When Abram's and Lot's livestock became too numerous to occupy the same space, Abram gave his nephew the first choice as to where he would go and settle. Lot chose the fertile valley of the Jordan, and even "moved his tents as far as Sodom" (Genesis 13:12). Meanwhile, Abram settled in Hebron, where he and his family were kept safe from the attack of the four kings who took Sodom, Gomorrah and his nephew Lot; where, in a vision, God took Abram outside and had him count the stars if he could, to show him how numerous his descendants would be; where he was visited by God and promised a son, given a new name, and where he stood before the Lord and interceded for the cities; where Isaac was born and raised; where Sarah died and was buried; and where Abraham "died in a good old age, an old man and satisfied with life" (Genesis 25:8). Although Hebron was not as desirable or hospitable to the ambitious man, it was the place where Abraham and his family lived apart from the destructive culture of depravity in Sodom and Gomorrah. In Hebron, Abraham established a home where he raised his family on his terms, which were ultimately the Lord's.
Almost 600 years after Abraham died, Hebron was found by the Hebrew spies to be populated by the Anakim, a population of giants. The spies folded at the very thought of facing the Anakim, but Caleb held the Word of God to be true and reminded the people of the promise. Forty years later, eighty-five year-old Caleb would return to Hebron. He would approach Joshua and ask for his blessing, saying: "Give me this hill country." And, Caleb went in and received Hebron, as the Lord had promised him, and established his home there. The giants of Hebron fell by the hand of an eighty-five year-old man because God had spoken for Hebron.
About 400 years after Caleb settled in Hebron, the Lord told David to go to Hebron to begin his reign, after Saul had died. In Hebron all of Israel acknowledged David as king. It was there that David's first sons were born. His kingdom and his family, through which God would give us His Son, were established in Hebron.
The Lord has spoken to His men and told us to raise our families according to His Word. We must necessarily stand and build our homes on His Word, raise our children in His Word and in the discipline of a father. We must have homes where the one God, His name and His Word are honored. We must teach His Word to our children diligently. For us, Hebron is more than a city in Israel. It may not even be a tangible place. Hebron was a place where the Almighty God's men broke ground, staked out their homes and established their families. Is there a "hill country" that you have taken by the Word of the Lord, and made into a home for your family? Does your family know that God is honored in their Daddy's house? Do they understand why? Do they see their Daddy, like Abraham, interceding for the lost instead of participating in their destruction? Do they see their Daddy, like Caleb, having no tolerance for evil in his house? Do they see their Daddy, like David, allowing the one God to establish His kingdom in his home? Give me that hill country!