Right God. Right Location.

"He planted His Seed here among us."

THEY STOLE the ark of the covenant and left it in their temple right next to a hollow statue they called Dagon. Right God. Wrong location. They meant to take the God of the Hebrews but didn’t realize how powerful He was. Dagon, after all, did nothing when they prayed. The Hebrew God, however, they would soon discover, not only dismembered poor Dagon but left them unable to sit straight for a week. No, God’s not smiling.

They stole the items from the temple in Jerusalem and carried them off to Babylon, taking a few fine Hebrew youths with them as well. Right God. Wrong location. They thought because they’d conquered, they’d also demolished their worship, only to find, at least, four of these youths refusing to bow down. Neither lions, nor fire and vapor of smoke, could turn them away from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God would have His way anyway, through a king called Cyrus, generations later, and restore to these who’d thought themselves dismembered, not only their temple, at his expense, but also their city and their nation. Yes, God’s smiling.

They thought they’d conquered all the territory surrounding Rome, including Palestine and into Egypt and the edges of Africa. They also pushed north into Europe and Great Britain, in the names they were called in that day, you understand. They stationed governors throughout the lands, including that of those Jewish people, and sat back to admire their wealth and accomplishments. Right God. Wrong location. Rome actually believed you could worship as you pleased, except no one not Roman (not born in Rome) could truly worship Roman gods. So those pesky Jewish religious leaders, all dolled up as they were, could do as they pleased.

Except in the midst of their census taking and the spread of soldiers across the land was born an infant in the time God purposed, in the manner God purposed, for the reason God had set in motion before time began. And what looked like time simply rolling forward and split-second decisions made to appease the Jews, what seemed to be another criminal hung on a cross, just like the others around Him, was instead, the fulfillment of prophecy. And the sky turning dark for three hours at noon was, in the words of a centurion stationed there, Surely the Son of God. God’s got a huge grin on His face now.

He is God. That infant is King of all. The Spirit that raised Him from the dead is alive in His children. Right God. Right location. In the heart is where He wanted to be, alive on the earth is how He intended to be, Savior, Redeemer, Lamb of God is who He was planned to be before He spoke the world into existence. Only God. Only location. He planted His Seed here, among us, and nowhere else. He raised His harvest from this soil and planted them in heavenly places. He resurrected the tree of His people, Israel, and grafted us into it. We bear His fruit, from the herb yielding seed is the herb replenished after its kind. Right tree. Right location. Ripe fruit.

“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16)

“Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” (Romans 10:1)

Fig Tree Branch Image by Merethe Liljedahl from Pixabay
Star of David Image by რაზმიკ ბადალიანი from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com