The Oak at Shechem

The first time Shechem appears in the Bible: Jacob leaves Laban, arrives in Shechem, buys some land, and settles. Thats in Genesis 33. Then in Genesis 34, a horrible sequence of events unfold, and I will leave it at that. But it holds some awful memories.

Then in Genesis 35, God calls Jacob, "Arise go up to Beth-el." Arise and go to the House of God.

Bethel translated = House of God.

Jacob arises, gathers his house and begins the journey --the journey back to the House of God.

But before they leave the area entirely, they stop at the Oak.

Jacob hides, or some suggest buries, two things under the oak: the idols and the earrings. They leave never to return.

But the Oak at Shechem isn't forgotten.

In Joshua 26, Joshua addresses Israel in --Shechem (verse 1.) Then in verse 24 , we see the Oak.

Joshua writes the law of the Lord, he also writes a covenant, and he sets a great stone under the oak as a memorial. What was the covenant that he wrote?

"The LORD our God will we serve,

and his voice will we obey. "

I find it interesting that both times we read of the Oak at Shechem, the emphasis is servinging the Lord and him only.

The first time, God asks of Jacob "Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there:"

Jacob's response: "Put away the strange gods that are among you,

and be clean, and change your garments:...all the strange gods...and all their earrings which were in their ears...Jacob hid them under the oak..." Gen 35:1-4

The second time Joshua asks Israel "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD,

choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Israel's response: "The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we

obey...So Joshua...set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem...and took a great stone, and set it up there under

an oak... And Joshua said...Behold, this stone shall be a

witness...lest ye deny your God."

As I thought on this, for I've always loved the imagery of "the Oak at Shechem", I realized what a lesson it is.

I thought of it this way....

Shechem means "Ridge" in Hebrew. It linked in my mind to mount --"a mount called Mt. Calvary." The oak--tree, the cross...

Shechem = the place where I recognized that I needed a Saviour

The Oak = the cross, where God coverd my sins and saved me

The former Idolatry = our sin, in bondage to the god of this world

There should be a "spot" in our lives where we decide to follow the Lord and serve Him (our salvation).

And when we first come to that spot we hide the things that are not of God, (or rather God hides them for us, covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.)

But when ever we are tempted to return to those things, the things of the world, our sinful habits, ultimately our idolatry, we should visit the oak a second time to set up a memorial of the convenant that God has made with us, lest we forget.

"For ye are bought with a price:

therefore glorify God in your body,

and in your spirit, which are God's. "

1 Cor. 6:20