The lowly shepherd boy, David, now sat as the king over Israel because Yehovah God ordained it to be so. The people’s choice, Saul, wherein they desired to be like other nations, was dead and his son with him and the kingdom turned unto David the son of Jesse. He immediately set his sights against the hills of Jebus (the threshing place) wherein he defeated the Jebusites and built the city of David, Jerusalem. Here he purposed to place the Tabernacle with the Ark of the Covenant as the place where all Israel would come and worship before Yehovah God.
David was not given a ‘blue print’ by God whereby he laid out the city but the design was indeed given to him being ordained of old as the place where Yehovah would set His glory and call His people unto Him. The Spirit of the Most High God taught David’s hands how to make war and gave him the victories which placed all his enemies under his footstool as a type of the Anointed of Yehovah. The warrior king subdued his enemies as he was given to go forth, conquering and to conquer, and yet, unlike Messiah who knew no sin, the natural heart of David was lifted up as the Lord gave him these victories. But as Satan withstood David and provoked him to number all Israel, yet nothing could alter the fact that after Adam he was a man of unclean lips but after the Spirit within, he was a child of grace.
Repentance was given unto David and as the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel. This grieved David for he knew that he was the one who commanded the people to be numbered. Yet he was not abandoned of the Lord for his iniquity; rather he was sent to sacrifice upon an alter that was to be built upon the threshing floor of Onan the Jebusite. David saw the Angel of Yehovah with sword drawn, standing between heaven and earth, he was sore afraid. He knew that this was the judgment of God which was come because of his sin but the Lord gave him a contrite heart and made him willing to do as he commanded him. The Spirit of God caused David to keep the commandment of God to offer a burnt offering and a peace offering, for in the sacrifice of the Lamb there is the consumption of the fire, the sweet smelling savor before the throne and peace with God for His people. Thus the judgment of God was appeased because of the sacrifice and David was forgiven his transgression; “But David could not go before it (the Tabernacle) to inquire of God for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of Yehovah” (21:30).
Then Yehovah put it in the heart of the King to build the house of the Lord but he was forbidden because he was a man of war. Thus he charged his son Solomon to build an house unto the name of Yehovah my God. Again the type is presented of Messiah who went forth upon the white horse having the two edged sword, which is the Word of God, proceeding from His mouth, being Anointed to preach the power of God unto deliverance. Having finished that work, fulfilling all things written and justifying His people by His faith, He is now the King of Peace. He is the One who came forth out of the confusion of the world and laid the anointed corner stone of the Temple of Yehovah. He is the foundation which includes those sent forth with the proper interpretation of hidden things (apostles and prophets). His hand began the work and His hand completes the work as daily He adds unto the church all those for whom the precious blood was shed (Zech. 4:9).
David did not win victories for Achish, or for the king of Moab, neither was he given to secure the land for the Canaanites; David fought for Yehovah God and His people as depicted in the nation of Israel. He was given to subdue the people of the land and make tribute of all his enemies for Israel and no one else. So also has Messiah gotten the victories, having shed His blood for the remission of the sin of His people, and being Lord over all. He has not made salvation possible or available to whosoever wills; He came to save His people form their sin and, having completed His work wherein the Father is well pleased, He is seated at the right hand of God. He shed His blood from before the foundation of the world because His children, every man in his order, have been ordained to be made partakers of flesh and blood. The seed is planted in the corruption of the earthen vessel, being made subject to the vanity, but the shed blood of the Beloved has cleansed the interior of all leaven so that the incorruptible seed should not be polluted.
Thus the life of David, son of Jessie, is typical of the antics of man and a type of the Beloved who loves His people and gave His life for them.
“And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath and Merari” (I Chr. 23:6)
As David approached the time of his death, the Spirit gave him to set in order the logistics of the operations of the Temple, not yet built. The sons of Levi were commanded of God to have no inheritance in the land for they were all ‘joined’ unto Him and the service of the Tabernacle (Num. 18). They were charged with the transportation of the Tabernacle in the wilderness when the cloud ascended and moved (Ex. 30:46) but now that David had set the Ark upon the hill and pitched the Tabernacle there, this aspect of their duties was ended. Thus David began to assign the stations in life and the duties thereof to the sons of Levi and their children throughout the generations.
The sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar were to attend to the priest’s office in the service of the Alter and lots were cast for the governors of the sanctuary and of the house. He also cast lots for the establishment of the cunning musicians, the order of performances and the instruments to be used. He then cast lots for the keepers of the gates of the Temple, called porters. Before the Temple was constructed, the King of Israel rolled stones to determine the will of God as to the people who would be charged with the upkeep and care of the most magnificent building man has ever seen and by his decree, these men and their families remained in these professions for many years; “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia and his wife of the daughters of Aaron and her name was Elisabeth” (Luke 1:5).
There were 212 porters whom David and Samuel ordained and set in their offices and they, and their children, had the oversight of the gates of the Lord’s house, the house of the Tabernacle of Yehovah, by wards (9:22). And now, before the foundations of the building of the Temple began, David continued the office of porter and extended it to 4,000 men who had the oversight of walls and gates not yet built; this again is the type of the sovereign rule of God over every detail (I Chr. 23:5).
God created Adam with all his seed in him; He made all men of one blood and set the time of their habitations and limitations thereof. He assigned their stations in life, the labours they should perform and placed in their minds the cares of this world so that they could not find out the work which God has done from the beginning (Acts 17:26; Ecc. 3:11). Though man struggles and is heavy laden with the things of this world, yet he did not bring himself into the world, he did not cause the bones to come together in the womb or bring forth at the appointed hour. He did not choose his family, schedule the time of his life or prepare himself for his station in life; if a man could do such a thing, everyone would be rich and famous and all men would live a life of ease, having neither care nor need.
The divine will of God is that His children be conformed to the image of His Son; therefore His seed is made partaker of flesh and blood to endure the contradiction of sin against self being glorified by grace. Each of the incorruptible seed, ever man in his order, is born from above in the appointed time, to dwell in the earthen vessel afore prepared. Just as not one of the seed of Adam could deviate from the source and be of another but the seed of man, so the eternal seed is hewn from that Rock which is eternal and anointed; this also can never be changed.
The sovereign decrees of God have placed these peculiar people in their station in this life, which is empty and without profit, but each is a member of the Body and Temple of the Lamb. Each member is fitly framed together in the Beloved, supplying the needs of each other, as they grow up to the Holy habitation of God (Eph. 2:21). There are not many noble, not many rich, not many mighty and not many wise in this world but each of His children is taught all things of the Spirit who causes them to walk by faith, keeping His commandments and performing the good works they have been created in Christ Jesus unto.
Are these three different things? Not at all; for they are one in the same. The children of the Kingdom of Light have been, before the earthen vessels have been formed, created in the Anointed Salvation of Yehovah to grow from the Vine and bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness, for the edification brethren and the health off the body. Is the body One? Of course it is and just as the sons of Levi were joined unto God who is their inheritance, so the children of grace are eternally joined to the Father, as bone of bone and flesh of flesh, never to be separated.
Is the body separated? No, it is One as He is one. The members of the Anointed body are eternal and time has no influence upon them yet they each have been appointed a time when they should sojourn in the wilderness of this world, strangers and sojourners in a foreign land, for “they desire a getter country that is heavenly” (Heb. 11:16). They occupy the place given them as they walk the path set for them and complete the labours decreed necessary by the Father for the brethren; “but all these work that self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will” (I Cor. 12:11).
“For the Body is not one member but many” (I Cor. 12:13)
The Creator knows the needs of each of His creatures and thus the rain falls upon the just and the unjust. He gives that which is needful to every part of creation that all things may function in the predestined manner; thus Esau hated Jacob but could not kill him. Jacob was fearful of Esau though God had changed his heart and David, the young man anointed King by Samuel, fled from Saul, for he had concluded that this day he should die.
How much more does the Father know the spiritual needs of His children? He has given them each all things pertaining to life and godliness and has surrounded them with the servants of Esau, who is their servant for good; yet neither the earthen vessel nor the mind of Adam can see such things. The Father has gathered together His children, two or three, here and there, with the same testimony of the Spirit and caused them to sit together in fellowship. Unto these He has given gifts for the edification of the body just as David assigned certain tasks to the sons of Levi for the good of the city. Could one of these Levites object because he was to stand with his comrade between the ‘open apartment’ and the ‘raised’ surface (Parbar and the causeway I Chr. 26:18) rather than being in the middle of the action at the Tabernacle? Had any of the singers the right to request a transfer to the lowly outposts of the land because he did not like singing? Not at all? These man were placed where the Lord wanted them and given the gifts necessary for the performance of the labours AND they were made willing in the day of His power to perform and complete their courses; how much more the members of the Anointed body?
Shall one who has been assigned an uncomely part or seemingly unimportant place complain that they are of no importance in the Body? Not at all; for not all can function in the same capacity and “God has set the members, every one of them in the body, as it has pleased Him” (I Cor. 12:18).
“From whence strife and disputes among you? Do they not come hence of your lusts that war in your members? (James. 4:1)”
It is the nature of man to be uncertain about and unsatisfied with what God has given. Adam despised what God had prepared for him in the garden and he disproved of the station in life He had assigned. The deception of the serpent caused Eve to see the fruit that it was good for meat, and to be desired to make one wise. Adam hearkened unto her voice, desiring the same and ate that which was forbidden. This is the nature of the first man and centuries later, this defect has ripened in the decay of the perishing outer man, as the inherent trait of the creature, exactly as God has ordained.
The natural man can neither see nor understand the things of the Spirit. He does not hear the teaching of the Spirit concerning godliness and he cannot comprehend the vastness of eternal life. He desires a life in this world that is abundant in riches which will bring him notoriety and prominence. Though the children of grace are content in the sovereign decrees of their Father, yet they groan within for the sin that is all about them. They see the law in their members as the Spirit enlightens and reveals sin and corruption. They feel the warfare of the enmity between the body of this death and the life of the inner man.
It indeed pleases the Father to reveal the characteristics of Adam to His children that they may know from whence they have been delivered. He shows them their inability to ‘hit the mark’ after the flesh by empowering the natural inabilities to venture forth in the constant manifestation of failure. Thus the scriptures show the father of the faithful (Abram) to be a man devoid of faith; it represents the Beloved David, warrior King, as the sniveling coward before the Saul and the enemies of Israel and He shows each of His children the “captivity of the law of sin in my members” (Rms. 7:23).
God instructed the children of Israel at the base of the mountain not to forget the widow, the fatherless and the stranger among them because they were once these very people; yet as the people became strong and powerful they did exactly as God had forbid. Man seeks the preeminence over all things, teaching his children never to settle for second best for success is the only goal. The social structure and economic systems demand that a person strive for the mastery as they make their mark in time; but God has a different purpose. He has assigned stations and labours in life that are commensurate to His will and He has filled those appointments with those whom He has properly equipped to perform as He demands. To some He has assigned seemingly unimportant lots poverty and ambiguity while others He has set in the places of authority for He alone rules over the kingdoms of this world and gives them unto whomsoever He wills (Dan. 4:25).
The creation is the type of the heavenly reality. The Anointed body is made of many members but is one body, each part equal unto the others. Every member has a place in the body and, being created unto good works in the Anointed Salvation of Yehovah, each member brings forth their fruit in season for the edification of the body. The natural body is properly equipped with all parts necessary to function, so also the Spiritual body lives and functions, having “members in particular”, being eternal.
“Of the increase of government and peace no end, upon the throne of David and upon His kingdom, to order and establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth, even forever; the zeal of Yehovah shall perform this” (Is. 9:7)
In the beginning God, by the power of His will, spoke and time began. He created the heavens and the earth, as He intended. The earth was without form, being not yet filled with that which was needful and that emptiness and obscurity was in the presence of the depths and secret places. He set the boundaries of night and day and established the necessary form, complete with the air, the waters and the dry lands as the environment suitable for His creatures. He spread out an extensive surface that covered the earth which separated the waters above from the waters below and filled the land with everything that was needful. He established the order of all things both in times and space as He alone fixed the government of the universe; all this was done for the purpose of preservation of His Beloved.
The order of creation and the placement of those things essential to that setting as well as the absence of those things unessential, which God alone knows, came into place and functioned precisely as ordered by the Sovereign Creator and then He brought forth man from the dust of the earth. Everything He did prior to the formation of Adam was necessary for the existence of the man. Adam was fashioned in the image of God and was given to rule over that which He created; Almighty God made man to have dominion over His work to bring it into subjection. Certainly this is the type of the heavenly reality for His will is indeed done on the earth as it is done in heaven.
When God called Israel forth from the Egyptian captivity, He raised up the man who was to deliver them, but sent him away for 40 years to prepare for the work which he had been called unto. When this chosen vessel was ready, God caused him to return to Egypt where he gave the people specific instruction to be followed implicitly; not to be altered or amended. This pageantry showed forth the Lamb of God who had shed His blood for His people. This was ordered from the beginning with every part particular to the reality of the protection of God for His people who have been sealed with His precious blood before the world began. He brought them to the base of the mountain where He showed Moses the pattern of heavenly things, saying, “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them, according to all that I shew you; the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so you shall make” (Ex. 25:8).
He gave David the pattern for the Temple that Solomon was to build and He endowed him with the knowledge of where everyone was to be stationed and the duties they were to be assigned, ministering by course from generation to generation. He granted Solomon the wisdom to build the type of the Temple of Yehovah and provided him with everything necessary to complete the task. He moved the heart of the evil king Cyrus to deliver His people, whose heart He had opened and moved, to return and build the Temple as second time. He moved Artaxerxes to release Nehemiah and the people to build the wall and to provide materials and protection for all whom the Lord caused to return. If these be so in the type, how much more in the heavenly reality of is kingdom?
The government or protection of Yehovah God over time and His creation is for the preservation of the Lord’s chosen few, whom He has ordained should be experience the drought of this wilderness. He created all things for His pleasure, which is the Beloved, and He causes all things to come to pass by the power of His will, which is accomplished for the redeemed. No one and nothing is out of place for everything is obedient to the Will of He who declares the “end from the beginning and from ancient times that are not done, saying, My counsel shall stand and I will do all My pleasure” (Is. 46:10).
The foundation of God, which is the Anointed Salvation of Yehovah, stands sure because the eternal Father knows them that are His. He has set them apart and preserved them in the Anointed Salvation of Yehovah where they walk the path set for them and run the race with patience; knowing that patience comes by divers temptations. These temptations prove the impotence and vanity of man while proving the faith within, as the hand of the Father rests upon the earthen vessel reducing it back to the dust from whence it came (tribulation). These are grievous to the flesh but “the patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations which you endure are the manifest tokens of the righteous judgement of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you suffer” (II Thes. 1:4)
The election according to grace runs the race set before them, regardless of the time of their habitation or the station they have been assigned, even as gate keepers in remote locations of a building not yet built, being content in His love and mercy;
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God; for consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest you be weary and faint in your minds” (Heb. 12:2)
Your servant in Christ,
chet
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting. If an answer is needed, we will respond.