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— Jehovah Ehad

“The only LORD”

(Deut 6:4; Isa. 44:5,6)

 

When the Lord Jesus declared this critical passage from the 6th chapter of Deuteronomy, he was answered by a scribe, who enlarging upon the text, “the Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4, Mark 12:29), himself said, “There is one God; and there is none other but He” (Mark 12:32). And it was to this “discreet” comment upon the divinely inspired word, which the Lord responded, “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark. 12:34)! This is indeed the sense of the name that is rendered in Deut. 6:4, that the Lord our God is THE ONLY ONE!

 

This is, it follows, the essence of the 1st command, “Thou shalt have not other God’s before me” (Exo. 20:3; Deut. 5:7), and so was it the unequivocal answer of our Lord to the question, “Which is the first commandment of all” (Mark 12:28)?

 

This is scrupulously declared by the prophet Isaiah in the latter half of his prophecies; namely, how that Messiah will abolish all idolatry among His people, capture their hearts, souls, minds, and strength, all by the irresistible proofs and abundant declarations of this singular message! “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else” (Isa. 45:5,6).

 

Wondrously, this was the climax of the prophet Elijah’s ministry to Israel (at least before the shift from Horeb on, see, I Kng. 19:15-18), when on those elect heights of Carmel, the thunder of the prophets voice shook the souls of the people, when he enforced upon them the claims of the 1st commandment, crying unto them, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him” (I Kng. 18:21)! Then, the coronating moment of the proceedings came, when the glory of God was seen from heaven descending, and falling as fire upon the sacrifice of the prophet: “THAT this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again” (I Kng. 18:37)! Though he meant it not, the prophet was herein setting the ultimate precedent for all remaining generations of the ministry of “Elijah”, which would become the watchword for the end of the world! As was written in the prophet Malachi, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (4:5).

 

Thus and thus shall the end of the world be a bringing into captivity of the people of God (Jew and Gentile) — once for all, through the ministry of the “spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), and most breathtakingly through the Lord Jesus Himself in the assembly of nations! — captive, I say, to the glad realization of Jehovah Ehad! The disobedient children’s hearts being thus turned back again to their everlasting Father, they will once again concentrate all the affection of their ransomed being upon Him alone!