Tag Archives: Yahweh

God’s Mission to the Nations

Posted by on February 5, 2012 1 comment

Break forth, shout joyfully together, You waste places of Jerusalem; For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God (Isaiah 52:9-10).

The prophets of ancient Israel declared that Yahweh is the One who fills the earth with the glory of His presence (Isaiah 6:3). The prophets were theologians par excellence and their theological expectations are fulfilled in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here selected passages are interpreted via a Trinitarian model to demonstrate how the prophetic writings reveal God’s mission to rule all the nations of the earth.

The Universal Dominion of Yahweh

Yahweh is not a parochial deity whose dominion is limited to the geographical borders of national Israel or whose influence is limited to the Temple in Jerusalem. Isaiah’s throne vision of Yahweh (Isaiah 6:1ff) serves as the inauguration of his prophetic ministry and as an introduction to the canonical prophets. In this vision, Yahweh is presented as the Sovereign King of the universe, whose glory fills the earth (Isaiah 6:3; also 40:5). The “glory” of Yahweh speaks of his presence, influence, and power.

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The Altar of Yahweh Yireh

Posted by on November 13, 2011 Comments Off

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 12:7-8).

Abraham was on a journey, moving from one place to another. Abraham was a person who responded in faith to the call of God. Everywhere he went, Abraham built altars. Each of these altars defined his spiritual journey. These were the sacred places where God met with Abraham and places where Abraham called on God. The altar was a memorial where Abraham celebrated his covenant relationship with God. The covenant relationship was mutual. Abraham and his descendants would live in obedience to God, and God would bless Abraham by making him the spiritual father of many nations. Every time Abraham approached an altar, he was reminded of God’s promises. The altar became a testimony to the faithfulness of God. Worship at the altar meant that Abraham continued to look for the fulfillment of God’s promises.

Most Pentecostals were saved at an altar. The gospel was proclaimed, the Spirit convicted and called, and the sinner responded by going forward to the altar. That sacred place where the sinner kneels to confess sin and accept Jesus as Lord is a memorial to God’s saving grace. Just as Abraham returned again and again to the altar, so the obedient believer should return to the altar. It is the place where we call upon the Lord, always going forward in our spiritual development. The altar call provides the time and space for us to meet with God once again, to call upon God that we might renew our commitment, to be sanctified, or to pray through to the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Pentecostal worship has always been about movement. We pray that the Spirit will move among us. We come to church expecting to be moved by the Spirit. At some point in the service, we are invited to move from our seats to pray at the altar.

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The Dancing Warrior

Posted by on October 21, 2011 Comments Off

We often sing, “You dance over me, while I am unaware; You sing all around, but I never hear the sound…” without understanding the beautiful theology contained within the lyrics of the song. While I am uncertain about the author’s source of inspiration, the lyrics reflect the words of the prophet Zephaniah:

“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy” (3:17).

Zephaniah’s theme is the Day of the Lord. Yahweh, as the divine warrior, intends to raze the earth because of the indifference, apostasy, and rebellion of humanity. However, before the final act of ultimate destruction, Yahweh demonstrates divine grace and offers humanity an opportunity to approach God in humility and seek righteousness and justice. Those who are arrogant and “stagnant of spirit” suffer destruction under the warring hand of Yahweh. Yahweh is “in your midst” as judge and savior. The victory of Yahweh is demonstrated in the destruction of the arrogant and the deliverance of the humble. Those who have been delivered “shout in triumph” and “rejoice and exult” because “the Lord has taken away His judgments” (3:14-15). To “exult” means to celebrate, to leap for joy, and/or to dance about. Those who have been redeemed by the hand of Yahweh dance with joy! (Exodus 15).

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