Where YHWH Placed His Name, And Why.
Where YHWH Placed His Name, and Why.
Is that even important, and if so, why?
Our CREATOR has commanded us to do certain things, that involve a specific place, which He shall choose to place His Name there. For example:
(Deuteronomy 14:23) (KJV)[1] And thou shalt eat before the ETERNAL[2] thy CREATOR, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the ETERNAL thy CREATOR always.
How do we know where He placed His Name and what does that mean? The answer to this question, is first revealed in this verse. The English word "name" comes from the Hebrew word[3] (Strongs #H8034 'shem'), which means 'name'. But it means more than that, it conveys the idea of the reputation, fame, and glory of our CREATOR. It also relates to His Glory or presence as a memorial, or monument. The English word "place" comes from the Hebrew word[4] (Strongs #H7931 'shakan'), which means to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside. In other words to "dwell" or "settle down" in a certain place. The New International Version captures the meaning quite well:
(Deuteronomy 14:23) (NIV) Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the ETERNAL your CREATOR at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the ETERNAL your CREATOR always.
The English word "dwell" comes from the Hebrew word[5] (Strongs #H3427 'yashab') which means to dwell, remain, sit, abide, to settle down, to marry. Thus, we see that wherever the ETERNAL places His Name, He dwells in that location and it includes the idea of marrying and settling down. Notice the particular location the ETERNAL placed His Name to dwell there:
(2 Samuel 6:2) (NKJV) And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of the ETERNAL, whose name is called by the Name, the ETERNAL of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim.
It should also be noted, that wherever the ETERNAL places His name and resides, that place is Holy. The ETERNAL told moses:
(Exodus 3:3-5) (AMP) 3So Moses said, I must turn away [from the flock] and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned up. 4When the ETERNAL saw that he turned away [from the flock] to look, the ETERNAL called to him from the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here I am. 5Then the ETERNAL said, Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet [out of respect], because the place on which you are standing is holy ground.
Thus we see that in addition to the ETERNAL's normal residence in Heaven, He sometimes chooses other places to dwell. For Moses, it was the burning bush.
Here, we see that the ETERNAL dwelled between the two Cherubim of the Ark. That is why Uzzah died when He touched the Ark, he touched the very "Shem" of the ETERNAL, and he should not have:
(Exodus 25:22) (NIRV) The ark is where the tablets of the covenant law are kept. I will meet with you above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark. There I will give you all my commands for the Israelites.
(2 Samuel 6:6-7) (NKJV) 6And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of the ETERNAL and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7Then the anger of the ETERNAL was aroused against Uzzah, and the ETERNAL struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of the ETERNAL.
In addition, the ETERNAL had taken Israel for His wife, so He was dwelling near her. He dwelled in Israel's midst in order to watch over her and protect her. However, Israel broke the covenant that the ETERNAL had made with them:
(Jeremiah 31:31-32) (KJV) 31Behold, the days come, saith the ETERNAL, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the ETERNAL.
Notice again, that there were conditions that came with the promise, of the ETERNAL's continued dwelling with the Israelites. Then the ETERNAL moved into Solomon's temple, as He promised King David:
(1 Kings 6:11-14) (KJV) 11And the word of the ETERNAL came to Solomon, saying, 12Concerning this house [Temple] which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: 13And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. 14So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
(1 Kings 8:6) (KJV) And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the ETERNAL unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.
(1 Kings 8:10-13) (KJV) 10And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the ETERNAL, 11So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: the glory of the ETERNAL had filled the house of the ETERNAL. 12Then spake Solomon, The ETERNAL said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. 13I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.
The ETERNAL's "Shem" was placed in or on the Ark, and that is where He dwells. Since the Ark was in the Holy of Holies in the Temple, then His presence was in the Temple near His wife Israel. With that thought in mind we now understand why the ETERNAL commanded the following Feasts, because He wanted His wife to rejoice at the Feast, camp (live in booths), sacrifice (so He could smell the sweet aroma), and rest from work in His presence:
(Leviticus 23:37-43) (AMPC) 37These are the set feasts or appointed seasons of the ETERNAL, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to present an offering made by fire to the ETERNAL, a burnt offering and a cereal offering, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its own day. 38This is in addition to the Sabbaths of the ETERNAL and besides your gifts and all your vowed offerings and all your freewill offerings which you give to the ETERNAL. 39Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month [nearly October], when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the ETERNAL for seven days, the first day and the eighth day each a Sabbath. 40And on the first day you shall take the fruit of pleasing trees [and make booths of them], branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick (leafy) trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the ETERNAL your CREATOR for seven days. 41You shall keep it as a feast to the ETERNAL for seven days in the year, a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall keep it in the seventh month. 42You shall dwell in booths (shelters) for seven days: All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43That your generations may know that I made the Israelites dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the ETERNAL your CREATOR.
(Numbers 29:36) (AMPC) You shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet and pleasing fragrance to the ETERNAL: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish.
The Mighty One, the ETERNAL our CREATOR, wants us to sacrifice to Him (a form of worship), in the place HE has chosen, and only when His name (Shem) abides there. At this time His "Shem" was in, or on the ark, which was located in the Temple. The reason for this is for us to worship and rejoice before the ETERNAL, in His presence:
(Deuteronomy 12:11-12) (GNV) 11When there shall be a place which the ETERNAL your CREATOR shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, thither shall ye bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offering of your hands, and all your special vows which ye vow unto the ETERNAL: 12And ye shall rejoice before the ETERNAL your CREATOR, ye, and your sons and your daughters, and your servants, and your maidens, and the Levite that is within your gates: for he hath no part nor inheritance with you.
Solomon prayed that if sometime in the future, Israel is defeated in battle because they have sinned against the ETERNAL, and are taken captive (1 Kings 8:33-36), and if the ETERNAL was no longer in the Temple, that if they prayed toward the Temple location, that the ETERNAL would hear in heaven. Remember that the Temple was built to house the ETERNAL's Name (Shem), which was in or on the Ark:
(1 Kings 8:48-49) (AMPC) 48If they repent and turn to You with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your Name; 49Then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven, Your dwelling place, and defend their cause and maintain their right.
Jerusalem was the city where the Temple was and therefore the Ark was there. The Ark was where the ETERNAL placed His name (Shem) thus making Jerusalem a sanctified consecrated city:
(1 Kings 14:21) (AMPC) And Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the ETERNAL chose out of all the tribes of Israel to put His Name [and the pledge of His presence] there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
Other Locations For The ETERNAL's Name?
Were there other places where the ETERNAL placed His Name? The ETERNAL placed His name on the people. The context of the following Scriptures, are instructions to Aaron on how to place a blessing on the children of Israel:
(Numbers 6:23-27) (NRSV) 23Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them, 24The ETERNAL bless you and keep you; 25the ETERNAL make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 26the ETERNAL lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. 27So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.
Notice, that it says His name "Shem" was to be put on the people by Aaron and his sons. It does not say, the people is a place where the ETERNAL was to dwell. Because the ETERNAL married Israel, they had His name on them for that reason as well. But, the place where the ETERNAL dwelt, was in or on the Ark. Remember that the english word place means dwell or reside, and the Hebrew word Shem means name or presence, so because He dwelt in or on the Ark, that is where His "Shem" or (presence) was.
Some have stated that the ETERNAL placed His name on the altar that Elijah built on Mt. Carmel. However, it says that Elijah built the altar in the name of the ETERNAL, not that the ETERNAL placed His "Shem" or presence there, or that He dwelt there.
The ETERNAL Removes His "Shem" (both name and presence) From The Temple.(1 Kings 18:32) (KJV) And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the ETERNAL: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
After Israel had sinned and was taken into captivity, Judah and the Temple continued on in Jerusalem for the next 134 years, and the ETERNAL's "Shem" (both name and presence), remained there with them. However, Judah sinned greatly; They were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the ETERNAL that he had made holy in Jerusalem. They mocked the messengers of the ETERNAL, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the ETERNAL arose against His people to the point where, there was no remedy. (2 Chronicles 36:1-21). The anger of the ETERNAL was finally provoked against her causing Him to state:
(2 Kings 23:27) (AMPC) And the ETERNAL said, I will remove Judah also out of My sight as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city, Jerusalem, which I have chosen, and the house, of which I said, My Name [and the pledge of My presence] shall be there.
Just before the sacking of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the burning of the Temple the ETERNAL removed His "Shem", (both name and presence), from the Ark and Jerusalem. It will not be placed back on the earth until the third Temple is built after the Advent of the Mashiach. The following is quoted, from near the end of the essay: "Quest for the Messiah":
Observe that the Glory of the ETERNAL departed from the city of Jerusalem just before its destruction, and that the Glory will return to Jerusalem in the millennia period. No temple in Jerusalem has known the presence of the Glory of the ETERNAL in this manner since 586 BCE[6], which was the date of the destruction of Solomon's Temple. The trail of our CREATOR's Glory is the key to understanding the third Temple. Scofield's note for (Ezekiel 9:3) states: "It is noteworthy, that the vision of the Glory of the ETERNAL's presence departing the Temple, was given to Ezekiel the priest.
The presence of the ETERNAL's Glory, departed from the temple in three steps. We will follow the trail:
[Step 1] From the Cherubim [on the Ark] to the threshold of the Temple.
(Ezekiel 9:3) (CEB) the glory of Israel's SOVEREIGN rose from above the winged creatures where he had been and moved toward the temple's threshold...
(Ezekiel 10:4) (ESV) And the glory of the ETERNAL went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the ETERNAL.
[Step 2] From the threshold to Cherubim [that lifted the portable Throne].
(Ezekiel 10:18) (ESV) Then the glory of the ETERNAL went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.
[Step 3] From the midst of the city to the mountain on the east of Jerusalem, (the Mount of Olives).
(Ezekiel 11:23) (ESV) And the glory of the ETERNAL went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city.
Scofield's note for verse (Ezekiel 11:23); "The departure of the divine glory (the visible symbol of "Gods" presence) from the Temple, marks the end of the theocratic kingdom in OT history. The visible Glory of the ETERNAL will return when the kingdom is restored to Israel (Ezekiel 43:1-7).
The ETERNAL Returns To The Earth And The Temple.The ETERNAL Returns to the Mount Of Olives, after the completion of the millennial Temple by the Mashiach[8], and His Glory ("Shem" or Presence) fills the temple where it will abide forevermore:
(Zechariah 14:4) (KJ21) And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley, and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south.
(Ezekiel 43:2-5) (ESV) 2And behold, the glory of the SOVEREIGN of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. 3And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face. 4As the glory of the ETERNAL entered the temple by the gate facing east, 5the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the ETERNAL filled the temple.
There is a lot being said about the restoration of the Temple. The first Temple was Solomon's, the second one was Hezekiah's which was rebuilt by Herod. The third Temple will be built by the Mashiach whose name is Branch, in Jerusalem and it will be a physical Temple. After it is built, the ETERNAL CREATOR will make it His residence forever.
(Zechariah 6:12-13) (NRSV) 12say to him: Thus says the ETERNAL of hosts: 'Here is a man whose name is Branch: for he shall branch out in his place, and he shall build the temple of the ETERNAL. 13It is he that shall build the temple of the ETERNAL; he shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two of them.
(Ezekiel 43:7) (ASV) And he said unto me, Son of man, this is the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, and by the dead bodies of their kings in their high places;
The word "dwell" in verse seven above, is (Strongs #H7931 'shakan'), which means to settle down, to abide, to reside. So the ETERNAL will put His Glory into this third Temple and will dwell among His people forever.
(Haggai 2:1-5) (ESV) 1In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the ETERNAL came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 2Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 4Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the ETERNAL. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the ETERNAL. Work, for I am with you, declares the ETERNAL of hosts, 5according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.
That verse is saying that even though the glory (or "Shem") of the ETERNAL left the physical Temple when it was destroyed, the ETERNAL says, 'My spirit remains among you, so fear not'! That's because Solomon prayed to the ETERNAL that if sometime in the future the ETERNAL was no longer in the Temple, if we prayed toward the Temple location, that the ETERNAL would hear us in heaven. (1 Kings 8:33-36). Therefore from that time until now, we have always had access to the ETERNAL and His Holy Spirit. In the future, Israel will once again be at peace, and the ETERNAL will dwell among His people:
(Haggai 2:6-9) (ESV) 6For thus says the SOVEREIGN of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the SOVEREIGN of hosts. 8The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the SOVEREIGN of hosts. 9The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the SOVEREIGN of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the SOVEREIGN of hosts.
However, that time is yet a ways off, because before the time of Jacob's trouble (the destruction and regathering of Israel), a work must be done in an end time commission. You have been exposed to this work. The question of what you will do about it has already been asked. The answer is already in your heart, known only to you and the Holy One of Israel. He alone is our judge.
The ETERNAL's "Shem" (His Name, His Presence, and His Glory), is not present on the earth today. Therefore, the "statutes and ordinances" requiring "sacrificing and boothing" that are to be done in His presence, where He has set His Name, cannot be done at this time. However, if we seek Him out and earnestly and sincerely learn and observe all His ways, and come to love Him with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength, as He loves us, we still can have access to the ETERNAL and His spirit, due in part to King Solomon's thoughtful prayer:
(1 Kings 8:44-53) (TLB) 44When you send your people out to battle against their enemies and they pray to you, looking toward your chosen city of Jerusalem and toward this Temple that I have built in your name, 45hear their prayer and help them. 46If they sin against you (and who doesn't?) and you become angry with them and let their enemies lead them away as captives to some foreign land, whether far or near, 47and they come to their senses and turn to you and cry to you saying, We have sinned, we have done wrong; 48if they honestly return to you and pray toward this land that you have given their fathers, and toward this city of Jerusalem that you have chosen, and toward this Temple that I have built for your name, 49hear their prayers and pleadings from heaven where you live, and come to their assistance. 50Forgive your people for all of their evil deeds, and make their captors merciful to them; 51for they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out from the Egyptian furnace. 52May your eyes be open and your ears listening to their pleas. O ETERNAL, hear and answer them whenever they cry out to you, 53for when you brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt, you told your servant Moses that you had chosen Israel from among all the nations of the earth to be your own special people.
Footnotes:
[1] [a] All scriptural links point to the Bible Gateway, A Searchable Online Bible In Over 100 Versions And 50 Languages, located at "BibleGateway.Com", a vast biblical resource containing all the major texts and reference materials useful for in-depth bible studies. Most scriptual quotations are from the (KJV) of the Bible, however versions noted in (parentheses) should also be consulted. [b]All Strong's scriptural references point to the Blue Letter Bible Lexicon, located at "BlueLetterBible.Org", another vast biblical resource which has over 4,000,000 links available, pointing to more than 165,000 pages of concordances, lexicons, dictionaries, commentaries, images, and several Bible versions.
[2] We will use the words Almighty, CREATOR, ETERNAL, Mighty One, or SOVEREIGN in place of the words 'God', 'Lord', 'Elohim' or 'El', when refering to the ONE and ONLY, ETERNAL CREATOR and SOVEREIGN of the universe. (Isaiah 44:6, Isaiah 44:24):
(Isaiah 44:6) (CEB) The ETERNAL, Israel's king and redeemer, the SOVEREIGN of heavenly forces, says: I am the first, and I am the last, and besides me there are NO 'gods'.
(Isaiah 44:24) (AMPC) Thus says the ETERNAL, your Redeemer, and He Who formed you from the womb: I am the CREATOR, Who made all things, Who alone stretched out the heavens, Who spread out the earth by Myself.
[3] Strong's #H8034 "shem" (shame) a prim. word [perh. rather from Strong's #H7760 through the idea of definite and conspicuous position]; an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by impl. honor, authority, and character. Gesenius' states the same but adds "the glory of 'CREATOR'".
[4] Strong's #H7931 shakan, (shaw-kan') a prim. root to reside or permanently stay (lit. or fig.):
[5] Strong's #H3427 yashab (yaw-shab') a prim. root; prop. to sit down; by impl. to dwell, to remain: causat. to settle, to marry:
[6] Notes from New Scofield Reference Edition, introduction notes for Ezekiel.
[7] Scofield's note for verse 3. Obviously, it was not Ezekiel who came to destroy the city of Jerusalem for her sins, but the ETERNAL Himself. On the basis of the requirements of the context, the reading in some six manuscripts, the version of Theodotion and that of the Vulgate, the best reading is "when I came to destroy the city." A possible rendering, and perhaps preferable, would be to read the final letter of the disputed word as a well-known abbreviation for "ETERNAL," thus giving us the reading "when the ETERNAL came to destroy the city."
[8] See the essay: "Quest for the Messiah", and the article: "The Sword Of The Hebrews", subsection: "DAVID - THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING".