How He Loves Us https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzfPHnoT0-0
Song: His banner over me is love
Sheep song
Prayer: Father God, here we are again at the 4Gospels. We have come to sit at your feet and simply “be” with you. Lord we all have cares, concerns and burdens that can at times feel overwhelming. Thank you that you are always with us. Help us to set all that aside for a bit and simply be here with one another and you. And then Abba, when we leave here for sleep or to go about the rest of our day, be with us. Thank you that YOU are Redeemer, Healer, Restorer and the ONE who loves us perfectly. In Jesus name amen.
Ready for the first couplet?
He is a jealous God. Ex 34:14
I am the Lord’s. Isa 44:5
He is a jealous God. Ex 34:14 For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Dodi Note: There is a good sort of jealousy and a bad sort. Generally people apply the bad sort and only GOD is able to apply the good/Godly sort.
Using this definition from the web, you will see what I mean: "Jealous" is defined as "very watchful or careful in guarding or keeping," and "resentfully envious.
People tend to be resentfully envious. But GOD is always WATCHFUL and CAREFUL in GUARDING us. Cool? You can read more at https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/jealousy/ It is an interesting read.
Therefore:
I am the Lord’s. Isa 44:5 This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’s,’ another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel.
Dodi Note: If we are born again, we have chosen by an act of our will to BELONG to God. And that places us squarely and thankfully right under His ever-watchful guarding eye.
He is Jehovah-Jireh (provider) Gen 22:14
I am purchased for God Rev 5:9
He is Jehovah-Jireh (provider) Gen 22:14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
Dodi Note: This is when God provided that ram in the thicket instead of requiring the death of Abraham’s son. Because God is jealous over us, constantly watching over us, He is also providing FOR us continually. Sometimes it may feel like he is not, but remember first of all God provides for our true needs not necessarily our perceived needs. I may think I need candy and God may send fruit.
Kidding but it does make the point.I am purchased for God Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song: "Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Dodi Note: Kind of interesting when considered right after God provided the ram in place of Isaac. We were due death because of our sin, but GOD send Jesus who took death in our place as a ransom. to ransom means to buy back one who was doomed. We were doomed because of our own sin. Isaac was doomed too for a different reason but GOD provided the ransom for both.
He is Jehovah-M’-Kaddesh (sanctification) Ex 31:13
I am sanctified 1 Cor 6:11
He is Jehovah-M’-Kaddesh (sanctification) Ex 31:13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.
Dodi Note: This is a term of Christianese that often we do not really get. I found a simple definition online: THE MEANING OF SANCTIFICATION The term for 'sanctification' as used in the New Covenant is HAGIOSMOS and means basically 'set apart', in the sense of being set apart from all else and dedicated for Father God's use. ... This work of grace at salvation sets the believer apart as separate from and holy unto God.
Remembering that we are “Set apart” by our own choice at rebirth does influence the choices we will make doesn’t it?
I am sanctified 1 Cor 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Dodi Note: The verse prior tells us what “some” of us were. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindler will inherit the kingdom of God.
We might think… well I am not (whatever) but the list includes greedy etc. And even if we “share”, we are at heart sometimes like that little kid clutching a toy and screaming, “MINE”.
He is Jehovah-Nissi (banner) Ex 17:15
I am led in Christ’s triump 2 Cor 2:14
He is Jehovah-Nissi (banner) Ex 17:15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner. The context was a time, I really like remembering. 12When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. 13 so Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his arm with the sword.
Dodi Note: What I like is that Moses got weary. As long as Moses held his arms up they would win. But he got tired. So God provided others to come along side and hold up his weary arms. There are times, days-moments-seasons when we can get very weary. We NEED and God will send others to “hold up our arms” aka help us or walk with/beside us.
The other day we were praying for someone and God reminded me of what a “banner” signified. In olden days and even now, people lived under and went to war under a banner. A banner labels the “owner” or the country or the tribe, etc. God’s banner over us is His LOVE. God’s love and the identity and labels God gives us are THE banner under which we can live our lives. Imagine a banner following us with all the labels or names of God and his labels or names denoting who we are? Much better than the labels the world places on us. And more true…if/when we remember.
Here is some of what gotquestions.org has to say about God as our Banner. A banner is something that identifies and unifies a particular group of people. For example, a military flag or standard is sometimes called a banner. The Israelites’ saying, “The Lord is my Banner,” was a way of identifying themselves as the unified followers of the Lord God. A banner also functions as a rallying point for troops in a battle. The altar Moses built in Exodus 17 marked the place where God intervened on behalf of His people and promised to utterly defeat His enemies.
Psalm 20:5 says, “May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.” In verses 6–8 we read, “Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.” God’s people continue to say, “The Lord as my Banner,” because it is in His power that the enemies are vanquished (see also Psalm 60:4–5). The Lord is our Banner in that He is the One under whom we unite. He is our Savior. We are rescued by Him and identified in Him.
Interesting?
I am led in Christ’s triumph 2 Cor 2:14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
Dodi Note: This is Paul speaking truth even after a sort of failure. We can KNOW that God ALWAYS leads us in triumph. Maybe not in the moment…or seemingly not. But here you are, and here I am clinging to God as best we can and so we ARE in triumph. And it does and will bring glory to God. People are watching how we act and react in difficult seasons. Do we continue to seek God?
He is Jehovah-Rohi (shepherd) Ps 23:1
I am His sheep Ps 100:3
He is Jehovah-Rohi (shepherd) Ps 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Dodi Note: Some more verses about provision by our shepherd.
Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 2:25
For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Revelation 7:17
For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to fountains of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'"
Psalm 34:9
Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.
Psalm 78:52
He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
Psalm 34:10
Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Isaiah 40:11
He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.
I am His sheep Ps 100:3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is He who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Dodi Note: Baa…baa.
There are great teachings on sheep. Great verses but that is for another time.
He is Jehovah-Rophe (healer) Ex 15:26
I am being renewed 2 Cor 4:16
He is Jehovah-Rophe (healer) Ex 15:26 25 And Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log. And when he cast it into the waters, they were sweetened. There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them 26
saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”
Dodi Note: There is a condition, which reminded me of James 5 13Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
I am being renewed 2 Cor 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
Dodi Note: We are born. One day we die. Our bodies get old. Thankfully our spirit does not and will live eternally. Our outer self, body will one day cease to exist. But our inner self, our spirit is eternal and is always being renewed. Even if sometimes we forget it is still true.
He is Jehovah-Shalom (peace) Judges 6:24
I have life and peace Rom 8:6
He is Jehovah-Shalom (peace) Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it, The LORD Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
Dodi Note: What had happened just before this was….v 22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the LORD. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.” 23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”
And the people had good reason to be afraid and God had good reason to annihilate them because they had chosen other gods. But now they had returned to God and he was sending Gideon to fight the enemy. And Gideon was scared. Smile. It is good story you can go read it in Judges 6.
I have life and peace Rom 8:6 We are actually going to pick it up in context.
Rom 8 1-11 1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Dodi Note: Good news and a great thing to remember when things are difficult. Also good to remind one another of as well.
He is Jehovah-Shammah (THE LORD IS THERE) Eze 48:35 and Matthew 28:20
I am continually with God Psalm 73:23
He is Jehovah-Shammah (THE LORD IS THERE) Eze 48:35 The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There.”
Dodi Note: This is from what I could find out, describing the New Jerusalem.
And Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
I am continually with God Psalm 73:23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
Dodi Note: God is continually with us. I think in a sense all the couplets are reminding us of how very much God loves us and how very present God is always to us. We may not always be aware of His Presence with is, but that does not negate the truth. All we need to do when we are overwhelmed by life, is pause to calm and quiet ourselves and remember some of these truths. Sometimes that is hard…for me at times it is difficult and I forget too. One reason I love doing these studies is the preparation causes me to focus and remember the truth.
He is Jehovah-Tsidkenu (Righteousness) Jer 23:6
I am free from the law of sin and death Rom 8:2
He is Jehovah-Tsidkenu (Righteousness) Jer 23:6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’ (JESUS)
I am free from the law of sin and death Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Dodi Note: We do not have to, nor could we ever drum up enough right-ness to be safe and cared for. But the good news is, we don’t have to. It is part of the goodness of being “in Christ”. A gift, something we could never earn.
He is JOY in the Holy Spirit Rom 14:17
I live by the Spirit Gal 5:16
He is JOY in the Holy Spirit Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Dodi Note: Joy? Is that sometimes difficult to feel for you as it can at times be for me? But this is not necessarily happy clappy bouncy joy. See it is coupled with peace. So I believe it can also be a deep undergirding of joy. The joy of knowing we are loved by God and belong to God even if outwardly we are weeping in sorrow. There is still the supernatural peaceful/gentle joy of knowing we are His Beloved.
I live by the Spirit Gal 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Dodi Note: I was looking at the context and it reminded me of something…we know but sometimes forget.
Look at 13-15 13For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Dodi Note: So…. whatever our besetting temptation is… we can learn to “walk by the Spirit” and not give in to it. And about that love your neighbor as yourself bit….I learned ( and it changed my life) that it does not simply say “Love your neighbor” it says Love you neighbor AS yourself. That means while, in the same manner as we love ourselves we are ABLE and enabled to actually love our neighbor.
You may be going/thinking…”wait loving myself is selfish, self-centered”. Actually no it is not. God created us. God says we are of great value. If we despise ourselves, what are we saying about the “me” God designed and created? And if we despise ourselves or our bodies, will we take care of them? And didn’t God also say that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?
In order to be able to respect, honor and love our neighbor we must come to a place of respecting, honoring and loving ourselves first.
Think about it. It will make absolute sense later.
Or ask questions.
He is judge of all the earth. Gen 18:25
I receive his longing to be gracious to me Isa 30:18
He is judge of all the earth. Gen 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
Dodi Note: This is in the middle of Abraham talking with God about Sodom and Goorrah. A very sin filled place, which God purposes to destroy. Abraham is saying: Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” and so forth down to this: Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”
God is a righteous judge but he is not willy-nilly and he is always fair. Actually more than fair/gracious.
I receive his longing to be gracious to me Isa 30:18 Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him
Dodi Note: And we are very blessed to be “in Christ” and not judged, as we deserve.
Beloved…receive afresh the gifts God is offering tonight. Let’s be renewed in our minds.