David’s Tabernacle Restored, Part 7

 

December 7, 2018

 

My remarks at the end of last week’s Coffee Break were, no doubt, very controversial to some folks.  I’m not trying to be controversial.  After being with David, after experiencing what he experienced, after watching and experiencing all of the adventures that have come over the past 70+ years in the presence of the Lord, I can’t help it.  These are honest observations shared in the hope that I can awaken folks to the true nature of praise and worship, prayer and intercession.

 

Consider in the light of my comments what Isaiah writes about Lucifer.

 

Isaiah 14:11:  Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols:

 

Compare that to Ezekiel’s word when he talks about how he was first created as worship leader in Heaven.

 

Ezekiel 28:13b: The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

 

What a contrast!  The statement that Isaiah makes concerning “the noise of thy viols” is significant in view of the noise we hear today.  The Hebrew word, nebel, actually translates differently to psaltery or lute — in other words stringed instruments.  Isaiah was saying that Lucifer had transformed what should have been beautiful stringed sounds into utter noise.  His prophecy makes clear the fact that this noise will go to the grave.

 

Ezekiel’s prophecy indicates that when Lucifer was first created, he was created with perfect percussion (the tabret—Hebrew, toph) and what we know today as woodwind instruments and brass, like the trumpet and trombone (pipes—Hebrew, halil).

 

Lucifer was created for the express purpose of surrounding the throne of God with worship.  He corrupted it and he corrupted the sound so that it became noise to God.

Sadly, much of what the church world knows today as worship has degenerated into noise.  It doesn’t bring life and there is no real peace in it.  It doesn’t minister to the Lord, and it doesn’t accomplish what God intended for worship to accomplish.

 

Let’s consider for a minute why it is that God first surrounded Himself with worship, and then why he replaced Lucifer with us.

 

Worship provides a creative atmosphere.  Think about it for a second!  Worship surrounded the Throne when God first spoke the worlds into existence.  Worship surrounded the Throne when he created Adam and Eve.  Worship surrounded the Throne when He created the Garden of Eden.  Worship surrounded the Throne when He created all animal and plant life.

 

If you think I’m kidding you or that I’ve really stretched things beyond what the Word says, go back to Ezekiel’s prophecy.

 

Ezekiel 28:12b-15: Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.  Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold:

 

The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

 

I don’t want to take time to get into all the Hebrew words and phraseology that occurs in this passage, but suffice it to say that Lucifer lacked nothing!  The word used for “anointed” in this instance is different from what we normally see.  In this instance, the Hebrew word is mimshach, meaning: spread out, as with huge, outstretched wings that surround.

 

We see that description amplified with the use of the word, sakak, for covereth.  This word literally means: to entwine as a screen, to fence in, to cover over.

 

Ezekiel launches into his description of some of the instrumentation that Lucifer used as part of the sound of worship with which he encompassed the Throne.  We’ve already described these instruments as well as those that Isaiah uses.

 

It is important for us to see that worship has been a part of God’s existence from before the worlds began.  Consider the fact that until Adam and Eve were first created, there was no such thing as a “family of God.”  God existed only as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Lucifer became a created being to fulfill the heart’s desire of God for the sound of worship.

 

Why?

 

Because the heart of the Lord is for intimacy — the kind of intimacy that occurs only in worship.  Understand that Lucifer saw the creative power that was generated with God in the midst of the worship.  When he corrupted that sound in the midst of his desire and efforts to usurp the Throne of God and take that power for himself, he learned to his own dismay that his power was nothing before God, and he was thrown out of Heaven.

 

So God decided to have for Himself a family of beings who would be like Him.  These would be a people who would know Him, know His heart, and come to love Him like He loved them.  These would be a people who would replace the kind of worship that Lucifer had provided.  But there would be a major difference this time.  This worship would come out of hearts of love and a desire for an intimate relationship with God.  This worship would come out of an intense desire for the presence of God in ways that nothing else would provide.

 

Are you seeing the picture?

 

It isn’t just God that becomes the beneficiary of our worship.  This is two-way!  We also become beneficiaries by virtue of the presence of the Lord flowing in us, through us and around us.  At the same time, the Glory of the Lord is magnified and the Kingdom of God grows and spreads abroad across the face of the earth.  We literally participate in the growth of the Family of God.  We bring His presence wherever we go.

But there’s more — a whole lot more!

 

Think about the creative power that is generated in this worship!  Think about what David saw take place as the families of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun ministered to the Lord in worship.

 

We’ve talked about this — and continue to talk about it.  Israel was essentially barely existing prior to David’s establishing of this Tabernacle.  They were continually attacked by their enemies.  Land was taken away from them.  People continually lost their lives.  The land failed to produce like it should.  Israel was not the prosperous and wealthy people they had once been.

 

When the praise and worship began to go forth on a continual basis, that all changed!  You see, David saw the heart of God.  He knew the importance of surrounding God with that kind of praise and worship.  He had learned in the midst of his years of tending the sheep and worshiping God with his harp that he could also prophesy in the midst of that worship.  That prophesy was God-ordained.  It was God-driven and God-anointed.  It accomplished what it was sent forth to accomplish.

 

Thus, when the families of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun began their ministry of praise and worship, they were already attuned.  Their hearts had been prepared beforehand.  David chose them specifically because he saw in them that anointing necessary to truly minister to the heart of God.

 

And change began to take place in Israel.  Not only did the nation begin to experience the presence of the Lord as they never had before, the previous enemies suddenly discovered that Israel had a military strength and power that far surpassed anything they had seen before.  Whenever those enemies went forth against Israel, they were handily defeated.

 

Israel’s erstwhile enemies began to sue for peace treaties.  They began to pay taxes to Israel.  Suddenly, Israel was the recipient of income from people that had stolen from them in time past.

 

The land began to produce agriculturally.  Instead of barely existing, the people now experienced an abundance.  They prospered — in spades even!  Israel had not seen such wealth since their departure from Egypt.

 

Think about it.  When Israel departed from Egypt, they literally departed with the wealth of Egypt.  The funny thing is that the wealth that was liberally given to them was an abundance that had been taken from Jacob and his 12 sons — wealth they had to relinquish in order to survive the years of famine.  All of a sudden their descendants had that wealth returned to them.

 

I’m getting a bit off track here but I want you to see what happens when praise and worship — real praise and worship goes forth.  That creates an atmosphere of the presence of the Lord in which the Enemy loses the ground he has taken from God’s people.

 

Let’s backtrack again for a second.  Do you understand why Satan so vehemently hates God’s people and why he is so driven to corrupt the sound of worship.  He remembers what happened when he was the worship leader in Heaven.  He remembers the power and authority that manifested.  That power and authority are now in the hands of God’s people — as long as the worship is real.

 

John describes something that Jesus said to the woman at the well:

 

John 4:22-24: Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

Say that again!

 

True worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

 

One more time!

 

God is a spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

 

This is NOT the singing of songs and listening to a preacher preach his message.  That’s not worship!  Worship is something takes place IN THE SPIRIT!  You can’t fake worship in the spirit!  You can’t pretend or just put on a show of worship.  It is something which comes from one’s heart — from the very inner core of their being.

 

Worship in truth comes from one’s desire and purpose to minister to the Lord — to bring His presence in a manifested way — to fulfill His purposes and desires.  When we worship the Lord like that, all Heaven comes in to join us.  I don’t need to repeat the experiences we had in the 1990’s when we were surrounded by angels — both visibly toi the naked eye, as well as invisibly — along with their instruments joining us.  I still go back periodically and listen to the recordings where we can hear the angelic chorus and orchestra join in.  The sound is magnificent!  It is almost unbelievable to the natural mind.

 

The point is, that when we are engaged in real worship, lives are changed.  People are set free.  Those who are destitute begin to prosper.  Those who are sick and/or dying are raised up.  All of a sudden things change in the lives of people around us — not to mention our own!

 

I remember how Della and I transitioned from our six-figure incomes to a guaranteed $200 per month when we began our extended time of spontaneous worship gatherings.  We lived better on the $200 a month than we had on our six-figure incomes.  It doesn’t even begin to make sense logically.  There is no amount of normal reasoning that can figure it out.

 

That’s beside the point.  It was a lesson for us in the provision of God.  When He becomes the priority in our lives, when His presence becomes the principal focus of our existence, when His heart’s desire becomes our heart’s desire, there is no need that goes unmet!  Della and I have walked that for most of the past 30 years.

 

Jesus put it like this when He was ministering to the crowds in what we now refer to as “the Sermon on the Mount.”

 

Matthew 6:25-34:  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

 

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

 

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?   And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:   And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.   Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

 

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?   (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.   Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

 

You get it, don’t you?  The essence of what Jesus is saying is, Focus on the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.  You don’t need to fret with the needs of the day.  You don’t need to worry about how you are going to pay your bills, how you are going to buy your groceries or pay your rent or house payment, or how you are going to deal with any medical condition.

 

Focus on the presence of the Lord!  Put His desires first.  Give yourself over totally to meeting His heart’s desires.  Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.  No need will go unmet!

 

In case you are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, our Sunday worship gatherings are available by conference call – usually at about 10:45AM Pacific.  That conference number is (712) 770-4160, and the access code is 308640#.  We are now making these gatherings available by Skype.  If you wish to participate by video on Skype, my Skype ID is regner.capener.  If you miss the live voice call, you can dial (712) 770-4169, enter the same access code and listen in later.  The video call, of course, is not recorded – not yet, anyway.

 

Blessings on you!

 

 

           

Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES

RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Temple, Texas 76504

Email Contact: CapenerMinistries@protonmail.com

 

All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.

If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: AnotherCoffeeBreak@protonmail.com with the word, “Subscribe” in the subject line.  To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to AnotherCoffeeBreak@protonmail.com with the word “Unsubscribe” in the subject line.

 

CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.