S6 Episode #13- Jehovah Shammah, The Lord Is There
THE ONE WITH Jes + Jehovah SHAMMAH
This week Jes is circling back to Part 2 of our Names of God series as we dig deeper into JEHOVAH SHAMMAH, The Lord is There. The first time we see this name in the Bible is in the book of Ezekiel, when the prophet receives a vision of God– Jehovah Shammah– in the New Jerusalem. At this point, the Isrealites have been in captivity in Babylon for 25 years. The temple and city was in ruins, and yet this vision from God was a reminder that God is still there in the city and with His people– even when they are in captivity because of their sin. This name is a powerful reminder to the ancient Israelites that God has NOT forsaken them, He was there with them, and He will be faithful to fulfill His promises. This name is also a powerful reminder to us that wherever we are, whatever our circumstance, God is there. You are not forsaken or forgotten, no matter what you have done! Tune in to learn more!
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Jehovah SHAMMAh– the Lord IS THERE
As you may know, we’ve been making our way through a series about the Names of God in which we are highlighting different names and character attributes of The Lord. I truly believe that understanding who God is and who we are in Him are vital parts of walking in freedom and remaining rooting in who we are created to be!
This series originally began as a series of Instagram posts with a short blurb about each name. When I got to Part 3 on Instagram– EL OLAM, The Everlasting God, it aligned perfectly with the message I wanted to share on the podcast about in Season 4 Episode 5, so a new idea was born to dive even deeper into each name on the pod. This means that the first 2 names that we covered on Instagram have not yet been highlighted on the show, but we’re going to remedy that over the next few weeks.
So today we are starting with Part 2 of our Names of God series! This week we are leaning into the name of JEHOVAH SHAMMAH, The Lord is There, He is Present.
We first see this name in the book of Ezekiel. This is the final name of God as Jehovah to be revealed in the Old Testament, and I think it’s a beautiful summation of all of the other names. It encompasses every other character trait and highlights the hope that we have as believers– that God will never leave you nor forsake you. Let’s consider this in relation to some of the names we have already studied–
Jehovah Nissi: The LORD is our banner, our source of victory, He fights for us. He IS THERE in the battle, He never leaves us in our moments of greatest need and struggle.
El Roi: The God who sees and sees to it– He sees your past, present and future and He IS THERE with you through it all.
El Olam: The everlasting God, the God of all eternity– He WAS THERE in the beginning, He IS HERE with you now, and He WILL BE THERE in the end.
Jehovah Rohi: The LORD is our shepherd, He is our defense and our guide– a shepherd must BE THERE with the sheep, it is an intimate role of knowing every need and providing and protecting in every moment.
Jehovah Jireh: The LORD who provides
Jehovah Rapha: The LORD who heals
Jehovah Shalom: The LORD our peace
All of these names require The LORD to also be there, right in the middle of your situation, walking beside you every step of the way.
The overwhelming heart behind this name is that God was there through every part of the story, through every part of Israel's history, and He would continue to be there throughout all of eternity.. If we could sum up the Old Testament in 3 words, it would be: “GOD WAS THERE”.
If I could sum up my life in three words, I would say the same: “GOD WAS THERE”.
I feel like there is someone out there right now who needs to hear those words. God was there. In the middle of your darkest days, God was there. Even if you felt lonely, lost or abandoned, God was there. His heart broke with your heart. You were never alone.
In the expected or unexpected places that you find yourself right now– GOD IS THERE.
And in all of the unknown circumstances of your future– GOD IS already THERE. The omnipotence of God means He is already ahead of you, preparing the way.
A LOOK AT Ezekiel
As I mentioned earlier, one of the most significant times that we see the name Jehovah Shammah is in the book of Ezekiel, when the prophet receives a vision that God is there– in the New Jerusalem. At this point, the Isrealites have been in captivity in Babylon for 25 years. The temple and city of Jerusalem were in ruins, and yet this vision from God was a reminder that God is still there in the city and with His people– even when they are in captivity because of their sin. This name is a powerful reminder to the ancient Israelites that God had NOT forsaken them, He was there with them, and He will be faithful to fulfill His promises.
In All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible, Herbert Lockyer explains, “[God] designates Himself as Dweller from beyond space in the millennial city of Jerusalem. In the past, Tabernacle and Temple alike were His dwelling places, but in the future a wider sphere is to be His… in the New Jerusalem, there is no Temple but the LORD Himself, as Jehovah Shammah.”
This name is also a powerful reminder to us that wherever we are, whatever our circumstance, God is there. You are not forsaken or forgotten, no matter what you have done! You have hope and a future in the promise that Jevohah’s presence is with you.
While this name of God does indeed have powerful implications for us today, I want to back up and spend some time looking at the historical context in which Ezekiel was saying these words.
Jerusalem was actually invaded three times before it finally fell to the Babylonians. The first invasion was when Daniel, Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego were captured. The second invasion was when Ezekial was captured and he ended up in Babylon in 597 BC.
MAP CONNECTION
In my research I stumbled across a map of the path that exiles would have traveled as they were forced out of Judah into captivity in Babylon. The map looked strikingly similar to another journey earlier in the Bible– the journey taken in the opposite direction as Abraham traveled from Ur to Canaan, as an act of obedience to The LORD. This got me thinking about the blaring distinctions between these two journeys.
Let’s think about the context of God calling Abraham- In Genesis 11 we read about the building of the Tower of Babel– which would one day become the location of the city of Babylon. On one hand, this tower was an attempt by the people to reach God, which shows their pride in thinking they could build something grand enough and tall enough to reach Heaven. But it also shows their misunderstanding of the character of God. The people are assuming that God has needs. They thought that God would need a tower in order to come down from the Heavens and have His needs met by humanity. This was the context in which God called Abraham (Genesis 12) to be the father of a new nation that would be set apart to worship, follow, and obey God alone. It was to this group that God would begin to reveal the aspects of His true character because humanity had stayed so far from knowing Yahweh, their Creator, the One True God. .
So Abraham said “yes” to God without knowing the full plan or the final destination. He had a promise from God for land, seed and blessing… but beyond that Abraham was walking in faith.
As the Jewish exiles retraced the path that Abraham had taken centuries before, they were quite literally moving in the wrong direction from the promises of God. Where Abraham had walked in faith, they were now walking in rebellion. Where Abraham had not known the full picture of the nation that would come from his descendants, they had centuries of evidence to prove that God is faithful to fulfill His promises, and yet they still turned their backs on their inheritance.
Is there anywhere in your life that you are moving in the wrong direction? Are you like Abraham, walking in faith even though you have not yet seen any fulfilled promises? Or are you like the exiles, stepping deeper into idolatry even though you’ve seen God show up time and time again in miraculous ways to uphold His promises? Most likely you’re somewhere in the middle.
We have all had moments or seasons of backsliding, but the beauty of the first half of the book of Ezekial (chapters 1-32) is that God is still pursuing His people. It is a warning to the people of Judah that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, but that they can save the city. God is still waiting with open arms to take them back as He urges them (through Ezekial) to turn from their idols and return to their One True Love.
Finding HOPE IN EXILE
Ezekiel had been living in Babylon for about 5 years before he was called to prophesy that Jerusalem would indeed fall to the Babylonians. Many of the Jewish exiles in Babylon didn’t believe that this would actually happen, but they weren’t repenting of the idolatry that had landed them in captivity in the first place.
In chapter 24 Ezekiel receives word from God that the siege of Jerusalem has begun. In verse 2, God says, “Son of man, write down today’s date, because on this very day the king of Babylon is beginning his attack against Jerusalem.”Then, in Chapter 33, Ezekiel gets a message from a survivor informing him that Jerusalem had fallen. The Lord confirms it in another message, and we see a shift in Ezekiel’s prophecies. He moves from bringing a prophecy of impending doom and destruction, to bringing one of a coming hope of restoration for Israel.
It is in the final words of the book that we see the name Jehovah Shammah– the LORD is There. This is the name of the New Jerusalem. This is the promise that the city would be rebuilt and that Jehovah would still be there.
The Enduring Word Commentary describes it this way, “Ezekiel experienced the horror of seeing the glory of God departing from the temple in a vision (Ezekiel 11). Then he saw it return (Ezekiel 43:5). Now, in the new name for the city, he received the assurance that God would remain.”
Praise the LORD! We need this reminder today– That God will remain with you. He is there. He is present in your current situation and He is there in what is still to come.
The commentary goes on to say, “The name tells of complete satisfaction; that of God, and that of man. God is at rest among His people, His original purpose realized. Man is seen at rest in God, his true destiny reached.”
And this concept is not for the here and now. This will carry on into eternity! Revelation 21:3 reveals this End Time prophecy:
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
Perhaps you’re thinking that this sounds great for all of eternity, but you don’t expect God to actually show up for you right now. But the Bible is filled with stories of God being “there” and showing up for people when they least expected it.
God is there in the burning bush Moses when he was hiding in the desert out of shame, fear, and guilt.
God is there with Jacob in a dream when he is fleeing from his brother Esau. He was literally running of His life and discovered God was still there. God met him when he was at the lowest and loneliest point in his life.
God is there with David when he is being hunted by Saul.
God is there with Jonah in the whale.
God is there with Daniel in the Lion’s Den.
God is there with Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego in the furnace.
Jesus is there with the woman at the well. She was there at an unusual time, but Jesus met her there because to him, no place is too inconvenient or inaccessible (Lockyer).
And Jesus promises the same to you and me. Psalm 46 reminds us multiple times that “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Psalm 139:7-12
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Isaiah 43:2-3,5
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
…Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
THE LORD IS THERE
So we see over and over again that The LORD is always there. He will never leave you nor forsake you. YET, He is often working in unexpected ways. As we look beyond the prophecy of Ezekiel, we see that the Jews are held captive in Babylon for seventy years and then a remnant will return to Jerusalem. Era and Zerubbabel would rebuild the temple and Nehemiah would rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. However it could not compare with the splendor and majesty of the original temple and the Shekinah glory of God did not return there… yet.
There would be 400 years of silence from God before God spoke directly to his people again with the announcement of a coming messenger who would prepare the way for the Messiah– Jesus Christ!
THEN when Jesus was 12 years old he returned to the temple in Jerusalem, and the prophecy of Ezekiel was fulfilled and THE LORD WAS THERE.
When Jesus came to earth, His name was Immanuel – God with Us– and every single name and story in the Old Testament points to Jesus! Furthermore, His ascension into Heaven did not take him from us because He left behind His Holy Spirit. When you believe in the life-changing power of the death and resurrection of Jesus Chirst, then you have His Holy Spirit within you.
Let’s live lives worthy of the inscription of Jehovah Shammah over our hearts. We will never be perfect, but even in our weakness, we can lean into Him and hope and pray that those around us will see our lives and say “The Lord is There”.
AMEN!
NEXT STEPS
Here are a few action steps to help you dip deeper this week!
Write down a time in your life that God showed up for you in an unexpected way. Keep this paper in your Bible as a reminder that God has been faithful before and He will continue to be faithful in the future.
Is there anything in your life that you have made into an idol before God? Spend time in prayer releasing it to God. Then, make a list of 2-3 things you can begin to do today to turn away from putting your faith/security/worth/worship (etc.) in that thing. If you’re not sure of where to start, I suggest reading one Psalm a day. This can be a great way to shift your focus back to God and teach you how to rely on Him more and more each day.
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The Collected Podcast is produced by Jes Biondo and edited by Jacob Early. Cover art designed by Ben Biondo.