The Throne of David – Part 1
Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Jesus will sit on David's throne. God is going to sit on a man's throne! This should be a stunning statement to every man, woman, and child! If I want to understand what it is Jesus came to begin, and is coming to complete, I need to understand David and how he ruled from his throne. Understanding David is incredibly important to understanding the generation we live in, because we live in the generation of the pure and spotless Bride. If David is the man after God’s heart, then the Bride is going to have to look, sound, think, and act a LOT like David.
Acts 13:21-22 And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I HAVE FOUND DAVID THE SON OF JESSE, A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART, WHO WILL DO ALL MY WILL.'
God called David a man after God's own heart. One facet of this truth is that if I want to understand God's heart, I can look to David and see great revelation of what truly matters to God. David’s life demonstrates that it isn't strength, or experience that God values, but rather humility.
Matthew 18:3-4 …"Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Humility isn't pretending to have a lower value than you do. God does not value dishonesty. Humility is seeing clearly and then being honest about what I bring to the table and what God brings. If I am totally honest, I will see that all I bring to the table is my "yes"...my desire....and that God brings everything else…all the strength, experience, and provision.
This was the difference between Saul and David. Saul valued his own strength, experience, and provision above God’s. Saul was a towering and strong man. He came from a powerful family. Saul had all the natural strength and wealth that is required for people to follow him:
1 Samuel 9:1-2 There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin. His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.
Everyone thought Saul was the kind of guy to lead Israel in strength, but God was not impressed. When Jesus came, Israel missed him because once again they were looking for a Saul. Even in this hour, the Bible promises one last “Saul” will offer his services to Israel to make peace. God rejected Saul because of his unwillingness to choose to live humbly in partnership with God:
I Samuel 16:1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”
David did not operate in the spirit of Saul, who trusted in his own strength and resources to do something impressive for God in the sight of other people. Instead, David trusted God and used what God had provided in order to get closer to God as the primary driver in His life. David chose this “one thing” focus of living because God had shown himself strong on David’s behalf time and time again. David had a history of building faith in God. The more David trusted God, the more God revealed Himself to David until David knew that he could not be defeated as long as he was living in God’s leadership:
1 Samuel 17:33-40 "Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There's no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a man of war since his youth." But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!" Saul finally consented. "All right, go ahead," he said. "And may the LORD be with you!" Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. "I can't go in these," he protested to Saul. "I'm not used to them." So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.
David grew in his reliance on God to be His strength. This was David's theology:
Psalms 37:3-7 Trust in the Lord , and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord , And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord , Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord , and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
David’s theology was based on this principal: God wants to be my strength and my leader. My job is to give God more and more agreement with this truth…to die to the desires that drive everyone else around me and voluntarily to turn my desire to Him…to know Him more, so I can agree with His leadership more. It takes God to love God, and David knew loving God was the place of greatest strength. Jesus agreed:
Matthew 6:31-33 "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
God doesn’t view leadership the way mankind does…from a top down perspective, trading power for loyalty. Trading power for loyalty is a clear indicator that satan is involved. Trading power for loyalty is what led began satan’s rebellion promising the angels a better position in satans rebellious kingdom than they had under God’s perfect leadership. Listen to the charge against lucifer:
Ezekiel 28:15-16 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones.
Many, even in the Church, trade power for loyalty as their main way of relating to others. This is not the nature of God. God is a father. His kingdom is a family. To seek His kingdom first is to grow in your knowledge of Him as a father…a leader, a provider, a loving protector…as the top priority in life. This is what God has always desired: to be face to face with mankind, partnering with man in forever increasing God’s government over all of creation. A father partnering with His sons and daughters in the family business forever:
John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
God living physically face to face with mankind in partnership with the goal of increasing the government of God over creation is what God called "very good" in Genesis 1:
Genesis 1:27-31 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
God NEVER changes:
James 1:17 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
What God wants from His children is not complicated. Want to know God’s will for your life? It is easy: for you to make your main priority…what you spend your time, money, emotion, and desire on…hearing God and obeying Him more so that He can fulfill every dream He knit into your heart. Many are aware of the dreams for greatness the Father knit into their heart, but in pride and rebellion, they attempt to achieve those dreams apart from the leadership of the Father who authored them. This is the foolishness of a faithless Saul.
To understand the faith of David, we MUST understand the rebellion…the witchcraft…of Saul. Trying to operate in God’s power apart from God’s leadership is the Biblical definition of witchcraft. This story of Saul is essential to grasp:
I Samuel 15:1-23 Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord . Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley. Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night. So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.”
Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord ! I have performed the commandment of the Lord .” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak on.” So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord ? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord ?” And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord , and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord , He also has rejected you from being king.”
This was the rejected theology of Saul: that God didn't mind Saul doing things his own way, as long as Saul tried to accomplish what God wanted done. This is great error, because it places the man above God. What God desires is humility demonstrated by obedience. David humbled himself and obeyed the Lord because David LOVED God more than anything else. Jesus said this:
John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
We MUST get an understanding of this simple verse correct. The common misunderstanding of God lines up with Saul’s theology: if I love God I should prove it by my obedience. David would wholeheartedly disagree. David would say “If I love God, I can’t help but obey Him.” David believed obedience flowed naturally from a lovesick heart. Saul values strength and self focus over love.
God is not trying to hide His desire from us. His desire is plain to see, and because God is truth, everything He has ever said will ALWAYS be true. God’s definition of “Very Good” will never change. The Bible is the story of the process God has chosen to restore everything mankind broke back to very good. David understood the process and desired, more than anything else, to agree with it:
Psalms 27:4-5 One thing I have desired of the Lord , That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord , And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
This desire perfectly lined up with God’s desire. David said “God I want to be with you where YOU are more than anything. This is where I am safe. God responded “David, that is what I desire more than anything, too!”
David understood the implications of His desire. Many will claim to want to love God more than anything, but they refuse to “count the cost.”
Luke 14:26-33 "If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple. "But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, 'There's the person who started that building and couldn't afford to finish it!' "Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can't, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become My disciple without giving up everything you own.
David understood that to get close to God, you must agree with Him about who is leading. God will never come to occupy second place, because that would violate the truth of who He is. You cannot have God’s presence without His leadership. You might be able to manipulate the earth through faith, or cast out demons by the authority of God for a while…you might be able to hear from the other side of the veil knowledge and wisdom that astounds other men…but you CANNOT have the presence and agreement of God…the smile of God…on your life without humility.
We are in the hour that many in the Church will be operating in great demonstrations of power…healing the sick, casting out demons, and prophesying, all in the name of Jesus…but Jesus said many would actually be operating in rebellion, which the Bible calls witchcraft. According to Jesus, those in rebellion won’t know it!…they will be surprised when they meet Jesus face to face and He judges not their gifting or their works…but their motivation. Many operate in the name of Jesus to build their own ministry. They want to build something for God rather than use all their strength to humble themselves like children and get to know more and more the heart of the Father:
Matthew 7:15-27 "Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.
Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. "Not everyone who calls out to Me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to Me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God's laws.'
"Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears My teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."
Look at the news…scan the horizon. A storm is coming. Jesus warned us about what the conditions of the storm will look like. At the same time, many are seeking “revival” as their main goal. In this hour many are growing in their knowledge and skill in using the name of Jesus to heal the sick, cast out demons and prophecy. Seeking revival is not the Biblical mandate. The mandate is to seek above all other things to submit to God’s leadership even when it offends the mind of man.
Revival is great, and revival is coming in a measure the earth has never seen. Everyone loyal to Jesus…all flesh will have the Spirit poured out on them in signs and wonders…greater than the Acts 2 Church. BUT, signs and wonders and leading many to the Church will also be done by those in the Church actually ignoring, if not opposing, the leadership of God. They won’t state that, for like Saul, they will believe they are serving God.
In this hour we need hearts like David…hearts like Jesus. Jesus did not value operating in great power, but rather valued complete allegiance to the Father. Jesus operated in great power as He drew on the leadership of the Father. Jesus is the firstborn of many sons and daughters.
Philippians 2:5-9 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
The Bible promises that many who operate in signs and wonders will reject this simple principle of submission. They will fear the opinions of their peers more than they fear the penetrating gaze of God that judges not the works, but the intention behind the works. For a season those operating in rebellion may get away with it and look holy to the people, but only truth will pass through the fire of tribulation. Now is the time to begin understanding exactly what will pass through the fire of the next several years, for the smoke is already on the horizon:
1 Corinthians 3:11-14 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
Jesus will sit on David's throne. God is going to sit on a man's throne! This should be a stunning statement to every man, woman, and child! If I want to understand what it is Jesus came to begin, and is coming to complete, I need to understand David and how he ruled from his throne. Understanding David is incredibly important to understanding the generation we live in, because we live in the generation of the pure and spotless Bride. If David is the man after God’s heart, then the Bride is going to have to look, sound, think, and act a LOT like David.
Acts 13:21-22 And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I HAVE FOUND DAVID THE SON OF JESSE, A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART, WHO WILL DO ALL MY WILL.'
God called David a man after God's own heart. One facet of this truth is that if I want to understand God's heart, I can look to David and see great revelation of what truly matters to God. David’s life demonstrates that it isn't strength, or experience that God values, but rather humility.
Matthew 18:3-4 …"Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Humility isn't pretending to have a lower value than you do. God does not value dishonesty. Humility is seeing clearly and then being honest about what I bring to the table and what God brings. If I am totally honest, I will see that all I bring to the table is my "yes"...my desire....and that God brings everything else…all the strength, experience, and provision.
This was the difference between Saul and David. Saul valued his own strength, experience, and provision above God’s. Saul was a towering and strong man. He came from a powerful family. Saul had all the natural strength and wealth that is required for people to follow him:
1 Samuel 9:1-2 There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin. His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.
Everyone thought Saul was the kind of guy to lead Israel in strength, but God was not impressed. When Jesus came, Israel missed him because once again they were looking for a Saul. Even in this hour, the Bible promises one last “Saul” will offer his services to Israel to make peace. God rejected Saul because of his unwillingness to choose to live humbly in partnership with God:
I Samuel 16:1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”
David did not operate in the spirit of Saul, who trusted in his own strength and resources to do something impressive for God in the sight of other people. Instead, David trusted God and used what God had provided in order to get closer to God as the primary driver in His life. David chose this “one thing” focus of living because God had shown himself strong on David’s behalf time and time again. David had a history of building faith in God. The more David trusted God, the more God revealed Himself to David until David knew that he could not be defeated as long as he was living in God’s leadership:
1 Samuel 17:33-40 "Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There's no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a man of war since his youth." But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!" Saul finally consented. "All right, go ahead," he said. "And may the LORD be with you!" Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. "I can't go in these," he protested to Saul. "I'm not used to them." So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.
David grew in his reliance on God to be His strength. This was David's theology:
Psalms 37:3-7 Trust in the Lord , and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord , And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord , Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord , and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
David’s theology was based on this principal: God wants to be my strength and my leader. My job is to give God more and more agreement with this truth…to die to the desires that drive everyone else around me and voluntarily to turn my desire to Him…to know Him more, so I can agree with His leadership more. It takes God to love God, and David knew loving God was the place of greatest strength. Jesus agreed:
Matthew 6:31-33 "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
God doesn’t view leadership the way mankind does…from a top down perspective, trading power for loyalty. Trading power for loyalty is a clear indicator that satan is involved. Trading power for loyalty is what led began satan’s rebellion promising the angels a better position in satans rebellious kingdom than they had under God’s perfect leadership. Listen to the charge against lucifer:
Ezekiel 28:15-16 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones.
Many, even in the Church, trade power for loyalty as their main way of relating to others. This is not the nature of God. God is a father. His kingdom is a family. To seek His kingdom first is to grow in your knowledge of Him as a father…a leader, a provider, a loving protector…as the top priority in life. This is what God has always desired: to be face to face with mankind, partnering with man in forever increasing God’s government over all of creation. A father partnering with His sons and daughters in the family business forever:
John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
God living physically face to face with mankind in partnership with the goal of increasing the government of God over creation is what God called "very good" in Genesis 1:
Genesis 1:27-31 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
God NEVER changes:
James 1:17 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
What God wants from His children is not complicated. Want to know God’s will for your life? It is easy: for you to make your main priority…what you spend your time, money, emotion, and desire on…hearing God and obeying Him more so that He can fulfill every dream He knit into your heart. Many are aware of the dreams for greatness the Father knit into their heart, but in pride and rebellion, they attempt to achieve those dreams apart from the leadership of the Father who authored them. This is the foolishness of a faithless Saul.
To understand the faith of David, we MUST understand the rebellion…the witchcraft…of Saul. Trying to operate in God’s power apart from God’s leadership is the Biblical definition of witchcraft. This story of Saul is essential to grasp:
I Samuel 15:1-23 Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord . Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley. Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night. So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.”
Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord ! I have performed the commandment of the Lord .” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak on.” So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord ? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord ?” And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord , and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord , He also has rejected you from being king.”
This was the rejected theology of Saul: that God didn't mind Saul doing things his own way, as long as Saul tried to accomplish what God wanted done. This is great error, because it places the man above God. What God desires is humility demonstrated by obedience. David humbled himself and obeyed the Lord because David LOVED God more than anything else. Jesus said this:
John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
We MUST get an understanding of this simple verse correct. The common misunderstanding of God lines up with Saul’s theology: if I love God I should prove it by my obedience. David would wholeheartedly disagree. David would say “If I love God, I can’t help but obey Him.” David believed obedience flowed naturally from a lovesick heart. Saul values strength and self focus over love.
God is not trying to hide His desire from us. His desire is plain to see, and because God is truth, everything He has ever said will ALWAYS be true. God’s definition of “Very Good” will never change. The Bible is the story of the process God has chosen to restore everything mankind broke back to very good. David understood the process and desired, more than anything else, to agree with it:
Psalms 27:4-5 One thing I have desired of the Lord , That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord , And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
This desire perfectly lined up with God’s desire. David said “God I want to be with you where YOU are more than anything. This is where I am safe. God responded “David, that is what I desire more than anything, too!”
David understood the implications of His desire. Many will claim to want to love God more than anything, but they refuse to “count the cost.”
Luke 14:26-33 "If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple. "But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, 'There's the person who started that building and couldn't afford to finish it!' "Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can't, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become My disciple without giving up everything you own.
David understood that to get close to God, you must agree with Him about who is leading. God will never come to occupy second place, because that would violate the truth of who He is. You cannot have God’s presence without His leadership. You might be able to manipulate the earth through faith, or cast out demons by the authority of God for a while…you might be able to hear from the other side of the veil knowledge and wisdom that astounds other men…but you CANNOT have the presence and agreement of God…the smile of God…on your life without humility.
We are in the hour that many in the Church will be operating in great demonstrations of power…healing the sick, casting out demons, and prophesying, all in the name of Jesus…but Jesus said many would actually be operating in rebellion, which the Bible calls witchcraft. According to Jesus, those in rebellion won’t know it!…they will be surprised when they meet Jesus face to face and He judges not their gifting or their works…but their motivation. Many operate in the name of Jesus to build their own ministry. They want to build something for God rather than use all their strength to humble themselves like children and get to know more and more the heart of the Father:
Matthew 7:15-27 "Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.
Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. "Not everyone who calls out to Me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to Me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God's laws.'
"Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears My teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."
Look at the news…scan the horizon. A storm is coming. Jesus warned us about what the conditions of the storm will look like. At the same time, many are seeking “revival” as their main goal. In this hour many are growing in their knowledge and skill in using the name of Jesus to heal the sick, cast out demons and prophecy. Seeking revival is not the Biblical mandate. The mandate is to seek above all other things to submit to God’s leadership even when it offends the mind of man.
Revival is great, and revival is coming in a measure the earth has never seen. Everyone loyal to Jesus…all flesh will have the Spirit poured out on them in signs and wonders…greater than the Acts 2 Church. BUT, signs and wonders and leading many to the Church will also be done by those in the Church actually ignoring, if not opposing, the leadership of God. They won’t state that, for like Saul, they will believe they are serving God.
In this hour we need hearts like David…hearts like Jesus. Jesus did not value operating in great power, but rather valued complete allegiance to the Father. Jesus operated in great power as He drew on the leadership of the Father. Jesus is the firstborn of many sons and daughters.
Philippians 2:5-9 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
The Bible promises that many who operate in signs and wonders will reject this simple principle of submission. They will fear the opinions of their peers more than they fear the penetrating gaze of God that judges not the works, but the intention behind the works. For a season those operating in rebellion may get away with it and look holy to the people, but only truth will pass through the fire of tribulation. Now is the time to begin understanding exactly what will pass through the fire of the next several years, for the smoke is already on the horizon:
1 Corinthians 3:11-14 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
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