Mahanaim

Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran.

At sundown, he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night.

Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep.

As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the Earth up to heaven, and he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.

What's more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go.

One day, I will bring you back to this land.

I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it." But he was also afraid and said, "What an awesome place this is.

It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven." The next morning, Jacob got up very early.

Let's not go there now.

Then Genesis chapter 32 told us of a prayer he prayed at Mahanaim.

Jacob prays earnestly.

A honest prayer.

And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its pasture lands, Jahaz with its pasture lands, Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Nerath with its pasture lands, four cities.

And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim with its pasture lands, Heshbon with its pasture lands, Jazer with its pasture lands, four cities in all.

As for the cities of the several Merarite clans, that is, the remainder of the clans of the Levites, those allotted to them were in all twelve cities.

Verse forty-one: The cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the people of Israel were in all forty-eight cities with their pasture lands.

This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Gad according to its clans, the territory of Jazer, all of the towns of Gilead, and half of the Ammonite country as far as Aror, near Rabah.

and from Heshbon to Rameth Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanim to the territory of Debir, and in the valley of Beth Haram, Beth Nimra, Sukkot, Zaphon, and the rest of the realm of Sion, king of Heshbon, the east side of the Jordan, the territory up to the end of the Sea of Galilee." These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the Gadites according to their clans.

And this is what Moses had given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the family of the descendants of Manasseh according to its clans.

The territory extending from Mahanim and including all of Bashan, the entire realm of Og, king of Bashan, all of the settlements of Jair of Bashan, 60 towns, half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edri, the royal cities of Og and Bashan.

This was for the descendants of Mechir, son of Manasseh, for half of the sons of Mechir, according to their clans.

This is the inheritance Moses had given when he was in the plains of Moab, across the Jordan, east of Jericho.

He set his house in order and hanged himself, and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.

Then David came to Maanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.

Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab.

Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite, who had married Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother.

Ben-Geber, in Ramoth-Gilead; he had the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars.

Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim.

Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he had taken Basmath the daughter of Solomon as his wife.

Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth.

Bezalel was a very aged man, 80 years old.

He had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man.

So now we know a little bit more about this individual.

He was godly.

Now when we look at 2 Samuel chapter 17, reading from 27.

When David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi, this is David being chased out by Absalom, the son of Nahash of Rabba, of the children of Ammon, and Mashil, the son of Emiel of Lodaba, and Bazilea, the Gileadite of Rogelim, brought birds.

This is David being chased in the desert by Absalom.

These three men brought birds.