Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Tues.'s Devo - The Ways of the Kingdom

Read 1 Chron 14
I love it when revelation jumps out at you from verses you've read over and over before which is what happened when I read today's first few verses. David feels secure in his kingdom so much so that he is ready to make his home there and take the time to build a house. He perceives it is time to do this because the people have lifted his kingdom up. Jesus is going to come back and build his home in us when we have lifted up his kingdom. Hiram meaning "whiteness"and king of Tyre meaning "a rock" is a type of the Holy Spirit of God. God supplied David with cedars, masons, and carpenters to build this house. The Holy Spirit is sending his people who are equipped to build this house for God.
David takes more wives. This is a hard one for us because we live in a democracy not a kingdom, but in a kingdom the king is allowed and expected to have many wives. Jesus has many wives which will make up the bride of Christ. Everything in our lives is to prepare us to be his bride. All history is about God preparing the church to be a bride. Remember in Esther how she had to go through a year of beauty treatments. We have to go through the same, only our treatment lasts a lifetime. We have to bathe in the oil of the spirit and obey the words of the one God sends to teach and train us. We have to follow protocol of the kingdom to get come before a holy God. These brides produce children that will be heirs just as the mature in Christ produce baby Christians so that God's Kingdom will cover the earth.
Of course the enemy is not going to sit by and watch this happen. The Philistines came to attack David just as the devil will viciously attack the church and its people. They spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. Interpretation: the enemy came in like a flood. When David asked if he should fight them God said, Yes. They won that battle but the Philistines came at them again. David asked God again if he should fight them and if he would win. God told him to go over to the mulberry tree and when he heard the sound of marching it will be his sign to fight.
Mulberry trees have locust in them that feed off the mulberry leaves. When they do this it sounds like marching. This was to be their sign to march. Notice how God sent them a confirmation on the 2nd battle and not the first. I think it is because we understand better the first attack from the devil but when he comes back we start questioning if it is the devil or ourselves. We are also weary from the first fight. God gave them a sign to encourage them in their battle. He does that for us too. Don't be weary in doing good for you will reap a harvest if you don't faint. God always wins round 2!

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