The Bible

 

Jezekilj 35

Study

   

1 Opet mi dođe reč Gospodnja govoreći:

2 Sine čovečji, okreni lice svoje prema gori Siru i prorokuj protiv nje.

3 I reci: Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: evo me na tebe, goro Sire! I dignuću ruku svoju na te, i opusteću te sasvim.

4 Gradove ću tvoje opusteti, i ti ćeš biti pustoš, i poznaćeš da sam ja Gospod.

5 Što je u tebe večno neprijateljstvo, i rasipaš sinove Izrailjeve mačem u nevolji njihovoj, kad je kraj bezakonju njihovom,

6 Zato, tako ja bio živ, govori Gospod Gospod, krvi ću te predati i krv će te goniti, jer ne mrziš na krv, krv će te goniti.

7 I obratiću goru Sir sasvim u pustoš, da niko neće dolaziti ni odlaziti.

8 I napuniću gore njene pobijenih njenih; na humovima tvojim i u dolinama tvojim i po svim potocima tvojim padaće pobijeni od mača.

9 Večnu pustinju načiniću od tebe i gradovi se tvoji neće opraviti, i poznaćete da sam ja Gospod.

10 Što govoriš: Ova dva naroda i ove dve zemlje moje će biti, i nasledićemo ih, ako i jeste Gospod bio onde,

11 Zato, tako ja živ bio, govori Gospod Gospod, učiniću po gnevu tvom i po zavisti tvojoj, s kojom si postupala iz mržnje prema njima, i biću poznat među njima kad ti sudim.

12 I poznaćeš da sam ja Gospod čuo sve tvoje hule koje si govorila na gore Izrailjeve rekavši: Opusteše, nama su dane da ih jedemo.

13 I veličaste se suprot meni ustima svojim, i množiste na me reči svoje; čuo sam.

14 Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Kad se sva zemlja stane veseliti, tebe ću opusteti.

15 Kako si se ti veselila nasledstvu doma Izrailjevog što opuste, tako ću i tebe učiniti: opustećeš, goro Sire, i sva zemljo edomska; i poznaće se da sam ja Gospod.

   

Commentary

 

The Lord

  
The Ascension, by Benjamin West

The Bible refers to the Lord in many different ways seemingly interchangeably. Understood in the internal sense, though, there are important differences. To some degree, the meanings all start with "Jehovah," which is the Lord's actual name. It represents the perfect, eternal, infinite love which is the Lord's actual essence. As such it also represents the good will that flows from the Lord to us and His desire for us to be good. "God," meanwhile, represents the wisdom of the Lord and the true knowledge and understanding He offers to us. The term "the Lord" is very close in meaning to "Jehovah," and in many cases is interchangeable (indeed, translators have a tendency to go back and forth). When the two are used together, though, "the Lord" refers to the power of the Lord's goodness, the force it brings, whereas "Jehovah" represents the goodness itself. In the New Testament, the name "Jehovah" is never used; the term "the Lord" replaces it completely. There are two reasons for that. First, the Jews of the day considered the name "Jehovah" too holy to speak or write. Second, they would not have been able to grasp the idea that the Lord -- who was among them in human form at the time -- was in fact Jehovah Himself. This does ultimately lead to a difference in the two terms by the end of the Bible. Thought of as "Jehovah," the Lord is the ultimate human form and has the potential for assuming a physical human body; thought of as "the Lord" He actually has that human body, rendered divine by the events of his physical life.

Commentary

 

Mountain

  

The Lord's love is the sun of heaven, and it is natural for us to look above ourselves to the sun of this world in thinking about the Lord. It follows, then, that to be closer to the Lord we would climb into the highest places -- and indeed, people have been worshiping on mountains for ages. In fact, even steeples on modern churches are symbolic mountains. It makes sense, then, that a mountain in the Bible represents love to the Lord, the highest, purest love we human beings can experience. Mountains can also represent the desire for good that comes from the love of the Lord. Hills, meanwhile, represent a love of other people and a caring for them, and when "mountains" is used in the plural it generally represents both loves.