2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Each of the messages in this (and probably any series that I write) examines the two parallel truths of God’s sovereignty and mankind’s responsibility to respond to it in one way or another. Today, Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is there, directs me to share some of the citations with you that reveal His heart to us. There is no question that at times, the Lord is wrathful toward mankind, and none of this is undeserved. That is because Jehovah Shammah must demonstrate His righteousness when we push His back against the wall with our disobedience. However, there is a very beautiful tenderness in His heart for His children as well. It can be seen in some of the citations in this message.
I am reminded every time that I read MT 17: 3, which tells us who was seen in the transfiguration, what likely happens to faithful servants of God when they pass off the earthly scene. “Then the three disciples saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus.” Remember that Moses and Elijah lived and died long before Jesus’ incarnation. That didn’t keep them from having eternal fellowship with the Lord at all. That is an opportunity our loving Abba saw to it they would have, because of their faithfulness out of His justice and compassion. When people make Jehovah Shammah, the Lord of their lives, He holds them in high esteem. We have to know that He holds Moses in high esteem, not only because of the closeness of their relationship during Moses’ years of service to God, but also by God’s willingness to inspire the author of the book of Hebrews to write what he did in HE 11: 25-27. “He [Moses] preferred to suffer with God’s people rather than to enjoy sin for a little while. He reckoned that to suffer scorn for the Messiah was worth far more than all the treasures of Egypt, for he kept his eyes on the future reward. It was faith that made Moses leave Egypt, without being afraid of the Pharaoh’s anger. As though he saw an invisible God, he refused to turn back.” What this passage refers to is what we find in EX 2: 15-16, “When the king [Pharaoh] heard about what had happened [Moses had killed an Egyptian who was abusing Hebrew slaves], he tried to have Moses killed, but Moses had fled and went to live in the land of Midian.”
As Moses set out alone in the desert, he was facing possible starvation, death from thirst, danger from marauders, and uncertainty as to where his path would take him. Yet, Moses took this path anyway sure that Jehovah Shammah would be there for him. Can it be that we see God Himself reflected in truly faithful people like Moses? These people show endurance, courage, compassion toward their fellow man, and many other wonderful qualities, qualities which I believe God Himself has. I believe that Jehovah Shammah is there, longing to be our future and our hope. Listen to what the Psalmist says in PS 73: 25-28. “What Else do I have in heaven but You? Since I have You, what else could I want on earth? My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my Strength; He is all I ever need. Those who abandon you will certainly perish; You will destroy those who are unfaithful to You.” If I’m right in my assertion that good and faithful people reflect God’s qualities, then we can learn a lot about God from them. Imagine our God Who eagerly awaits the day when we will be perfected, as Moses was, and ready to enjoy proximity and eternal fellowship with Him! Our Jehovah Shammah is there every day loving us just as he loves people like Moses.
Our limited human perspective makes it difficult sometimes to understand the complex Deity that is the one and only God, Jehovah Shammah. He sometimes shows us His esteem and other times shows us His righteous wrath. Look at the contrast between the citations we have already seen here and these that follow. EZK 6: 9b-10, “There [in exile] they will remember me and know that I have punished them and disgraced them, because their faithless hearts deserted Me. And they will be disgusted with themselves because of the evil and degrading things they have done. They will know that I am the Lord and that my warnings were not empty threats.” EZK 7: 5-7, “This is what the sovereign Lord is saying, ‘One disaster after another is coming for you [Israel]. It is all over. This is the end. You are finished. The end is coming for you people who live in the land. The times is near when there will be no more celebrations at the mountain shrines [shrines of idol worship], only confusion.’” We know that after the Jews were in exile in Babylonia, Ezekiel saw God’s shekinah glory, the dazzling light of His presence, actually leave the Temple in Jerusalem in a vision [EZK 10: 4]. EZK 33: 21 shows us the consequences of many generations of idolatry and other sin on the part of the pre-exilic Jews. EZK 33: 21, “On the fifth day of the tenth month of the twelfth year of our exile [586 BC], a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came and told me [Ezekiel] that the city had fallen.” To stretch toward God’s perspective, we must take the time for ourselves to examine these questions: Is there ever any evilness behind God’s decisions when He is either holding mankind in esteem or punishing them? What is our understanding of God’s actions in our lives? I think you will find God acts only out of the deep love that He has for each of us.
PRAYER: O Lord, You reveal Your heart to us in so many ways. When Your children show courage and obedient faith, as Moses did, You hold them in high esteem. When Your children practice idolatry and other sins, You reveal Your righteous wrath and punish them. In the words You gave to the Psalmist, You remind us that You are sufficient. We don’t need any other god in our lives. When we put our faith in You, we have everything we need. At times when we are wrestling with temptation from the adversary, the effects of the sinfulness of others, pain, and suffering, it is difficult for us to remember that You are sufficient and that we can turn to You. But, remember we must! When we take time to see how You work in the lives of others, we can also learn to see You at work in us. Today, we humbly offer You thanks for giving us a real hunger for Your word through the Holy Spirit. It is He Who leads us to these citations that reveal Your wonderful attributes and encourage us to be strong in our faith. We beseech You to help us understand that You are all we need to be victorious over the work of the devil and to one day be perfected and ready for glorification. We offer You our adoration, worship, trust, obedience, loyalty, honor, glory, praise and thanks. In Christ’s holy name, amen.
Tomorrow, I am directed to share some citations that reveal Jehovah’s Shammah’s jealously and the righteousness of it. There is nothing in the world to match the depth of God’s love for those who are faithful to Him. The questions that we are asked by Him are His way of causing us to focus on the truth. They are sometimes painful, depending on the content of our hearts, but they are never asked for any other reason than to bring about a mid-course correction in our heart attitude when He knows it is needed. A god who doesn’t love us wouldn’t care and isn’t able to transform us by the renewal of our minds. Our God is awesome and He cares more than we know. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn