Shechem was one of the most important cities in biblical history even before Israel entered Canaan. It lay in a narrow valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, at a natural crossing point in the region that would later become the territory of Ephraim.
It was there that God first appeared to Abram in Canaan and promised the land to his descendants. Years later, Jacob also passed through Shechem, bought land, and built an altar.
The city holds moments of great joy and deep sorrow in the history of God’s people. There Dinah was violated, and her brothers took violent revenge on the whole city. There too Joseph was sent to look for his brothers, a journey that would end in slavery in Egypt.
Shechem was the place of the renewal of the covenant under Joshua, when the people publicly declared that they would serve the Lord. There the bones of Joseph were also buried, ending the long journey that had begun in Canaan.
Later, the city saw the ambition of Abimelech, who made himself king by force and then destroyed it, and saw Rehoboam lose half the kingdom of Israel right in its public square.
The history of Shechem shows that the same place can bear witness to divine promises and human failures, without the faithfulness of God ever ceasing to prevail.
