12 29 25 – The Dusty Trail

Last night I spent my evening studying Ezekiel 37, Hebrews 2 & 9. Yiker-doodles! I am always amazed at how I think I know more than I really know. And what I concluded is: God's love is overwhelmingly awesome! 

Comprehending that the God of all creation loves us—for me, more times than not—is overwhelmingly wonderful! The fact that He would create man in His own image (Gen. 1:26–28); that He provides all the good things for us to freely enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17); that in His wisdom He would make us like sheep, defenceless and dependent, yet prone to wander; that He created our frame and is always mindful that we are but dust (Psa. 103:14)… yes, in this incredibly long run-on sentence, He is overwhelmingly wonderful.

Man was made from dust (Gen. 2:7), and our Shepherd never forgets it (Gen. 18:27; Psa. 103:14). After the fall of man, the serpent was cursed to feed on dust the rest of his days (Gen. 3:14; 1 Pet. 5:8). Dust is how we began, and that is where we are heading when this life is over (Gen. 3:19). The seed of Abraham is like the dust and without number (Gen. 13:16; 28:14). Yahweh raises up the poor out of the dust to sit among the princes and make them inherit the throne of glory (1 Sam. 2:8). When you look at clouds, you are seeing the dust of His feet (Nah. 1:3).

Dust may not be a very popular thing in our homes, but it is a pretty important topic in the eyes of our Creator! He used it to form us, and He never forgets that we are but dust (Psa. 103:14)! Insignificant by itself, but when it has the Spirit of God breathed into it to bring forth life, it is miraculous. Strangely enough, we are accountable to Yahweh Elohim for being dust! But not just dust—dust animated by the Spirit breathed into us. Borrowed for a lifetime to animate His image to mankind (Eph. 5:1–2; 1 Cor. 11:1).

The Lord knows our "dusty frame" (yetzar), and He is El Shaddai—God Almighty—no matter how that dusty frame appears. There are three forms of this word in Scripture that range in meaning from distress or frustration to shaping, devising, to purpose or use with our imagination.

Yetzar is familiar to many because of the yetzer hara—the evil inclination. It is built into our frame, which can lead us to frustration and distress in every emotion. It ranges from not being approved (1 Sam. 30:6) to sexual frustration (2 Sam. 13:2) to plans that go awry (Job 18:7). This framework, which He knows so well, resembles some people I know very well—me, myself, and I!

I think the psalmist's wordplay on yetzar with yetzer is no accident. To be human is to be framed for struggle, and our Creator knows it all too well. We may not admit it, but this life was fashioned to be this way. Why? That is for another "good morning." But ask Him—He will tell you!

This is all the reason why we need to listen to the voice of the Shepherd more closely as He leads His dusty sheep from behind (John 10:27–29). Our dusty existence and yetzar/yetzer frame are prone to wander from the Shepherd (Eze. 34:6). Fortunately, we have a Shepherd who knows our frame; He knows we are but dust, and He searches diligently for us when we have wandered far from Him (Eze. 34:11–12; Luke 15:6).

In the Gospel of John, we have two shepherds vying for your attention. One is the hireling, who flees in the presence of danger (John 10:1–10a), and the other is the Good Shepherd, who knows your frame and knows that we are but dust, yet He still wants to give you life and give it to you abundantly by filling you with His Word and His Spirit (John 10:10b).

As we head into this week's Torah portion, Vayechi ("and he lived") (Gen. 48–50), let us be careful, dusty sheep, not to think of ourselves more highly than we should (Prov. 3:7; Rom. 12:3). Dust is dust, and it is not worth too much without the indwelling Spirit empowering this framework through the yetzer hara realities of this life! Follow the dust of His feet and keep working in it to bring forth fruit (Gen. 3:19). The Good Shepherd knows your frame very well! He is interceding for you to overcome (Heb. 13:20), and He is coming back to share His glory with you as the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4).

This week we finish the book of Genesis with the reminder that Jacob is the stone of Israel—a foreshadow of Yeshua, our Good, Great, and Chief Shepherd (Gen. 49:24). Our heavenly Shepherd does not sleep or slumber, and He always considers our frame, that we are but dust. Let us follow His example and do the same for one another. 

Shalom,
Alan

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