the proverbial southern border throughout the history of biblical Israel.
Repeatedly in the Scriptures, the phrase, “from Dan to Beersheba,” outlined the practical north-south borders of the nation (Judges 20:1; 2 Samuel 24:2; 1 Kings 4:25).
Visitors to Tel Beersheba today can regain a sense of the patriarchs’ resolve by standing atop the tower that allows a birds-eye view of the ruins. Hot, dry, dusty—the area is a perfect picture of the word, “desolate.”
As the last stop before the ancient wilderness, Beersheba became also—ironically—a point of departure for many spiritual journeys. Abraham, Hagar, Jacob, and Elijah all experienced life-changing encounters with God in association with Beersheba (Genesis 16:8; 21:17; 46:3-4; 1 Kings 19:3).
As Jacob and the Hebrew children were leaving Canaan to enter Egypt at Joseph’s invitation, they came to Beersheba. God spoke to Jacob in a dream, telling him four truths:
In our own lives, we need to hear these principles. Consider where God is leading you right now. Now read God’s promises to Jacob at Beersheba.
By principle, they are also God’s promises to you as well.
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