"The people of Judah were exiled to Babylon because they were unfaithful to the Lord." (1 Chronicles 9:16 NIV)
We experience exile (distance and distress) as a direct result of our unfaithfulness. Nearness doesn’t imply ease of the journey, but it does offer bearability.
In my little book on shepherding, Phillip Keller writes of the many dangers of high country and how the safest place for a sheep is close proximity to the Shepherd. Exile is always a result of our own poor decisions: decisions to trust our gut instead of our Good Shepherd, to go our own way rather than bowing under the rod and staff. Such willfulness results in expulsion and everything more arduous apart from His presence.
Intimacy is the antithesis of exile. The psalmist leads the way for us when he personalize these pronouns.
"I fear no evil for You are with me." (Psalm 23:4 NASB1995)
We come close enough to experience His protection. We are anointed and overflowing when we choose to live in intimate connection with our Shepherd. We insulate our souls from exile when we knit ourselves to Him.
"Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23:6 NASB1995)
I read it a few Christmases ago; how first century homes had a great room on the first floor for livestock. A simple trough separated the beasts from the beings. The arrangement was mutually beneficial: animals were kept safe from evening predators and plummeting temperatures. The family was kept far more comfortable with the warmth of the livestock just under their beds.
My friend, Our Good Shepherd intends to bring us into the House. He’s got a long term plan to live with us. Not just as livestock, but as sons and daughters. He’s preparing a banquet and place for us to live forever. It is crucial that we stay close until He calls us Home.
"But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;" (Psalm 73:28 NIV)
I’ve it long marked up in the margin of my bible: “Your presence is my Promised Land.” And just a few weeks ago I discovered Toby Mac has a song with the same sentiment. We cannot afford gappage to grow between us and our Good Shepherd. He is so much more than protection and provision. He is our ticket Home. He is safekeeping for our soul; not just temporarily but eternally. Apart from Him, we will inevitably experience exile in this life and the next.
Lord; please forgive us for our willful ways. Sin has infected our thinking. Today we see the cost of unfaithfulness quite clearly. We don’t want to live in exile: in this world or the one to come. Please teach us how to stay close. We know You as our Savior and we are just beginning to grasp how good it is to be near You. May we learn to dwell in ongoing intimacy. Tether our souls to Your presence. Keep us near and lead us Home. Amen.
Here’s that new collaborative track between TobyMac and Sheryl Crow: my high school self is having a conniption! 🙂