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It is common for any Christian community throughout history to understand the Bible and the spiritual life within the context of its own culture. But we can learn more and expand our growth when we realize that the Bible took place in a time in history. It is God’s revelation, and the culture and history, geography, and spiritual climate all play a role in our understanding of God’s Word.

Understanding the Bible in this way allows for a depth of impact on your personal reading, learning, and devotion. That being said, greetings from Beersheva.

 There are a few things I want to tell you about this place. Beersheva is located in the biblical Negev. What is important to know about Beersheva is that it is a crossroads city. What do I mean by that? It means that this location was the meeting point of a major north-south route known as the Way of the Patriarchs and an east-west route that moved from the west to the east. Both routes were important for trade and communication. Let’s put it like this: whoever controlled Beersheva controlled trade and had access to the entire country.

There are many things to note about Beersheva. It has a one-of-a-kind altar dating back to the reign of Hezekiah. Its city gates are built with a common defense mechanism for protection. The gate complex is like many others in its time period. It held both inner and outer gates. The inner chambers of the gate had benches around the walls, as city gates were used as a place of meeting and judgment, legal proceedings, and marriage contracts. It makes sense as all the traffic of the city had to go in and out of the gate.

While we are here, let’s consider the story of Sarah and Abraham, who resided in Beersheva. The story unfolds in a location where rain was in short supply and little could or can be grown—even with the help of irrigation. What we would refer to as wilderness—that’s where we are.

Why would God ask Sarah and Abraham to leave their home? They had a good thing going where they were, yet God asked them to travel from place to place—from their place of provision to here: a land in the dry wilderness. And the answer is simple to give, yet difficult to consider for those part of the story.

God used people in this location, like Sarah and Abraham, to display to the world a people who trusted in God. You see, this area, like many locations in the Bible, is God’s testing ground of faith. This land is at the crossroads of the ancient world. Its location served as a place where God put on display the children of Israel to teach the world about Him. The land became the platform through which His message of redemption spread to the ends of the earth.

Beersheva is one of these places of testing. Israel’s ability to live here glorified God by demonstrating the obedience of His people.

Beersheva is a location where God’s message—the establishment of His movement through Sarah and Abraham and their descendants—would reach the rest of the world.

Beersheva is a crossroad. Sarah and Abraham arrived at this place with a promise that God would make their descendants like the stars of the heaven and the sands on the beach.

Beersheva is a place of beginnings. It is the beginning of Israel and eventually, for all intents and purposes, the beginning of Christianity.

We are also at a crossroad. The promises God made to Sarah and Abraham also impact us. God always has a purpose, and we—as you will see in your study of Sarah—are called to be obedient, trusting God for all that we need, knowing we are also placed at a crossroads for God’s purposes and for His glory.

Sarah and Abraham were asked to leave their home, their family, and all things familiar to them. Their obedience allowed for a fulfillment of a promise that still impacts the world.

As you look at the life of Sarah, consider these questions: What is God concerned with? Is He concerned first with the result of our obedience? or first our obedience? With your obedience, God can fulfill His purpose in and through your life. He asks for our obedience out of love for us and for those we influence.

From Beersheva, I want to tell you that regardless of your position in life, you have value in your relationship with your Father in heaven. At your crossroad, how do you take responsibility to grow your relationship daily with God? Remember, you may be placed at a crossroad for someone’s purpose and for God’s glory.