S - Ezekiel 48:35 (NLT): ""The distance around the entire city will be six miles. And from that day the name of the city will be `The LORD Is There.'[ Hebrew Yahweh Shammah] "."
O - This last verse in Ezekiel identifies the name of the city where the Temple was to be located … no longer called Jerusalem but Yahweh Shammah. This parallels the Revelation which identifies that the Lord (and his throne) will make their home with us on the new earth (rather than heaven). Jerusalem was never renamed when the exiles returned … and of course there is much of Ezekiel's prophecy which was not engaged and may never be engaged (even as Israel did not enter the promised land the first time around). The thought which struck me is how as humans we're most often trying to get back to a "former glory", a time more favorable than the one we're currently in and though the future is still in front of us the past is really dictating our desires, hopes and understanding. 27 centuries later the city is still called Jerusalem and it is still a mess. The mid-East peace talks resume and everybody in the region tries to go back - Jews, Palestinians and all the rest [Christians are there (and stateside) who are "Davidic worshippers" … which is fine but many of those folks seem to exude a sense of being superior to others]. This too seems to be a trying to get back somewhere. Over time religion/culture institutes more and more form related to the past and our vision is so myopic we lose sight of Jesus and the future he's moving to and has called us to follow him to. His concern was that new wineskins are required for new wine … and folks like the old wine better.
A - I am certainly in a season of continuing new wineskins … and I want to be. My assignment today is an opportunity for new wine and new wineskins … the command we've had from the beginning and the new commandment Jesus gave us - to love each other because we're loving the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength. I do not want to go back but to grow forward according to the Lord's defiant mercy, relentless love, awesome brilliance, limitless power, extreme goodness and amazing grace.
P - Lord who leads,
I want to follow. I am not only encouraged by my history with you but I can get so quickly "fouled" by my past … stuck in old wine and desires for old wineskins. Jesus, you are life and I want to be with you, working with you not for you; loving you back, making you glad and bringing you glory. Lord, have mercy upon me a sinner and heal my eyes this day for I awoke yet again seeing men walking as trees. I believe that you will cause my words to live and me to be someone your life comes into and flows out of … Lord, may I please be a reason someone else would believe.
Yahweh Shammah,
Steve
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