RULING AND REIGNING WITH GOD

Part 26

 

January 29, 2021

 

We’ve talked about this before in this series but let me say this again.  The newborn believer in Christ has more authority in their little finger than the strongest unbeliever has at their disposal.  The problem is that 99.999% of them don’t know it, don’t know how to access it, and as a consequence get run over like they’ve been hit by a Mack truck.

 

Our authority in Christ Jesus literally makes us invincible IF we know how to use it.  That authority MUST be tested, tried, tested, tried, tested, tried, etc. — again and again and again.  The more that authority is tested in us (and we ARE going to fall flat on our faces at times) and we continue to overcome, the more that authority will grow from a practical standpoint, and the more we will slam the Enemy’s face into the ground!

 

There is no substitute for the seasoning of our authority!  In the 74+ years of my walking with the Lord, I’ve fallen flat on my face more times than I can count.  The testing of that authority has taken me through Hell and back again.  Where I am today I wouldn’t want to go through again, but I wouldn’t trade my experiences for all the cattle on a thousand hills!

 

I’ve brought thousands of people to the Lord, healed the sick, raised the dead, cleansed the lepers (metaphorically), cast out demons by the thousand, and watched the Lord restore the lives of more people than I can count.  But I’ve only scratched the surface!

 

Consider this!  Jesus did all this in a matter of a day or two.  It has taken me a virtual lifetime.  But that authority continues to grow — and that’s God’s intentioned objective, not only for me but for all of you!

 

Last week, we left off in the middle of our look at all that David had to go through before he was actually seated on the throne of Israel according to the promise and anointing of God.  Let’s pick it up again today.

 

I got a little ahead of myself last week with the javelin incident, so let’s back up a bit.

 

I Samuel 19:1-7:  And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee.

 

And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good: For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?

 

And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain. And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.

 

Sounds hunky dory, doesn’t it?  The problem is, you cannot trust the word of anyone who is under the influence of evil spirits!  They sound fine today, but tomorrow, something will take place that will negate everything they’ve said!  And so it was with Saul.

 

I Samuel 19:8-10:  And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.

 

And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.

 

And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.

 

Now David IS on the run for his life!  It’s not going to stop for years to come!  Things get even more intense when Saul sends messengers to David’s house and tells Michal, David’s wife, that they need to see him.  Michal warns David that if he remains home, he will be dead by morning, and she helps him to escape.  So David heads over to Naioth in Ramah where Samuel the prophet lives.

 

Saul has lost any reverence for the Lord, or for Samuel the prophet, and heads over to Naioth himself.  Watch what happens.  Talk about things backfiring on Saul!

 

I Samuel 19:19-24:  And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.  And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

 

And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.

 

Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah. And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

 

And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

 

So much for Saul’s plan!  This is a lesson for everyone to learn from.  Despite the Enemy’s plans and efforts to do away with David because of who he is and because of the anointing he has to become King, every effort is going to fail.  That doesn’t mean things aren’t going to really get treacherous for David: brother, are they ever!

 

And this is a lesson for all of us!  Knowing God’s intentions for us and the anointing He has upon us for the destiny in our life means we are going to have to be vigilant continuously!  David was on the run for his life and had to live under compromised cirumstances for a time.  That didn’t lessen the call or anointing of God.

 

What I find interesting — and it has been an example for me — is that the person so targeting David had been anointed by God for his position.  Saul had been anointed by God, but lost his position because of his arrogance.  He thought his anointing gave him permission to do something he was NOT anointed to do.  Much of the opposition I’ve experienced throughout the years has come from people who were likewise anointed by God for their position in leadership or ministry.  Whatever they saw in me, they saw as a threat to their own place just like Saul saw David.

 

And David refused to stretch forth his hand in judgment against Saul because he recognized that Saul had been anointed by God.  He saw that if he stretched forth his hand in any way against Saul that he would be stretching himself against God’s anointing.  So David relied on God to bring the judgment instead.  It paid dividends for David!

 

In my own situation, I saw the peril of attempting to execute judgment against those leaders and ministers who were attempting to destroy everything they saw me doing.  I refused to touch them in any way.   In each circumstance, I watched the Lord render judgment against them in ways that made me tremble.  In each case, the Lord was my vindication!  And God was David’s vindication!

 

I Samuel 20 gives us the picture of the relationship between David and Jonathan, Saul’s son.  When David doesn’t show up for a feast with the King that he normally attended, Saul makes a remark about it at the table to Jonathan, knowing that Jonathan is likely to have an idea where David is.  When Jonathan (who knew because of his discussion with David) gave an explanation to Saul, Saul became enraged at Jonathan and in the samw way he had attempted to kill David with his javelin, he grabbed it and hurled it at Jonathan.  Jonathan avoided the spear and by pre-arrangement with David arranged to have an archery event in which a servant would retrieve the arrows.  One of the arrows would be shot some distance and Jonathan would cry out in a loud voice so that David (in hiding) could hear, “Is not the arrow beyond thee?”

 

It was a signal to David that it was not safe to come back and that Saul was determined to kill David.  So after the servant went back to the city with the bow and arrows, Jonathan and David were able to meet.  David made a covenant with Jonathan.

 

Jonathan knew that God had anointed David to become the King in Israel at some appointed time.  He was not the least bit jealous that it wasn’t his to take in the place of his father, and with David ascension to the throne, he wanted David to show mercy to his family.  David guaranteed that any of Jonathan’s children would be safe under his rule.

 

I Samuel 20:42:  And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

So David heads into the land occupied by the Philistines, but not before stopping in Nob where Ahimelech, the priest, resided.  He requested bread for those servants who were with him as well as a sword.  Ahimelech was forced to give David the hallowed bread from the Table of Shewbread because he feared the authority that was already obviously resident in David.  As far as a sword was concerned, the sword of Goliath that David had killed Goliath with was the only thing available, so that’s what David left with.

 

I Samuel 21:10-15:   And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

 

And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

 

Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?  Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

 

This is an interesting scenario.  David is suddenly overtaken by fear.  He knows he cannot submit to that fear so he alters his behavior before this Philistine king and begins to sing.  He knew that the king would believe him to have gone over the edge and become insane.

 

The Hebrew word rendered “scrabbled” really is a musical term which means to beat out a rhythm.  Where we read that David “feigned himself mad,” the Hebrew text has the word, halal, which means: to make a boast, to sing clearly, to celebrate.  And what do you think David was singing?

 

Psalm 34:1-4:  I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.  O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.  I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

 

Here’s where things get really exciting.

 

I Samuel 22:1-2:  David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.

 

And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

 

All of a sudden, David has a small army of loyal soldiers.  We learn later that many of these soldiers became “mighty men of valor.”  However, there is a sad commentary that takes place now.  Saul finds out that Ahimelech has assisted David.  With his now utter disregard for the anointing of the Lord, he commands those soldiers that are with him to kill all the priests in Nob.  Those soldiers will not touch God’s anointed so Saul turns to Doeg the Edomite (who ratted on Ahimelech in the first place) and commands him to kill the priests.  Doeg takes it much further.  He kills all the priests, their families, their wives and children, along with the newborn, and doesn’t stop there!  He kills all the sheep and oxen and donkeys in a bloody massacre that leaves none of the priestly household alive.

 

The only bright spot in this horror was that Abiathar, a priest and member of Ahimelech’s family, manages to escape unseen and goes to meet David.  David assures him that he will be safe and that he can remain with David’s company.

 

We get a narrative in I Samuel 23 which is descriptive of the events that follow David for month after month and year after year.

 

I Samuel 23:14-29:  And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.

 

And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth. And they two made a covenant before the LORD: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.

 

Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.

 

And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on me. Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtly.

 

See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.

 

And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon.

 

And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them. But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.

 

Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth. And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi.

 

This is taking a whole lot longer to share than I anticipated.  There are a series of important events which begin to unfold that are a part of the testing process for David in his preparation to become King of Israel.  These events are a great lesson for all of us as we learn how to behave, how to react in certain situations, how to show compassion when the enemy is not worth it in a normal sense.

 

You’ll recall that the Lord said of David, “[He] is a man after mine own heart.”

 

David’s love for the Lord grew enormously during these years of persecution and seeing the daily deliverances of the Lord when his life was under the constant threat of death.  We may not be under that kind of threat as we are being tested, but the trials will nevertheless work the character of the Lord in us in ways that cannot be duplicated any other way!

 

In case you are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, ourSunday worship gatherings are available by conference call – usually at about 10:30AM Pacific.  That conference number is (712) 770-4160, and the access code is 308640#.  We are now making these gatherings available on video usingZOOM.  If you wish to participate by video on ZOOM, our login ID is 835-926-513.  If you miss the live voice-onlycall, 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

 

     

Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES

RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Temple, Texas 76502

Email Contact: CapenerMinistries@protonmail.com

 

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