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Will the Real Yahweh Sidkaynew Please Stand Up!

Jeremiah 23:1-8

December 11, 2005

1. Years ago there was a game show called "To Tell the Truth." I know some of you remember it! Three people would be seated together, each claiming to be a person with some unusual occupation. As the show opened, each in turn would say "My name is ," which, of course, would be the same name. Then a panel of four wanna-be celebrities would question first one and then another until the time was up. Then they would vote, and the emcee would say the now-famous line, "Will the Real Please Stand Up!" After some jockeying for position, the real would stand up, and money would then be awarded to each contestant based on how well they stumped the panel.

2. Today we are going to have our own version of "To Tell the Truth" – without the money! We have three people claiming to be Yahweh Sidkaynew, which, as you heard when I read from the Prophet Jeremiah, is the name of the new King . Yahweh Sidkaynew is what "God is Our Righteousness" sounded like to Jeremiah’s ears. Yahweh is the name God gave Moses. It means I AM. And tsedeq means "righteous; what is right or normal." Then you glom on the suffix for the second person plural pronoun "our" and you get a word that sounds like sidkaynew.

Yahweh Sidkaynew #1. Your name is new to me. What kind of name is it? Does it have anything to do with your occupation? Yes, it is unusual. As far as I know, I’m the only one with that name. And it does define my occupation. It means "God is Our Righteousness" or "God puts everything right for us."

Thank you. May I call you Yahweh? Yes, certainly! Any time! . . . Uh, as long as you say it with respect. I’m pretty sensitive about my name. The last King’s name meant "God is my righteousness." But God is not exclusive! God intends for justice and safety to extend to everyone, not just one or two.

Hmmm. That’s interesting! I’ll address my second question to the second Yahweh Sidkaynew. From the statement I read earlier, it seems that we are to expect some big changes in the future. Yes, and it won’t be long now. People have been turning away from God in droves. It’s been almost like a fake shepherd has driven all the sheep away, and it has to stop!

I see. And how are these fake shepherds managing to drive all the sheep away? They sneak over the fence and open the gate from the inside. It’s pretty easy, because the pens can be very large, and the fences are just a couple of wooden slats tied between two uprights. Anybody could get in if they tried. Since the sheep don’t know him, they get scared and run away. You wouldn’t believe how far they can run when they’re frightened!

I know you’re telling the truth! I’ve seen it happen! Tell us how the Real Shepherd gets the sheep to follow. The Real Shepherd enters through the gate, not over the back fence. The sheep recognize his voice, and will follow him because he knows where to lead them to good pasture. He even knows the sheep well enough to call them by name.

I like that! Yahweh #1. Where do these fake shepherds come from, anyway? I wish I knew! They seem to come out of nowhere, when you least expect them. And the difficult thing is that they look like real shepherds. Sometimes you don’t even know they have gotten in until after the damage has been done. Once I become King, all that will stop.

And once you are King, how will you get rid of these fake shepherds? Don’t you worry; as King, I’ll find a way! Then I’ll go looking for those lost sheep myself! I’ll bring them back, and I’ll personally train new shepherds so we’ll be fully staffed. We shouldn’t have any problems after that!

Mr. Sidkaynew in the middle: What you’re telling us sounds very different from the kings we’ve known recently. They have brought in foreign workers to build expensive homes for themselves, but paid them practically nothing. And they have built places to worship every god there is. How will you be different? I’ll be different from the other kings before me because I’ll look to God for everything we need. I won’t pay any attention at all to what the other kings have, the kings in the other nations. And I’ll get rid of any place that doesn’t focus on God.

Why is it so important that you come from King David’s family? Uh, I’ll ask that question of Yahweh Sidkaynew #3. David, as you know, was not the first King. There was Saul before him. But Saul had some real problems, and God had to find another King! David was not perfect, by any means. But once he realized his weaknesses and apologized, things got better. From that moment on, he looked to God for everything. God knew that the only way to lead the people was to be like a shepherd, being gentle and kind, but firm and directive.

Thank you. Now that you’ve told us why it’s important for the new King to come from David’s line, tell us how this change will take place. It won’t happen the way you expect, I can tell you that much! It will be a big surprise to everyone! My best advice to you is to ask for God’s wisdom yourself, then test everything you hear against what God says. There will not be any big public announcement. Once I become King, my staff will pick the best people to start getting the word out; after that, we’ll depend on word of mouth to keep it going. So keep your eyes open and your ears to the ground. It could happen any day!

Well, folks, our time is about up. Now I’ll ask that all-important question. Will the REAL Yahweh Sidkaynew please stand up! (All three look at each other. Each appears to begin standing, then sits back; then all three stand at the same time, smile, bow and return to their seats)

3. You may wonder why all three stood up. Together they represent "God Who Puts Everything Right for Us," God in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You can decide who is the Father, who is the Son, and who is the Holy Spirit! The important thing to remember is that together, they told the Truth. In one sense, they represent God; in another sense, they represent every one of us. God wants so much for every person to be treated well, and knows it will take more than one person to make that happen. God need many "shepherds" to go after the lost sheep. But before we can know what to do, we need Someone to show us the way. It is that Someone who has been promised, about whom Jeremiah and the other prophets foretold, and for whom we wait to renew our own lives this Advent season.

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