Ezekiel 39:25-29; 48:35
Purpose: To show how important the presence of God is.
INTRODUCTION: Why should we study the names of God? Why does the Bible have so many names for God? Spurgeon answered it by quoting the psalmist David.
Psalm 33:21 For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name. (NAU)
Charles Spurgeon reminds us that, "The root of faith produces the flower of heart-joy. We may not at the first rejoice, but it comes in due time. We trust the Lord when we are sad, and in due season He so answers our confidence that our faith turns to fruition and we rejoice in the Lord. Doubt breeds distress, but trust means joy in the long run. Let us meditate upon the Lord's holy name, that we may trust Him the better and rejoice the more readily. He is in character holy, just, true, gracious, faithful and unchanging. Is not such a God to be trusted? He is all-wise, almighty, and everywhere present; can we not cheerfully rely upon Him? Yes, we will do so at once, and do so without reserve. Jehovah-Jireh will provide, Jehovah-Shalom will send peace, Jehovah-Tsidkenu will justify, Jehovah-Shammah will be for ever near, and in Jehovah-Nissi we will conquer every foe. They that know thy name will trust thee; and they that trust thee will rejoice in thee, O Lord. The assurance expressed by the Psalmist in this verse is really a promise held out in the hands of holy confidence. Oh for grace to appropriate it. If we do not rejoice at this moment, yet we shall do so, as surely as David's God is our God." [1]
The last verse of the book of Ezekiel introduces us to Jehovah-Shammah as a name for God and also as a name for Jerusalem.
Let's take a moment and look at the big picture of the book of Ezekiel. It is divided into four sections or visions. In Chapters 1-3 we see the first vision where Ezekiel is called to be a prophet. The second vision is in chapters 4-24 and Ezekiel describes the judgment of God on Jerusalem and the Temple. As we will see in a minute, the Jews had turned away from God, so the presence of God departed from the Temple and the entire city of Jerusalem.
The third vision is found in chapters 25-39 which shows us God's judgment on several Gentile nations and Israel. The fourth vision in chapters 40-48 gives us a wonderful picture of what the eternal temple and the worship there will be like in the future.
The main theme of Ezekiel is hard to miss. The phrase "they will know that I am the Lord" is repeated over 70 times in this book. Look at an example with me.
Ezekiel 28:22--26 and say, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am against you, O Sidon, And I will be glorified in your midst. Then they will know that I am the Lord when I execute judgments in her, And I will manifest My holiness in her. 23 "For I will send pestilence to her And blood to her streets, And the wounded will fall in her midst By the sword upon her on every side; Then they will know that I am the Lord. 24 "And there will be no more for the house of Israel a prickling brier or a painful thorn from any round about them who scorned them; then they will know that I am the Lord God." 25 'Thus says the Lord God, "When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. 26 "They will live in it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards and live securely when I execute judgments upon all who scorn them round about them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God." ' " (NAU)
In other words, as the presence of God's holiness is displayed some people will learn that the God of the universe is "the Lord their God."
In one sense, everything in the Bible is either about God's presence or about a lack of God's presence. Let's see why the presence of God is so important.
► I. Where Do We See God's Presence In The Past?
There is no question that the Lord has personally intervened in human history with His presence.
► A. God was present in the Garden of Eden
After God made everything else he made man. God provided a garden where the flowers were in bloom and the trees were bearing fruit before he asked man to take care of it. But God did not just provide a beautiful creation, He also gave Himself. Gen 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, (NAS)
► B. God was present with Moses
Moses had the tremendous privilege of being in God's presence. First, Moses experienced God's presence at the burning bush when the Lord said Exodus 3:5 Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." (NAU)
Then Moses experienced God's presence on Mt. Sinai. Exodus 19:18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. (NAU)
Moses wanted God's presence more than anything else. Exodus 33:14--15 And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then he said to Him, "If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. (NAU)
Exodus 33:17--23 The LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name." 18 Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!" 19 And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." 20 But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" 21 Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 "Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen." (NAU)
► C. God was present in the Temple
Psalm 80:1 Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth! (NAU)
Ps 99:1 The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned {above} the cherubim, let the earth shake! (NAS)
1 Kings 8:10 It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the Lord, (NAU)
Psalm 48:1--10 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, His holy mountain. 2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King. 3 God, in her palaces, Has made Himself known as a stronghold. 4 For, lo, the kings assembled themselves, They passed by together. 5 They saw it, then they were amazed; They were terrified, they fled in alarm. 6 Panic seized them there, Anguish, as of a woman in childbirth. 7 With the east wind You break the ships of Tarshish. 8 As we have heard, so have we seen In the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish her forever. Selah. 9 We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God, In the midst of Your temple. 10 ►As is Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. (NAU)
But, God's presence was not always present in the Temple.
►How Did God's Glory Leave the Temple?
The Jews in Jesus' day were very proud of the Temple. Herod had built what was their third Temple. It was destroyed in 70 A.D. and the Jews have not had a Temple since. Even though Herod's Temple was not as magnificent as Solomon's Temple it was still an awesome building. But Jesus saw it differently. The presence of God was not there like it was in Solomon's Temple and that made all the difference to Him.
► #1 God's glory was over the Ark of the Covenant
[Picture: Ark of the Covenant]
Ezekiel 8:3--4 He stretched out the form of a hand and caught me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the idol of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy, was located. 4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the appearance which I saw in the plain. (NAU)
What did Ezekiel see in the plain? Ezekiel 3:22--23 The hand of the LORD was on me there, and He said to me, "Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you." 23 So I got up and went out to the plain; and behold, the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar, and I fell on my face. (NAU)
► #2 God's glory moved out of the Holy of Holies to the Temple door
[Picture: Temple]
Ezekiel 10:4 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD. (NAU)
► #3 God's glory moved from the Temple door to the East Gate
[Picture: East Gate]
Ezekiel 10:18--19 Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the LORD'S house, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. (NAU)
► #4 God's glory moved from the East Gate through the Kidron Valley to the Mt. of Olives
[Picture: Mt. Olives]
Ezekiel 11:22--23 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. 23 The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city. (NAU)
After that, there was no visible presence of God on earth until Christ came.
► D. God was present in Christ
Matthew 1:23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us." (NAU)
Colossians 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, (NAU)
1 Timothy 6:14--16 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time--He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. (NAU)
►Jesus is Jehovah-Shammah!
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NAU)
2 Corinthians 4:4 ... the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (NAU)
► II. How Can We Experience God's Presence Now?
The presence of God is not something left only to the past. We have the promise of the presence of God in the present in three places.
► A. We can experience God's presence in our public worship
Do we have the presence of God here with us today? If we see the following four things then, I believe, we have the presence of God.
► 1. When the truth is proclaimed
It's not good enough to just have something that is similar to the truth. Galatians 1:6--8 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! (NAU)
There is no allowance that our good works can be even be small part of gaining God's presence. But having a creed that is correct is not enough. There are many churches that have good doctrine on paper, but they don't proclaim it from the pulpit.
► 2. When our lives are pure
Jesus drove the greedy money changers out of the Temple.
C.H. Spurgeon: "If the Lord is there, holiness will abound, and the fruits of the Spirit will be seen on all sides; but if the Lord be once withdrawn, then flesh and blood will rule, and bring forth corruption after its own manner; and the church will become a synagogue of formalists." [2]
A church where the presence of the Lord is will not be known as a place where church members fight. James 4:1--2 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. (NAU)
Warren Wiersbe: "Where there are envyings, jealousies, suspicions, backbitings, and dislikes, I know that the Holy Dove, Who hates confusion, had taken His flight." [3]
► 3. When our hearts are passionate
Cold formalism is just as bad as warm hearted error. C. H. Spurgeon warns us: "In some of our churches everybody seems to be a little colder than everybody else. The members are holy icicles. A general frost has paralyzed everybody; and though some are colder than others, yet all are below zero. There are no flowing rills of refreshment, but everything is bound hard and fast with the frost of indifference. Oh, that the Lord would send forth His wind and melt the glaciers! Oh, that the Spirit of God would chase winter out of every heart and every church! No human power can keep a church from the frostbite which numbs and kills. Except the Lord be there, growth, life, warmth--are all impossible. Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence and give Him no rest, but cry day and night to Him, `O Lord, abide with us....' "[4]
Remember that worship involves more than just truth: John 4:23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. (NAU)
► 4. When God's power is displayed
It is possible for a church to have a lot of activity and not see godliness as a result. On the other hand a church with the power of God is able to do comparatively little and yet see great results for the Lord.
Psalm 1:3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. (NAU)
1 Corinthians 4:18--20 Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. (NAU)
Having real peace during suffering is one of the greatest demonstrations of God's power that we can have. 2 Corinthians 12:9--10 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (NAU)
Only God's presence can turn suffering into joy.
► B. We can experience God's presence in our homes
Is the Lord present in your home? Does the Lord influence how you act toward each other? Are you kind to each other? Is the Lord honored in your home so that others will want a home just like yours? The Lord is looking for homes where His presence is evident.
Joshua 24:15 "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (NAU)
1 Samuel 12:23 "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way. (NAU)
If you are the only Christian in your home you can still display His presence. Psalm 55:16 As for me, I shall call upon God, And the LORD will save me. (NAU)
► C. We can experience God's presence in our hearts
John 14:16 "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; (NAU)
John 14:17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. (NAU)
Do you have assurance in your heart that the Lord is present when you pray? A real believer has an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ and craves His presence.
Charles Spurgeon: "If the Lord be with us through life, we need not fear for our dying confidence; for when we come to die, we shall find that the Lord is there; where the billows are most tempestuous, and the water is most chill, we shall feel the bottom, and know that it is good: our feet shall stand upon the Rock of Ages when time is passing away. Beloved, from the first of a Christian's life to the last, the only reason why he does not perish is because the Lord is there. When the God of everlasting love shall change and leave His elect to perish, then may the Church of God be destroyed; but not till then, because it is written, JEHOVAH SHAMMAH, The Lord is there." [5]
► III. Where Will God's Presence be in the Future?
► A. God's presence will fill the new Temple
Just as God's presence left the Temple in Jerusalem it will one day return: Ezekiel 43:1--5 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing toward the east; 2 and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. 3 And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision which I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. 4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the east. 5 And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house. (NAU)
Revelation 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. (NAU)
Then after God's thousand year reign on earth He will establish the New Jerusalem, the Holy City. Revelation 21:22--23 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. (NAU)
► B. God's presence will fill the whole earth
Numbers 14:21 but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD. (NAU)
Psalm 72:19 And blessed be His glorious name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen. (NAU)
Isaiah 6:3 And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." (NAU)
CONCLUSION: The Lord has given those of us who love Him the promise of His presence throughout all eternity. Are you eagerly looking for His coming, or do you dread it?
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (NAU)
Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (NAU)
Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (NAU)
Psalm 73:25--28 Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. 28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works. (NAU)
Is the presence of God your delight? Are you seeking the presence of God in your heart, home, and the house of God?
► "One person with passion is better than forty who are merely interested." Thomas K. Connellan
[1]FAITH’S CHECKBOOK by C. H. Spurgeon May 9
[2]Quoted in “Classic Sermons on the Names of God” by Warren Wiersbe page 18
[3]“Classic Sermons on the Names of God” by Warren Wiersbe page 20
[4]As quoted in “Classic Sermons on the Names of God” by Warren Wiersbe page 19
[5]Morning & Evening: Daily Readings by C. H. Spurgeon Page 98
