Jehovah-Shammah—the LORD Is There

     It’s all done. 9 years of a Christian education here at Salem Lutheran School has come to an end. The desks are emptied and stacked up in the rooms. You hauled away what was left of your school supplies and papers. You did it! That’s an exciting feeling, isn’t it? You’ve studied hard, you’ve learned all kinds of things here at Salem, and now you’re ready for the next step—high school. In about 78 days, you’ll walk into a new school, and for a few moments, you will probably feel like you’re all alone. You won’t know very many, if any of the other students in the school. Some of you will have huge classes—as many as 450 classmates, 700. or more! In the middle of such monstrous crowds, you will feel alone.

     You chose a class verse to help you as you prepare for the future. Jesus said, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). That verse parallels the name of God that we’re going to look at today. It’s a name that will remind you of Jesus’ promise to be with you always.Last week we looked at the name “Trinity.” We saw that God the Father brought peace between himself and us. God the Son made the ultimate sacrifice to guarantee our freedom from sin and death. God the Holy Spirit brought us hope for eternal life.

     We’ll find a second name for God at the end of Ezekiel’s prophecy. In the last chapter, he describes the new city that God will make for his people. Then he tells us the name of that place: “And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there" (Ezekiel 48:35).

     Here’s what the name looks like in Hebrew: “Jehovah-Shammah.” This is the only time God uses this special name for himself in the Scriptures. The people of Israel needed this name. They were far from home, exiled in the land of Babylon. They were waiting for the day they could come home. Some of them even wondered if the LORD had left them all alone. He told them about the name of this new, heavenly city so they could be sure they were not alone. Jehovah-Shammah. The LORD is there!

     Back in the late 1970’s, the Jackson 5, led by a young singer named Michael, took the song I’ll Be There to the top of the charts. He promised that no matter where he is, no matter what he’s doing, he will drop everything to be by the side of the woman he loves. The song ends with this message: “I'll be there…whenever you need me, I'll be there…just call my name, I'll be there...” Michael Jackson can’t fulfill that promise, can he?

     Jehovah-Shammah made that promise a long time ago. Can he keep it? Will he keep it? Let’s take a look at 2 Old Testament stories and see that the LORD is there for those who trust him.

     We see Jehovah-Shammah in the life of Joseph. Joseph’s brothers were jealous because their father Jacob loved Joseph more than the rest. They sold him as a slave to a caravan of traders. As the 17 year old trudged along behind the camels, he must have wondered, “Where is God? How can this be happening to me?”

     When Joseph arrived in Egypt, a man named Potiphar bought him and put him to work in his household. Listen to what happened while Joseph was in his master’s house: "The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned." (Genesis 39:2-4). Jehovah-Shammah took care of Joseph. The LORD was there, and Joseph prospered.

     The LORD stayed with Joseph, even when Joseph was tempted to make a poor choice. The master’s wife noticed him and tried to entice him to sleep with her. Joseph refused. Finally, Potiphar’s wife lied to her husband because she was so angry with Joseph. When Potiphar heard his wife’s lie, he was furious. "Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined" (Genesis 39:20). Joseph made the right choice and ended up in jail. Where is the LORD? He promised to be with him! Had he deserted Joseph?

     Listen to the next verse: “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did." (Genesis 39:20-21,23). Twice we hear God’s name, Jehovah-Shammah. The LORD was with Joseph in prison. He blessed the ways Joseph served him when it appeared that life couldn’t get any worse. Joseph trusted that the LORD was there, and the LORD took care of him.

     Joseph could have turned his back on God and said, “You let this happen to me. You quit on me, so I’ll quit on you.” He didn’t. He trusted that the LORD was with him, and he made his choices based on God’s standards. He worked hard for his boss, even though he was a slave. He rejected Potiphar’s wife and her amorous advances. He accepted his imprisonment and served the warden well. He did not speak poorly of Potiphar, even though he was imprisoned falsely. Joseph knew Jehovah-Shammah—the LORD is there.

     What kind of choices will you make in the next 4 years? You’ll choose the clothes you’ll wear, the friends you make, the parties you attend, the person you date. Along with choices will come temptations, just like Joseph faced. You will make plenty of good choices, because Jehovah-Shammah—the LORD is there. You will also make some bad choices, because you are sinful human beings. I know. I’ve seen you in action.

     That’s when you need to remember Jesus’ promise: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jehovah-Shammah—the LORD is there. He’ll be there always. The Greek phrase is πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας , literally “every single day.” He’s with you when you make good choices. He’s also there when you make the bad ones. If he is there, he is also able to forgive those bad choices. He died for all of our sins, and he can make the bad work for good because he is Jehovah-Shammah. The LORD is there! Trust him to help you make good choices for your future.

     Let’s look at one other Old Testament believer who knew Jehovah-Shammah—Joshua, Moses’ second in command.

     Moses had just died, and Joshua was his successor. Joshua knew he had some big shoes to fill. Here’s the description the Bible has for one of God’s great prophets. "Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel." (Deuteronomy 34:10-12). How could Joshua follow such a faithful, powerful preacher?

     Listen to Jehovah-Shammah’s words: "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:5,9). Joshua didn’t have to worry about the future. The LORD promised that he was Jehovah-Shammah—“The LORD is there!”

     What does the future hold for you, class of 2010? What does it hold for the rest of us? Will it be good, like Joshua leading the Israelites to victory after victory? Or will it be tough, like Joseph sold into slavery, then thrown into prison? The simple answer? We don’t know. Just over a year ago, two young men who had graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School were headed for a weekend vacation with family and friends. They were ready to celebrate their graduation. They were also looking forward to attending Martin Luther College in New Ulm where they would prepare for full time service as a pastor and a teacher. Before they arrived at the family resort, they lost control of the car on a sharp curve and were killed. Where was Jehovah-Shammah?

     A few weeks ago in Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin, Pastor Ethan Steinbrenner couldn’t get his wife to wake up. Paramedics airlifted her to Madison, where she died at the age of 48, the weekend before her daughter graduated from high school. Where was Jehovah-Shammah?

     Last week, Nate Goplen’s cousin was killed in a car / truck accident. She was only 24 years old, and expecting her first child. Where was Jehovah-Shammah?

     I’d like to share part of an interview with Dan and Jackie Moyle, the parents of one of those high school graduates who died in a car crash. The interview was printed in Forward in Christ a year before their son Zach died. They said, “Our children are our most precious earthly treasure. Their welfare, both spiritually and worldly, is important to us as parents. Our Lutheran -based beliefs, our focus on Jesus, and our church environment—including school, worship, Bible study, and church-family fellowship—are key ingredients to reinforcing with our children how important our faith and corresponding belief system are to us.” They didn’t know that just a year after this was printed, they would bury their oldest son. They recognized that the key to God’s name—Jehovah-Shammah—was connecting their son to the Word of God. There he met his God, got to know him better in Sunday School and confirmation class. He heard about his God every day while he attended Lutheran Elementary School and then a Lutheran High School. They could be sure that Jehovah-Shammah—the LORD is there—for Zach in life and in death. They had the same confidence the psalmist displayed in our psalm for today: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:1,7). God is our Jehovah-Shammah.

     Jehovah-Shammah—the LORD is there. John witnessed the final fulfillment of that name in Revelation 21. "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God’" (Revelation 21:3).

     Jehovah-Shammah. When we finally arrive in heaven, we will see the LORD face to face. He will live with us. We we’ll finally understand that Jehovah-Shammah—the LORD is there, and he always has been there. Don’t forget that 8^th graders. He’s there, and he will be there every single day of your life! Amen.

 

To God alone the glory!                Pastor Jon Brohn