Text:
Genesis 12:6-8:
6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was
then in the land.
7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an
altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the
west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the
LORD.
Theme:
That Special Place
Introduction:
- The Book Of Genesis is the first book of the Bible, the first book of the Old Testament, the first book of the Biblical books of History, the first book of the Pentateuch, and the first book of the Torah.
- Genesis literally means “in the beginning”
- Genesis spans the lives and accomplishments of its five main characters
- Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob
- Genesis outlines the beginnings of God’s plan for:
- The universe
- His chosen people
- Our lives
- In Chapter 12, our text finds the father of the Chosen People, Abram, as he first sojourns to the land of Canaan upon the calling of God:
- Abram, originally for Ur of the Chaldees, was commanded by God to leave his family and home in Haran
- Genesis 12:1, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:”
- God made a covenant with Abram that He would build a great nation from His seed.
- Genesis 12:2-3, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
- Abram left Habran under the commandment of God (He, Lot [his nephew], and Sarai [his wife]) in journey to Canaan.
- Abram, originally for Ur of the Chaldees, was commanded by God to leave his family and home in Haran
Body:
- Abram’s first stop in Canaan was a place called Shechem (also Sychem, Sichem and Shekem)
- Genesis 12:6, “And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.”
- Shechem reminds me of my hometown, Chattanooga, TN, A Special Place in my life:
- Chattanooga is a Cherokee name that means, mountains looking at mountains
- In all of my travels, I hold Chattanooga dear to my heart for:
- FIRST à its beauty
- The Tennessee river runs right through the valley of Chattanooga
- A beautiful sight in the fall and spring of the year – no place more beautiful to me
- SECOND à my memories there.
- From birth to school age
- The years of elementary, junior high, and high school
- The times on the farm with my family, friends, and loved ones
>>Shechem serves the same 2 impressions for the people of Israel – it was their Special Place
- FIRST – Shechem was geographically a uniquely beautiful place:
- Part of central Canaan, 34 miles north of Jerusalem.
- It stood in the narrow sheltered valley between Ebal on the north and Gerizim on the south, these being the Mountains of Ephraim these mountains at their base being only some 500 yards apart.
- The whole valley was filled with gardens of vegetables and orchards of all kinds of fruits, watered by several fountains, which burst forth in various parts and flow westward in refreshing streams.
- SECOND – Shechem was a pivotal location in the history of the children of Israel
- As one Jewish historial relays, “The sacred story of events transacted in the fields of Sychem, from our earliest years is remembered with delight”
- Here Abraham pitched his tent and built his first altar in the Promised Land, and received the first divine promise.
- Genesis 12:8 explains, “And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.”
- Here also Jacob “bought a parcel of a field at the hands of the children of Hamor” after his return from Mesopotamia, and settled with his household, which he purged from idolatry by burying the teraphim of his followers under an oak tree, which was afterwards called “the oak of the sorcerer” (Genesis 33:18-19)
- Jacob buried here (Acts 7:16)
- Joseph buried here (Joshua 24:32)
- Joshua assembled the tribes of Israel at, with all their elders, chiefs, and judges, and presented them before the Lord (Joshua 24:1-28)
- Joshua buried here (Joshua 24:30-32)
- Abimelech made king here (Judges 9:1-57)
- Rehoboam led the revolt of the 10 tribes and was made king here (1Kings 12:1)
- [NT reference] – Famed “Jacob’s Well” where Jesus met the woman from Samaria at the well was here (John 4:5)
- Here Abraham pitched his tent and built his first altar in the Promised Land, and received the first divine promise.
- For the children of Israel, Shechem is A Special Place in their history just as Chattanooga is for me!
- As one Jewish historial relays, “The sacred story of events transacted in the fields of Sychem, from our earliest years is remembered with delight”
- God blesses us with A Special Place:
- Where we first met Him
- Was it that church service, , in a field, in a car, in a park, in our bedroom?
- Where we first accepted Him
- That old church that the family attended, that church revival, prayer meeting, bible study?
- Where we first served Him
- Our church, our job, our home, at the grocery store?
- Then there are the recurring Special Places:
- Where we PRAY to Him
- That closet, that bathroom stall, that field, that park bench, that bedside, that window?
- Where we have received VISIONS from Him
- That car, that office, that elevator, that bathroom?
- Where we have heard the VOICE of Him
- That bed, that chair, that yard, that porch?
- Do you remember your SPECIAL PLACE?
- Where God saved you
- Where God comforted you
- Where God delivered you
- Where God restored your joy
- Where God restored your peace
- Where God restored your relationship with Him
- Where He gave your new life
- Where He gave you new hope
- Where He gave you new faith
- Where He gave you a new walk
- Where He gave you a new talk
- Where He gave you a new way of living
- Where we PRAY to Him
- Where we first met Him
Conclusion:
- I can so well remember my SPECIAL PLACE
- May 2, 1987
- By a park bench on the side of the Tennessee River at Chickamauga Dam
- I stopped to pray on the way to work
- I had FAILED out of college
- I had FAILED in relationships with people
- I had FAILED in being true to who God had created me to be
- I had FAILED in my accountability and debt to God
- In the midst a sinner’s prayer HE TOUCHED ME!
- He forgave me of my sins
- He restored my relationship to and with Him
- He opened my eyes that I might see
- He put running in my legs
- He put strength in my hands
- He put joy in my soul
- He made me want to do right
- He made me want to be right
- He made me want to love right
- He made me want to walk right
- He made me want to live right
- He made me want to give right
THANK YOU, for my SPECIAL PLACE!!!!!
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