“You are the LORD, You alone. You made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships You” (v6).
You see them every time you’re in the checkout line at the grocery story. Magazine covers filled with the beautiful people and the biggest stars in Hollywood. Who’s up for an Oscar. Who’s had plastic surgery. Who’s sleeping with whom. Who’s hot and who’s not. They call them stars but their more like meteors. They burn white hot for a while but it won’t be long that they’ll move from the cover to the two-page “whatever happened to” section of the magazine. These celebrities are more like the flavor of the month. But here in Nehemiah 9:6, we see a Star who’s fame never fades. A Star who’s been grabbing headlines for as long as anyone can remember. A Star who shines most brightly in the biggest blockbuster of all-time. It’s the one and only God, the Greatest Star of the Greatest Story!
Surprisingly we find our Star taking a role in what amounts to a tiny little indie film called “Nehemiah.” You may remember Him from His incredible performances in Creation, the Great Flood, and the Exodus. But here we see God starring in what many critics see an art house flick. The scene is Jerusalem. It’s been a location in many of God’s greatest hits. But those days are long gone. The once glorious city on a hill is nearly abandoned. God is quietly turning things around. He’s bringing His people home. He’s provided the resources to rebuild the city’s walls. He’s using men like Nehemiah and Ezra to remind wayward worshipers that He’s not just bringing them back to the Promised Land but back into relationship with Him as their ever-faithful and ever-loving God.
God has just reminded His chosen people of His amazing career. A scribe named Ezra has read to them from the original script called the Book of the Law of Moses (Neh 8:1-8,13-18; 9:3). This is what many scholars call the Pentateuch, the book in five parts. It’s Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Forget Star Wars or the Dark Knight. This is without a doubt the greatest franchise in history. And God is the Star in every episode. He’s there before anything else. He creates. He gives. He loves. He forgives. He rescues. Over and over and over. That’s what makes God the Greatest Star of the Greatest Story.
There are other repetitive characters in this long-running franchise. Humans. That includes you and me. The ones He created in His image. But despite His faithful and active love, they continually turn their backs on Him. And they’re up to their old tricks once again. Despite God orchestrating their return home and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, they’ve hopped in the sack with local pagan hotties in blatant disobedience of His warning not to do so. After Ezra reminds them of His greatest, His goodness, and His love, they break up with their unbelieving squeezes and agree with God about their sin (Neh 9:2).
They begin this citywide assembly with their praise of their one and only God. “You are the LORD, You alone” (v6). They shine the spotlight on the only One who deserves the applause. He’s “the LORD,” which is how most translations of the Bible present the Hebrew word YHWH or Yahweh. It’s His personal name and the authors of Scripture use it more than any other name for God. It appears 5321 times and pops up in every OT book except Ecclesiastes and Esther. It’s the name that appears above the credits. Every. Single. Time.
The nameYahweh isn’t random. It has VERY significant meaning. It basically translates as “I Am” or “I Am What I Am” or “I Will Be Who I Will Be.” God uses His personal name when He introduces Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Ex 3). When the Big Mo asks the Voice from the flaming shrub for some ID, God replies, “I Am Who I Am (Heb. Yahweh)” (Ex 3:14). He goes on to connect the dots with all of Jewish ancestors as “the LORD (Heb. Yahweh), the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Ex 3:15). He reassures Moses that He won’t be changing His name any time soon. “This is My name forever” (Ex 3:15). God won’t be pulling any stunts like Prince. This has always been His name. This will always be His name.
Yahweh is never changes. Ever. He tells the prophet Malachi His people can always count on the fact that “I the LORD (Heb. Yahweh) do not change” (Mal 3:6). Ever. Jesus’ kid brother James wrote about “the Father of lights with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). And here’s the crazy thing. Jesus Himself goes out of His way to say that He and the Great I Am are one and the very same God. He tells religious leaders, “Before Abraham was, I am” (Jn 8:58). Bad grammar. GREAT theology! But then again, since He always IS, He’s ALWAYS in the present tense. The author of Hebrews drops some serious knowledge about the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter when he writes, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8). This means Yahweh and Jesus are the same God. Christ is THE Hero of the Bible. And God is the Greatest Hero of the Greatest Story.
The people make it clear that there’s never been anyone or anything like God, before or since. “You are the LORD, You alone” (v6). You’ll hear folks comparing actors from one generation to another. Stuff like Tom Hanks is the new Jimmy Stewart. You can’t do that with God. He’s unique. One of a kind. Never before. Never since. But there’s just one little problem. We continually fall for counterfeits, phonies, and idols. That’s why God put worshiping Him alone as the first thing on His Top Ten list. “I am the LORD your God…You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex 20:2, 3). We get ourselves in a world of hurt when we kick Him out of His rightful place of worship in our lives. There’s only one God and God is the only One.
Now that we understand just who the real Star is, let’s go back to the beginning of the story. “You made heave, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them” (v6). Interestingly, some Hebrew scholars translate Yahweh to mean “I Cause to Be” or “I Create.” God is not only the Headliner but the Creator. Think the ultimate Executive Producer/Writer/Director. Tyler Perry’s got nothing on the LORD. Let’s quickly review the list of God’s creation, shall we? He made “heaven (v6)” Check. The Bible’s pretty clear that God made the heavens (Gen 2:1; Dt 10:14). But even that can’t hold Him (1Ki 8:27). Hitting second on the batting order of Creation are “the heaven of heavens” (v6). Think the universe. The whole shebang. He’s also the Creator of “all their host” (v6). We’re talking galaxies, solar systems, stars, planets, and moons. Wherever Matthew McConaughey and the crew travel in “Interstellar” has a “Handcrafted by God” label on it. Next up is “the earth and all that is on it” (v6). The third rock from the sun gets special shout out because this seemingly insignificant planet has a special place inYahweh’s heart. Take a look around. If you see it, God made it. And we’re not just talking about the dry parts. He created “the seas all and all that is in them” (v6). He also rolled up His supernatural sleeves to get His hands wet making the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams, including all the critters swimming in them. I’m not sure if you’re keeping score, but that’s everything. In the universe.
Yahweh didn’t just handcraft His masterpiece of Creation and move on to something else. There are some folks who see God as the great Clockmaker in the sky. He made the universe like a clock and then walked away. They don’t think He’s involved anymore. But here in Nehemiah, God’s people aren’t buying it. “You preserve all of them” (v6). They don’t want you and me to miss the fact that the LORD is every bit as involved today as He was on Day One of Creation. He’s involved because He cares. He’s involved because He loves. The Greatest Star of the Greatest Story is not some overpaid prima donna waiting in the trailer for His closeup.
The amazing thing about God is that He’s inviting us to be part of His great story. All throughout the Bible, we see Him asking one broken, flawed person after another to join Him on the set. Noah. Abraham. Moses. David. Peter. Paul. Our man Nehemiah is a classic example. He wasn’t exactly on anybody’s casting short list. Remember, he was working as a wine steward for a pagan king in Persia. But God put a burden on Nehemiah’s heart that something had to change in Jerusalem (Neh 1:1-11). The LORD invited this humble cupbearer to play a part in His eternal story of rescue and redemption. Just because the Bible is complete, that doesn’t mean God’s story is over. He’s still asking people to be a part. He’s inviting you. He’s inviting me. He’s asking us to join the Greatest Star in the Greatest Story.
No comments:
Post a Comment