“And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.” (Ge 37:13 AV)
“And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.” (Ge 37:17 AV)
Geography is interesting. The brothers of Joseph removed from Shechem
and took the flock twelve miles to the south to Dothan. Why?
Perhaps there is a logical and reasonable explanation. Maybe it is no more than a mere fact. But why mention it? Why do we need to know they were sent to Shechem
but ended up in Dothan? I know we can sometimes
make a mountain out of a molehill. Sometimes
we can read more into a text than God intended.
But when it comes to seemingly irrelevant facts, noting those facts and
what they might teach does reveal a nugget or two.
There is not much said of Dothan. It is only mentioned here and in reference to
Elisha. Elisha lived there at one time
and it is where he had the vision of the chariots on the hillside. The name means two cisterns or two wells. It is a well-watered pasture lying near a
well-traveled road to Egypt. The wells
at Dothan would have been more public than private and the comings and goings
of different cultures and people would have been frequent. Shechem, on the other hand, has a rich
history with the Jewish people. It is
the well that Abraham purchased from Abimelech.
Shechem was family-owned. A
private pasture and well where Israel would have been removed from interaction
with its neighbors. Shechem was the
first place where Joshua led Israel to receive the law at God’s hand. Shechem is where Abraham came and where God
gave him the promises of chapter twelve.
The territory around which the well resided was purchased by Jacob. In other words, Jacob’s sons had a connection
with Shechem and it is where their history was established. They left a place that had significance to a
place frequented by all sorts of people traveling to Egypt. They left a place of protection and
significance for a place of adventure and risk.
With no sentimental ties to a place that meant
something, particularly to their father, it is no wonder they felt as they did
toward Joseph. They were at the place of
significance and protection in Shechem, but now, they are in the place of
opportunity, change, and lack of definition.
When we leave places that God has provided which protect and define us
for places of adventure, variety of choice or opportunity, or what seems a more
pragmatic choice, we run the risk of falling out of God’s will. Now, there is no guarantee the brothers would
not have dealt with Joseph in Shechem.
But one cannot help but make the connection of the passing Ishmaelites with
a convenient way to rid themselves of their source of envy. We know that had they remained in Shechem where
they belonged, they would not have sold him into slavery. Contentment in God’s perfect place for us,
regardless of the challenges or what seems to be greener pastures, keeps us
from making some serious mistakes.
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