Names of God: Jehovah-shammah, God who is there

In the beginning God made the universe, the heavenly reality, and the planet Earth. God was there, and it was so good.

God made the human race, Adam and Eve, the first humans. God dwelled with them. In the garden of Eden, God was there. And it was good, so good beyond words. Beyond what we could imagine.

Then Adam and Eve sinned against God, and all of the Earth and the universe became broken, and death entered the world. And God was no longer entirely present. He was not there. And everything suffered as a result.

Sin became the great barrier between God and man. And God was not there.

Yet God called a nation, from one man named Abraham, to become Israel, a nation where God would dwell. God dwelled in the tent of meeting with Moses, on the way to the promised land. And it was good. And when Solomon built the temple, God dwelled in the temple, and it was good.

Yet Israel still rebelled against God, and followed after other gods. Thus the nation went into slavery in Babylon, and the north to slavery in Assyria. Yet God was there, with them in slavery, and so there was still hope.

During the captivity in Babylon, during the 25th year of it, a prophet named Ezekiel served in the remnants of Jerusalem, a city that had been completely destroyed by Babylon, and the temple itself had been destroyed. The walls of the city had been destroyed, and the all important intellectuals and leaders had been taken to Babylon, leaving only the most poor and destitute people to remain. Ezekiel prophesied that one day the Jews would return to Israel, to Jerusalem, and they would rebuild the city, rebuild the walls, and the temple, and in that place, which is described in detail in Ezekiel, it would be a place where Jehovah-shammah.

Jehovah Shammah, our last name of God in our names of God series, Jehovah Shammah means, “The Lord is there.”

But there was something more indicated in the prophesy of Ezekiel. He was saying that Israel would return from Babylon, yes. But it also pointed to the earthly reign of a messiah, who would rule over the entire Earth from the city of Jerusalem, a millennial reign of 1,000 years. And even in the prophesy, it talks of a new heavens and new earth, where humanity and God would dwell together forever in peace.

Jehovah-shammah, God is there, that is the perfect way to end the names of God in the Old Testament.

“…the names of God compounded with Jehovah reveal Him as providing redemption for fallen, sinful man, and depicting every aspect of that great transaction of redemption by which man is fully restored to God – healing, victory, peace, sanctification, justification, preservation, care, and guidance.” -Nathan Stone, Names of God

Jehovah jireh, our provider

Jehovah-rophe our healer

Jehovah-nissi our banner

Jehovah-M’Kaddesh our sanctification

Jehovah-shalom our peace

Jehovah-tsidkenu our righteousness

Jehovah-rohi our shepherd

Jehovah-shammah is present to us

Then, there was another beginning, in the beginning, was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, He was in the beginning with God, through Him all things were made, in Him was life and that life brought light to all mankind.

A son of man came, named Jesus of Nazareth, and God was there in human form, and it was very good.

Jesus the messiah lived a life of perfection, healing the sick and hurting, teaching in parables, discipling his disciples, and then offering up his life freely on a cross, pouring out his blood, and dying, to be a blood sacrifice to pay off your debt of sins, pain in full.

Jesus died, and then rose from the grave 3 days later, to demonstrate to us that after we die if we believe in Him he will raise us to eternal life.

Jesus is alive right now in heaven, and will return again to rule and reign on the Earth for 1,000 years, from the city of Jerusalem, theologians call this the millennial reign of Christ. This millennial reign fulfills the prophets which spoke of a time when the messiah would rule and reign and put everything under his control.

Yet it would all begin with the church spreading across the face of the Earth, and the church would be the body of Christ. And in the body of a single believer, you or me, God’s presence would dwell, and God was there, and it was so good.

God’s temple had been the garden of Eden. Then man fell.

God’s temple became the tent of meeting with Moses.

God’s temple became the temple built by Solomon where God dwelled.

God’s temple was then Jesus Christ the God-man come to Earth.

Now today, God’s temple is the human body, the human soul, the human spirit, God dwells within His church on Earth, in the hearts and minds of people surrendered to His will.

We call these people Christians. God is there, in them, and he is here now, and it is very good.

But today it’s still through a mirror dimly. We aren’t in the full presence of God on this fallen Earth. Only after the rapture, the tribulation, and the return of Jesus Christ, and after the millennial reign, will everything be made perfect, a new heavens, an entirely new planet Earth, remade, where God will dwell.

This is talked about in the book of Revelation, when it says, Revelation 21:1-4, “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

And it continues in Revelation 22:1-5, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”

That is the goal, to be with God in perfection, Jehovah-shammah, God is there. No temple, no place to go to, but God perfectly present with us, permanently, forever. And at last everything is OK and Right once again.

Jehovah shammah. “And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there.” -Ezekiel 48:35. The last verse of the book of Ezekiel. Forever. Maranatha. Amen.

Quick Answer, Claim: Science disproves God

Claim: Science has proven that everything is physical, science disproves God exists. Scientists have shown the myths of the past are false and unproven. 

Answer: Science has not proven that religion and it's teachings are "wrong and out of date." In fact, most of the great scientists of history were Christians or at least deists, including people like Einstein, Pasteur, Galileo, Newton, and hundreds of others. 

Also, 60% of Nobel Prize winners are Christians. The first scientists looked for order in the universe because they knew there was an intelligent designer behind the universe. 

The more scientists study DNA and the complexity of human life, the more it becomes clear that all life is designed by a creator, a God of the universe. 

Particularly, when Einstein discovered that the universe had a definite beginning at a "big bang" it became clear, God does exist, and he created the universe from nothing, at a finite point in time.

Increasingly as well, we see massive manuscript evidence for the Bible, thousands of manuscripts, and the dead sea scrolls confirmed that the Bible hadn't been changed or manipulated, because they matched what we have today. 

Not only that history and archaeology continue to confirm the biblical narrative as true and historically accurate. More and more we see, God is real, and Jesus Christ is really real, and really rose from the dead. It's astonishing!

Additional Articles:

1. Origin, Meaning, Morality, & Destiny: An atheist and a Christian on discuss Worldview
2. Seven Objections to the Bible and Seven Reasonable Responses
3. Quick Fact Sheet: Four Points to Consider
4. 10 Answers to Common Questions Raised by Skeptics
5. Believing in the Miraculous: The Work of Jesus Christ on the Cross
6. Can you see through the illusion? 
7. Philosophy, Science, Logic, and History: Presentations on the Truth of Christianity from Multiple Disciplines
8. No Evidence for God? 
9. Declaration of Worldview (What we Believe) 
10. Reasonable Evidence for Christianity    

Names of God: Jehovah-rohi, God our Shepherd

"The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” - Psalm 23

A song written by David. David must’ve looked back on his life at a ripe old age, and looked back at all the ups and downs of his life, from being the youngest son of the family, while his brothers fought in the army, he was left alone to watch over the sheep.

From God raising him up and making him a hero of Saul’s army, to the incredible show-down with Goliath, and then leading Israel’s armies, then Saul’s growing jealousy.

And David having to live on the run, living in caves, gathering a band of misfits around him, fleeing from Saul who tried to kill him numerous times.

To seeing Saul die, and then becoming king over the entire nation. Seeing great victories, God protecting him and guiding the nation, even to his mistakes, his affair with another man’s wife, and God forgiving him, and to the birth of David’s son Solomon, even seeing Absalom his own son rebel against him and try to drive him out of the capital, to seeing Absalom killed by his own soldiers, and planning for his son Solomon to one day build the temple of the Lord.

David must’ve looked back on all of it and said, the Lord is my shepherd, through all of it. He is Jehovah-rohi, God my shepherd.

Nathan the Prophet said to David, in 2nd Samuel 7:8-9, “8 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth.”

God guided every step of David’s life, he shepherded David through all the highs and lows of life. That is who God is. He is our shepherd in life.

It says of the Lord in 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 those that have young.”

What does a shepherd do for the sheep he cares for?

He protects them from wolves, coyotes, from bears and snakes.

He feeds them, leading them to plenty.

He speaks to them, so that they know his voice.

He cares for them. If they are wounded he bides up their wounds.

If they go astray he goes after them.

He guides them on pathways between water holes

He keeps them together

He is vigilant, present, watchful, wise, and strong.

That is who God is to us.

Our God is present with us. The shepherd was always present to the sheep. And the sheep were watching for his presence and felt safe when they knew he was near.

Similarly God says in Exodus 29:45, “I will dwell among the children of Israel.” And the Hebrew word for “dwell” there is Shekinah, which tells us God’s presence was gloriously with the people. Just as He is gloriously with us today. And we can sense His presence.

We jump over to the New Testament, and we see that Jesus our savior completely affirms this concept of who God is as Jehovah-rohi. Jesus says of himself in John 10:11-18:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

God with us, Jesus, lays it out plain as day, this is who I am to you, I’m your good shepherd, I lay down my life for the sheep, and I take it back again. He’s talking about his crucifixion for our sins and his resurrection for our eternal life.

Jesus also soberly reminds us that there robbers out there, and wolves in sheeps clothing. So we need to watch out for false shepherds, false teachers, and false prophets.

It says in Acts 20:29, Paul speaking to the elders of the church in Ephesus, “29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.” And Jesus himself said in Matthew 7:15, ““Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

So we know there are dangers as Jesus shepherds us toward paradise. We need to watch out for wolves and false teachers and false prophets. We do that by staying close to the true shepherd, Jesus Christ.

“Do we know his voice as we should? Do we trust Him and follow Him as we should? Is there the beautiful intimacy between us that there should be? Do we love the shepherd’s presence? Can we distinguish His voice from the voice of the wolf in sheep’s clothing who comes among us to wrest and wreck our faith?”

“…when we are sorely tried He will lead gently on. When we are weary and wounded He will anoint our heads and heal our wounds and refresh us with tender care. As His sheep we are led by many a way. Sometime the path is through fresh green meadows; sometimes over rough, steep, rocky paths, perhaps through dark places where the sun scarcely shines. But we are ever being led to one place.”

“So the Lord Jesus, our Jehovah-rohi will lead us into that final fold and rest “before the throne of God” where John says, “they will serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun strike upon them; nor any heat: for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd” (Rev 7:15-17) S we “shall dwell in the house of Jehovah forever.” -Nathan Stones, Names of God, p. 147-148.

The Barren Fig Tree: Personal, National, and Universal Applications of Fruit Bearing

“Mordecai was seven years old when he decided that God had called him to be an evangelist. He started by preaching to barnyard animals. He even tried to immerse a cat in a water trough. When the feline began to scratch and claw, the budding evangelist threw him down and screamed, “Go on . . . go to hell!” It’s no wonder Mordecai grew up to be a “hog-jowl and turnip-green preacher” —country slang for a parson who gets in people’s faces. Whenever he brought his gospel tent to town, he would ask the locals to identify their most notorious sinner. He would then make a beeline for that person. Atheists, agnostics, and backsliders went into hiding when Mordecai Ham came to town.

In the twilight of his “hog-jowl and turnip-green” ministry, handsome Hollywood preachers came selling a softer gospel using Madison Avenue techniques. Folks stopped listening to the hellfire and brimstone of old Mordecai Ham. It seemed that he was washed up.

One night a pitiful handful in a half-filled service came forward. Mordecai Ham went back to his hotel room and wept in despair. Maybe he should have paid attention to one of those converts that night: a gangly North Carolina boy by the name of Billy Graham. In an age that measures success by the numbers, we need to step back and reevaluate what really matters. The impact we can have through a single prayer, a single conversation, a single act of kindness, or a single [you fill in the blank] —on a single child, man, or woman —is both incalculable and underrated. A child learns to walk one step at a time, and a race is finished by putting one foot in front of the other. Mordecai Ham died years ago, but what happened that one amazing night should encourage us with this truth: A single person doing the right thing, for the right reason, at the right time has the power to change the whole world.” -James Petterson, The One Year Book of Amazing Stories

Mordecai Ham was one who bore fruit for the kingdom of God. He was a fruit filled fig tree, you might say. And people came to know Jesus because he bore fruit in keeping with his faith.

Today we’re talking about the parable of the barren fig tree. It’s found only in the gospel of Luke, in chapter 13. This parable is very interesting because we’re going to see there are multiple layers of meaning here.

Jesus when he told parables, being the King of the universe, told parables with multiple layers of meaning, so as you dig into it, you’ll find deeper and deeper truths as you examine what he’s saying.

The three layers we’ll see are first, being applicable to our salvation journey personally. A message for individual believers. The second level is a message to Israel as God’s chosen people. The third layer is universal, it’s a message about the fabric of reality itself.

First let’s talk about the context, at this point in the gospel of Luke, Jesus had sent out the 12 disciples to do ministry work, then he sent out the 72 to do ministry work. Later they had gathered again, and Jesus had taught crowds, then he had rebuked the pharisees and teachers of the law openly, after this the pharisees began openly opposing Jesus. But crowds of thousands began following Jesus, it says at the beginning of chapter 12, he’s teaching his disciples there as well, and he begans teaching many parables, and truths. Then at the beginning of chapter 13, we see our context, and it says this,

From Luke 13:1-5, “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Jesus is teaching his disciples, teaching to the crowds, thousands of people in fact, and people are coming to him telling him about recent events in the news. Apparently Pontius Pilate had executed several of the jews while they were making sacrifices at the temple. Obviously this news is going around in the newspapers on the tv, and the people are talking about it. Similarly another event is being talked about, a tower was being built in Siloam, and it fell, killing 18 people.

It was common in those times to assume the people that were killed must’ve been sinners and God was judging them. Jesus says no that’s not necessarily the reason these events happened.

They happened because life on Earth was and is tough and random, and terrible things happen. And Jesus gives the crowds of thousands a warning, unless you repent you’ll perish too, like those who died in those events.

You don’t know when your day will come, death can come for us at any time. When we hear news stories we focus on other people and their sins. It’s a great way to get the focus off ourselves and onto others problems. We do that even when we listen to sermons or read the Bible, we think oh I know someone who needs to hear that my sister or a friend or someone at work. But Jesus says what about you? What about your own sins? Examine yourself first.

Immediately following this statement Jesus tells our parable for today. It says this:

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

What is your chief job as a Christian on planet Earth? Your chief duty is to bear fruit. Bear fruit, bear fruit, and bear more fruit. You are a fruit tree. You are a fruit bearer.

It says in Psalm 1:3-4, “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.” –Psalm 1:3-4

In Psalm 1 we see a believer pictured as a tree planted by water. The stream of water is God almighty you might say, or for us Christians, the stream of water is Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit surging through our veins.

And that tree surging with the power of God produces fruit. That fruit is pleasing to God.

Similarly in John chapter 15 verses 1 and 2 Jesus talk about how the disciples are like branches in a grape vine. It says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” –John 15:1-2

If a branch bears fruit, it’s pruned so that it produces even more fruit. That pruning we understand to be the guidance and correction of God in our Christian lives.

But we also see it says if a branch doesn’t bear fruit, it’s cut off. Later it says branches that do not produce fruit are cut off and burned.

Similarly in our parable today the believer is pictured as a fig tree. A fig tree produces fruit, it produces figs, a wonderful fruit common in Israel in the middle east.

Could Jesus be talking about a wicked sinner here as a fig tree? No. Unbelievers do not produce good fruit, only bad. No one can please God unless they are in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is saying here, a believer, is like a fig tree, watered and cared for by God. And God expects there to be evidence of belief on the branches of the believer. That evidence is good fruit.

What do you think Jesus would mean by fruit? He could be talking about the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Could be. Those would be internal fruit, fruits of your character. He could be talking more about good works, things like loving people, witnessing to others, feeding people, clothing people, visiting those in prison, caring for widows, caring for the elderly, inviting in the homeless, and so on. It could be both, one in turn must produce the other right? If the Holy Spirit is producing the fruit of the Spirit of love in mean, that love must manifest itself as practical actions in my life.

As it says in the book of James, faith without works is dead. My faith cannot be put under a basket, like a candle, it would burn out from lack of oxygen.

In James 2:14-17 it says, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” –James 2:14-17

So we know that the evidence of our faith is found in good deeds. But without deeds, faith dies. The word of God, in the book of James even says that if we know the good work, the good thing, the help we’re to provide, we know we’re supposed to do it, we feel the Holy Spirit convicting us to do it, and we don’t it is sin to us.

From James 4:17, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

So Jesus tells this parable of a man going to his vineyard and checking a particular fig tree for fruit, and he’s really frustrated, it’s been 3 years and still there is no fruit on this stupid tree. He’s put money and time into it, he has workers there who have been caring for it, and still nothing.

I remember growing up my mom planted an apple tree in our yard. But there was something wrong with the soil in that yard, and nothing would grow well. But the apple tree actually did grow, and it produced all sorts of leaves. But no fruit. Nothing of any value. And we had such high hopes for that apple tree, but it just wouldn’t produce any fruit.

Similarly, Jesus comes to us as believers to see if we are bearing fruit for his kingdom. And obviously any Christian ought to be bearing fruit. But he tells us that he does find that some Christians become lazy, or mired in sin, or they stop caring, or they drift away from the message, and they aren’t producing fruit.

And what does Jesus say he will do? He says I’ll cut down that tree because it’s useless. I’ll pull that branch off the vine myself and toss it in the fire. Serious stuff, he expects his people to bear his fruit. And if we don’t, we’re in danger of being cut off. For three years this fig tree produces nothing. But still the master is merciful. He has his servant fertilize it, water it, work the soil around it, give it one more year to produce fruit.

God is very merciful and patient with us. Even if we do get lazy as Christians and stop producing fruit, he’ll come to us and fertizile our soil, stir us up, convict us, to that we do produce fruit. Yet if we remain stiffnecked and refuse him, he will deal with us. We can be assured of that from this parable.

If it bears fruit next year, it says, fine, great awesome, you’re set then. No crime, no fowl for those 3 years of failure. It’s forgotten you’re bearing fruit now, that’s all that matters. But if even after that fourth year theres still no fruit, well, what does that mean? The believer will then fall away, perhaps without the possibility of returning? We know from Hebrews that in a particular situation, when someone falls away, not in all circumstances but in some, that they are not able to return because they would be “crucifying again the Lord Jesus Christ and holding him up to public shame.” Would that be the case in this situation? I don’t know. Perhaps they would “fall away” but could return again to the Lord in the future, if they came again to repentance and faith in Christ? Hard to say, I’m not sure how all this fits together. But it’s wise to study this parable carefully.

So that’s the first layer of this parable, the layer of personal application.

The second layer, is that Jesus is also talking about Israel. We’ve seen this in numerous parables that Jesus is often giving multiple layers of truth in one parable. It gives us a picture for our own lives, but also speaks to larger topics.

Israel had rejected God’s prophets, had rebelled time and again, worshiped false gods, and now Jesus had been with them for 3 years, preaching and teaching the truth. The image of the fig tree is often referred to in the Old Testament as representing Israel, as well. So 3 years of Jesus ministry, and they’ve still rejected him. But wait even a fourth year, even after Jesus is crucified, and resurrected, the early church would minister in Israel, but would also be rejected, mistreated, martyred, and they would take their message into the Roman empire. And eventually Israel, as the fig tree of God, was cut down, in AD 70 when Rome destroyed Jerusalem, and burned down the 2nd temple, after Israel rebelled against Rome. So the fig tree was after everything, cut down.

Though just as prophecy predicted, after WWII, the Jews returned to Israel, and are there right now, having rebuilt the nation, though they have not yet rebuilt the temple. Maybe that’s a picture for us, that perhaps believers who fall away can return, though only through God’s mercy.

So this parable is a rebuke to the pharisees, and the religious leaders and the nation of Israel in general, saying you are not producing the fruit I require, the fruit of repentance and turning to me, to Jesus, and so you will be cut down.

Thirdly, this parable is speaking about a universal reality.

This is a principle of wisdom you can apply to numerous situations. You’ve got an old car that’s been on the fritz for years, it’s having engine issues, oil is leaking, the brakes are bad, etc. Apply the principle in the parable, you could give it another chance, look for the underlying issue with the vehicle, fix it up again one more time, give it another chance, if it runs well again great, if not, get rid of it. You’ve got a friendship that’s been causing you problems for years, ups and downs, fights and make ups, but you have the option to give it another chance. Sit down with the friend let’s find the underlying issue here, let’s fertilize the situation, let’s go down deep and work up the soil itself, and give it another chance, but if not, after that, it’s time to end the friendship. You’ve got an old barn, or an old house, it’s given you problems, for years, once again, you can give it one more chance, go to the underlying issue, turn up the soil, fix the foundation, and hey, you try your best, and it’s fixed, it’s good again for another 20 years. Or, the fix didn’t hold, time to give it up.

I’m sure it’s a principle you’ve probably already used in numerous situations without realizing it. In layman’s terms, “one last try.” But just take that now, as a tool in your wisdom tool box. 3 years, no fruit, last try, one more year, end. Now if it’s only been one year, in these situations, you don’t want to prematurely give up either. Then again there may be situations where you know, this isn’t going to work from the start. That’s all the rub of wisdom and discernment.

So in conclusion today, what should our response be to the parable of the barren fig tree?

Should it cause us to fear God and tremble before His holiness? I think it certainly should.

Should it cause us to fear falling away, or fear losing our faith, or fear that we won’t be able to measure up in our own efforts? Or fear we won’t produce enough fruit to make God happy? Absolutely not.

It should remind us of the example of Mordecai Ham, that even in a half filled service, there may be a future Billy Graham in the room. It should remind us that fruit bearing is not able numbers, but about quality. It’s about faith in God. It’s about trusting in Jesus Christ. It’s about falling so madly in love with Jesus that we bear fruit naturally, because we love God so desperately.

So cultivate your love with God, your relationship with God, your dependence on God, and you will bear fruit in it’s proper season, like the tree planted by streams of living water. But if you get lazy, become complacent, hardly pray, hardly witness, hardly seek God, then you should be concerned, you should fear God, and tremble, and repent, and be at work for His kingdom and His glory. Amen.