Dothan is a place mentioned in the bible where Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. It was also the place where the prophet Elisha was born and where his servant saw horses and chariots of fire when the army of Aram was coming to attack Israel.
Hagar met God at a well outside of Egypt. Isaac’s servant met Isaac’s wife Rebekah at a well, and the tribes of Israel would be born later on.
The Lord highlighted Dothan to me this morning. Dothan means “two wells.” Wells can have prophetic meaning, as the symbolize supply and provision (the well that sprang up in Numbers 21). People of the bible often had encounters with God at wells. Think back to the Samaritan woman tat the well who Jesus had a divine encounter with. Wells also symbolize salvation; Isaiah spoke of joyfully drawing water from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3). Wells represent the holy spirit: God calls himself a spring of living water and Jeremiah speaks of abandoned wells, “They have abandoned me- the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all” (Jeremiah 2:13).
I think of Joseph a lot. He was given great dreams as a child and was doted on heavily by his father (ref. the coat of many colors). Of course, he had these amazing prophetic dreams about promises God made to him, but his circumstances quickly changed. Thank God that he loves us enough to give us glimpses of what we will become for him before he sends us through the time of testing and preparation…This is personal supposition, but I often wonder if God first allowed him to be thrown into a well first (as if that wasn’t hard enough) as a symbol of the various pits he would be thrown into on his way to the palace. Perhaps it was through Joesph’s trials and challenges that God was digging a deeper well inside of Joseph. A well of wisdom. A well of perseverance. A well of believing for what he could see while waiting deep down in the darkness. Feeling alone. Abandoned. Rejected by his brothers. Falsely accused when he was being a good steward. Forgotten by the cupbearer… Being prepared to come up out of the darkness, full of wisdom. Time in the pit can either make you pitiful or powerful, depending on your outlook. It’s a lot of time to think. It’s a lot of time to talk with and listen to God.
In the simplest of terms, Joseph’s preparation was hard. I would love to read his diary to learn from his perspective how he processed the constant trials and isolation. Literally every time he turned around a greater challenge struck his other cheek. Did he doubt the dreams God gave him? Did he blame God? Did he argue with God? The bible doesn’t really say. BUT then one day his time came for promotion. And his heart had been prepared to steward his opportunity with wisdom and humility.
You have 2 wells
The truth is, the Lord showed me that we all have two “wells” before us that we get to choose to drink from:
The well of Life\\the well of death; the well of Egypt//the well of Promise; The well of curses and poverty//the well of blessings and abundance; the tree “well” of the knowledge of good and evil//the tree “well” of life; deceit versus truth; faithfulness versus unfaithfulness. You get the idea.
The Lord spoke this today:
“My people are always given 2 choices. Follow Me into the unknown or go back. Look back. At comfort. At security. At death. Easy places do not make growth happen. The call of My people is to go forward with Me into what they cannot see. I am leading them by the hand. Trust Me to clear the path before you so that you do not stumble. I’ve not new wells for you, My beloved. New ministries. New blessings. New roots. What looks like a little opening above ground is really a deep supply underground. The times of refreshing are coming for those who choose to drink from My well and follow Me. Tell them the choice is theirs,” says the Lord.
I just want to add that, we always have a choice. Every day that you wake up I pray that you would re-submit to God’s will for you. Two choices, two wells sit before you. Remember what happened to Adam and Eve. A little doubt and a little coercion, and a little vision of becoming “like God” led them to making what they thought would be the best choice for them, but it ended in death. If you’re not submitting to God and letting him lead you, you’re eventually headed for a fall and perhaps even destruction. Confess and return. Rededicate. Start again.
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