The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, “The LORD is there (YHWH Shammah).” Ezekiel 48:35.
“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I AM THERE in their midst.” Matthew 18:19-20.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
YHWH (יהוה) Shammah (שָֽׁמָּה). I AM there. The word in Hebrew meaning “there” is the word sham (שם) and the word for “name” is shem (שם). They are formed of the same two letters, the shin and the mem, but the vowel sound is different. But it tells you about where I AM. For where two or three have gathered together in My NAME, I AM THERE in their midst. Matthew 18:20.
Today we continue My instructions about My Name with Life Lesson No. 11: YHWH Shammah. It is My promise of My presence.
When I revealed Myself and My host to Jacob at Luz in a dream as a ladder between Me and earth by which divine visitation came about, he set up a memorial stone and changed the name of the place from Luz to Beth-El (house of God) saying, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Genesis 28:16-17. An awesome place. Ha Makom (the place of rising). And this became the place where I put My Name.
After coming down on Mt. Sinai and speaking My commandments to the Israelites, I told Moses to make an altar of earth for Me, and to sacrifice on it burnt offerings and peace offerings, sheep and oxen; in every place where I cause My Name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. Exodus 20:24.
And after that I gave Moses a plan so dear to My heart that I spend most of the book of Exodus telling him the plans for, building and creating, erecting and furnishing a place where I could dwell among and travel with My people across the wilderness to the land I promised them. The tabernacle. I told Moses to ask the people to contribute from the gold, silver, jewels, and materials I had provided them with as they left Egypt and to construct a sanctuary (tabernacle) for Me that I could dwell (shakan (שָׁכַן): to settle down, abide, dwell) among them and guide them as they traveled to the land I promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would belong to their descendants. And I was very particular about building it exactly according to all that I showed him as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture. Exodus 25:1-9.
But as they got closer to arriving at the promised land, I told Moses there would be a particular place in that land which I would choose from all the tribes, to establish My Name there for My dwelling, and there all would come to offer worship, their tithes, and sacrifice. Deuteronomy 12:5. And it was at that place that I would choose, Ha Makom, to establish (shakan (שָׁכַן): to settle down, abide, dwell) My name, there they were to sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that they came out of Egypt. Deuteronomy 16:2. The Passover was to be a memorial (a remembrance of deliverance) to them of My redeeming them with outstretched arm from the slavery of Egypt to give them the land flowing with milk and honey (their wealthy place), and they were to celebrate it as a feast to Me; throughout their generations as an eternal ordinance. Exodus 12:14. And I have fulfilled that eternal ordinance in My Son. You can partake of His sacrifice in remembrance of your deliverance and redemption from even greater bondage than that of the Israelites in Egypt. As My servant Paul wrote in the Spirit, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.1 Corinthians 11:23-26. And that remembrance does not stop with the end of your life on earth, it is eternal. Jesus told you that you would have it even in the Kingdom, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Luke 22:15-16.
And as you celebrate and remember My Son, I put My Name there and to those who gather and speak of Me, I give attention to and hear you and a book of remembrance is written before Me for you who esteem My name. You will be Mine, a people known by My Name, on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare you as a man spares his own son who serves him. So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves Me and one who does not serve Me. Malachi 3:16-18.
I told Moses the words for the priests to use in blessing My people. And why were they to bless them in that manner? To put (sum or sim: to put, place, set (שׂוּם)) My name on the sons of Israel, and I then would bless them. Numbers 6:27.
Now, let us look at the context in which I first revealed the Name YHWH Shammah to you, which simply means, the LORD is there. But where was I? The people had gone into exile, the temple destroyed, and Jerusalem burnt to the ground, and yet I gave Ezekiel a vision of a new city rising of splendor and beauty and this heavenly city had twelve gates named for the tribes of Israel, three gates toward the north: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one; three gates toward the east: the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one. three gates toward the south: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; the gate of Zebulun, one, and three gates toward the west: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; the gate of Naphtali, one. The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, “YHWH Shammah.” Ezekiel 48:30-35.
Do you recall the vision of the heavenly Jerusalem coming down from Heaven to make Me a permanent dwelling on earth at the end of the book of Revelation? At last I will have My wish that My dwelling place will be among you and you shall see Me as I wipe every tear from your eyes. I will put My Name on you there. The holy city, Jerusalem will come down out of heaven from Me filled with My glory. Her brilliance is like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. There is a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. There are three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. And the wall of the city has twelve foundation stones, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for My glory illumines it, and its lamp is the Lamb. There will no longer be any curse; and My throne and of the Lamb will be in it, and My faithful servants will serve Me; they will see My face, and My NAME will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because I will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. And I AM THERE with you and you are THERE WITH ME forever.
But even now, you who know and are called by My Name, who believe in My Name, I hear you when you call for I AM there with you. And you are there with Me always and all I have is yours, for you have My Name. You are My heir. I have put My Name on you. And you are My dwelling place. And that ladder that Jacob saw has now joined you to heaven and My angels are descending to earth and ascending back to Me in and through you. And together with other believers, as living stones built on the chief cornerstone you are being built together into a dwelling place of the Spirit.
There where I AM, My servant will be. And again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I AM THERE in their midst.” Matthew 18:19-20.
Let Me be there with you always. It is simple. Draw close to Me and I draw close to you. YHWH Shammah. The whole family in Heaven and on earth derives its name from Me. Isn’t it time you started acting like it?
And the word Shammah is formed of a Shin (ש) a Mem (מ) and a Hei (ה). Which you know from our prior lessons, Shin stands for Me as Shaddai, I AM enough for all your needs and desires, the source of all good, and Shin is the form used for the hand raised in blessing. The letter itself is like flames of fire. Mem is living water representing My Spirit and Hei represents grace pouring from the open windows of Heaven. So what to find when I am there? Grace flowing by My Spirit in you and on you from the source of all. I am enough for you to have all. My grace is sufficient for you to get you through anything and everything as more than a conqueror for I am there with you.
I love you. I AM there. The promise of presence signed in My Name. YHWH. Covenant.