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The Importance of Shechem


            After teaching three or four lessons per week for almost 22 years, there are not many things in the Bible that I have not seen.  Imagine my surprise, then, when last week I came across a story that I had never heard before (and I am guessing you have not either). 

            Joshua and the people of God have just crossed into the Promised Land and have successfully conquered the first two towns; Jericho and Ai.  Momentum is on their side.  If I was Joshua, I would continue to attack.  Instead, Joshua marches his people to the centre of the land, to a place called Shechem.

            Shechem sits in a valley between two mountains that are about a mile apart.  When Joshua arrives, he takes half of the people and puts them on one mountain (Mount Gerizim) and he takes the other half and put them on the other mountain (Mount Ebal).  Then, “Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law” (Joshua 8:34).   He read the “curses” (the “If you do not follow God, here is the punishment that you will face” part) to the people standing on Mount Ebal and he read the “Blessings” (the “Here is how God will care for you if you follow him” portion) to the people on Mount Gerizim.  After each line, he had them agree to the terms by saying “Amen” which means “So be it” (See Deuteronomy 27-29).  After renewing their commitment to God, the people go back to conquering the land.

Now, maybe you are thinking, “Ok… so what?”  Well, this was not the first time that God’s people renewed their commitment at Shechem.  In fact, years earlier, God met Abraham at Shechem and assured him of the blessing he had received (Genesis 12:6-7).  Years later, at the end of his life, when Joshua wants to make sure that the people of God are still committed to their faith, he brings them back to Shechem (Joshua 24:1) and challenges them with these words, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Verse 15).

My point:  Times of reassessment and recommitment are important.  Once in a while, we all need to remember and restate what we believe, to whom we belong and where our hope is found. 

In our faith, as with riding a bicycle, if we coast too long, we will eventually stop.  

Have you been to Shechem lately?

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