Many of the valleys of Scripture are of historical interest, such as the vale of Siddim, where the earliest of the battles of the kings of the earth took place (Gen. 14:8–12). In the same chapter is the valley of “Shaveh, which is the king’s dale” (verses 17) which is of spiritual interest, for there Abraham refused to keep anything that belonged to the king of Sodom. Fortified by the ministrations of Melchizedek, the saint of God would not have the very least thing from this world, lest the world might say, “I have made Abraham rich” (verse 23). From among the many valleys named in Scripture, we shall look at a few, many interesting ones having been omitted, such as the valley where Moses was buried by Jehovah, and the valley of Megiddo, where battles were fought in early days, and where the nations will be gathered to battle in the last days before the Lord sets us His kingdom.
The Valley of Eschol
When recalling to Israel God’s ways with them, Moses said concerning the spies who went to search out the land of promise, “And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out. And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the Lord our God doth give us” (Deut. 1:24-25). Such was the weight of one cluster of Eshcol’s grapes that it required two men to carry it upon a pole (Num. 13:23), and with the grapes the men brought pomegranates and figs.
Jehovah had said to Moses regarding His people Israel, “I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8). This was the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, “Unto thy seed will I give it” (Ex. 33:1), and the spies had brought to Israel a good report of the land, and given them the evidence in the fruits that they had gathered. How very sad it was that Israel rejected the good tidings that God gave them, and refused to go up and take possession of their inheritance.
God has given to Christians, to those who truly believe in the Lord Jesus, a goodly inheritance. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, and “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance” (Eph. 1:3, 11). We also have been sealed by God “with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession” (verses 13, 14). Having the Holy Spirit, we are able to foretaste the joys of the heavenly inheritance that we are so soon to share with Christ, for we are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.
The Valley of Achor
This was a valley of judgment, for in it Achan, who had coveted “a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold” was stoned to death (Joshua 7:19–26). There was disobedience to the commandment of God, the implication of all Israel in this sin, the defeat of Israel at Ai, and therefore dishonour to the Name of the Lord in the sight of the nations around. Poor Achan wanted to appear like a man of the world in his worldly garment, and to be rich in this world’s goods, even if it meant gross disobedience to the word of the God of Israel.
Surely there is a warning in this for the Christian not to covet the fashion of this world, or to seek present riches, for “they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition” (1 Tim. 6:9-10). In the coming day, what was a place of judgment for God’s earthly people will be a place of blessing, for God will give her “the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she shall sing there as in the days of her youth” (Hosea 2:15); and while Israel sings she shall have rest, for “the valley of Achor (shall be) a place for herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me” (Isa. 65:10). The new covenant, in the blood of Jesus, will transform the place of judgment into a place of hope, singing and rest in the sovereign goodness of God.
The Valley of Elah
When “Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah” the men of Israel were greatly afraid because of the Philistine who defied their armies (1 Sam. 17:2, 24). Neither Saul, nor Jonathan, nor any of the mighty men of Israel felt able to accept the challenge of Goliath to mortal combat. It was then that God brought forward His man to meet the proud boastings of the giant, and to humble him before the hosts of Israel and the hosts of their enemies. What a blessed picture of the Lord Jesus meeting the enemy in his power, and bringing him down with weapons that he had despised.
How weak David must have looked in the eyes of the giant armed with so much iron and brass, with mighty sword and spear. Yet his sling and stone sufficed to bring the powerful enemy to the earth. It was in weakness that Christ was crucified, being led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep He was dumb before the great of this world. Having glorified God in death, and dealt with every question our sins raised, the Son of God came forth in triumph, leading captivity captive. When the priest said to David, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold it is here” (1 Sam. 21:9), David said, “There is none like that; give it me.” David had used the giant’s own weapon to slay him, and to cut off his head; and it was by death, the weapon Satan had used to terrify the people of God, that the Lord Jesus used to secure His great victory over Satan for the deliverance of His saints (Heb. 2:14-15).
The Valley of Baca
Wherever this valley may have been situated in the land of Israel, its meaning is clear, for Baca means weeping, and by the supply of divine grace the Christian in “passing through the valley of Baca make it a well” (Psalm 84:6). For the natural man the time of weeping is one of unmingled distress and sorrow, but the blessed man, whose strength is in the Lord, and in whose heart are His ways (verse 5), weeping brings with it the comfort of God, the sympathy of Christ and great spiritual gain. Taking all his sorrow from the hand of God, that he knows is directed by infinite love and wisdom for his blessing, the believer turns to God in praise and worship. We something of this in Job in the time of his deep, deep sorrow, for he “fell down upon the ground and worshipped, and said…the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the Name of the Lord” (Job. 1:20-21).
Having the ways of God in his heart, that is knowing that everything works “together for good to them that love God” (Rom. 8:28), the one who takes all from His hand gains greatly in spiritual blessing from times of weeping, for “the early rain covers it (the valley of Baca) with blessings.” Is not this God’s intention in passing His people through the valley of weeping. How great was the blessing brought to Martha and Mary when the Lord allowed them to pass through this sad valley. They came out of it with the comfort of the Lord, and with a knowledge of Himself as the Resurrection and the Life.
The Valley of Vision
What a wonderful view of God’s ways and His counsels is found in the valley of vision (Isa. 22). There is the sorrowful state of His people Israel, and especially of Jerusalem and Judah, who had been called upon to repent because of their sins, but instead of mourning before God, and turning to Him in repentance, they recklessly gave themselves over to eating and drinking with divine judgment immediately ahead. In the midst of such a condition, one of the chief men of Judah, Shebna, who was over the royal household, thought only of his own things, and of his name when he was gone. The solemn judgment of God is pronounced on Shebna as a warning for all who have not the honour of God’s Name before them, and who only think of their own prosperity, and their name with posterity.
Into this dark picture the God of Israel brings the light of His purpose and counsel. He has a Man, pre-figured in Hilkiah, a faithful servant of the Lord, even His own Son, and to Him would be given “the key of the house of David,” and He would be “as a Nail in a sure place; and…for a glorious throne to His father’s house” (Isa. 22:20–23). All the glory would seem to be lost when the Nail in the sure place was cut down, but all would be raised up with the risen Christ, and be displayed in the last day (John 6:39). Israel is specially in view in the burden of the valley of vision, but Israel’s Messiah is also God’s Christ, the Man of His counsels, in whom His eternal purpose is secured, and will be displayed.
The Valley of Dry Bones
It was a strange sight for the prophet when he was set “down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones” (Ezek. 37:1), and surpassing strange to see the bones come together “bone to his bone,” then to behold the flesh and sinews appear to cover the bones. What an amazing spectacle to see life coming to the dead, so that they stood upon their feet, “an exceeding great army,” The Lord then gave the prophet the interpretation of the vision when He said, “Son of Man, these bones are the whole house of Israel” (verse 11), and He told them that He would yet bring His people Israel out of their graves, and bring them back to their land again.
This is a national resurrection, not the resurrection of persons who have died, but the restoration to nationhood of the ancient people of God, and their recovery to the land of promise. The captives of Israel were saying, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off” (verse 11). Already we see some of Israel in the land, but this is not the direct work of God. Yet the day is coming when God will intervene on behalf of His people. Now, for the most part, they are buried among the Gentile nations, but God will bring them up out of their graves, and the nation will be blessed in the land of Canaan, under the new covenant.
The Valley of Decision
Dreadful judgment is about to be poured out upon this guilty world, and this before the reign of Christ as King of kings, and Lord of lords. The details of this judgment are to be found in the books of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Zechariah, Revelation and other books of the Old and New Testaments. Here, in Joel 3, we have the preparation for war of the Gentile nations, their gathering together in the valley of Jehoshaphat, and there the Lord will sit “to judge all the heathen round about” (Joel 3:9–12).
In Revelation 14:14–20 the divine judgments are viewed as the discriminating judgment of the harvest, and the unmitigated judgment of the vintage, and both are indicated in Joel 3:13. In that day there will be “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (verse 14). The day of the Lord will bring His solemn judgments upon the nations “round about” Israel, the nations that even now are manifesting their hatred to the people gathered back to the land.
Other and greater confederations will be judged. The revived Roman empire under the beast, the kings of the east, the Assyrian, and the great northern nations and those allied with them, as foretold in Ezekiel 38, 39. There will be the subjugation of all hostile powers before the Lord rules in righteousness, and also the sessional judgment of which the Lord spoke in Matthew 25:31–46. Before these solemn events take place, the church will be caught up to be with Christ and to be like Him, to be His companions in heaven, and to share His glory.
R. 14.1.71