Interestingly enough, the only place in scripture
that I could find reference to this name of the Lord is from the prophet
Ezekiel. In context, he is identifying
this name of Jesus with the name of the city of Jerusalem during the
millennium, the time when Jesus will rule the world from the throne of David
for 1000 years.
Ezekiel 48:35 “…and the name of the city from that day shall be,
The LORD is there.”
Though this is a description of the
Lord’s physical presence in Jerusalem at that time, it is actually a valid
statement of truth concerning the life of every believer, every trusting child
of God. God is always present with us
through His indwelling Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
One of my favorite sections of
scripture is Psalm 139; in it the psalmist makes a beautiful declaration of
that truth.
Psalms 139:7–10 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither
shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if
I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the
morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand
lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”
The inescapable presence of the LORD
is a comfort to every child of God. Even
when we stumble and make choices that we wish we hadn’t, we can rest in the
truth that God is not going to give up on us or reject us. He is going to finish the work of salvation
that He initiated in our lives.
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which
hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ….”
God is a loving Father. He will allow us to suffer the consequences
of our choices to the intent of producing the fruit of righteousness in our
lives. I believe many, if not most, parents
today seek to protect their children from the consequences of their choices to
their detriment. Consequences provide
one means of effective deterrent against repeating the same bad choices.
The significant truth declared by the
psalmist is that no matter in what circumstances His child might find
him/herself as a consequence of choices made, God is always there to “lead” him
as he remains firm in His grasp. The
fact that God leads us with His hand is a statement of personal interaction in
our lives that is rooted in His love and concern for us. He wants us to become the treasured vessels
He created us to be. Job understood this
truth and stated his understanding of its application to his life beautifully.
Job 23:10 “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried
me, I shall come forth as gold.”
The child of God also finds great
comfort in the truth that he/she is firmly held in the grasp of the
Almighty. In Bible times the right hand
was recognized as a symbol of strength. When
the psalmist references being held in God’s right hand, it is a specific
reference to His matchless power and our everlasting security. Jesus also made a point of this very truth in
another one of my favorite sections of scripture.
John 10:27–30 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me,
is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
I and my Father are one.”
There are many that teach that a person
can lose his/her salvation. Frankly, I
think this is a shameful misrepresentation of the truth of God’s word. Scripture reveals that when a person accepts
the LORD as Savior, the indwelling Holy Spirit is given Him as the earnest, or
statement of security of our eternal inheritance.
Ephesians 1:3, 10-14 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ…. That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and
which are on earth; even in him: In whom
also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the
purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That
we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom
ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest
of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto
the praise of his glory.”
It is this truth that allows John to
say with confidence concerning those who turned their back on their “professed”
faith: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been
of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they
might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”
1 John 2:19
The sad truth is that many make
professions of faith without actually possessing true faith. One who possesses saving faith will be led by
the Spirit of God. It is that indwelling
Spirit that encourages us to call out to God as our Father for our every need.
Romans 8:14–17 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they
are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to
fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children
of God: And if children, then heirs;
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him,
that we may be also glorified together.”
It is the indwelling Spirit of
Jehovah-Shammah that sanctifies, strengthens and sustains us for His use.
1 Corinthians 6:11 “…but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but
ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
Psalms 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help
in trouble.”
Psalms 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain
thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
(to be continued…)
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