"Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord" (Gen. 13:18).
The name Hebron means "fellowship" in the original language. God's house is a matter of life, while fellowship is a matter of living. It is impossible for one to live in Hebron without first passing through Bethel. We have to remember that Hebron comes after Bethel. Where there is God's house, there is fellowship. Fellowship is not a community organized by a number of people. Fellowship can only be found in the house of God. Without God's house it is impossible to have fellowship. If our natural life is not dealt with, we cannot have any fellowship. We live in the Body and have fellowship only when the natural life is dealt with.
Bethel appears to be the center of Canaan. God brought Abraham to Bethel to dwell there. As soon as Abraham left Bethel, he failed. When he came back from Egypt, God brought him back to Bethel, the place where he had built an altar. Only after he settled down in Bethel did God gradually move him to Hebron. This is very meaningful. One will be led into the fellowship only after he sees the house of God—the life of the Body of Christ.
The Body is a fact; it is a real, definite fact. In this Body we spontaneously communicate and fellowship with other children of the Lord. Once we turn our back towards Ai and judge the natural life, we will enter into the life of the Body of Christ and be brought into the fellowship spontaneously. Those who truly know the Body of Christ are freed from individualism spontaneously. They do not trust in themselves, and they realize that they are very weak. They fellowship with all the children of God. God must bring us to the point where we cannot go on without fellowship. God will show us that what is impossible with individuals is possible when it is done in fellowship. This is the meaning of Hebron.
In Shechem there was an oak called the oak of Moreh. In Hebron there were also oaks called the oaks of Mamre (Gen. 13:18, ASV). The name Mamre means "fatness" or "strength" in the original language. The result of fellowship is fatness and strength. All fatness, riches, and strength come from fellowship.
In summary, Shechem, Bethel, and Hebron signify the characteristics of Canaan. Although no one on the whole earth knows God, His people in Canaan know His power, His Body, and fellowship. As a result of seeing this, God's people become His testimony. They must maintain themselves in such a condition before they can bear God's testimony. Only when they bear these three characteristics will they be able to offer up burnt offerings, and only then will God accept the sacrifice. A sacrifice is not only an offering, but there is also the element of God's acceptance. We may want to offer many things to God which He absolutely does not want. All three places have altars. This means that these are the places that God wants and that God accepts.
If a Christian wants to maintain God's testimony on earth, his spiritual knowledge must come from power. Otherwise, it is of no avail. The only kind of knowledge that has spiritual value is the knowledge that comes from Christ as our power. It is easy for us to take the knowledge we have heard as our own and convey it to others, but this has no spiritual value. May the Lord be merciful to us! However, when we find out what power is before the Lord and acquire some spiritual experience, it is easy for us to become disobedient. It is easy for us to think that we know what others do not know, and that we can do many things. Immediately our self is exposed. At this point, God turns our attention to His house. God's house demands our obedience. If we act according to our own will, we cannot live in God's house. When we see the life of the Body, we see our place in it, and we will not overstep. A person who has received God's revelation of the Body of Christ will not act independently. If we truly see the life of the Body, we will see that there is restriction in the house of God, and we will not move freely. At the same time, if we have the life of the Body, we will spontaneously fellowship with other children of God, and we will treasure this fellowship and not feel that it is a burden to us. If God's children do not know the meaning of God's house, they will not be able to fellowship with God's other children. Whoever cannot honor the other brothers and cannot render them their due respect, praise, and position has not seen the house of God. If our natural life has been dealt with, and if we know what the life of the Body means, we will learn to treasure the other brothers and to touch life and receive help in the meetings. We often receive help and touch life when we come to the meetings. Yet when we leave the meeting, another brother may come and tell us that the meeting was terrible and wrong. Actually, what was terrible and wrong was not the meeting but the brother; he did not take his stand in the house of God. As a result, he could not fellowship with others and could not receive the supply of life from others. If his flesh is dealt with, he will see the Body of Christ and spontaneously fellowship with others. He will find that even the weakest brother or sister can render him some help.
These are the characteristics of Canaan. Among all of Abraham's experiences, God chose these three places for him to build altars. This means that God's acceptance, approval, hope, and countenance are upon these three places.