COME AS A CHILD - LESSON 114 - A REVIEW OF THOSE WHO WERE AT THE WELL AND UNDER THE TAMERISK TREE

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

A few weeks ago we began studying what happened to Moses after he fled from Egypt.  

We spent last week’s lesson clearing up and discussing the details and facts of the day Moses killed the Egyptian Taskmaster.  We concluded that what some claimed to be a murder committed by Moses was simply an act of self-defense.  

Previously we covered the fact that Moses was no longer safe in Egypt and spoke of how he ran away to the desert land of Midian where he came to rest beside a well.  It was there that he met the seven daughters of a Midian priest who took him in and made him his son-in-law. 

I asked you then if the well seemed to be familiar.  We did study this particular well back when we were studying the book of Genesis.  I feel we need to go back and review the vivid details of that lesson again; before we move on with the rest of the story of Moses.  

To me the significance of the story of this particular well is extremely important to Christians living in the world today.  This one little well has so many untold lessons that they cannot even be counted.  We will hear more and more of it as we continue our studies, but for now; I wish to review what happened to Hagar and Ishmael at that well.  I want us to think about how God ties things together over and over again,  and how He lets simple things, like this old, old well, teach us of His faithfulness. 

Please bear with me in the repetition and the backtracking.  I think it will be well worth your while.  You will realize more from this story than the first time you heard it.  We will also repeat some of this particular story in more detail as we continue studying the life of Moses beyond this review.

Just close your eyes and visualize Moses, hot and tired from his journey.  He is walking up to the well, dipping cold water to cure his thirst and leaning back to rest under the tall and leafy shade of an old, old tamerisk tree.  Then let you mind continue going back even further; all the way back to the days of Abraham and Hagar.

Here is Lesson 57 of The Journey Through Genesis and the lesson called “The Bush and The Well:” 

Thursday, February 19, 2015

COME AS A CHILD - LESSON 57 - THE BUSH AND THE WELL

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Most of the story of Hagar and Ishmael has been told; but there is a little bit more that we should cover here before we make a turn and leave them for a while.  There is so much to tell and time limits how much we will be able to discuss.  How I wish that were not the case.  This is a very important topic.  Today I want to look closer at the little details that are often overlooked in the typical discussions of the story.  God is in the small things as well as the larger things and in this story, the small things make a huge difference in the large things.  

Let's try very hard to remember every little thing about these two (Abraham and Hagar) because they are a big part of the thread in the whole tapestry that God is weaving as He forms and shapes the nation of Israel and eventually all the nations of the world as we know it today.

God has been writing this story for years and years, slowly changing the hearts, fully telling the truth, finding and loving the lost and the hated forever.  Not just yesterday!  He is Eternal.  All of these nations and peoples that are so loved of God came originally from Abraham, Sarah and Hagar.  It is important to walk a while in each of their shoes and to see what God taught each of them.  We need to know who they really are so that we can realize who we really are. 

We have already discussed that Hagar was set free by Abraham.  She and Ishmael went to live near a well in the desert.  

One would think from reading the scriptures that was the last time Abraham saw of Hagar, but is that a realistic assumption?  Many think that Abraham kept up with Hagar and Ishmael and provided for their welfare.  Even though Sarah and Hagar were separated and maintained separate homes with their own sons, it seems that Abraham loved and cared and provided for both sons.

If you think about this long enough, you come to realize that the well which was only a few bow-lengths away from the place where Hagar lay Ishmael to die was possibly located very close to where Abraham and Sarah were living in Gerar.  It would not have been too far for Abraham to travel, or to receive news of the needs of Hagar and Ishmael.  

   

If you think about it all even longer you might come to suspect that this very well was probably the same well that we later hear about when Abraham and Abimeleck made an agreement to live peacefully with each other in the land for three  years.  This was a sort of treaty between them that happened long after Abraham and Sarah had left Abimeleck’s palace where amazingly (even after Abraham had deceived Abimeleck,) King Abimeleck had promised them use of the land to graze their cattle and promised them that they would be free to live on the land as they wished without harm.  

Years had passed since Abimeleck made this promise and he had been good to his word.  Abraham and Sarah had been allowed to dwell in the land even though they were foreigners.  When it came time to seal the deal with a treaty, Abimeleck reminded Abraham that he had kept his end of the promise.  Now it was Abraham's turn to make promises.

Many were amused when this treaty was formed.  They marveled that Abimeleck would even think of making an agreement with Abraham after the way Abraham had lied to him and deceived him into thinking that Sarah was his sister.    Yet; Abraham had prayed for Abimeleck and his household and the Philistine King had seen the results of those prayers.  It must have made quite an impression.  There had been much healing. 

Abimeleck knew also from a dream that God was blessing Abraham and that Abraham was a prophet of God.  Perhaps Abimeleck was afraid God would bless Abraham so much that he would lose all of his kingdom to him.   Was it not rumored that Abraham thought his descendants would inherit this land eventually?   This three year treaty probably seemed the best way to go.  They could live together in peace for a period of time, then Abraham and Sarah could journey on to somewhere else.  The King would no longer be threatened with these people taking over his territory.  In Abimeleck's eyes, it was just a temporary arrangement and one day in the future he would like to end the temporary arrangement without too much of a fight and on agreeable terms.

Abraham’s perspective of this treaty would have been quite different from that of Abimeleck, having been told by God that his descendants would eventually be given the land.  Abraham might have seen this treaty as the beginning of many more to come.  He wanted to live peacefully in the land and he wanted to have a good relationship with the king that now ruled the land.  

So the two men made the treaty, each of them looking at it from their own perspective; Abraham thinking this was God's first step in His plan for his descendants to acquire the land, and Abimeleck thinking he was preparing them for the date when they would make their eventual departure.  Each man entered the treaty seeing their own possible advantages.

However, to make the deal sweeter, there was a well that Abraham had dug, and he had noticed Abimeleck’s men were constantly fighting with his men over the water rights for this well.  Abraham pointed this out to Abimeleck and mentioned that he had set aside seven female lambs as a gift to Abimeleck in exchange for the well.  Abimeleck, knowing that the deal would never be sealed without this, accepted Abraham's terms.  What harm would it be for Abraham to own the well if he eventually had to leave?  Abimeleck's people would just take it over at that time.  Wells could be reclaimed easily enough.

When this treaty was finished and sealed, this particular well was considered to be the legal property of Abraham.  It was the first thing that he had actually bought and paid for and owned exclusively in the new land.  It was the most important move that Abraham could have made!  In this dry land, water rights meant survival.  This was a very important well.  It was the often overlooked first step in God fulfilling the covenant that promised the land to Abraham and his descendants.
  

Knowing that God had finally given him a piece of the property that had been promised for years and years, Abraham built an altar at this well and gave thanks to God.  He was full of joy and elated to see the promises coming to pass!  He thanked God for the well, and for the beginning of the fulfilling of the rest of the promise.  

Isaac’s birth had fulfilled a large part of this promise and a small piece of the rest of it was now beginning to come about too.  Abraham was determined that Isaac’s children and their children would live in this land that had been promised by God to Abraham.  Owning this one little bit of the land where the well was had given Abraham much hope for the future.

Abraham realized at this late point in his life when God first began to fulfill the rest of the covenant, that God had a different perspective on time than he did.  Abraham realized for the first time ever that God was eternal and everlasting.  The importance of this truth overwhelmed Abraham.  It sunk into his very soul and he thought a lot about the fact that God goes on forever and ever, infinite, without end.

He had known that God was powerful and righteous, but this was the first time that Abraham had pondered the fact that the God he faithfully served was forever and ever.  Here at this well Abraham called God El-Olam which meant Eternal God.  Abraham pondered the fact that an eternal God had given him a promise and that promise would belong to all of his descendants.  They would know and call on this name of this very same Eternal God all through history.  

Abraham  finally realized that every thing he had done and would ever do would affect the eternal blessings of God toward his descendants.  That is why Abraham planted a Tamerisk tree beside the well.  

Tamerisk trees grow slowly.  You do not plant them for your own shade.  You plant them to shade the people in the generations to come.  Abraham praised God that his descendants would come and sit under the shade of this Tamerisk tree near the well of Abraham where they would draw water to satisfy their thirsts in the years to come.  

It was a huge moment of faith for Abraham.  

It was a gigantic leap in his understanding of how big God really is and how eternal his blessings and promises are.  Abraham praised God here and offered up his thanks.  With the planting of the tamerisk tree he had planted down roots.  

Abraham continued to live a godly life with Sarah and Isaac in Gerar.  There he once again opened his doors to strangers and he always told them about El-Olam - The Everlasting God.  The House of Abraham was once again spreading the word about the One True God of Heaven and Earth.  You might even say that Abraham and Sarah were the very first evangelical Christians, because of their faith!  They were preaching the gospel before the gospel message was fulfilled because they believed in an Eternal and Everlasting God.   It must have been a wonderful time for Abraham and Sarah and Isaac.  These must have been the most precious years of their lives.

Abraham was so happy with the way things were going that he decided to give a huge celebration on the day that Isaac was weaned.  We have already discussed this story too, and we noted the way that Sarah persuaded Abraham to turn Hagar and Ishmael away so that only Isaac would inherit from Abraham.  

Abraham was quite perplexed but discussed this with God first, which also shows us the change and the maturity of Abraham in this place.  He heard God say to listen to Sarah so Abraham decided to do what he personally did not want to do.  He gave Hagar and Ishmael some bread and a flask of water and told them they were free; and that they must leave.  

Perhaps Sarah saw this as getting rid of Hagar and Ishmael, but perhaps Abraham only saw this as separating the two women and their sons.  He only gave them enough bread and water to wonder a short time.  Perhaps he even told Hagar which direction to take.  No one really knows what was happening in Abraham's heart on that day, but what we do know is they stumbled on the provision of a well just in time, just as their bread and water ran out.  It was a well that had been very significant in Abraham's life; a well where an altar had been places and thanks given to an Eternal God.  Perhaps no one knew how holy the ground around the well was; but God knew and God was there.  

We have also discussed that Hagar wandered in the desert until the water and the bread were gone and then she laid Ishmael down beneath a bush and went off a few bow lengths away from him so she did not have to see him die.  She began to cry.  Ishmael also began to cry.  The angel of the LORD heard Ishmael's cry and came to Hagar and Hagar's eyes were opened and she saw the well.

If you think about it, the well that Hagar saw which was close to a bush where she laid Ishmael to die (about two bow-lengths away) was probably the same well that Abraham and Abemileck had formed the treaty over.  It more than likely was the well bought with the seven female lambs.  

This well had been the beginning of Abraham's miracle from God, the first rights to the promised land.  It was also Hagar’s miracle from God.  Her eyes were opened in that very spot and she saw how to bring her nearly dead son back to life.  This was the well in Beersheba near Hebron on the Sinai peninsula, not too terribly far from Gerar.  Some people have different theories, but this is what I have come to believe about the well: 
  

The bush that Ishmael lay under was most likely a young tamarisk tree that had been planted a few years ago by his Father, Abraham.   When these trees are young they look more like bushes.   Hagar, being originally from the desert lands of Egypt would probably have known the special qualities of the tamarisk trees.  

These trees grow in soil with high concentrations of salt.  They have small leaves and small branches.  During the heat of the day these trees secrete salt.  The salt dries.  During the night the salt absorbs water from the air.  In the morning the water evaporates creating the effect of a natural air conditioner and the air beneath this tree is always cooler during the daylight.  God was still looking out for Ishmael.  He gave him air conditioning in the desert heat!

Perhaps Hagar, even though she was afraid her son might die, did not walk away for only that reason.  Perhaps she wanted him to have all the benefits of the air underneath this tree.  Perhaps her walking away was a noble sacrifice, giving him the cool air in the midst of the desert heat, and yet she would be close enough to hear him if needed.  

It is also said that the leaves of this tree, when they have been shed beneath the branches, make a soft warm bed in the desert during the night.  They tend to absorb the heat from the sand at night and keep one warm.  As hot as it is in the daytime, the desert is also very cold at night.  You can die from cold just as easily as you can die from heat.  Hagar was smart enough to use all of her survival skills to protect her son and to keep him alive.  Beneath the tamarisk tree was the very best place for Ishmael to be. God was still guiding Hagar, even as she was lost in the desert.  

This is a personal thought that I want to give future research to, but it is my own personal theory that Hagar and Ishmael, lost in the desert, were the first people to encounter the burning bush; even before Moses.  I believe it existed in the area of that tamerisk tree; or even that it WAS that tamerisk tree.  

If you study the areas where there were burning bush experiences, you will find that this well dug by Abraham and the bush were close in proximity to each other.  Moses later met Jethro's daughters as they were drawing water from a well.  There were seven daughters who drew, and seven female lambs were paid by Abraham to obtain this well for his descendants.   Moses saw the bush not too far from this well.
  

Getting back to our original story, we are told that God heard Ishmael’s cry and then spoke to Hagar.  Could it be that God heard Ishmael’s cry because Ishmael was laid down in a very holy place?  We are told in the scriptures that the place of the burning bush was holy.  

Let’s read how Moses described the burning bush in Exodus 3:1-5:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the Mountain of God.  There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.  Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.  So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.”  When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses!  Moses!”  And Moses said, “Here I am.”   “Do not come any closer,” God said.  “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

It is quite possible that Ishmael was laid down right on the same holy ground and God heard his cry and his prayer for himself and his mother.  Then God called out from the bush to Hagar, much in the same way that He called out to Moses.  God called out to her by specifically naming her name.  God knew Hagar’s name and He told her not to fear, that he had heard the cries of the boy in the bush.  

Wow!  Does that not give you chills up and down your spine?  God KNEW Hagar by name and He told her not to fear.  I can just feel Hagar's countenance changing from very humble to confident and sure.  I can see the hope in her eyes increasing every second.   Just as God remembered Sarah in her time of being an outcast; He also remembered Hagar.   He had heard her son crying under the BUSH, probably the same bush where God many years later called out to Moses.  

The cry of Ishamael in God's ear probably sounded a lot like another little baby's cry from the basket in the river made from the bushes called bulrushes.  Long before God heard the cry of Moses, He heard the cry of Ishamael.   Long after God heard the cry of Ishamael and Moses, He heard the cry of Jesus from a manger in Bethlehem.  God heard each baby cry out, and this baby named Ishmael was crying out, probably near the same well where Abraham had worshiped God and thanked Him for being eternal and keeping all of his promises.  

This incident in the life of Hagar and Ishmael probably happened in the same place where from generation to generation future we will hear of miracle after miracle for Abraham’s descendants.  The stories are as uncountable as the stars from Heaven.

So;be sure to listen up whenever you hear mention of the bush or the tamarisk tree or the well.  It will be meaningful, and it usually involves God calling someone out; using their personal name and giving them personal instructions.  Ask Moses.  Ask Jacob.  Ask David.  Ask Mary.  Ask Abraham.  Ask Ishmael.  Ask Isaac.  Ask 21 Egyptian men who were recently beheaded for their belief in the cross from the modern times where we now live. 

These cast-out children of Abraham were all in some ways hidden under a bush on holy ground.  At one time they were all lost and afraid and they all cried out to God for help.  God had told them all not to be afraid.  Abraham, their leader, had made a covenant with God right in this very place.  Here in this same place, Hagar looks up and sees the well that will keep them from ever thirsting again.

Now the roots of the tamarisk tree have grown deeper and deeper and generations and generations have passed since the days of Abraham, but many, many of his descendants have remained faithful and loyal to God; no matter where they are, no matter their circumstances in life.  It is the story of the tamerisk tree being told over and over again.  It has been played out right before our eyes in present times too.  The tamerisk tree speaks of an Eternal God who always keeps His promises.  The tree is still alive and well and it is growing today.  God is still Eternal and Everlasting!

The witness of the children of Abraham of The Eternal God has grown slow and strong, putting down roots like the tamerisk tree, slow and steady, taking a long, long time, hardly noticed at first, overshadowed by the larger trees of the land who are not so flexible and not so strong.  

The tamarisk trees have now spread across the lands and the nations. People of God have found the truth of The God of Abraham and followed His Son, Jesus Christ.  This means so much to them that they would die before denying the message of the cross of Jesus Christ.  They do not seek this death for their own glory, it finds them and allows them to be a true witness; much unlike those men who falsely think that what they do that breaks every commandment of God will bring them honor and glory.   True People of God never seek their own honor.  They only give glory to God.  This is a test that is always accurate.   

These false self-proclaimed prophets of terrorism who also follow a false prophet seek their own glory and their own benefit.  Those who have been willing to die selflessly rather than deny the name and cause of The One True God are the true martyrs.  They are the true ones who will be rewarded by God.   They are with the souls of the martyrs under the altar!

 Even today, many more have lost their lives being a witness for this truth that they believe enough to die for.  They have kept an unwavering faith in this God of Abraham.  They know without a doubt that they have found the most valuable thing ever.   They have been burned, beheaded, tortured and killed, but their witness, like a slow growing tamerisk tree now spreads its branches and covers a land who seeks for truth.  The trees will talk and their voices will be heard throughout eternity.  They died for an Eternal God.

If no one else speaks for them; even the very rocks will cry out to tell their witness story; that the God of Abraham is The One True God.  Their blood cries out to God even now, just like the blood of the righteous Abel.  God will hear.  He will honor them.  The God of Abraham looks after his people who are tortured, exiled, lost and afraid.   He saw that other Egyptian named Hagar and He came to her rescue.   The same God who loved Hagar and knew her by name, reaches out to those like her living in the midst of every land today.  

The story from the tamerisk tree and the story spoken from the blood of the martyrs that call out to God is eternal because it is a story of The One Eternal God - El-Olam - The God of Abraham, and He never changes.  

So remember El-Olam, the One Eternal God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when you hear of a well, or a tree, or a bush.  Listen for the cry of God that calls out to individuals from every land from a very holy place.  He hears.  He sees.  He is eternal.  He wrote the story, and He will finish the story.  He knows the beginning from the end.  Follow Him.  He knows your name!  Every name of every true martyr is recorded in His book, The Book of Life.  The Lamb guards the book.  He is  The Lamb that bought the well of everlasting water from which no man drinking will ever thirst again.  The price has been paid.  The Father who paid the price through His son is constantly calling out names.

There is only one correct answer when you hear Him calling:  "Henini"  "Here I Am."  That was the answer given by Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Moses, Isaac, David and all of the disciples of Jesus Christ in the new testament.  That was the answer of all those who have been recently martyred.  "Here I am."    

Will that be your answer when He calls your name?  

We are living in times when you must decide.  You must know your answer.  God will show you.  He showed Abraham.  He showed Hagar.  He showed those who recently followed Him forsaking all else.  He always keeps His promises.

COME AS A CHILD - LESSON 89 - A SON IS BORN AND A BELOVED WIFE AND FATHER PASS AWAY

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

I’m sorry if you looked for this lesson last Thursday!  I was away at The Feast of Tabernacles enjoying a joyous feast before The Lord, and I hope you were busy doing the same with your own family! 

We left Jacob back in Bethel, worshiping God at a holy altar and giving thanks for God’s deliverance and provision for his family and descendants.  After a very holy time, the people of Jacob settled down and made Bethel home for a little while.  It was like a refuge for them, a place to stay until their troubles in the land blew over and were forgotten by the other inhabitants. 

The day came when Jacob, now called Israel, felt it was safe to move on.  They walked toward the area of Ephrath (Bethlehem) slowly because Rachel was heavy with child, and it was close to time for her to deliver. 

The birth pains came in the middle of their journey and she was having great difficulty giving birth to this child.  The midwife was with her and trying to help her.  She said to Rachel “Don’t despair, for you have another son.”

It would be a son she would give her life for.  Rachael also knew she was dying.  In her last few breaths she named her son Ben-Oni. 

In Hebrew the word “Ben” means “son.”  The root of the Hebrew word for “son” implies a building being built.  When Sarah could not have children and she told Abraham to go into her maid and have a son by her she said “Perhaps I shall be BUILT UP by her.”  The implication was “to build up.” 

This use of the words brings to mind the statement made by Jesus at a much later date; “for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” (Matthew 3:9), and the implication of “raise up” is the same meaning as “build up;”  which makes the use of this word from the lips of Rachel seem so much more profound.  Some scholars have noted that the Hebrew for stone (‘eben) is also related to the verb for “son” (bana) meaning “to build.” 

Jesus also said “You will be sons of the Most High (Luke 6:35) and Peter later writes “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5)  The word “house” is frequently used to denote someone’s family but it is also used to denote any other clearly defined group, such as a guild, a castle order, or such similar organizations of people groups, such as when one speaks of “the sons of the prophets”  or “the sons of the troops,” or “the sons of exile.”

So yes, the word “ben” means son, but it also means a group of sons and a building block.  This seems to imply the building up of a nation!

The whole name given by Rachel in labor and pain to her son was Ben-Oni which many translators have traditionally translated to mean “Son of my Sorrow.”  Today many disagree with this interpretation.  Remember that until Joseph was born Rachel was childless for a very long time.   It seems highly unlikely that she would name her second son in a way that would be continuously reminding everyone that he was the cause of his mother’s death. 

We must also remember how much Jacob loved Rachel!  He spent 14 years of his life working in order to obtain her as his wife.  It is highly unlikely that he would not honor her dying wish and name their son something completely different than what she had called him, as most of us have been traditionally taught.    

Instead of accepting the traditional interpretation here, one would think that Rachel may have sought consolation that her son made it alive.  It could be that when Rachel heard the mid-wife say; “Do not fear, for now you have another son” that she chose the last part of the name to be “‘on.”

We cannot be sure how the ancient text was pronounced.  Historically, there are two ways to pronounce ‘on;  “awen” and “on.”  These two words have completely different meanings.  “Awen” means “sorrow” and “on” means “vigor.”  To be vigorous is to have strength.  It seems possible that Jacob/Israel did not rename the child after Rachel’s death; but he simply added amplification to the name she had already given.  Rachel’s meaning “this son is my progeny” (Ben-oni) becomes “This son is my strength” which translates to Benjamin.

So it was that Jacob had to bury Rachel, the love of his life.  He buried her on the way between Bethel and Bethlehem and he sat up a pillar for her tombstone.  The scriptures say that that pillar, marking Rachel’s tomb, is there to this day. 

Israel (Jacob) moved on again and set up a tent near Migdal Eder.  He now was the father of twelve sons. 

The sons of Leah were Ruben (the firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. 

The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

The sons of  Rachel’s servant, Bilhah, were Dan and Naphtali.

The sons of Leah’s servant, Ziplah, were Gad and Asher.

The first born son of Jacob did many rebellious things to break his father’s heart.  It was while they were in Migdal Eder that Ruben committed a great sin and slept with Bilhah, his mother’s servant, Jacob’s concubine, mother of his half-brothers.  Israel (Jacob) knew of this.  It was no secret and it was very shameful to him.

After all of these sorrowful events in Israel’s life, he finally came back to Mamre and reunited with his father, Isaac.  Isaac was old and blind when Israel had first left home as Jacob, and it was not thought at that time that Isaac would live much longer.  He had somehow recovered his strength and he lived to be one hundred and eighty years old.  He lived to see his two sons united again.  It must have brought him joy in his old age. 

When Isaac died, he was buried in the tombs of Abraham and Sarah.  He had lived a long and full life.  Together, Jacob and Esau buried their father.

COME AS A CHILD LESSON 86 AN OLD FIGHT IS ENDED AND AN OLD PLACE IS MADE NEW AGAIN

(Writing by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

William Jennings Bryan once said “Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice.  It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”  This was the case for two brothers about to face one another after years of unresolved anger. 

What would be the outcome of Jacob meeting Esau? 

No one knew.

 Neither brother knew how the other would react. 

Jacob was prepared for the worst case scenario.  He had divided his children among Leah and Rachel and their two female servants.  He put the female servants and their children in the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear.  In other words; he put the one’s he loved the most in the most protected place. 

After everyone was in place Jacob looked up and saw Esau and his four hundred men thundering toward his caravan.  Jacob gathered all his courage and moved to the front of his family, dismounted his ride,  and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

To his utter amazement Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him.  He threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.  Together, right there in the middle of the land, the two brothers embraced and wept.  Years and years of tears were released, tears long held back and burden after burden was lifted from the struggling shoulders of two brothers that needed to forgive one another.  Finally they looked up from each other.

“Who are these with you?”  Esau asked.

“They are the children God has graciously given your servant” said Jacob. 

Then the female servants approached with their children and bowed down.  Next came  Leah and her children.  Last to bow were Rachel and Joseph. 

“What is the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”  asked Esau.  “To find favor in your eyes my lord,” said Jacob.

Note that Jacob calls Esau “my lord” three times in this passage of scripture.  It was a fulfillment of Isaac’s blessing to Esau that we studied before.  The words are found in Genesis 27:40: “You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother.  But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.”

“I already have plenty my brother,” said Esau.  “Keep what you have for yourself.”

“No, please!” said Jacob.  “If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me.  For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably.  Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.”

Because Jacob kept insisting, Esau kept the gifts.   

Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.”    But Jacob told Esau that the children were young and they would be slow walkers.  He said he needed to care for the ewes and cows nursing their young.  The animals would not be able to journey another day without problems to their health.  Jacob told Esau to go on ahead and they would come slowly behind him when they had time to take care of all of their needs and the needs of the animals.  He agreed to meet Esau in Seir.  Esau offered to leave some of his men, but Jacob said that would not be necessary. 

Esau went to Seir, Jacob however went on to Sukkoth, where he pitched a tent for himself and his family and made them a temporary home.  He also made temporary shelters for his livestock.  That is why the place is called Sukkoth.  Sukkoth means “temporary shelters” and that is the name given for the festival and the Holy Days of God that comes for eight days each Fall season.  The temporary dwellings or booths used each year at Sukkot, are similar “temporary shelters.”  It is interesting to note that some of these shelters at Sukkoth were made for housing livestock; as so many people believe Jesus was actually born during the feast of  Sukkot, and he was housed in a manger in a place that provided shelter for livestock at his birth. 

Then Jacob crossed the Jordan and rode to Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city.  The blessing he had requested from God at Bethel; asking that he be allowed to return to his homeland in peace, had been accomplished.

Shechem is the narrow valley between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, approximately 65km north of Jerusalem.  This strategic location was between the north and south and east and west main roads.  It was here that existed the well we now called “Jacob’s Well.”  That was not the only water supply though, there was conduit that ran out of a cave that also provided water to the residents in this area. 

For a hundred pieces of silver, Jacob bought the plot of ground where he pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, the Father of Shechem.  This was the second plot of land bought and paid for from money of Abraham’s descendants in the land of Canaan.  This spot was actually the same place where Abraham built the first altar to God when he first crossed into the promised land himself.  It was the same place, close to the same terebinth tree,  from  years earlier.  There Jacob set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel, which means El is the God of Israel, or Mighty is the God of Israel.

Seventeen centuries later a man named Jesus, a descendant of Jacob, would walk to this same city and go to this same well in the noontime heat.  There he would have an interesting conversation with a Samaritan woman who would lead many to believe that she had found The Messiah of Israel, the very Son of God.