Reformation at Ramah

Judges 4&5, Hosea 5:8, Jeremiah 40:1, 1 Samuel 1

I have begun to use a heavenly language much more frequently in the last few years - often when I run out of words in English, I find myself speaking in Tongues. Normally the words that I am saying are completely unidentifiable and my attention is not drawn to them. However there have been a couple of instances where I have noticed the repeat of a word or phrase and wondered what I was actually saying. I do believe that the Lord gives interpretations of tongues (1 Corinthians 14:2,5), and it has felt like a season of Him calling us to dig deeper and search out His mysteries (Daniel 2:47).

I kept noticing that I was repeating the word ‘Ramah’ and wondered what it was - to be honest it sounded like a seeded bread in my head and reminded me of manna! After a while I became intrigued enough to look up the word in the Bible. I do think if we feel that the Lord Jesus is speaking to us, it is always necessary to confirm it in His Word; not least because He brings such a deep rich and wealth to our understanding.

I was absolutely amazed to discover that Ramah is the name of several different cities in the Bible and most notably ‘Ramah of Benjamin’ in the hill country of Ephraim. Ramah is a Hebrew word meaning ‘High, exalted’ and is often applied to military strongholds (www.gotquestions.org). As I prayed into this I felt the Lord was calling His children higher - setting us apart and beckoning us to go deeper with Him.

It was also interesting to note that at Ramah they would have set up a defense against the enemy, and it was probably somewhere used as a refuge or even place of survival. Are we not in a moment of war where our defense needs sharpening? Where we need to know that our refuge is under the everlasting arms of the Father and resting place is in our prayers and the prayers of our brothers and sisters. The equipping of the army to stand our ground is so vital! It’s the hour to understand more deeply that the Lord alone is to be feared and all giants pale into insignificance compared to The author of Life. David understood it - he knew Goliath didn’t have a chance against The Lord!

I also observed that Deborah the judge, prophet, leader, wife in Israel in Judges 4 and 5, held court under the palm between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided (Judges 4:5). Deborah was at work to bring about Reformation at Ramah: turning the hearts and minds of the people back to their Lord and back to one another. Deborah was seeking to help see healing and restoration in relationships and to aid the Israelites in moving from religion to a deepening love and trust in relationship. She was helping the children of God to ‘get right’ or ‘reform’ their understanding of who the Lord is and what He wanted them to do.

Is this not a return to the Greatest commandment of all? To put Loving God and loving one another right at the centre of everything in our lives? That command in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:4) is not lost in the New Testament (Matthew 22:34-40) - it remains the highest priority for us then and now. Could it not be another time of Reformation for The Church? I wonder whether Ramah is a reminder to us that the Lord is coming to remove our misunderstanding, deliver us from evil and restore us to right relationship with Him.

Another verse that I keep finding myself reading is Malachi 4:5 (NIV)that comes right at the end of the Old Testament: ‘See I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.’ Have you found yourself in a situation where you feel prompted to spend more time investing in relationships? Where you feel that praying for your family and sorting out the issues amongst you is pressing on your heart and mind? I believe this ‘interruption’ is Jesus and that it’s not that He doesn’t want his children to work and live but He is emphasizing people over projects, relationship over religion, and healing over hiding in darkness.

We would be wise to pay attention to where we feel tension and challenge, turning it into brave prayers and action.

Ramah was also a place where Hosea (the prophet) sounded a warning; a judgement cry against Israel: ‘Sound the trumpet in Gibeah, the horn in Ramah (Hosea 5:8). If we are hearing a trumpet sound could it not be again a moment where The Lord, as in Hosea’s time, is calling us to return to Him and deal with our sin? The enemy would like us to think that is too difficult but all it really means is turning to Jesus, confessing what we have done wrong, saying sorry and seeking to remove the rubbish between us and Him and each other. There is grace for an easy shift too - what I mean is that things that we never thought could be healed or rescued, where we have given up on believing the Lord can move - now is the time, this is the hour for deliverance, salvation and healing.

John the Baptist came in the Spirit of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the other way around, in order to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord (Luke 1:17). Could we not be in another hour in history (maybe even the final hours?) where we, the Bride of Christ are being made ready for the Return of Jesus? (Matthew 24:44). One of the key markers of that would of course be the Lord reforming us - cleansing, washing and calling us into intimacy afresh?

Look out for Deborah’s too! The Lord is leading Deborah’s to the palm near Ramah in the sense that it’s not a position of power and prestige - it’s not a stage - but He is positioning His people as spiritual mothers and fathers appointed and anointed in this hour to help many return to Him. Leadership becomes clear for Deborah at this moment in history because of who she was, the time she was alive and the anointing that was upon her. People are rising in this hour and they are not the same individuals that we saw before because a new leadership is needed in this hour. Maybe you are aware of the Lord positioning you in a new way for such a time as this?

It is interesting that the prophet Jeremiah was imprisoned by King Zedekiah and then he was eventually delivered to Ramah and released (Jeremiah 40:1). He had been bound in chains amongst the captives who were being carried into exile but then taken back to Ramah and released: ‘Today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists… look the whole country lies before you: go wherever you please (40:1 abbrev.).’ Freedom comes at Ramah.

There is a new hour upon the prophets and the people that says ‘you are no longer bound by the chains of the past, be set free to move into a new future.’ Isaiah 52:1-2 echoes this beautifully: ‘Awake awake Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor, Jerusalem the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again. Shake off your dust, rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, Daughter Zion, now a captive.’ Is this not a season to be delivered from the old and to be liberated from anything that hangs heavy, holding you captive to the past? The King of Glory is bringing freedom and reformation at Ramah as we turn towards Him and seek His face.

And then there is Hannah too, precious Hannah who is in despair and crying out to the Lord at the temple year after year for a child. She speaks to Eli the priest and his reply is, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” (1 Samuel 1:17). They worship the Lord and then they go back to their home at Ramah (1:19) and ‘in the course of time Hannah becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son. She names him Samuel (1:20).’ Remember that Ramah is in the hill country of Ephraim and Ephraim means ‘fruitful, fertile, productive’ and here we see conception and birthing taking place at Ramah. As I sought the Lord over this I felt He was emphasizing that there was new life coming at Ramah and therefore new life coming to us, His children. Interesting that Samuel was also buried at Ramah. It was like the Lord was saying there are many endings happening but take heart there are also lots of new beginnings coming forth.

I was drawn to Nicodemus visiting Jesus and questioning him about being born again (John 3). Jesus tells him ‘before a person can even perceive Gods kingdom, they must first experience a rebirth (3:3).’ Nicodemus is confused because he is gray headed and obviously cannot contemplate re-entering his mother’s womb. However Jesus is saying that he needs to be born of water and the Spirit (3:5). He wants Him to understand the Spiritual realm and give birth to spiritual fruit, not just purely live in the natural, physical realm. This new birthing and new life that the Lord is bringing is life in the Spirit. It doesn’t look the same as Pentecost where the fire falls and everything changes in that moment (although who is to say we won’t see that!) - it’s looking like a deep gradual life transforming process that Jesus is conceiving in us. I believe it just begins with an invitation: Do we want to be born of water and of the Spirit? And if the answer is yes, invite Holy Spirit to come and fill your life and open your eyes to more of The Lord.

Reformation at Ramah. Freedom at Ramah. New Life at Ramah. Wow Ramah holds so much meaning! Isn’t our God full of such richness? From this word we can paint a picture of a journey for each one of us: out of our old life, leaving all our chains behind and into new life led by the Spirit of God where we can know Jesus intimately and powerfully, and loving one another freely too.

The final piece that struck me about Ramah is that the minute I thought of the word I was reminded of Rachel weeping at Ramah: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, morning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted (Jeremiah 31:15).’ Jeremiah portrays Rachel as crying over the exiles - the children of Israel who are far from home. The disciple Matthew also takes these words and applies them to the sound released when Herod massacres the children in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18). Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin at Ramah.

We cannot just read the good and ignore the reality that there is clear pain and grief right here too. As I sought the Lord about this it seemed clear to me that there is a season for everything: ‘A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:4).’ We can be in danger of not facing a moment of pain and sorrow and instead trying to carry on as if everything was ok. In the West we often present a stiff upper lip or carry on regardless attitude but Scripture clearly embraces the recognition of the season and gives full permission for us to feel the impact of it. The truth is that the years we are in are not easy and we can see the darkness increasing but if we lean into Jesus and pour out our hearts to Him (Psalm 62:8) he will comfort those who mourn (Matthew 5:4) and be with us; ‘Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me Psalm 23:4).’

The Lord has not abandoned us! We may find ourselves in a time of weeping and mourning but we are also in a moment of freedom. It may be that major things are changing in your life and ending but there is something new and beautiful around the corner. We are learning so so much about how to truly love one another on this crazy journey!

There was also resettling from Ramah when the people of Israel returned from exile there, to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:26, Nehemiah 7:30). You may feel like you are in foreign territory and deeply uncomfortable in this hour but seasons always change and hope does not disappoint us. The Lord is always awake and leading us back home.

Questions to ponder

Do you resonate with anything here that happened at Ramah?

Is there a particular part of this that the Lord wants you to bring in prayer to Him?

Perhaps He is calling you higher, giving you permission to weep before Him, inviting you to stand up like Deborah into a new position of responsibility or highlighting areas that need addressing in relationships?

Whatever Jesus is doing right now don’t let the moment pass you by. Trust Holy Spirit to do life changing work in your life.