We have now reached the last teaching on the Names of God. Of course there are many other names that we have not covered, but I hope that the ones we have covered have been helpful to you all in your walk of faith. I pray that they have brought you to a better understanding of our Mighty and Amazing God. I hope also that you have noticed how each name leads on to the next. It’s as if God is saying, ‘Now that you know Me as this Name, let Me lead you on to the next so that you can learn more of Me and know Me more.’

There is no doubt that He supplies all our need and there is not one area of our existence that is not covered by these wonderful characteristics of God. Last time we looked at Jehovah M’Kaddesh, the Lord Who sanctifies. We saw how God had to remove His presence from His people because of their disobedience and sin. I thank our Father God that we as believers in His Son Jesus, are forgiven our sin through Him, and that He is there with us and in us by the power of His Holy Spirit.

We were reminded that we are on a pilgrimage, a walk of sanctification, that one day will bring us into the very presence of God. In this teaching we will see how our God is with us, leading us and guiding us as our Shepherd. So let us begin by looking at sheep.

Whatever kind of sheep they are, wherever they come from, I think you’ll agree that they are rather silly creatures. They all run in the same direction; once one goes, the others follow, you will rarely see a single sheep going against the flow. Everyone else is doing it so it must be right. They like as a group to be left alone to graze and ruminate, they rarely rush at anything, unless that is, they are pushed to it and then they show how fast they can move. They are easily frightened and can even die of shock. They like to be together in a flock, all moaning and complaining in unison. Baah- meh! Baah-meh! When one gets into trouble, the others just walk off and leave it to its fate. Tough luck chum! They are plagued by pests which get into their skin and cause pain and inflammation. They have foot problems and ear problems and eye problems. Pretty sickly really! They need doctoring and dipping to rid them of their pests. They have to be sheared once a year to keep them cool in Summer and because wool is useful to us. They need water, they need grass. Funnily enough, when they are sheared or treated and are turned on their backs, they go quiet and passive and give up resisting and struggling at being held down.Funny animals, sheep!

They are the only domestic animals that cannot survive on their own. They are totally dependent on their shepherd for protection, water, food and shelter. Sheep won’t last long without a shepherd. I think that we can agree that looking after sheep is difficult.

In this country we are all familiar with white, or dirty grey, woolly sheep. We see shepherds on quad bikes, driving their flocks before them or walking behind them with a sheep dog or two herding them back into line at the shepherd’s bidding. We see the cute little lambs in Spring, gambolling about, having fun, all playing in green, rolling meadows beside a gently flowing stream. I think of West Dean Gardens in West Sussex and all the sheep you can see there grazing on the other side of the river. A pretty sight, a pastoral view, and we have those lovely peaceful scenes in our minds.

In Israel however, things are quite different, both for the shepherd and for the sheep. The sheep there look different. They are generally brown and black as well as a creamy colour, and they have horns, big horns, which can be used to make shofars, the Jewish trumpet. They are a much tougher type of sheep physically, though still prone to the the same sort of problems, infections and illnesses as sheep here.

In Israel the shepherd leads his sheep and the sheep follow him. They know their master and follow his lead, because silly as they are, they know he will take them to a place where they can eat and drink.

The terrain in Israel is very different too and that is important for us to understand as we continue this study.

I am sure that when you knew the subject for this study that you immediately thought of Psalm 23, probably the most well known of all the psalms . It was written by David as we all know, and it describes the qualities of a good shepherd, comparing him with our God, Jehovah Rohi….The Lord Our Shepherd.

David was a shepherd long before he was a king. He knew all there was to know about sheep and I believe that he could clearly see, as can we, how like sheep we all are.

Go with the flow!

Follow the leader!

Focus on myself!

Forget about others!

Eat, drink, I need food, take me to it!

Leave me be, don’t rush me!

Love to be with the crowd!

Everybody else is doing it, so it can’t be wrong!

I’m too hot, I’m too cold!

I’m sick, I need a doctor!

I’m scared, I’m on my own!

Where can I go?

Which way now?

What do I do?

How can I cope?

Baah-meh, baah-meh!

We need the shepherd! Oh, how we need Him!

Isaiah 53 V 6 “All we like sheep, have gone astray…….”

Yes, David knew sheep. He knew the land too. He killed a lion, he killed a bear to protect his flock.

1Samuel 17 v 34-36a “But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear….”

It was tough country, not at all like the pleasant green fields of England. Bethlehem was David’s home which is not far from Jerusalem. Indeed the flocks of sheep were in that area to provide for the sacrifices required in the Tabernacle and later the Temple.

Remember how the angels appeared to the shepherds at Bethlehem when Jesus was born? (Luke 2 v 8-18) They were the shepherds who raised the sheep for the Temple worship. They knew the requirements, that the sheep had to be spotless and clean. Their sheep were precious and constantly needed care and attention. Why these shepherds? Poor, despised, illiterate, dirty and probably very smelly, as indeed shepherds were in David’s day and are even today 3000 years later. Shepherds have always been despised in Israel and also in Jacob’s days when he brought his family to Egypt to be reunited with Joseph. Pharaoh would only allow them to live in Goshen which was far away from the dwellings of the rich and privileged, because they were shepherds. Yes it was rich land there, but shepherds were despised in Egypt even more than in Israel. (Genesis 46 v 31-34)

So shepherds were looked down upon, but God did not look down on them, He blessed them. He blessed David. David was a shepherd. Imagine God choosing a despised shepherd to be the King over His people Israel. He blessed the Temple shepherds. He blessed the family of Jacob.

Shepherds are actually very skilful people. There is nothing about sheep that they do not know, they are highly trained professionals. They recognise their sheep individually, and they know the land that they walk.

The land around Bethlehem that David was so familiar with is located on the central mountainous spine of Israel on the edge of the Judean wilderness. It is dry and barren, with scrubby plants, rocky and dangerous with many gorges and deep wadis that flow with torrents of water in the rainy seasons and are bone dry the rest of the time. There seems to be nothing for sheep to feed on at all. The truth is that for those, like the Bedouins today, who are trained to find it and recognise it, the wilderness is filled with water sources and plant life sufficient to sustain large flocks of sheep and goats. Indeed if you visit the area today you will see these flocks shepherded by Bedouins.

David would certainly have possessed such knowledge in his day.

Please don’t imagine him sitting on a grassy knoll overlooking his quietly feeding flock by a gentle stream. Such a picture is a fairy tale.i Chris and Lindy Hill take tour groups to Israel and indeed have been over 89 times to date. This is what he says in his little booklet called ‘The Song of the Shepherd’ (for which I am grateful for a lot of information) .

‘When Lindy and I take our tour groups to the Holy Land, we are sure to include the Wadi Quelt. The dry riverbed winds through towering cliffs in the Judean Wilderness between Jerusalem and Jericho. Part of it is so deeply carved into the earth thatnit never sees the sun. For as long as anyone can recall it has been known locally as the ‘Valley of the Shadow’.

David must have been familiar with that wadi. Maybe be had to lead the sheep through it when he needed to take them to fresh pastures. Sometimes after heavy rain had fallen on Jerusalem and a flash flood had roared and plunged its way through the Wadi Quelt, ‘cups’ of water were left behind in hollows in the ground. Here the sheep could drink after the flood had passed.’

No! Being a shepherd in that part of the world is not an easy job.sheep fall into ravines or wander into dangerous caves, they get caught up in thorny bushes, they get lost, they get taken by wild animals.

I think that once we understand just how difficult it is to be a shepherd out there in that inhospitable land, then we get a far more balanced idea of the meaning of Jehovah Rohi….The Lord our Shepherd.

The term ‘shepherd’ appears more than 80 times in the Bible and in the Hebrew covers meanings such as, feeder, keeper, companion, friend, pastor, herdsman as well as of course shepherd.

There are a number of shepherds mentioned in the Old Testament, from Abel onwards, and the figure of the shepherd became an illustration of the relationship between a leader and his people.

In Exodus 3 v 1  Moses, who was tending sheep when he saw the burning bush and was appointed by God as the shepherd of His people Israel and of course David who was a shepherd of the sheep and became the shepherd of the people of God.  (2 Samuel 5 v 2).

But the ultimate expression of this name of God is of course Jehovah Rohi….the Lord our Shepherd. Psalm 23 speaks to us deeply of the love of God for His people, for us.

Davis knew the needs of his sheep  and could identify himself with those sheep. He saw the similar tendencies between sheep and people. He knew that he needed a shepherd. It is believed that this psalm was written towards the end of David’s life after he could see how foolish men could be and indeed, how foolish he had often been, just like sheep. He knew that a shepherd provided for his sheep and he knew that God had provided for him in the same way. As I was preparing this, I pondered on this Psalm and this is what I wrote.

The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want;

My Shepherd gives me everything I need,  I want for nothing.

I am content and totally dependent on Him.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He MAKES me – a bit like the sheep who are forcefully turned on their backs to be sheared and accept it passively after a struggle with the shepherd. He knows what is best for me and sometimes has to make me see His point of view, despite how I fight and struggle to get my own way. He knows where the best pastures are and He knows that I need to accept His provision and not try to find my own way in my own strength.

He leads me beside the still waters;

Sheep’s nostrils are close to their mouths and is they try to drink from a rushing stream they are likely to drown. They need a placid pool to drink from, like the pools of water in the Wadi Quelt.

He wants me to quench my thirst in Him and not drown in the world full of torrents of depravity.

He restores my soul;

Quenching my thirst in Him means that I will be restored and refreshed in my mind by His word and by His presence.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His own names sake;

He knows the paths He has prepared for me and He wants me to walk those paths, so He leads me because if I say I am a believer and live a lie then I am damaging His Name. He wants me to be righteous, even though, like those sheep in the wilderness, the way is rocky, rough and difficult, steep, dangerous and precipitous. If I trust Him completely then He will guide me through the dangers awaiting me on the right path, the narrow path.

Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;

The Wadi Quelt is dark and dangerous and so sometimes is my life. It’s scary and God seems so far away and the enemy seems so close like a lion prowling around seeking to devour me. But my Shepherd is there despite how I feel. He is protecting me with His rod to beat off the enemy and His staff to keep me on the right track. What a comfort to know that He is with me in times of darkness and trouble as well as in the good times. He leads me into this dark place for a reason. To take me somewhere better, to help me to trust Him more than I did before.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

He is my sustenance in all situations, and I can hold up my head before those who would seek to harm me and know that they can do nothing to keep me from Him and His provision for all my needs.

He anoints my head with oil, my cup runs over;

He fills me with His Holy Spirit to overflowing, like oil poured over my head, like a cup filled up and brimming over. He heals, He protects, He blesses me, He gives me strength, surely I need no more. He is so good to me!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;

I need never be without Him, I need never be lost for He is always my Shepherd and He will always lead me and guide me and be there for me, whatever happens. My life is filled with His goodness and His mercy even when it doesn’t feel like it.

I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever; And one day I will go home to be with Him for all eternity, part of His Bride, the true church, to,praise and worship Him and thank Him forever.

In the New Testament Jesus is revealed to us as the Good Shepherd of the sheep but we cannot know Him as such until we are part of His flock. He submitted Himself as the Lamb to the slaughter so that He could become our Shepherd. The Lamb of God is also the Good Shepherd, the pure, perfect, unblemished, sacrificial Lamb. He took our place so that we could become like Him. John 10 v 14-18

He knows each one of us by name. John 10 v 3. We bear His mark just as sheep are marked by their shepherd to identify their owner. We are His. He is our example and we follow Him and obey His will. (Hebrews 13 v 20-21).

Do you remember how How Jesus spoke to Simon Peter after His resurrection?

Peter was ashamed and guilty that he had betrayed Jesus so easily, and was all for going back to his trade of fishing; his old nature was kicking in again. Jesus was so loving in the way He spoke to  Peter, Jesus knew his heart, He could see the struggle going on there. (John 21. v 15).

Peter was grieved that he could not rise to Jesus request to love Him as Jesus loved Peter (agapeo), all he could promise Jesus was that he loved Him as a friend (phileo). So Jesus came down to Peter’s level and agreed to love him back as a friend for the time being. You see Jesus knew what Peter would become after he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter would be filled with that consuming, compassionate love for Jesus, so much so that he would give up his life for Him. Peter would indeed take care of the sheep and he would become a faithful shepherd of the sheep. Once he allowed the Good Shepherd to lead and guide him he was able to lay down his wilful and wayward old self and devote himself entirely to Jesus.

I love what Jesus said to Peter, ‘Follow Me!’ The very words He used to call Peter to Himself three years before.

A new start, a new beginning.

So it is for us.

It’s never too late to change our ways and follow the Great Shepherd of the Sheep.

Let us keep our eyes fixed on Him so that we can honestly say Jehovah Rohi……the Lord is my Shepherd.

May the Lord Himself bless you and keep you in His perfect ways.

Linda

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God created Israel to be a holy nation.

‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ Exodus 19:5-6

We as believers are also considered by God to be a holy priesthood and nation.

‘But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.’ 1 Peter 2:9-10

We are expected to be holy as He is holy.

‘But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 11 v 44

‘For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.’ 1Peter 1 v 15-16.

That is a high calling indeed, but what does it mean to be holy as He is holy. God is holy…that is a given….He is unique, set apart, sinless, perfect. He cannot be holier than He already is.

How can we possibly expect to achieve such a goal? The answer to that of course is that we can’t.

We know that we are part of a fallen world, we are sinners saved only by the grace of God, there is no good thing in us, our hearts are desperately wicked, there is no hope for any of us apart from Jesus. It is His blood that covers us and makes us acceptable to God the Father.

The plain fact is that we cannot sanctify ourselves, make ourselves holy. It is a work of God by His Holy Spirit.

‘And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.’1 Corinthians 6 v 11

However it is for us a journey, a pilgrimage of faith. We recognise Jesus as our Holiness, our perfect and amazing God, who died so that we could be saved. But salvation is not the main goal, or it shouldn’t be. As soon as we are saved it is not enough to sit back and say, ‘Well, I’m alright Jack! No more struggle!’ Indeed as we all know it is just the beginning of a tough struggle which we understand as the path of sanctification. It takes us through the narrow gate and onto the narrow path, but we still have to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil whilst walking that narrow path. As long as we stick to it we are okay, but so often we stray off it and when we do we find ourselves in difficult places.

As I was struggling to write this piece, and it was a struggle, seeking the Lord for the right way to present it and feeling as if I was getting nowhere fast, Pilgrim’s Progress popped into my mind.

I wonder if you are familiar with this wonderful book by John Bunyan who wrote it while he was in prison in approx 1676. He was imprisoned for his faith in Bedford jail, in a tiny cell which is built into the pier of the bridge over the river and is literally a few feet above the normal water level. I hate to think what that cell must have been like, especially in flood conditions; wet and damp, cold and dark. He was imprisoned for his bold teaching of the Word of God and Jesus truly met him there in that horrible cell. He recorded that his cell was filled with golden light as the Lord came to him to encourage him and to give him hope in his isolation and loneliness. This story is an allegory of his struggle as a believer, and we can relate to it also.

John Bunyan was 47 years of age when he wrote Pilgrim’s Progress and he drew on two main sources, firstly the Bible and secondly his knowledge of the world. He likened his hero, Christian, running away from the City of Destruction to Lot fleeing from Sodom.

Christian met many characters on his journey, such as Pliable, who couldn’t make up his mind about anything and was blown about by any wind of doctrine, and who typifies many of the members of Bunyan’s congregation. Vanity Fair was modelled on Stourbridge Fair, near Cambridge, and the trial of Faithful before Lord Hate Good, was based on Bunyan’s own trial before Justice Keeling.

The story was written as if it was a dream. It all came from Bunyan’s own band and shocked many of his pious friends. They called it ‘an idle tale full of demons and goblins’. But idle it is not and it has become a very famous book. It is a story full of hidden meaning and it is relevant for everyone even today.

We bought a copy of The Dangerous Journey for our son many years ago, and now our grandchildren love it. It is a young person’s version of the Pilgrim’s Progress with amazing illustrations; a true to the story version and easier to understand than the original. So I looked it out and read it again.

Christian leaves the City of Destruction despite the pleading of his family and friends. He is carrying a burden which has become almost too heavy to bear and the question that keeps going through his head and which he can no longer ignore is, ‘What must I do to be saved?’

He reads his book, the Bible, and realises that he and the city and all those he loves are doomed to be burned with fire from heaven. He has to find a way of escape for  himself and his family, but his wife and four sons think that he is crazy. He walks into the fields outside of town to think about what he should do and where he should go and then meets Evangelist who points him in the right direction. As his family and friends chase after him he puts his fingers in his ears and runs.

He meets many characters who seek to deflect him from his desire to find the Endless Kingdom where he will live forever and be safe. He falls into the Slough of Despond and Help calmed to his aid and pulls him out, and he struggles on, his load getting heavier and heavier. He meets Mr Worldly Wise, Mr Legality and gets led astray by such characters often. Evangelist points him back to right path again and he plods on until eventually he arrives at the cross and an empty tomb where to his relief the burden he has been carrying for so long, falls away and he is free at last. He is clothed miraculously in clean fresh garments and is filled with joy.

Is that the end of the story? No!

Like us when we are saved Christian goes on to experience worse things than he did before he was saved, but now the attacks are directly spiritual. He journeys on, he cannot stay where he is at the cross, he has to move on towards the Celestial City. As he travels on his pilgrimage he learns more and more. He meets many who would seek to divert him from his course. Formalist and Hypocrisy who try to get to the Celestial City the wrong way and tempt Christian to go with them. They each go their own way and end up being lost and come to a sticky end. Then there are Timrous and Mistrust who are running away from danger, as they see it. Christian faces the lions who seek to devour him by keeping to the narrow path of light. He is prepared for battle against Appollyon by four lively young women called, Charity, Piety, Prudence and Discretion who give him armour to help him defeat the enemy. Appollyon, the devil, almost overcomes him till Christian wounds him with his sword and the devil has to flee.

Healed from his wounds received from the enemy by leaves from the Tree of Life, he continues on and into the Valley of the Shadow of Death where danger meets him in every side. The path is really narrow and on one side is a sheer precipice falling away and on the other a deep, dark, deadly marsh. One false step and he’s gone. He arrives at the very mouth of Hell itself and is almost overcome by ghosts and apparitions, by hobgoblins and foul fiends, until he is so miserable, low and desperate that he is ready to do away with himself. Until he hears a voice, ‘Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.’ With renewed strength and vigour he carries on till he finally comes out of the valley. He then meets up with his friend Faithful and once again Evangelist points them in the right direction and warns them that the way they are on will be filled with tribulation, but that the Kingdom of Heaven lies ahead. Together the friends go on until they come to Vanity Fair where, because they are different, they are arrested and after a mockery of a trial, Faithful is burnt at the stake and is taken to the Celestial City in a golden chariot. Hopeful helps Christian to escape and together they face more temptations and snares. Christian is now learning discernment, but even so he is deceived and more troubles come against him and his new friend Hopeful. Again they lose their way and end up in Doubting Castle which is owned by the giant Despair and his gross wife, Diffidence. In this terrible place, and almost giving up, Christian remembers he has a key called Promise which will open up the door to freedom. Once free again the two companions struggle on nearly coming to a bitter end as they fall into the net of Flatterer who appears to them as an angel of light. Rescued once more by a real angel they are accosted by Atheist, nearly fall asleep in the Enchanted Ground and despair of ever making it. Then all at once they are within view of the Celestial City, but to get to it they have to cross a wide, deep and dark river, the River of Death.

But Death could not hold Christian and Hopeful and after struggling with him they find themselves safely on the other side. Soon they are climbing the hill to the city and are welcomed in with much rejoicing.

This story is such an amazing picture of the path of sanctification, the journey we must all endure in our Christian pilgrimage to the Holy City of God.

So many things stand in our way, so many circumstances come against us, but each set back only makes us more determined to succeed.

‘Beloved do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. For the time has come for judgement to begin at the house of God, and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?’ 1 Peter 4:12-17

The Lord who Sanctifies…….Jehovah M’Kaddesh. The Lord who makes us holy is the One who will guide us and help us along the way. The Word of God , the promises of God will keep us focussed on the goal. God sees us as holy because of Jesus, but we will not be holy as He is holy until we enter into His eternal presence in Heaven.

Like Christian, to often we have to confess that we succumb to the error of giving the enemy a foothold in our lives and we so easily fail in our desire to be holy and separated unto God. But we have to remember that we cannot fall into sin and be holy too. We daily need to confess our sins for He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

He offers Himself as Jehovah M’Kaddesh……the Lord who alone can sanctify us.

Who Would True Valour See – John Bunyan – 1628 – 1688

Who would true valour see

Let him come hither.

One here will constant be

Come wind, come weather.

There’s no discouragement

Shall make him once relent

His first avowed intent to be a pilgrim.

Whoso beset him round

With dismal stories

Do but themselves confound

His strength the more is.

No lion can him fright,

He’ll with a giant fight,

But he will have a right to be a pilgrim.

Hobgoblin nor foul fiend

Can daunt his sprit.

He knows he at the end

Shall life inherit.

Then fancies flee away,

He’ll fear not what men say,

He’ll labour night and day to be a pilgrim.

In Jesus,

Linda

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‘All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be “THE LORD IS THERE.”

This verse is talking about the incredible vision that Ezekiel had of Jerusalem as it will be in the Millennial Age and of the temple that will be there. The detail is amazing from chapter 40 to 48. He saw a magnificent temple and described it even to its dimensions and detailed measurements. God gave him a guided tour and told him to write down all that he saw. The altar is described in great detail, the gates, the walls, the sacrificial offerings, those who can be admitted, the regulations for the priests, the temple’s place in the new city of Jerusalem, the river which will flow from the temple, the borders of the land and the divisions between the tribes of Israel, the land which will belong to the Prince, and last but not least, the new name to be given to this amazing city; Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is There.

It’s very hard for us to even get our heads around this wonderful vision, and to imagine how it is going to be. Interesting too that in Ezekiel’s vision there doesn’t seem to be anyone around. That is because it is a prophecy of what will be in this period of time that we call the Millennial reign of Christ; the time when Jesus will rule the whole world with a rod of iron. David will be His Prince over the city and it will be the base from which our Lord will rule and reign.

Many Bible scholars don’t believe that this description given to Ezekiel is literal, but attempt to allegorise it by coming up with strange ideas like; as we are the temples of the Holy Spirit, so this temple is a representation of all believers, and that the rooms of the temple are the different nations of the world.

I categorically do not agree with this thinking which I believe cheapens the power of God and His ability to do anything He wills. To spiritualise and allegorise this most important prophetic passage of scripture is like saying that we have to do the same with all other prophecies in the Bible, and what would that mean for the first coming of Jesus?

The Shekinah presence of God has always dwelt with His people, firstly as a pillar of fire and smoke as He led them out of Egypt, then in the Ark of the Covenant and in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, and following the death of King David, in the Temple built by Solomon to his father’s specifications, given to David by God.

When the first Temple was completed, Solomon held a service of dedication to God.

2Chronicles 5 v 11-14, 6 v 12-20, 7 v 1-3 and v12-22 As the people celebrated and sang, ‘For He is good, for His mercy endures forever.’, The Temple was filled with a cloud and the priests could no longer minister. The glory of the Lord filled the house of God. Solomon praised God before all the people and fire from Heaven fell to consume the burnt offering and the sacrifices and God’s glory was shown to all who were gathered, and they fell on their faces before Him and worshipped and praised.

The Lord appeared to Solomon that night and spoke to him. “If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

BUT if the people turned away from God then He would uproot them from the land and the Temple that was so important to the people would be destroyed.

God’s presence remained in the Temple until that very thing happened. The people forsook God and turned to the worship of idols.

Ezekiel had an earlier vision than the one we have been looking at. He saw the very Temple that Solomon had so faithfully dedicated to the glory of God filled with abominations. Ezekiel’s heart was broken by what God showed him.

Ezekiel 10 v 1-4, v 18-19

‘And I looked, and there in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne. Then he spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” And he went in as I watched. Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the Temple when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the Temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s glory.

Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the Temple and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.”

God removed His presence from the Temple at the East Gate, and did the priests notice it? Did the people see it? No! They carried on as if nothing had happened.

Interestingly enough, after the exile, when Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt the city and the Temple, the Temple was dedicated to God, the people repented , the priesthood was re-established and the sacrificial system and the law began again, but nowhere does the Bible say that the Shekinah glory of God returned to the Temple.

Not until the vision of Ezekiel and the Millennial Temple do we read again of the presence of God filling the Temple once again, and when the presence of God does return it will enter the way it left, by the East Gate.

There is an East Gate to Jerusalem today, and it is blocked up. Why? Because of this very reason, to allow the presence of God to return to the third Temple which the Jews will build, and for which the implements are all ready now. You can see them, or copies of them at the Bible Institute in Jerusalem. This third Temple will be the place where the Antichrist will attempt to be worshipped as Messiah. This Temple is NOT the Millennial Temple which I believe will be a miraculous building constructed by God Himself.

So to get back the the third Temple and the East Gate. The Muslims who know of the Jewish expectations of the coming Messiah have placed a cemetery slap bang in front of the blocked up gate. As if anyone could prevent God’s glory from doing what God means it to do.But the Jews and the Muslims have it all wrong! The East Gate, or the Golden Gate as it is often called, which is presently there is not the gate that scripture talks about. The present walls of Jerusalem were built during the time of the Ottoman Empire and are, apart from anything else, many feet higher than they were at the time of the second Temple. As Zechariah tells us, a huge valley will open up and split the Temple Mount wide open from East to West as soon as Jesus descends to the Mount of Olives.

Zechariah 14 v 4-5

No the Shekinah glory will not be in the third Temple, but in the fourth, the Millennial Temple, Jesus Himself will be there.

Zechariah 14 v 9

Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the Person of Jesus will rule and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Wonderful!

The Lord Himself will be there. Jehovah Shammah!

As believers in Jesus we are so privileged to have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We can truly say the Lord is there……….the Lord is here!

We know that He will never leave us or forsake us. Hebrews 13 v 5 We are Temples of the Holy Spirit.

But sadly, the Holy Spirit, God’s precious presence, can and does leave a church, if indeed it can be called a church, where sin is allowed and is prevalent and which is spiritually dead.

As the blinded condition of Judah’s people caused God’s Shekinah glory to leave the Temple without them even noticing it, so the blinded condition of many churchgoers causes God’s Holy Spirit to leave their churches. Apathy, worldliness and outright sin cause God to withdraw His glory from their midst, but do they notice? No! They carry on as usual with their rituals and traditions and don’t even see the need for the Holy Spirit in their presence. Is it any wonder then, that numbers decline as the true church of God sees what is happening and sadly leave as God calls them to be a part of fellowships where there are people who are living and worshipping in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is devastating to know that God is taking His presence away from a precious and loved group of people, especially when those people were once enjoying His presence in their midst and now they do not even realise He has left them high and dry and desiccated and dead.

That is enough to  make one weep as I believe  Ezekiel wept over Jerusalem and the Temple.

We have something really special awaiting us during the Millennial reign of Christ, so let each one of us make very sure that we are in the right place with God.

There are questions for us to address:

Does the glory of God fill this Temple? (that is ‘me’) Does the Holy Spirit reside within each one is us as individuals?

Would we be aware if the Holy Spirit left our church?

Do we each give God the glory and only Him?

The Lord is There, Jehovah Shammah, is a privilege and a blessing to be realised by each one of us in our individual walk with Him, and I pray that others will be able to see the presence of Jesus in our lives and in our behaviour, as a witness that He is there within us.

May we be willing to proclaim the Name of Jesus wherever we go and whoever we speak to.

Jehovah Shammah is with us?

May I suggest that you read Psalm 139 as a reminder of what an amazing and wonderful God we serve.

In Jesus,

Linda

The post Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is There first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Following on from the previous post…

3) Thirdly they had to experience the Passover

“Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho.” Joshua 5 :10

Passover was instigated by God as He rescued the people of Israel from Egypt, and as a remembrance it was to be celebrated on the 14th of the first month of the year and, surprise, surprise, on the day that the men had recovered from the knife of circumcision at Gilgal, it was that very day.

Just as they were about to do battle against the stronghold of Jericho in the Promised Land, the day came for the celebration of Passover. God’s perfect timing!

There, within the environs of the massive citadel of Jericho, the first Passover in the Promised Land was experienced and the blood of a lamb was sprinkled on the people, to signify their releasing from the guilt of sin by God. God was giving them a fresh start, a new beginning, and reminding them to lay aside all bitterness and rebellion. The old had rolled away. That is the meaning of Gilgal………rolled away!

Moses had spoken to them such a short time before and said these his last words to them: (The Hebrew for rebellion here means bitter, disobedient.)

“For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord, then how much more after my death?” Deuteronomy 31 v 27

They were a difficult people who were prone to backslide into those very ways they had seen in their parents. They needed to be encouraged to remain faithful and not fall back into their predecessors habits. They had come to the blood to be forgiven by the sprinkling so that they could be cleansed for what lay ahead. Little did they realise that they were heading into spiritual warfare big time, but God wanted them to be in the right place with Him, their Lord of Hosts, Jehovah Tsebaoth.

4) Fourthly they had to face the walled city of Jericho.

The city was, by human standards, impregnable. The walls were so thick that it is believed that chariot races could have been held on them. Remember that Rahab’s house was built in the wall, and it was a home big enough to house her and all her family, and of course if she lived there, then so did many others. It was these formidable walled cities that caused ten of the twelve Israelite spies to return totally disheartened and afraid to go into the land. All except Joshua and Caleb, and from his previous experience Joshua knew what they would find across the River Jordan. As a result of their fear God made that generation wander in the wilderness for forty years until all had died excepting Joshua and Caleb, the only two to believe what God had said.

How did Joshua feel about this city they had to conquer? Did he spend hours trying to work out strategies, how to deploy his forces, such as they were?

“Hmm! Let’s see! Dig under the foundations to weaken the walls? Try to scale the walls? Burn down the gates? No! Nothing like that would work. Ok God, it has to be up to You. There is nothing we can do.

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said,  ‘Are You for us or for our adversaries?’ So He said, ‘No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped and said to Him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’ Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, ‘Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” Joshua 5 :13-15

Suddenly a man appeared before Joshua. The Commander of the army of the Lord! The Captain of the Lord’s hosts! Jesus Himself!

And we know it was Jesus because Joshua fell down and worshipped Him. No mere angel would allow himself to be worshipped, only God.

Joshua asked if He was for them or against them. Jesus answered in a strange way, ‘No!’, and proceeded to introduce Himself to Joshua, who fell at His feet in worship. Jesus told Joshua to take off his shoes as he was standing on holy ground. Jesus was saying that He was on no ones side and that Joshua’s question was misguided. There was no side for the Lord of Hosts to be on, because the war was between God and Satan, not between Joshua and Jericho.

Jesus said, ‘I Am Jehovah Tsebaoth, the Captain of the Lord’s heavenly army, this is not your battle but Mine.’ What a relief that must have been for Joshua, God was in control all the time.

You see the people who inhabited Jericho were pagan worshippers ruled by Satan and sadly God could not allow them to survive. Satan all through history would try to destroy the people from whom came the promised Messiah. His plan had to be thwarted. It was to be Jesus and His army who would fulfil that need, notJoshua and his people. All they had to do was to follow instructions which on the face of it seemed ridiculous.

“Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See! I have given Jericho I to your hand, it’s king and the mighty men of valour. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram’s horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times. An done priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.'” Joshua 6:1-5

Israel prepared to follow the Lord of Host’s orders and while they did that Jesus was organising His forces to destroy the walls of Jericho and bring them crashing down at the appointed time.

I wonder what the people thought about this plan. They knew that what they had to do couldn’t possibly bring down those huge, strong walls, but whatever they thought, they carried out the commands in obedience to God’s will.

“Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, ‘Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of ram’s horns before the ark of the Lord.’ And he said to the people, ‘Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord.’ So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of ram’s horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. Now Joshua had commanded the people saying, ‘You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout! Then you shall shout.’ 

So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp. And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of ram’s horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did for six days. But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: ‘Shout, for the Lord has given you the city! Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.’ 

So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, of and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword. But Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the country, ‘Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.’ And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel. But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. Then Joshua charged them at that time saying, ‘cursed be the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho, he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates. So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.” Joshua 6 v 6 – 27

Not once during that week did they see any evidence of anything happening. Then on the seventh day (seven being the number of completion), down came the walls. I cannot begin to imagine how awesome that must have been.

It wasn’t the Israelites’ shouting that brought down the walls, it was Jehovah’s heavenly host pushing them down with supernatural strength. Amazing!

Those people plodding around the walls every day behind the priests blowing their shofar so, having to remain quiet, must have wondered what on earth was going on. They couldn’t see the angelic hosts fighting on their behalf.

On the last day, as they shouted out in victory, they saw their obedience rewarded by Jehovah Tsebaoth, the Lord of Hosts.

In His Name,

Linda

Next time Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our Peace.

The post Jehovah Tsebaoth – PT.3 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

THE FALL OF JERICHO

Last time we saw how Jesus is the Lord of hosts and how that title covers the whole hosts of Heaven and Earth, indeed He is the Lord of all, history is His Story from beginning to end.

We also saw how this name of God covers the spiritual forces of Heaven, the angels who serve Him in fighting the principalities and powers of evil, and that is what is at the heart of the Fall of Jericho. This passage illustrates so well the power of our Lord of Hosts.

Joshua was quite a man, he was totally loyal to God and a more than worthy successor to Moses. Moses knew that he was not to be allowed to go into the Promised Land of Canaan, but that Joshua would be the one to lead the people of Israel there after his death. In Deuteronomy 31 v 6 Moses says to Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

After Moses had died God spoke to Joshua:“Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them – the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1 : 2-9

Joshua acted immediately on the word of God, and gathered the people together, ready to cross the River Jordan. He was determined with all his heart, mind soul and strength, to be obedient to the calling that God had given him in complete and utter trust.

He was so different to the rest of his generation in that his faith was totally in God. He refused to compromise, he refused to be bitter and disillusioned and full of unbelief. He chose to be a soldier for God, obedient and ready to sacrifice himself for God’s cause, ready to bring down all strongholds that stood between him and God’s victory. Remember that all those strongholds that lay before him were in the Promised Land, on the other side of the River Jordan. So often we read or hear songs about crossing the Jordan that intimate that once we are over the Jordan all will be well, or we are crossing the Jordan to the Promised Land of Heaven. That’s all nonsense! The Israelites were crossing the Jordan into a land full of enemies, full of trouble and certainly no paradise.

Joshua was the leader of a new generation of Israelites who knew nothing of life in Egypt. They had all been born in the wilderness and were eager to go with Joshua, eager to serve God and declare war on anything that stood in their way.

What stood in their way?    Jericho!

1) Firstly they had to cross the River Jordan.

“And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap. So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests, who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest) that the waters that came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea or Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.”   Joshua 3:13-17

They were prepared and ready and they knew that God was going before them, but they also knew that as soon as they reached the other side they would be in enemy territory.

Exciting? YES!  Scary? YES!

But God’s promise was there. He held back the waters of the Jordan so they could cross over on dry land. A mini Red Sea experience for the generation who had not seen God’s miracle there. All except Joshua that is.

I was trying to work out how old Joshua would have been at this point and I believe ha had to be at least 60 to 70 years old, because as we remember from before, he had already defeated the Amalekites not long after the Israelites began their wanderings, and he was at Mount Sinai. Ex 24 v 12 – 13 Joshua came out of Egypt, he was with Moses all the way through the forty years of the wilderness wanderings. He was the only one, with Caleb, from the previous generation to go into the Promised Land on the scouting mission and so, because all his generation perished through unbelief, he was now the oldest of all the Israelites, along with Caleb (Numbers 13 & 14).

Back to the crossing of the river.

As they crossed into Canaan they were on the offensive, prepared for confrontation and war. When they were seen crossing into the territory of Canaan, the word quickly spread and fear filled the Amorites and Canaanites. “So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites, who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel.” Joshua 5 v 1

It’s interesting how fear took hold of these Godless people who had had things all their own way for so long. They had not been challenged before, and all the time the Israelites were wandering about on the other side of the river, they presented no threat to those living in the land. Not until this point in time. Up to that time the gates of Jericho had remained open, people could come and go as they pleased. Joshua knew that, because he had sent two spies to Jericho before, and they had lodged in the city wall with Rahab, who had helped them to escape when their presence was discovered.

Now that the Israelites were in the land and fear overcame the people, the gates were shut. Things had changed, now they felt threatened and insecure. They knew how God had dried up the Red Sea for these people, but forty years is a long time for a story to last and it becomes like a fairy tale; but now God had dried up the River Jordan, and things were getting a little too close to home. Now they were faced with a huge number of people and they felt intimidated.

2). Secondly the men of Israel had to go through something totally humbling.

“At that time the Lord said to Joshua, ” Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time.”  So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way, after they had come out of Egypt. For all the people who had come out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness, on the way as they came out of Egypt, had not been circumcised.”  Joshua 5 v 2 – 5

Can you imagine the rejoicing of these young people as they set foot in the Promised Land? Joshua had trained the men and turned them from raw recruits into a fighting army. You know what young men can be like when faced with the prospect of a battle. We see it in our own history of WW1 and WW2. The sheer bravado, the ‘we want to join up’ attitude, egging each other on, glamourising war. All the time this was going on amongst the Israelite men however, Joshua was sharpening flint knives.

Circumcision was an important outward sign of the covenant made between God and Abraham so long before.

“Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff necked no longer.  For the Lord your God is God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.” Deut 10:16-17.  Not only did fleshly circumcision obey the command of God, but also signified a spiritual commitment.

“Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”  Deut 30:5-6

This was a prophetic word given through Moses to these young men. This circumcision had to do with spiritual warfare. It signified the end of all confidence in the flesh. God knew how enthusiastic they all were. He saw them straining at the leash to tear down the Satanic stronghold of Jericho, but God commanded Joshua to cut them off short, to put an end to their confidence in their own strength.

We can imagine that after that most unpleasant experience the last thing on their minds was war and victory. They would have been much too sore and possibly feverish. No more dancing and singing right now, only groaning in pain. They were rendered impotent, helpless and utterly vulnerable and useless as soldiers. God was teaching them how powerless they were in the flesh. He wanted them to see that the only way they could be safe was through faith in Him. He brought them to this place of weakness because He wanted to prove Himself strong on their behalf.

Isn’t it strange that the enemy didn’t attack them in their time of weakness? Why didn’t they? Perhaps God didn’t allow them to, because in the heavens unseen forces were at work protecting the Israelites. Perhaps the enemy saw things that the Israelites did not which kept them away.

I remember a true story about a group of missionaries in Africa, who knew they were surrounded by hostile natives who were driven by the devil to destroy them. All night they huddled under a makeshift tent, wondering when the angry men would strike; but nothing happened. Later after some of those devil driven men became believers in Jesus Christ, the missionaries asked why they didn’t attack that night and kill them. “We couldn’t!”  was the reply, “because of the big strong men standing around you with swords in their hands.” I think it might have been like that in this situation. It was the hosts of Heaven who were protecting the people of God and putting fear into the hearts of their enemies. You see, it wasn’t their battle, it was God’s. They were not required at this time to lift a hand in their own power. God was making the way forward for them. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.” Zechariah 4:6. As the men healed and rested, so God calmed their souls so that they could listen to Him.

More next time.

In His mighty name, Jehovah Tsebaoth,

Linda.

The post JEHOVAH TSEBAOTH Pt. 2 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

This amazing name shows us so much about our God and is a title that reveals Him as the One who is in control of all created things; the heavenly bodies we see at night, all bird and animal life, we human beings and even the satanic beings and of course the heavenly angelic beings, the host of Heaven. It appears often in scripture; in Isaiah and Jeremiah 60 – 70 times, in Haggai 14 times, in Malachi 24 times, in Zechariah 53 times. I could go on, but altogether this phrase, “the Lord of Hosts” occurs 260 times in the Old Testament.

This title is used in particular to the relation of God to His people when gathered together for service or worship. So it is a gathering title and so appropriate for we believers who gather together in His Name. Psalm 46:7 says, ‘The Lord of Hosts is with us!’

This is how Spurgeon describes this name of God;

‘The Lord rules the Angels, the stars, the elements and all the hosts of Heaven, and the Heaven of heavens is under His sway. The armies of men, though they know it not, are made to subserve His will. This Generalissimo of the forces of the land, and the Lord High Admiral of the seas, is on our side and our August ally; woe unto those who fight against Him, for they shall flee like smoke before the wind when He gives the word to scatter them.’

Jehovah Tsebaoth is the one eternal, self existent Being who created and controls all powers that be throughout the Universe, whether these powers be material or spiritual.

1. He controls the host of Heaven, the angelic beings.

There are several references in scripture to these angelic forces which fight on our behalf.

‘Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord saying; “O Lord of Hosts , God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennecherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands – wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.”  Isaiah 37:15-20

When King Hezekiah (one of the few Godly kings of Judah) was threatened by the King of Assyria, Sennecherib, who mocked God openly, Isaiah told Hezekiah to pray. The above is his prayer. Hezekiah saw the Assyrian army encamped all around Jerusalem, a sight that put fear into any heart, but Hezekiah chose to trust God, and God heard his prayer and intervened. In one night, one single angel from the angelic host killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and Hezekiah awoke, (you see he was at peace with God and able to sleep, despite the threatening forces surrounding the city,) to see them all lying there, dead! That must have been some clean up operation! If God could do that with one Angel, what could He not do with the whole host of angels.

‘Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.’ 2 Kings 6:14-18

The Syrians came to Dothan and surrounded the city, seeking to capture Elisha, because he was giving the King all Syria’s movements beforehand, and they wanted to be rid of this man of God, who seemed to know all that they intended to do against Israel. Elisha’s servant was terrified by the sight of the huge army surrounding the city. ‘Do not fear for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ (v16). Elisha asked God to reveal the true situation to his servant and his eyes were opened spiritually to see the shining host of Heaven surrounding the Syrian army.

2. He is the Lord of the hosts of the heavens that we can see.

“Then God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth.” Genesis 1:16-17

‘Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.’ Genesis 2:1

‘Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.’  Isaiah 40:26

3. He is Lord of the hosts of birds, animals and sea creatures.

‘So it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. . Then he sent out a Raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.’ Genesis 8:6-12

‘So the King gave the command and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the King spoke, saying to Daniel “Your God whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the King sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed. Now the King went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. Then the King arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions  And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The King spoke saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually , been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the King, “O King live forever! My God sent His angel  and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him, and also O King, I have done no wrong before you.” Now the King was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out if the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God. And the King gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the  den of lions – them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.’  Daniel 6:16-24

God sent His angel to shut the lions mouths, and to rescue Daniel, but opened them again to devour the enemies of Daniel and his God.

Think too about Balaam’s donkey. God can even make a donkey speak. And there are many more instances in the Bible when animals do the Lord’s bidding.

4. He is the Lord of the hosts of humankind.

‘Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? Psalm 2:1 

“He who sits in the heavens shall laugh: The Lord shall hold them in derision, then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure.” Psalm 2:1

‘Behold the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales.

“All nations before Him are as nothing. And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.’  Isaiah 40 v 15 and 17

Think of Hitler, Napoleon, Mussolini and others like them. Men who exalted themselves and died dishonourable deaths, all their schemes and plans coming to nothing  in the end, responsible for the deaths of millions; and they will have to answer before God for what they have done. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Our Jehovah Tsebaoth is the supreme God of history…… His story!

5. He is Lord of the satanic hosts.

‘For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.’ Ephesians 6:12

Satan was not able to test Job without God’s permission.

At Calvary Satan became a defeated foe. Jesus cried out, ‘It is finished!’ In His completed victory over Satan and his hosts.

Jesus whilst on earth cast out demons frequently and they knew who He was, the Lord of Hosts, Jehovah Tsebaoth, they knew He was Lord over them and their evil leader.

When we know all this, why should we be afraid? If God is for us then who can be against us.

Next time I will share a remarkable account from the word of God that aptly illustrates this fact.

Until then, may God continue to bless you.

Linda

The post Jehovah Tsebaoth first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

“Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly block out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called its name, The Lord is My Banner, for he said,  “Because the Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”   Exodus 17:8-16

Every four years at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games all the competing teams from around the world parade around the arena. Each country’s representatives march behind their nations flag or banner as a mark of loyalty and pride in the nation they are competing for. Historically flags or banners have been rallying points for armies at war. As long as their banner was still being held aloft, each side had hope that they would be the victors, but as soon as it fell at was captured, it was a sign of defeat.

During World War Two the Nazis would enter a country, march through the towns, tear down that nations flags and replace them with their own. The hated swastika was seen everywhere as a symbol of fear and domination to Germany’s enemies, but as a sign of triumph to the Nazis.

We can see from this how important flags are to us, and always have been as an expression of loyalty to a particular country or cause, with people prepared to defend them to their last breath because of what they represent.

It is interesting to note that another word for banner is standard, a word that is used to relate to morals. As believers God expects us to live to His standard, with His word ad our guide as to what that standard is. He doesn’t want us to lower that standard, because the lower the standard, the lower the living. We can see how in the world this is so true, as morals decline and anything goes.

Let’s look at this strange account in more detail.

Firstly we shall look at the origin of the Amalekites and why God said He would utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven, and also why He said that He would have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Who was Amalek?

Gen 36 v 12 tells us that he was a grandson of Esau by Eliphaz, Esau’s son, and his concubine Timna. Amalek became the leader of the people who were born of that union who were called after him, the Amalekites. God obviously wanted them to be destroyed without trace. Why? Who were these people, what had they done to offend God so much?

Certainly they were long term enemies of Israel and a constant thorn in their flesh, inasmuch as they picked off the weakest of the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. A nasty way of reducing their numbers. Like guerrilla fighters!

They came from Esau, as we see, Jacob’s brother. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew, clearly showing how cheaply he valued his inheritance, and he worshipped idols, and had low standards in every way. He didn’t value God’s standard and lowered his own.

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness.”  Malachi 1 v 2 – 4

The Edomites were also descendants of Esau and were equally depraved in their behaviour.

It’s not that God had lost His mercy or His grace, His wrath was against these people because of their refusal to uphold Him as their God, their worshiping of idols and their pride in their own worth. Amalek was a type of Satan and his demonic power. Because the hand of the Amalekites was against the God, His wrath was against them. All through the history of Israel, right up to the time of Jesus’ birth, Satan put his hand against God by trying to destroy the lineage that would give birth to the promised Messiah. The enemy did everything he could to wipe out God’s people and he used the Amalekites to try to achieve that goal. Satan knew all that had happened in the past, he was there in the Garden of Eden and heard of the promise of the coming One who would crush him. He knew what God meant when He told Abraham that all humankind  would be blessed through his seed. He knew what happened at Mount Moriah as Jacob offered up his only son Isaac. He knew how Jehovah Jireh had provided a ram, representative of Jesus, the Lamb of God and His sacrifice.

That’s why Satan declared war on God. He was determined to attempt to destroy the coming Messiah or any hope of His coming.

We know that he is still trying to destroy the Jews by any means he can, to prevent Jesus’ second coming. As he sees it, get rid of the Jews, destroy Gods land and there is nowhere for Jesus to return. His hand is against the true church, trying to destroy us too if he can. But we know that he cannot, and will not destroy the Jews, or the land, or us.  Gods word  will be fulfilled, and whatever plans Satan has, and whoever he uses to implement them, he will not get his way.

That doesn’t mean that terribly satanic things don’t happen. As long as Satan is the prince of this world, we will see troubles and tragedies. The things that are happening around us in the world today are a constant reminder of what Satan can do. So his warfare continues against Gods throne and the war that God declared against Amalek is an ongoing conflict.

Here in Exodus 17 the enemy was readying himself to attack the people of God. If Satan could cut off the Israelites before they entered Canaan, he would. He knew the prophecies, and he wasn’t about to let them enter the land where one day Jesus would be born So although we see here a physical battle against Israel, the true significance behind it was spiritual. It was a war between Heaven and Hell.

That is why in scripture we see Israel involved in war after war against Amalek,  who were a Satan controlled nation of people. Of course they could never succeed, even when Saul, 400 years later, failed to destroy them all as God had commanded him, and though Samuel had to kill the Amalek king,  Agag, still a remnant remained. It is not until the reign of King Hezekiah that the Amaleks were finally destroyed. But even generations later, a descendant of King Agag, an Agagite named Haman nearly managed to destroy the Jews in the Diaspora. You will that account in the book of Esther. A wonderful account of God’s faithfulness to His people.

So back to Rephidim, which means, Resting Place. Amalek came to attack the Israelites with the sole aim of annihilating them. Moses sent out men to fight them, headed up by Joshua, whose name in Hebrew is the same as Jesus in the Greek, that is Saviour.

The army Joshua gathered, must have been a sorry sight, and makeshift at best. These men were not trained soldiers, they had few weapons and little skill in fighting. The odds were totally against Israel. Remember that this huge crowd of people were constantly moaning and complaining, miserable and murmuring, ungrateful and wavering, unbelieving and faithless; indeed a weak army to be used by God to fight the forces of evil.

Moses, Aaron, meaning Light Bearer, and Hur, meaning White Linen, went up to the top of the hill. Light Bearer represents Truth, and White Linen represents Purity.

Moses held up his rod in his hands, and as long as his hands were upraised, Israel prevailed, against all belief, but when his arms dropped in fatigue, Amalek prevailed. Moses raised hands represented prayer and intercession. Aaron and Hur saw what was happening and held up Moses arms for him, so that Israel would again prevail.

What a beautiful picture we have here. Truth and Purity holding up the arms of intercession and prayer. What a wonderful illustration of Gods holiness opposing evil.

Also these two faithful men provided a stone for Moses to rest on so that he could prevail in his prayer. The stone represents judgement, Gods judgement on the works of evil.

Jesus is the Rock, He is the Judge of the whole world. I just love the truth that lies behind this amazing happening.

It can’t have been easy watching the fighting and bloodshed, Moses heart must have been in anguish as he cried out to God. The battle was very physical, very real, and Moses would not have fully understood the significance of it all. In a sense, Moses, though he didn’t realise it, was upholding the authority of Gods word.

Joshua and his rag tag army won the day and defeated Amalek, at least for the time being, and God spoke to Moses concerning his enemy Amalek. Moses built an  altar there in commemoration of the victory and called it Jehovah Nissi, the Lord is my Banner. Moses was saying in effect, “We have won the battle here today, but we cannot forget that we were victorious because we serve Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our Banner. This victory had nothing to do with our strength or ability, or any great works we promised to do for God. We did nothing to earn Gods favour today, God Himself is our Banner and our victory is totally the work of His hands.”

There is a wonderful insight in this account for us as believers. As Moses interceded for the people, so Jesus interceded for us, now upholding us before the throne of God. The evil one who would seek to accuse us before that very throne, cannot succeed, because Jesus has covered our sin by His once and for all sacrifice on the cross.

Jesus Christ is our Banner!

However that does not mean that the battle is won for us still living on planet Earth. The eternal battle is won through the cross, but Satan still seeks to destroy us, and prowls around like a lion seeking his prey. We are therefore still engaged in spiritual warfare. We have to battle daily against the principalities and powers, because the devil wars against Christ in us. That is why Paul instructs us to put on our spiritual armour in Ephesians Chapter 6.

We are to fight the good fight of faith while we still remain on this earth and not fear the works of the devil We have Jesus Christ as our Banner to rely on, to trust. he is Truth, He is Purity, He is our Intercessor and nothing can separate us from His love.

In His love,

Linda

The post JEHOVAH NISSI first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.