God with Us: Part 3

Who has been with you during a difficult time? How did that person make a difference by being with you?

I think of friends and family sitting beside each other in a hospital room, students studying together for a big test, and friends talking at a coffee shop.

About ten years ago I went to the hospital for an operation. After checking in, I changed into the medical gown, and then sat down on a bed. While I was waiting, my boss showed up. I was surprised and encouraged to see him. I had been lonely and apprehensive sitting there by myself.

Maybe someone who made a difference for you wasn’t even present physically. Maybe that person lived far away, but they answered your phone calls or responded to your emails, listened, and gave advice.

If having a friend with us as we face a hardship makes a difference, how much more so if God is with us?

Our first reflection focused on God with his people in Genesis. The second reflection highlighted that same theme in Exodus, Joshua, Judges, and the Psalms and we ended with David’s words “I will fear no evil; for you are with me.” This post zooms in on what the Hebrew prophets said about God with us.

Isaiah

About two centuries after David, the Lord speaks to Israel through the prophet Isaiah and says,

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

And when you pass through the rivers,

They will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

You will not be burned;

The flames will not set you ablaze (43:2 NIV).

God is with us individually and corporately and that means we can “pass through the waters”—the difficult and trying circumstances of life.

This verse is dramatically illustrated in the book of Daniel. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the blazing furnace, the king looked in and saw a fourth person with them. “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25). Someone joined the trio while they were in the fire. Who? Who would step into the fire with them? Whether it was an angel or the Son of God, the point is the same: God was with them.

Jeremiah

Around 600 BC, Israel was on the brink of being conquered by the Babylonians when God called a young man named Jeremiah to be his appointed spokesperson or prophet. Jeremiah chapter 1 says,

The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.” (vv. 4­–8).

Does that sound familiar? Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah objected to God’s plan for their lives. But each time God responded by promising to be with them.

Ezekiel

During Jeremiah’s time period, Ezekiel lived as one of the exiles in Babylon when God called him to be a prophet. In chapter 10, Ezekiel sees a vision of God’s glory departing from the temple in Israel.

So far, in our overview, this is the first example of God leaving his people, or more precisely God’s glory departing from the temple. God’s departure was devastating because it left Israel defenseless. Why did God leave? Because of his people’s rebellion.

But in chapter 43, Ezekiel sees another vision. This time God returns to the temple and fills it with his glory. God left in judgement, but he returned in mercy. His departure was temporary; his presence is permanent.

Haggai

 In 515 BC, the Persian King Cyrus released the exiles from Judah and they returned to the land of Israel. Through the prophet Haggai, the Lord encouraged the returnees to rebuild the temple. “Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord” (Haggai 1:13). In chapter 2, the message is expanded just a bit, “be strong . . . and work. For I am with you” (2:4).

God was still encouraging Abraham’s descendants 1500 years after he called Abraham. They had experienced slavery in Egypt and an incredible exodus. They wandered in the wilderness, settled in the land of Canaan, lived under good kings and bad kings, and established the temple only to see it destroyed three centuries later. They were defeated and sent into exile, and seventy years later, they returned to the land. And all the while, God was still saying the same thing to them, “I am with you.” And because of God’s presence, they were encouraged to rebuild the temple.

With all Israel

In our brief tour, we have come to the end of the Old Testament, but I want to make sure to mention something. When exploring this topic it’s not enough to highlight the direct statements that God was with particular individuals. Symbols also serve as a sign of God’s presence in the Old Testament. And these symbols show that God was with all of Israel. For example,

• The pillar of fire at night and the pillar of cloud during the day as Israel wandered in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21–22)
• The ark of the covenant—the rectangular golden box where humans met with God. God told Moses that above the ark “I will meet with you” (Exodus 25:22).
• The tabernacle or tent that Moses constructed. This ornate tent was set up in the middle of Israel’s tents to be the place where God lived. After it was built it was filled with God’s presence (Exodus 40:34–35).
• The temple, which was a permanent building patterned after the tabernacle (1 Kings 8).

Both the tabernacle and temple contain imagery that reminds us of the Garden of Eden where God was with Adam and Eve. And they both housed the ark of the covenant.

So from the beginning of the Old Testament to the end, God encourages his chosen leaders with his presence, and he shows that he is with Israel through natural phenomena, buildings, and a sacred object. God was with them.

And God is with us.

If you read the Old Testament and miss the theme of God with us, you missed one of the most amazing and important parts of the story.

*This reflection is a part of The Heart of Scripture: God with Us.

Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. My latest book focuses on Paul’s work as a tentmaker and what it means for today.