Jehovah El Gmolah, The LORD of Retribution

What I Learned in Class

Sandee began her lesson on Tuesday with the definition of retribution.  It means to give something by way of compensation (as for a service rendered or damage incurred), repayment, or restitution. 

Before digging into Scripture where God reveals Himself as Jehovah El Gmolah, Sandee set the stage by giving us a picture of Israel’s history. In Deuteronomy the LORD made His expectations of Israel very clear: “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth” (Deut. 28:1); “However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you” (Deut. 28:15).  As we have studied this year, the path that Israel chose was one that brought the curses of God upon them. 

In the book of Jeremiah God pronounced His judgment upon Israel and prophesied on their future (see Jer. 25:5-14).  In these verses the LORD tells Israel that they would be taken captive by the Babylonians and that the land of Israel would become a desolate wasteland. He also told them that their captivity would last 70 years.

In Jeremiah 52 we can read about the harsh treatment the Israelites endured at the hands of the Babylonians: the king was harshly maimed, his sons were killed before his eyes, the temple was burned, its treasures were plundered, the priests were killed, and finally they were uprooted from their home to live in a foreign land. Imagine living through this and the hopelessness that could overtake you, especially in light of the strong warning they had previously received from Jeremiah.

Sandee brought us to a verse that most of us have known and held dear; “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11).  The question was, have we ever looked at this verse in context?  She examined the passage that covers Jeremiah  29:10-14,  focusing on  Jeremiah 29:10:  “This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place” (Jer. 29:10).  The LORD was giving the Israelites hope in the midst of their punishment! The plans He had for them were good! They could hold on to the hope of His promise!

We have learned that the Israelites were under the LORD’s judgment and were harshly treated by the Babylonians.  But God would not leave their oppressors in peace and prosperity.  We read in Jeremiah 50:34, “Yet their Redeemer is strong; the LORD Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon”. 

What I Learned in the Homework

Now we will move on to where God reveals Himself as Jehovah El Gmolah ;

 “A destroyer will come against Babylon; her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken. For the LORD is a God of retribution; he will repay in full” (Jer. 51:56).

You might be asking why God is dealing so severely with Babylon? We had learned that it was God who told the Israelites that He would be using Babylon against them as His arm of judgment in the first place. Jeremiah 50:11 gives us the answer: "Because you rejoice and are glad, you who pillage my inheritance, because you frolic like a heifer threshing grain and neigh like stallions”.  The homework makes the point that Babylon had gone too far.  We learned that God is angry at those who take joy in the suffering of those that are His. God will use others as instruments of His discipline but a line is crossed when they go beyond the LORD’s plan.

There is something very important to take note of. According to Jeremiah 51:56, who will repay for the suffering brought upon the Israelites? It was the LORD. The Israelites did not take vengeance upon themselves.  As New Testament Christians it is no different for us.  It says in Romans 12:19: “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord”.  God also speaks to us about retribution in 1 Peter 3:9: “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9).

The homework gave us a historical context for the words of Paul and Peter that illuminated the above verses.  At the time their letters were penned, Nero Claudius Caesar was ruling Asia. His persecution of Christians was beyond brutal; they were being burned at the stake, torn apart by dogs for amusement….truly horrible. In spite of this, Paul and Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, admonished their readers (and us as well) not to take revenge into their own hands. As a note on God’s faithfulness, Nero himself met with a devastating end. His own people declared him an enemy, he was abandoned and dethroned, sentenced to death.

Now let’s go back and look at the end of the Babylonian story. Keep in mind the promise from 1 Peter 3:9, “so that you may inherit a blessing “. “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah." (2 Chron. 36:22-23).

Not only did God deal with those who afflicted His people, He restored a blessing (through a pagan king, no less).  His desire was not to destroy but to rebuild and restore. The homework express this well, “While God uses trials and difficulties to shape and mold us, you can rest assured His desire is that they do not go beyond what is needed for our growth and restoration, if they do, they will answer to Jehovah El Gmolah, the LORD God of Recompenses” (A. Solomon, Jehovah El Gmolah).

Wrapping It Up

Earlier this year we studied Jehovah Mekadesh, The Lord Who Makes You Holy.  We learned in that lesson that God has set us apart as His people. Being set apart makes us distinctive.  I couldn’t help but think of this as we studied the God of Retribution. The way we deal with revenge needs to look different than the rest of the world. Sandee reminded us of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:38-39a, “You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth’. But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person”.  We also learned that our God is the God of Recompenses and we can trust Him to work on our behalf when our enemy plots destruction.  He is faithful. But not only that, but remember what we learned in 1 Peter 3:9?  “so that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9). Our God is an awesome God!!!

Bible Memorization Project 2013 - Verse 5!

“Get Plugged In”
By Eva Jester 

Memorizing Bible verses can be compared to getting plugged into an electrical outlet.

We have the ability to tap into God’s power which is a very powerful thing.  Ladies, you have access to the best power source in the whole world and that is Jesus and His Word. There is a very real enemy that wants to distract us and get us discouraged but if we have God’s Word in our hearts and on our minds, we will more easily be able to withstand the attack of the enemy.

Ladies, it is time for verse five of our Bible Memorization Project 2013. If you have gotten behind, please do not feel any condemnation from us.  We are all in this together and we are lifting you up in our prayers. We can finish this project TOGETHER!!

The following passage of Scripture explains how we must press on toward the goal for which God has called us.

Philippians 3:12-16 (NIV)

“Not that I have already obtained this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Ladies, I encourage you to press on. Please post your fifth verse as a comment on this blog post. Praying for you!!

Jehovah Hoseenu

What I Learned in Class

Pastor Grace began her lesson by making an important distinction. You may remember in the beginning of our study on the names of God we learned about Elohim, God Mighty Creator. This week we studied Jehovah Hoseenu, The LORD our Maker.  She explained that a creator is a person that brings something into existence (i.e. an architect). She gave us the definition of a maker as one who makes or produces something (i.e. a construction worker). An architect creates out of nothing while the construction worker builds from something already created.  So how does Jehovah Hoseenu fit into this?  He is the Maker who takes what has already been created and molds and shapes it.

Pastor Grace brought us back to the beginning of Genesis where we saw Jehovah Hoseenu at work,  “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).   The LORD took the dust that had already been created and formed man and then breathed His life into us. Truly, God is the Potter!

Throughout the year we have looked at the LORD’s relationship with Israel. Pastor Grace reminded us how God called Israel out of Egypt. While they were in the wilderness for 40 years God tried to reshape and remold His people.  There were many who rejected His molding hands and quarreled against Him.  "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'He has no hands'?” (Isaiah 45:9).  Pastor Grace pointed out that the remolding process can be a rough one.

She then brought us to Jeremiah 18:1-8.  In this passage Jeremiah goes to the Potter’s House and speaks with the LORD, the Potter.  The LORD tells Jeremiah, "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel “ (Jer. 18:6).  Pastor Grace pointed out that as God can shape and reshape a nation, He will also do this with us. He takes us as we are, in our carnal ways and shapes us into a vessel He can use. It says in Romans 9:21,: “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?”.  Sometimes God will mold us to meet the need of a moment. He may fashion us for a certain time, with a specific task in mind. Our part is to walk in obedience for that moment that He has called us to.

What I Learned from the Homework

In the homework we also studied the difference between ‘Maker’ and ‘Creator’, using the original Hebrew to make an important distinction. We were reminded that Creator comes from the word bara, which means to create out of nothing. The word for Maker comes from asah, which is similar to bara but emphasizes the fashioning of created objects.

God has Fashioned You 

We began by looking at Psalm 139:13-16 (NASB): “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me together in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”

We learned that before we were even born that God had formed our innermost being – our spirits, hearts and minds. The psalmist (David) expressed that he was fearfully and wonderfully made. David was looking at himself even before he was born.  When we were fashioned by our Maker we were wonderfully made, yet, life happens.  We are hurt and bruised; our hearts are broken; what the LORD had originally intended becomes marred. 

God is Refashioning You

In our class lesson we looked at Jeremiah 18 where we saw the LORD as a potter, reforming a marred pot.   In the homework we looked at how the refashioning process is worked by the LORD in our own lives. The Maker takes that what was marred and reshapes it to be the beautiful vessel He intended. That’s what He does with us!!

The homework pointed out that many of us have had pasts that have steered us off the course of the Maker’s original intention. We looked at Romans 8:28-29, which gives us hope. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,  who  have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:28-29).  God can take all things, all those things that have marred us as we have walked through life, and use them to transform us into the image of Jesus.  We were encouraged to know that our pasts do not need to dictate who we become. How freeing is that!!!

God’s Work Never Goes out of Fashion

“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).  

What does it mean to you when you read that you are God’s workmanship?  Remember, we are the clay in the hands of the Potter. The word for workmanship comes from the word poiema.  Can you see it? We are God’s poem. It can also mean we are His masterpiece!  Something key to keep in mind, this word also conveys that we are a work in process. This process can be uncomfortable and confusing but remember, submitting to the loving hands of the Maker will bring about beauty and wholeness.

Wrapping It Up

I pray that as you read through this post that the truth of God’s Word has penetrated your hearts. It is easy to forget or take for granted that the LORD really is our Maker. We can see ourselves through critical eyes. He sees us through eyes of love and compassion.  As we learned, we are a work in process. Be patient with yourself as the Potter reshapes your broken places. You can trust that what He is doing is a beautiful thing!

 “The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” (Psalm 138:8)

Jehovah Shammah

This week we learned some awesome things in Bible Study as we studied Jehovah Shammah, The Lord is There. The homework and the class lesson gave us very different insights into the revelation of God’s name. 

What I Learned in the Homework

Why the Israelites Needed Restoration

The main theme we camped on in the homework was restoration. In order for there to be restoration, there first has to be a period of neglect or deterioration. This is exactly what happened to the Israelites’ relationship with the LORD as detailed in Ezekiel 22.  They fell into a familiar pattern of sin. They despised the holy things of God, desecrated the Sabbath, oppressed the weak, and worshiped idols. The prophet Ezekiel was sent by God to the Israelites to foretell their coming destruction; the warning was ignored.  “"Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall” (Ezekiel 18:30). The homework points out that God’s desire wasn’t to destroy Israel, His heart was for them. He wanted them to repent and live.  We also learned that God had another desire that can be found throughout the book of Ezekiel, “Then they will know that I am the LORD” (Eze. 35:15). 

We were given a thought-provoking question based on Ezekiel 22:30, “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none”. As God was looking for someone to intercede on behalf of His people, there may be people in our own lives to whom God is calling us to ‘stand in the gap’. Is the LORD bringing anyone to your mind? Stand in the gap for them.

The Promise of Restoration to the Israelites

As you know, Ezekiel’s prophecy came to pass.  Jerusalem, as well as the temple, was destroyed.  The people were killed or taken captive to Babylon. It was a dark hour for the Israelite’s. It seemed that God had abandoned them, yet He had not.  We read in Ezekiel 36:8-9, “But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look upon you with favor”.   God still loved them and desired to bless them.  The homework made the point that it was of utmost importance that the Israelites remember that God was the LORD.  We were asked to think of a time in our own lives when we were under the discipline of the LORD yet He gave us hope in this time through His Word.

We now come back to God’s revealed name, Jehovah Shammah, The LORD is There.  It says in Ezekiel 48:35: “And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE”.  We were encouraged to know that even in the midst of suffering and discipline God is still there.  And not only would He be there for them then, but there is a promise that one day they would be in His presence forever!  

What I Learned in Class

“Glory Story!!”  Does this capture your attention? It certainly did mine! Today we learned about the Glory of God. You might be asking yourself what this has to do with Jehovah Shammah. Read on! I freely admit I cannot give justice to the lesson in this blog post.  Sometimes you just have to be there but I pray that you will have a renewed amazement of God’s glory as you follow along. (As a side note, this lesson was recorded. If you would like a cd copy, please let us know.)

We already learned that the Israelites were under God’s judgment and that the temple had been destroyed. The destruction of the temple was so much more significant to the Israelites than we might understand. To them, the temple was the place where God was present, the place His Glory dwelt, not a mere building.

To help us better grasp the concept of God’s glory and of its vital importance to the Jewish people, Arlene brought us back to the time of the Exodus.  As you might recall, God gave the Israelites very specific instructions regarding the building of the tabernacle in the desert. In Exodus 25:8-9 it says, “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell with them. Make this tabernacle and its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.”  The words for both ‘dwell’ and ‘tabernacle’ are related to the Hebrew word shekinah and are associated with the presence of God and His glory. Looking at the verse, it is not that we wanted to dwell with God, but that God wanted to dwell with us!!

Arlene walked us through the Scriptures and traced the manifestation of God’s glory, straight back to the Garden of Eden.

Garden: “So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out of the place (shakinah, God’s presence) on the east side  of the Garden of Eden  cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life” (Gen. 23-24).  

Abrahamic Covenant: “When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates” (Gen. 15:17-18).

Burning Bush: “There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up” (Ex. 3:2).

The Law at Mt. Sinai : “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently” (Ex. 19:18).

In the Tabernacle: “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels” (Ex. 34-35, 38).

In the Temple: “And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.  Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever “(1 Kings 8:11-13).

Reading through the following Scriptures we can trace the glory of the LORD as it departs the temple through the East Gate up to the Mount of Olives: “Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the LORD“ (Eze. 10:4). “Then the glory of the LORD departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.  While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance to the east gate of the LORD's house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.” (Eze. 10:18-19). “The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it” (Eze. 11:23).

What happened next was profound. God was silent for 400 years. Even when the Israelites had been under His hand of judgment, His presence was still made known through the prophets. Now there was nothing. Not one word. Four hundred years.

Please read the beginning of the Gospel of John in light of what we have just learned! “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling (tabernacled) among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14).  The glory of God had returned!!

From the Gospel of Luke you are probably familiar with the account of Jesus being presented in the temple as an infant. Mary, Joseph and Jesus met an old man named Simeon. Here is what the Word tells us about Simeon: “Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 28:32).  Think about this…Simeon was waiting!! For 400 years, the glory had departed the temple, yet Simeon still waited for its return. This is huge. Upon Jesus’ entrance into the temple, Simeon knew that the Glory was back!!!!!!

Arlene showed us the story of God’s glory does not end there. “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city” (Acts 1:12).  The apostles were returning from the Mount of Olives where they had witnessed Jesus ascension into heaven. Remember Ezekiel 11:23?  “The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it”. The mountain east of the city is Mount of Olives! As the glory had departed in Ezekiel’s day, it once again departed from the very same place!

The story of Glory still does not end! We know that Jesus is coming back again one day. One of the places this is prophesied is in the book of Zechariah. “On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south” (Zech. 14:4). God’s glory will be there!

Now let’s go back to where we began, Ezekiel 48. This portion of Scripture is also a prophecy about the time of Christ’s return. The final verse in this portion of Scripture is Ezekiel 48:35: "And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE."  The glory will be back, never to leave again. Halleluiah!!

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Luke 19:38