Come To The Well Pt. 2

Come To The Well Part 2 of 2

July 29, 2012 Chester FBC Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker

Introduction

A John 4 (The woman at the well) takes place near an OT city called Shechem (Mentioned over 60x in OT)

1 In the New Testament, Shechem had been abandoned: Sychar was a small village near the ruins of Shecham.

a “Shekem” means “back” or “shoulder”, which probably refers to its location between two mountains (Mt. Ebal to the North & Mt. Gerizim to the South)

b Gen. 12.6-7, first mention in Bible: Where Abraham first entered Canaan & got the promise of God.

6 Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land.7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. Gen 12:6-7 (NASB)

aa Next mention is 11 chapters later (200 years).

bb Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, is camped within sight of the city

18 Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and camped before the city. Gen 33:18 (NASB)

c Jacob buys some land near Shechem; where Joseph would be buried

32 Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph's sons. Josh 24:32 (NASB)

2 A little over 400 years later God would rescue the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, led in the wilderness for 40 years.

a Near the end of the journey, Moses said once they entered the promised land they were to erect an altar on Mt. Ebal

4 "So it shall be when you cross the Jordan, you shall set up on Mount Ebal, these stones, as I am commanding you today, and you shall coat them with lime. Deut 27:4 (NASB)

and read portions of the law before the people

26 "See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:27 the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today;28 and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known. 29 "It shall come about, when the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.30 "Are they not across the Jordan, west of the way toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? Deut 11:26-30 (NASB)

12 "When you cross the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.13 "For the curse, these shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. Deut 27:12-13 (NASB)

b Years later, renewal ceremoney (Jos 24.1) reaffirming their committment to serve God in the promised land (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses @ Sinia)

1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers; and they presented themselves before God. Josh 24:1 (NASB)

c 724 B.C., The Assyrians invaded Israel (Shechem) and sent exiled people from other nations (2 Kings 17. 23,24)

23 until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.24 The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sephar-vaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. 2 Kings 17:23-24 (NASB)

aa A new mongrel religion was formed by combing elements of Judaism and Baal worship.

bb Samaritan were seen as impure by the Jews.

B Jacobs well at the base of Mt. Gerizim, is @ the junction of the main road from Jerusalem in the south and splits there.

1 The eastern branch goes to the Jordan valley: The western branch goes to Samaria & the Galilee.

I

A On this day, Jesus is sitting under the noonday sun at Jacob’s well near a town called Sychar in Samaria . . . and He’s not supposed to be there.