Stay AND return?

“They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.” (Ho 14:7 AV)

The shadow of God takes several forms.  In Psalms, the shadow of God is His secret place.  For Jonah, the shadow of God was the gourd.  For Isaiah, the shadow of God was His hand upon the prophet’s mouth.  In Job, the shadow of God was a resting place for industrious servants.  In our passage, the shadow of God is restored Israel.  What is puzzling to the scholars is the point of this morning’s devotion.  They cannot reconcile abiding in the shadow, and at the same time, returning.  How can one dwell, yet still return?  The answer is simple.  The key is the function of a shadow.  A shadow returns a thing to its former state before it was overwhelmed by the heat and rays of the sun.  Job gives us a clue.  “As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for [the reward of] his work:” (Job 7:2 AV)  As the nation of Israel dwells in the shadow of a restored nation with Christ as their king, they will return to the state which God intended for them all along.  By using the word ‘revive’, our prophet gives us a clear picture of how someone who dwells in the shadow of God, also returns.

There are two things regarding a shadow that I think are pertinent here.  First, a shadow is a source of relief.  And sometimes, protection.  Those overburdened with their environment can find relief from heat, rain, wind, or all sorts of adversity if a shadow is available.  For some critters, a shadow is also a good spot for protection from predators.  Finding prey in the sunshine is often easier than trying to find it in the shadows.  More importantly, a shadow is a reflection.  It is an indication of the object which grants the shadow.  The caster of the shadow is found in that shadow.  The caster of the shadow stands between the source of the threat and the object of that threat.  In a way, the one casting the shadow is sovereign over the threat above it.  In this sense, we can see why returning to a former condition is possible.  God is the one casting the shadow of relief and protection for His saints.  All we need to do is dwell beneath it and we can return to what God intended us to be all along.

If we are sin-sick, weary of labor for the LORD, or troubled by our lack of faith, it is the shadow of the almighty that awaits us.  If we are worn out with the battles and we cannot think of going any further, it is the shadow of the Almighty that will revive us.  Israel returned from Babylon and God protected them.  They were able to rebuild the Temple and the walls.  They veered from God and rejected the Messiah.  For the last two thousand years they have wandered in the wilderness of the world.  But they have returned and will someday realize that Jesus, all along, was their Messiah and accept Him as such.  Then they will dwell in the shadow of Israel.  The LORD will bless them and they will thrive.  We may leave the shadow of God from time to time.  But He is still there.  He watches over us with everlasting love.  He does not force us under the shadow.  We are beckoned.  We are called.  We are wooed.  The shadow of God’s presence, provision, and protection has never moved.  He had provided His word, His church, and His Spirit as the manifestation of His shadow.  Run there.  Stay there.  And you will return to what you once were.