SAINT LAWRENCE OF BRINDISI, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. 

What’s so special about Bashan and Gilead?   And why does Micah pray that God would pasture his people there?

The first time we hear of Bashan and Gilead in the Scriptures is when Moses and the Israelites soundly defeat Og, the king of Bashan, on their way to the Promised Land (Numbers 21:33-35).   This fertile territory lay on the east side of the Jordan River and provided rich grazing land to the many flocks pastured there.   Bashan was famous for its cattle, its goats, its wheat and wine, as well as its dense forests.

In Gilead grew the proverbial balm to soothe all ills. More than simply rich and fertile lands, Gilead’s hill country was also known as a place of refuge.   Jacob fled there to get away from his angry father-in-law, Laban (Genesis 31:25).   Ishmaelites bearing resin from Gilead pulled Joseph out of the pit where his brothers had abandoned him (37:25).   Some of Saul’s soldiers hid there from marauding Philistines (1 Samuel 13:7).

So Bashan and Gilead were seen as places of safety and plenty.   It’s no wonder, then, that Micah asks the Lord to bring his people into these legendary places.   Micah foresaw the suffering and exile that the Israelites were going to have to endure, but he was also confident that God wanted to give good things to his beloved people.   So he prayed that God would ultimately deliver them, restore them to safety, and bless them with abundance.

Micah used Gilead and Bashan as images of the peace and restoration that God wanted to give his people after they had finished atoning for their unbelief and evil.   He trusted that God would treat his people so gently and mercifully because he was convinced of God’s faithfulness to his promises.

That’s a good perspective to take as you intercede for your family or friends.   However difficult things might seem, God still wants to bring you and the people you’re praying for to a place of peace and safety, a place of abundance and bounty.   You can count on it.

“Lord, I place all my hope in you. I believe that you are leading me to goodness beyond my imagining.”

Psalm 85:2-8
Matthew 12:46-50