Psalm 108:7

Psalm 108:7

God allocates the land

The ancient site of Shechem is located between Mt. Gerizim (left) and Mt. Ebal (right), It is an important city in the biblical record, beginning with God’s promise of the land to Abraham. Later Jacob would return here with his family and settle. During the conquest of Canaan, the twelve tribes gathered on these two hills to recite God’s Law and the blessings and curses that accompanied obedience and disobedience. A summary of some of the main events that took place at Shechem are as follows: -

·      Abraham is promised the land.

·      Jacob buys a plot of land; Dinah is raped.

·      Jacob’s sons are tending the sheep here before Joseph finds them in Dothan. 

·      The covenant is confirmed during the conquest of Canaan.

·      The city is set aside as a Levitical city and a city of refuge.

·      Joseph is buried here. 

·      The ten tribes reject Rehoboam.

It seems that in early Jewish thinking, Sukkoth was a by-word for the land west of the River Jordan and therefore the Valley of Sukkoth represented the land to the east of the River. It was a city in the valley below a high mound, in modern-day Jordan it is known as Tell Deir Alla. The name “Sukkoth” means booths or tents so maybe the original dwellings erected there were temporary, and it is from this that the Jews get the name “Succoth” which describes the Feast of Tabernacles? 

David penned this verse as a reminder that the Lord God had parcelled out the land for His people, from west to east. This pronouncement allocating the land came from God’s sanctuary and is therefore part of His Covenant that can never be broken. 

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