When Sacred Places Become Idols: The Subtle Distraction from Christ.
In the old covenant, names like Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Shalom, Beer-lahai-roi etc. were given to physical places & altars where people encountered God, as a religious memorial. In Genesis 16:14 where the Egyptian bondwoman, Hagar encountered God & called him El-roi, it was the well(in the place of that encounter) that was named as a memorial of the encounter 👇🏽 "Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered." In Genesis 22:14 it is the place where Abraham encountered divine provision of the ram caught in a thicket that he called Jehovah Jireh.👇🏽 "And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen." In Genesis 28:16-19 & 35:6-7 Jacob encountered God in a dream of a ladder reaching to heaven. He named the place Bethel, declaring that it was the house of God and the gate of heaven. On his return, he built an altar there and call...