BETHEL'S KLIP - "Where two or
three are gathered together in my name, there I will be in the midst of
them" (Pg68) Barnabas Shaw, Memorials of South Africa Bethel's Klip is the
site where the Rev. Barnabas Shaw first preached the Gospel to the Namaqua peoples
some 198 years ago on Sunday, 12 September 1819 near the base of the Kamiesberg
escarpment at a small village/community near giant granitic boulders lying in a
valley. I quote from Rev. Barnabas Shaw book, “Memorials of South Africa” the
following he said about this place: “A short distance from the kraal stands an
amazing rock: its length is nearly two hundred feet, its breadth forty or
fifty, and its height sixty or seventy. In former ages this has been a solid
stone; but by the mouldering hand of time, or some convulsive shake of the
earth, it has been separated into three almost equal parts. Everything seemed
to invite us to worship and adore. The grand luminary of the world beginning
his mighty career in the heavens, pointed out Jesus as “a Light to lighten the
Gentiles” - the immense mountains by which we are surrounded, shewed us the
power of God – the decayed and tumbling rocks on every side, seemed to remind
us that no earthly thing can withstand the wastes of all-consuming time, the
cows, sheep, and goats grazing around, brought primitive times to our
recollection, and encouraged us to believe in the God of Abraham.” (Pg88) I
quote further from his book: “On saying to the chief, that the Lord provided us
with a place of worship, without labour of ours, he answered “Yes, and it is
good to sit under its shadow”. On explaining to him the meaning of the word
Bethel, he said that the rock should henceforth bear that name”. (P89) Bethel
(Ugaritic: bt il, meaning "House of El" or "House of God"
(Wikipedia)
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