When God Suspends the Rules - Part 3
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
This is Part 3 of our messages on "When God suspends the rules." In our previous message we described some events when God suspended the rules in the life of Enoch, Moses, Ruth, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. In this message we will look at some events in the life of David, Elijah, and Elisha, all three of whom were prophets of the Lord.
David, which means "beloved," was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. He was the second King (after Saul) and the greatest king of Israel. That is another example of the false, Saul, which came before the true, David. David was a warrior, a musician, a poet, a prophet, a king, and a type of Jesus. He was one of those holy men of old moved by the Holy Spirit to set forth many truths related to Christ as Messiah. God suspended the rules with David in making him king because the elder sons had family rights before the youngest. Even the great prophet Samuel overlooked David in searching for a king. But God also suspended the rules with David a number of other times.
We know that David committed adultery with Bathsheba, which resulted in a child being born. Then he had Uriah, her husband, killed (2 Samuel 11). He committed another grievous error when he numbered all Israel (1 Chronicles 21). In addition, David violated the word of the Lord concerning kings because he had multiple wives. The Lord had commanded, in Deuteronomy 17:17, "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away."
Note, in verse 1, the phrase "on the third day." There are many similar phrases in the Bible. The "third day" always illustrates some resurrection truth. In this case, David and his men assumed that all of their wives and children were dead. They later received their families back as if they had been resurrected from the dead.
The events in verses 1 and 2 of 1 Samuel 30, were, of course, unknown to David and his men as they marched back to Ziklag on the third day. Just before David and his men reached Ziklag, they had to go up a small rise in a hill. At that point they were probably all rejoicing and happy to get back home without having to fight against the Israelites. But when they reached the crest of that hill they saw a sight that quickly turned their joy into weeping and mourning. They saw all of their houses burnt to the ground. Some smoke was still rising from the charred wood. There was NO life in sight. All of the women, children, and animals were gone. Because David and his men knew the conditions of war, they immediately assumed that all of their wives and children had been slaughtered.
In verse 3, their wives and their sons and daughters were taken captive. The wife signifies two things: our relationships and our reproduction. The enemy knows that if he can destroy our relationships, then we are defeated. Our relationship with the Lord is the most intimate of all relationships. Today we need to develop that intimate relationship with Him. Our relationships with other believers is also vital. Moses understood that. In Exodus 33:12, Moses said, "Lord, you have told me to lead these people out of Egypt, but You have not told me who is going with me." We need to have a clear word from the Lord as to which believers we are called to walk closely with. Our relationships can drastically affect the fulfillment of our destiny!
Next, the enemy is after our ability to reproduce spiritually. This affects the fruit of our ministry. Paul called Timothy his son. If the enemy can destroy our ability to reproduce, the spread of the message of the kingdom of God is likewise hindered.
The third thing the enemy is after is our children ... our sons and daughters. Our children represent our future. A number of years ago, a good brother in the Lord told me that from his observation and experience, he could see a number of older men who have some maturity about them and who have something to say. But he said that he did not see the younger men coming up to replace them. As a result, he said that the Lord put a burden on his heart to somehow teach and equip younger men to continue the ministry. We share his burden.
In verse 4 of 1 Samuel 30, they wept until they had no more power or strength to weep. They felt perhaps even worse than Nehemiah did when he saw that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates were burnt with fire. When Nehemiah saw that sight, he sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven (Nehemiah 1:3-4). Everything that David and his men had worked for the past sixteen months was gone. They began to think, why did we ever leave to join the Philistine army? Why didn't we leave some of the men here to protect our families? What is wrong with this man David who would allow such a thing to happen to our families? Some of the men perhaps even began to question how a Holy God had allowed such a disaster to come upon them.
In verse 6, David became greatly distressed. He had suffered the same loss as his men. His two wives had been taken captive. His house had also been destroyed. But added to those events, David was greatly distressed because his men spoke about stoning him. Some of the men picked up large stones and had them in their hands. His men never considered that David had suffered the same loss. His men thought only about themselves. They began to say, it is all David's fault. Let's stone him! David was not fearful of losing his life. He knew that he had been anointed as king over Israel by the great prophet Samuel. So he trusted the Lord that the men would not stone him; otherwise the word of the Lord could never come to pass. But David was greatly distressed that his men apparently had lost faith in the Lord.
Also, in verse 6, despite all of the outward circumstances, David "encouraged himself in the Lord." Although we are admonished to encourage one another in the Lord, what can we do when no man encourages us? have a pity party? just give up? Or will we do what David did in the direst of circumstances ... encourage ourself in the Lord. The Lord said He will never leave us nor forsake us. The Lord is our great Encourager.
Many years ago, I heard a preacher relate a conversation between himself and a young believer. The young believer was distressed because no one had even wished him a happy birthday and he had not received any form of a birthday celebration. The preacher's advice to the young believer was the following. Go buy a birthday card and mail it to yourself. Buy yourself a birthday present. Buy a birthday cake, put candles on it, sing happy birthday to yourself, and enjoy the day. In other words, encourage yourself in the Lord.
What was David's reaction to the possible stoning? He never defended himself. Any time any man in leadership position tries to defend himself, he needs more work done within his soul. David never tried to reason with his men. He never asked the Lord to send His angels to protect him from his own men. Instead, in verse 6, David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Sometimes we arrive at a point in our life when it seems that all men have forsaken us and forgotten about us. That happened to Jesus prior to His crucifixion. From 2 Timothy 4:16, Paul said, "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge."
Sometimes the only encouragement we get comes only from the Lord Himself. So David determined quickly that since all men were turning away from him, all he could do was to encourage himself in the Lord. How did he do that? David, the sweet psalmist, began to sing praises to the Lord.
As David began to praise and magnify the Lord, his men looked at him as though he must have been crazy. They realized that David also had lost everything. They saw that even though they were about to stone him to death, David just began to praise the Lord. The men lowered their arms with the stones still in their hands. David continued to sing praises to the Lord.
All of the men now dropped their rocks. They went over and embraced David and asked his forgiveness. God had intervened on David's behalf! The principle for us today as believers is quite clear. If we are faced with a terrible catastrophe in our life that seems utterly hopeless, then just praise the Lord for His great grace, mercy, and love, and thank Him for all things.
But then, in verses 7 and 8, David did something else. He inquired of the Lord. The reason that David never lost a battle was because he always asked the Lord whether or not he should go up to battle. He trusted the Lord in all things. He knew that in times of trouble he should always ask the Lord what to do. So in verse 8, David asked the Lord two specific questions. David had learned to always be specific in the things that he asked of the Lord. He said, "Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them?" Whenever we ask the Lord two things, he gives us three answers. David knew better than to ask whether the wives and children were still alive. He assumed that the Amalekites had already slain all of the wives and children. David probably had only revenge in his mind.
But the Lord answered him, "Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them." David said, "Thank You, Lord, and started to walk away." Then the Lord said, "By the way, David, you will not only pursue and overtake them; you will without fail recover all." At that point, David's heart was full of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord!
So David pursued (1 Samuel 30:10) and overtook the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:16). He also recovered ALL that the Amalekites had carried away (1 Samuel 30:18) and David rescued his two wives. The word of God never fails! God is faithful!
Every one of us has had something stolen from us in the past by the enemy. Some of us have lost our jobs, our prosperity, our wife, our children, our health, our anointing, our ministry, our reputation, our relationships, even perhaps our hope. But this is the day and the hour that the word of the Lord says to "take it all back from the enemy." In order to do that we must pursue the enemy, for if we do not pursue, then we cannot overtake. Then we must overtake the enemy, for if we do not overtake, then we cannot recover all. What is it that you have lost? What has been stolen from you by the enemy? that which is rightly yours? The Lord says to pursue, overtake, and you will recover all!
Why did God suspend the rules for David? because David was a man after His own heart. He always praised the Lord in difficult situations; he always sought the Lord before going out to battle. David, in Psalm 19:12, also asked the Lord to cleanse him from all those more hidden faults that he was not even aware of.
Elijah
Elijah, which means "God is the Lord," was one of those rare prophets who just appears out of nowhere and fulfills his call and purpose on earth. Only six chapters in the Old Testament describe the life and acts of Elijah, but he is referenced 30 times in the New Testament. In
Elijah was just a man of like passions as we. Why did God suspend the rules with Elijah? Who was this man Elijah who had power to shut up heaven from rain? What made him different from us today?
When the fire of the Lord fell, in verse 38, it consumed everything ... even the water. The fire of the Lord is no ordinary fire! His fire is an all-consuming fire!
The result of this confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal was that the people finally professed that the Lord is God. Will it take a similar manifestation of the power of God in our day to wake up the Church?
Elijah and Elisha were parted by a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and Elijah was escorted directly to heaven via a whirlwind. What was special about Elijah that he was only one of two men in the Bible who never tasted physical death? Why did God suspend the rules with Elijah?
Elijah knew his God and His God knew him. Elijah knew that he had been commissioned to stand in the presence of the Lord (1 Kings 17:1 and 1 Kings 18:15). He had been thoroughly and divinely processed (1 Kings 17, through the humbling experiences of being fed by the ravens and the widow woman of Zarephath). He fervently identified with the plans and purposes of God. He was very jealous for the Lord God of hosts (1 Kings 19:10 and 14). He stood alone (so he thought), without the encouragement of man. It is human to stand with the crowd. It is divine to stand with the Lord. Elijah boldly proclaimed the word of God and exposed and brought down the false prophets. As such, he "troubled all Israel" (1 Kings 18:17), which was apostate. Because he fulfilled his God-given destiny, he pleased the Lord, just as Enoch and others did.
Elisha had the same intensity of purpose as did Jacob, who said, "I will not let you go until you bless me." Three times, Elijah told Elisha to tarry here while I go yonder; and three times Elisha said, "I am going with you wherever you go. I want a double portion of your spirit."
Upon a superficial reading, those verses only seem to describe the twelfth miracle performed through the word of the Lord as given to Elisha. Iron, of course, does not float; it sinks to the bottom of the sea. However, let us take a closer look.
In verse 1, the sons of the prophets said to Elisha that the place where they dwelled (with Elisha) was too strait for them ... too narrow, too restricted, too confined. This same confinement and restriction applies to many of God's people today. Therefore, the Lord is saying, today, from
Note in 2 Kings 6:1 that it was the sons of the prophets who came to Elisha to tell him about their undue confinement. Why did not Elisha perceive that fact first? If that place was too strait for the sons of the prophets, then it was too strait for Elisha also! At first, Elisha, in 2 Kings 6:2, indicated, "You go ahead to Jordan. I am more comfortable here." But in verse 3, he agrees to go with them.
At that point in time there were sons of the prophets who dwelled in Gilgal (2 Kings 4:38), another set of sons of the prophets who dwelled in Bethel (2 Kings 2:3), and another set of sons of the prophets who dwelled at Jericho (2 Kings 2:5). But there were NO sons of the prophets who dwelled at Jordan. This has great significance for the charismatic community today!
Gilgal was the place of the first circumcision and the first passover after entering the promised land. Gilgal represents being born again ... the circumcision of the heart. Bethel, which means "house of God," signifies moving into body ministry ... a corporate community where the various spiritual gifts and ministries operate by the power of the Holy Ghost. Bethel also signifies the place of the first anointing where Jacob poured oil upon the top of the stones (Genesis 28:16-22). Jericho signifies spiritual warfare. In the parable called the "good Samaritan," we see warfare on the road to Jericho.
Jordan represents the place of entrance into the promised land, or into the holy of holies. In other words, these four places represent the spiritual progression in the life of a believer. In our day, there are a number of prophets who dwell in Gilgal; a number of other prophets who dwell in Bethel, and a number of other prophets who dwell at Jericho. But the number of prophets who dwell at Jordan are few and far between! We need the discernment of the Lord to be able to distinguish between the prophets who are at such different spiritual levels! Jesus said that among those born of women there had not risen a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he (Matthew 11:11).
In 2 Kings 4, they arrived at Jordan and started cutting down wood, using axes with iron axe heads on a wooden handle ... typical of those today.
In verse 5, the axe head of one of the sons of the prophets fell off into the water and sank to the bottom of the water. At that time an iron axe head was a costly tool, too expensive for the members of the prophetic company to purchase. If the borrower lost it, he faced the prospect of having to work off the value as a bondservant. Our anointing is borrowed from the Lord. There is NO anointing outside of Christ! In fact, everything that we are and have, is borrowed from the Lord. We must be good stewards of everything we have received from the Lord.
The iron axe head signifies the anointing; the wooden handle represents the humanity of man. When humanity works with the anointing, trees get cut down so that we can build the house. When we lose our anointing, we can beat against trees as much as we like, but all we will do is make a lot of noise. It becomes a work of the flesh.
The axe head fell into the water. That means that the anointing got lost in the sea of humanity, due to some compromise or mixture ... perhaps due to the prophet's lack of carefulness. So Elisha asked where the axe head fell. When the prophet showed Elisha where it fell, what did Elisha do? He did not pray and say, Lord please help us; neither did he pray and say, Lord, please cause the axe head to float. He did not pray at all! Likewise, Elisha did not prophesy that the axe head would float back to the surface. Neither did Elisha say, Let us just believe that the axe head will float back to the surface. Neither did Elisha say, Let us just praise the Lord and maybe the axe head will surface again.
What did Elisha do? He cut down a stick and cast it in that spot and the iron did swim. The stick represents the cross of Calvary. In 2 Kings 6:7, the prophet did as he was told and he put out his hand and took the axe head back up. It is easy to lose the anointing but not quite so easy to regain it. When we lose our anointing, no matter what our ministry may be, no amount of prayer, praise, prophecy, or ministry from other believers will restore that anointing. The ONLY way to regain a lost anointing is to run to the cross, ask for His grace, mercy, and forgiveness, and then reach out by faith and pick it back up.
In only one other Scripture was a stick or tree thrown into the water.
Note in verse 22 the phrase "three days." This again foretells a resurrection truth. In the natural realm, we need water more than food to survive.
Later, in verse 27, they came to Elim, where they found sweet water, so Marah (bitter) always comes before Elim (sweet). Suffering always comes before glory. Esther was purified six months with bitter herbs and then six months with sweet herbs. The wilderness always comes before the promised land. The cross comes before the crown. And it is by embracing the cross of Calvary that the bitter is turned into the sweet! Likewise, it is only by embracing the cross of Calvary that we regain our anointing.
In Exodus, chapters 3 and 4, after the Lord had commissioned Moses to go and set His people free, Moses gave five excuses as to why he could not fulfill that which the Lord told him to do. After the third excuse (Exodus 4:1), the Lord asked Moses, "What is that in thine hand?" Moses responded, "a rod." Exodus 4:3-4, "And He said, Cast in on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand."
From that passage, it is a lot easier to lose the authority and/or the ministry that the Lord has given to us than to regain it. It is much more difficult to pick up a serpent than to cast down the rod of authority. It requires an act of faith.
Now let us see another level of significance to the verses in 2 Kings 6:1-7. First, after the prophet lost his borrowed axe head, he went to Elisha and told him about his problem. We must do the same. We must admit that we have a problem. Everyone has a problem. The pastor has a problem, the prophet has a problem, everyone has a problem sooner or later.
Second, after we admit that we have a problem, we must go back to the source of the problem. Where and when did we first lose our anointing? What caused the problem? This is the question that Elisha asked the son of the prophet, in 2 Kings 6:6. "Where did the axe head fall?" The axe must be laid to the root of the trees (Matthew 3:10).
Third, we must have an expectation, after we run to the cross, that the Lord will restore us just as if nothing had ever happened. This is what the prophet did. He expected Elisha to do something about his lost axe head. He was not disappointed!
Expectation and anticipation are keys in our receiving from the Lord. If we do not expect Him to move on our behalf then He probably will not. But even our very expectation itself is from Him!
Just prior to the first advent of Christ to the earth, the Jewish people were in a state of expectation. They had been conquered and carried away captive by the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, and more recently the Romans. They were looking for the time when the long-awaited Messiah would come and restore again the [natural] kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). When John the Baptist came onto the scene, some thought that he might have been the Messiah.
In some parts of the Church today, there is likewise a great expectation of the second advent of Jesus! Along with that is the corresponding expectation of the manifestation of the sons of God. That time must be preceded by great sufferings. Does the Church in the United States glory in the sufferings of Christ? Many years ago, I visited a church in Arlington, Virginia, where the pastor told perhaps 250 Christians that "suffering is not of God." My, my, my! I wonder if that pastor believes that the suffering that Jesus experienced was not of God!
Likewise, we must have the expectation that, after we run to the cross, the Lord will restore us just as if the sin had never happened.
Thanks be to our wonderful Lord and Savior! The question is, however, what are we expecting?
Why did God suspend the rules when He caused the iron axe head to float to the surface? Certainly, one reason was to record for all of history the need for the anointing. "Christ" means "anointed" or "the anointed one." There is no anointing outside of Christ! We believe that there is an anointing to speak, an anointing to do, and an anointing to be or become. In each case we obtain or share in the anointing only because we are in Christ. The precious ointment of anointing is first of all upon the Head!
When brethren dwell together in unity, the anointing that is first of all upon the Head, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, then flows down across Aaron's beard, which represents true apostolic ministry. That anointing then continues to the skirts of His garments, which speaks of every member of the body of Christ.
We also learn from this account in 2 Kings 6:1-7 the scarcity of true prophets who dwell at spiritual Jordan. Although Elisha did twice as many miracles as Elijah, he did not have the same inner nature worked within as did Elijah. We will not list all of the scriptural proofs of that statement (I have found at least five). Elisha was content to do the miracles. Elijah allowed the sovereignty of God to work His nature within him. This serves as a warning to us. There are always more Elishas than Elijahs.
A further sobering thought is that the verses in 2 Kings 6:1-7 NEVER actually say that they finished building at the Jordan or dwelled there! This speaks of a tremendous spiritual principle which the Lord quickened to my wife many years ago. In our early walk with the Lord as husband and wife, she prayed long and hard for me to see and enter into the "oneness of the husband/wife ministry" that the Lord was after. In one of her weeping moments, the Lord quickened to her that even if we never entered into that beautiful unity of one ministry in our marriage that the Lord was after, the Lord still saw her in the company of those who DO enter in and walk as one, because it was in her heart!
The sons of the prophets who went to Jordan, even though they never actually dwelled there, entered into that place spiritually in the sight of God because it was in their hearts.
The same principle applies in many different areas of our lives. If things of the Lord are beyond our ability to enter into physically because of hindering relationships and circumstances, we can still enter in spiritually because we embrace them in our heart! Hallelujah! What an awesome God we serve! Amen and amen.
David, which means "beloved," was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. He was the second King (after Saul) and the greatest king of Israel. That is another example of the false, Saul, which came before the true, David. David was a warrior, a musician, a poet, a prophet, a king, and a type of Jesus. He was one of those holy men of old moved by the Holy Spirit to set forth many truths related to Christ as Messiah. God suspended the rules with David in making him king because the elder sons had family rights before the youngest. Even the great prophet Samuel overlooked David in searching for a king. But God also suspended the rules with David a number of other times.
We know that David committed adultery with Bathsheba, which resulted in a child being born. Then he had Uriah, her husband, killed (2 Samuel 11). He committed another grievous error when he numbered all Israel (1 Chronicles 21). In addition, David violated the word of the Lord concerning kings because he had multiple wives. The Lord had commanded, in Deuteronomy 17:17, "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away."
But despite these great sins on his part, the Lord still said that David was "a man after His own heart, which shall fulfill all My will" (Acts 13:22). God suspended the rules with David at least four times. Why? One reason was because David was a quick repenter. He praised the Lord in all things; he trusted the Lord. But there are other reasons. If you have a bible close by, please turn to the verses in 1 Samuel 30:1-8, which we will look at shortly.
In order to more fully understand the significance of those eight verses, we need to remember what had preceded in the life of David. David had been anointed as king by Samuel (1 Samuel 16). But there was one slight problem ... Saul was still sitting on the throne. Saul, in his jealousy of David, had become a highly skilled spear thrower. We believers today need to be careful around men who throw spears. So David feared for his life and ran away. His journeys finally took him to the land of the Philistines, the long-time enemy of the Israelites. He persuaded Achish, the king of the Philistines, to give him and his 600 men a town to live in. That town was called Ziklag. David and his men built houses in Liklag, raised crops, raised sons and daughters, and dwelled there for 16 months. During that time, David and his men periodically went out to smite the Amalekites. But there came a day when the Philistines went to battle against Israel. David undoubtedly sensed that he was between a rock and a hard place. How could he go out to fight against his fellow citizens of Israel, over whom he had been anointed as king? But likewise, how could he not repay the kindness that king Achish had shown unto him? When king Achish told David that he would be going out to battle against the Israelites, David undoubtedly asked for the wisdom of the Lord. Meanwhile David agreed to honor king Achish's decision and prepared his men for battle. Wisely, however, he placed his men in the rear of the Philistine's army line. We do not know from Scripture what went through David's mind. Perhaps he thought that maybe the battle would be over before he and his men had to fight. However, when the Philistine generals saw David and his men in the battle array, they refused to allow him to fight, so king Achish reluctantly told David to go back home to Ziklag. At that point David probably said, "Thank you Lord for saving me from an impossible situation!" So the next morning David and his men started back home to Ziklag.
Now the Amalekites had always wanted revenge on David because David and his men had beaten them in battle too many times. David, being a man of war, would always completely destroy every person in battles against the Amalekites. You will recall that one of the reasons that Saul lost his position as king was because he had disobeyed the Lord by NOT killing every man, woman, child, and animal of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15). So the Amalekites had spies who were always watching David's town. One day they saw that ALL of the men had left for battle, so they came and ravaged Ziklag, burnt it to the ground, and took all of the women and children away.
In order to more fully understand the significance of those eight verses, we need to remember what had preceded in the life of David. David had been anointed as king by Samuel (1 Samuel 16). But there was one slight problem ... Saul was still sitting on the throne. Saul, in his jealousy of David, had become a highly skilled spear thrower. We believers today need to be careful around men who throw spears. So David feared for his life and ran away. His journeys finally took him to the land of the Philistines, the long-time enemy of the Israelites. He persuaded Achish, the king of the Philistines, to give him and his 600 men a town to live in. That town was called Ziklag. David and his men built houses in Liklag, raised crops, raised sons and daughters, and dwelled there for 16 months. During that time, David and his men periodically went out to smite the Amalekites. But there came a day when the Philistines went to battle against Israel. David undoubtedly sensed that he was between a rock and a hard place. How could he go out to fight against his fellow citizens of Israel, over whom he had been anointed as king? But likewise, how could he not repay the kindness that king Achish had shown unto him? When king Achish told David that he would be going out to battle against the Israelites, David undoubtedly asked for the wisdom of the Lord. Meanwhile David agreed to honor king Achish's decision and prepared his men for battle. Wisely, however, he placed his men in the rear of the Philistine's army line. We do not know from Scripture what went through David's mind. Perhaps he thought that maybe the battle would be over before he and his men had to fight. However, when the Philistine generals saw David and his men in the battle array, they refused to allow him to fight, so king Achish reluctantly told David to go back home to Ziklag. At that point David probably said, "Thank you Lord for saving me from an impossible situation!" So the next morning David and his men started back home to Ziklag.
Now the Amalekites had always wanted revenge on David because David and his men had beaten them in battle too many times. David, being a man of war, would always completely destroy every person in battles against the Amalekites. You will recall that one of the reasons that Saul lost his position as king was because he had disobeyed the Lord by NOT killing every man, woman, child, and animal of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15). So the Amalekites had spies who were always watching David's town. One day they saw that ALL of the men had left for battle, so they came and ravaged Ziklag, burnt it to the ground, and took all of the women and children away.
1 Samuel 30:1-8, "And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burnt it with fire. And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burnt with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lift up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. And David inquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And He answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all."
Note, in verse 1, the phrase "on the third day." There are many similar phrases in the Bible. The "third day" always illustrates some resurrection truth. In this case, David and his men assumed that all of their wives and children were dead. They later received their families back as if they had been resurrected from the dead.
The events in verses 1 and 2 of 1 Samuel 30, were, of course, unknown to David and his men as they marched back to Ziklag on the third day. Just before David and his men reached Ziklag, they had to go up a small rise in a hill. At that point they were probably all rejoicing and happy to get back home without having to fight against the Israelites. But when they reached the crest of that hill they saw a sight that quickly turned their joy into weeping and mourning. They saw all of their houses burnt to the ground. Some smoke was still rising from the charred wood. There was NO life in sight. All of the women, children, and animals were gone. Because David and his men knew the conditions of war, they immediately assumed that all of their wives and children had been slaughtered.
In verse 3, their wives and their sons and daughters were taken captive. The wife signifies two things: our relationships and our reproduction. The enemy knows that if he can destroy our relationships, then we are defeated. Our relationship with the Lord is the most intimate of all relationships. Today we need to develop that intimate relationship with Him. Our relationships with other believers is also vital. Moses understood that. In Exodus 33:12, Moses said, "Lord, you have told me to lead these people out of Egypt, but You have not told me who is going with me." We need to have a clear word from the Lord as to which believers we are called to walk closely with. Our relationships can drastically affect the fulfillment of our destiny!
Next, the enemy is after our ability to reproduce spiritually. This affects the fruit of our ministry. Paul called Timothy his son. If the enemy can destroy our ability to reproduce, the spread of the message of the kingdom of God is likewise hindered.
The third thing the enemy is after is our children ... our sons and daughters. Our children represent our future. A number of years ago, a good brother in the Lord told me that from his observation and experience, he could see a number of older men who have some maturity about them and who have something to say. But he said that he did not see the younger men coming up to replace them. As a result, he said that the Lord put a burden on his heart to somehow teach and equip younger men to continue the ministry. We share his burden.
In verse 4 of 1 Samuel 30, they wept until they had no more power or strength to weep. They felt perhaps even worse than Nehemiah did when he saw that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates were burnt with fire. When Nehemiah saw that sight, he sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven (Nehemiah 1:3-4). Everything that David and his men had worked for the past sixteen months was gone. They began to think, why did we ever leave to join the Philistine army? Why didn't we leave some of the men here to protect our families? What is wrong with this man David who would allow such a thing to happen to our families? Some of the men perhaps even began to question how a Holy God had allowed such a disaster to come upon them.
In verse 6, David became greatly distressed. He had suffered the same loss as his men. His two wives had been taken captive. His house had also been destroyed. But added to those events, David was greatly distressed because his men spoke about stoning him. Some of the men picked up large stones and had them in their hands. His men never considered that David had suffered the same loss. His men thought only about themselves. They began to say, it is all David's fault. Let's stone him! David was not fearful of losing his life. He knew that he had been anointed as king over Israel by the great prophet Samuel. So he trusted the Lord that the men would not stone him; otherwise the word of the Lord could never come to pass. But David was greatly distressed that his men apparently had lost faith in the Lord.
Also, in verse 6, despite all of the outward circumstances, David "encouraged himself in the Lord." Although we are admonished to encourage one another in the Lord, what can we do when no man encourages us? have a pity party? just give up? Or will we do what David did in the direst of circumstances ... encourage ourself in the Lord. The Lord said He will never leave us nor forsake us. The Lord is our great Encourager.
Many years ago, I heard a preacher relate a conversation between himself and a young believer. The young believer was distressed because no one had even wished him a happy birthday and he had not received any form of a birthday celebration. The preacher's advice to the young believer was the following. Go buy a birthday card and mail it to yourself. Buy yourself a birthday present. Buy a birthday cake, put candles on it, sing happy birthday to yourself, and enjoy the day. In other words, encourage yourself in the Lord.
What was David's reaction to the possible stoning? He never defended himself. Any time any man in leadership position tries to defend himself, he needs more work done within his soul. David never tried to reason with his men. He never asked the Lord to send His angels to protect him from his own men. Instead, in verse 6, David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Sometimes we arrive at a point in our life when it seems that all men have forsaken us and forgotten about us. That happened to Jesus prior to His crucifixion. From 2 Timothy 4:16, Paul said, "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge."
Sometimes the only encouragement we get comes only from the Lord Himself. So David determined quickly that since all men were turning away from him, all he could do was to encourage himself in the Lord. How did he do that? David, the sweet psalmist, began to sing praises to the Lord.
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me.Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name.The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.
As David began to praise and magnify the Lord, his men looked at him as though he must have been crazy. They realized that David also had lost everything. They saw that even though they were about to stone him to death, David just began to praise the Lord. The men lowered their arms with the stones still in their hands. David continued to sing praises to the Lord.
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever: With my mouth I will make known Thy faithfulness to all generations.It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High.O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Praise ye the Lord.O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever.
All of the men now dropped their rocks. They went over and embraced David and asked his forgiveness. God had intervened on David's behalf! The principle for us today as believers is quite clear. If we are faced with a terrible catastrophe in our life that seems utterly hopeless, then just praise the Lord for His great grace, mercy, and love, and thank Him for all things.
But then, in verses 7 and 8, David did something else. He inquired of the Lord. The reason that David never lost a battle was because he always asked the Lord whether or not he should go up to battle. He trusted the Lord in all things. He knew that in times of trouble he should always ask the Lord what to do. So in verse 8, David asked the Lord two specific questions. David had learned to always be specific in the things that he asked of the Lord. He said, "Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them?" Whenever we ask the Lord two things, he gives us three answers. David knew better than to ask whether the wives and children were still alive. He assumed that the Amalekites had already slain all of the wives and children. David probably had only revenge in his mind.
But the Lord answered him, "Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them." David said, "Thank You, Lord, and started to walk away." Then the Lord said, "By the way, David, you will not only pursue and overtake them; you will without fail recover all." At that point, David's heart was full of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord!
So David pursued (1 Samuel 30:10) and overtook the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:16). He also recovered ALL that the Amalekites had carried away (1 Samuel 30:18) and David rescued his two wives. The word of God never fails! God is faithful!
Every one of us has had something stolen from us in the past by the enemy. Some of us have lost our jobs, our prosperity, our wife, our children, our health, our anointing, our ministry, our reputation, our relationships, even perhaps our hope. But this is the day and the hour that the word of the Lord says to "take it all back from the enemy." In order to do that we must pursue the enemy, for if we do not pursue, then we cannot overtake. Then we must overtake the enemy, for if we do not overtake, then we cannot recover all. What is it that you have lost? What has been stolen from you by the enemy? that which is rightly yours? The Lord says to pursue, overtake, and you will recover all!
Why did God suspend the rules for David? because David was a man after His own heart. He always praised the Lord in difficult situations; he always sought the Lord before going out to battle. David, in Psalm 19:12, also asked the Lord to cleanse him from all those more hidden faults that he was not even aware of.
Elijah
Elijah, which means "God is the Lord," was one of those rare prophets who just appears out of nowhere and fulfills his call and purpose on earth. Only six chapters in the Old Testament describe the life and acts of Elijah, but he is referenced 30 times in the New Testament. In
James 5:17-18, "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.And he prayed again, and the heaven brought forth her fruit."
Elijah was just a man of like passions as we. Why did God suspend the rules with Elijah? Who was this man Elijah who had power to shut up heaven from rain? What made him different from us today?
1 Kings 18:21, 30-39, "And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.[30] And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar; as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me now, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the Lord God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and they said, The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God."
Elijah was an intense prayer warrior, with a tremendous zeal for God and His ways. He was jealous for the Lord God of hosts. Elijah also knew for a certainty the call on his life. Note that Elijah's simple but earnest and fervent prayer in Verse 36 stands in sharp contrast to the frantic shouts, dancing, and self-mutilation of the prophets of Baal. We believers do not have to shout or go through any other emotional outburst in order to gain the attention of the Lord! He is not deaf. Instead, we need to become servants, as Elijah said in verse 36 that he was. The Lord never said that He would reveal His secret simply to the prophets! There is a difference between the prophets and His SERVANTS the prophets!
Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7
When the fire of the Lord fell, in verse 38, it consumed everything ... even the water. The fire of the Lord is no ordinary fire! His fire is an all-consuming fire!
The result of this confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal was that the people finally professed that the Lord is God. Will it take a similar manifestation of the power of God in our day to wake up the Church?
Elijah and Elisha were parted by a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and Elijah was escorted directly to heaven via a whirlwind. What was special about Elijah that he was only one of two men in the Bible who never tasted physical death? Why did God suspend the rules with Elijah?
Elijah knew his God and His God knew him. Elijah knew that he had been commissioned to stand in the presence of the Lord (1 Kings 17:1 and 1 Kings 18:15). He had been thoroughly and divinely processed (1 Kings 17, through the humbling experiences of being fed by the ravens and the widow woman of Zarephath). He fervently identified with the plans and purposes of God. He was very jealous for the Lord God of hosts (1 Kings 19:10 and 14). He stood alone (so he thought), without the encouragement of man. It is human to stand with the crowd. It is divine to stand with the Lord. Elijah boldly proclaimed the word of God and exposed and brought down the false prophets. As such, he "troubled all Israel" (1 Kings 18:17), which was apostate. Because he fulfilled his God-given destiny, he pleased the Lord, just as Enoch and others did.
Elisha had the same intensity of purpose as did Jacob, who said, "I will not let you go until you bless me." Three times, Elijah told Elisha to tarry here while I go yonder; and three times Elisha said, "I am going with you wherever you go. I want a double portion of your spirit."
2 Kings 6:1-7, "And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it."
Upon a superficial reading, those verses only seem to describe the twelfth miracle performed through the word of the Lord as given to Elisha. Iron, of course, does not float; it sinks to the bottom of the sea. However, let us take a closer look.
In verse 1, the sons of the prophets said to Elisha that the place where they dwelled (with Elisha) was too strait for them ... too narrow, too restricted, too confined. This same confinement and restriction applies to many of God's people today. Therefore, the Lord is saying, today, from
Isaiah 54:2-3, "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: Spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited."
Note in 2 Kings 6:1 that it was the sons of the prophets who came to Elisha to tell him about their undue confinement. Why did not Elisha perceive that fact first? If that place was too strait for the sons of the prophets, then it was too strait for Elisha also! At first, Elisha, in 2 Kings 6:2, indicated, "You go ahead to Jordan. I am more comfortable here." But in verse 3, he agrees to go with them.
At that point in time there were sons of the prophets who dwelled in Gilgal (2 Kings 4:38), another set of sons of the prophets who dwelled in Bethel (2 Kings 2:3), and another set of sons of the prophets who dwelled at Jericho (2 Kings 2:5). But there were NO sons of the prophets who dwelled at Jordan. This has great significance for the charismatic community today!
Gilgal was the place of the first circumcision and the first passover after entering the promised land. Gilgal represents being born again ... the circumcision of the heart. Bethel, which means "house of God," signifies moving into body ministry ... a corporate community where the various spiritual gifts and ministries operate by the power of the Holy Ghost. Bethel also signifies the place of the first anointing where Jacob poured oil upon the top of the stones (Genesis 28:16-22). Jericho signifies spiritual warfare. In the parable called the "good Samaritan," we see warfare on the road to Jericho.
A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Luke 10:30
Jordan represents the place of entrance into the promised land, or into the holy of holies. In other words, these four places represent the spiritual progression in the life of a believer. In our day, there are a number of prophets who dwell in Gilgal; a number of other prophets who dwell in Bethel, and a number of other prophets who dwell at Jericho. But the number of prophets who dwell at Jordan are few and far between! We need the discernment of the Lord to be able to distinguish between the prophets who are at such different spiritual levels! Jesus said that among those born of women there had not risen a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he (Matthew 11:11).
In 2 Kings 4, they arrived at Jordan and started cutting down wood, using axes with iron axe heads on a wooden handle ... typical of those today.
In verse 5, the axe head of one of the sons of the prophets fell off into the water and sank to the bottom of the water. At that time an iron axe head was a costly tool, too expensive for the members of the prophetic company to purchase. If the borrower lost it, he faced the prospect of having to work off the value as a bondservant. Our anointing is borrowed from the Lord. There is NO anointing outside of Christ! In fact, everything that we are and have, is borrowed from the Lord. We must be good stewards of everything we have received from the Lord.
The iron axe head signifies the anointing; the wooden handle represents the humanity of man. When humanity works with the anointing, trees get cut down so that we can build the house. When we lose our anointing, we can beat against trees as much as we like, but all we will do is make a lot of noise. It becomes a work of the flesh.
The axe head fell into the water. That means that the anointing got lost in the sea of humanity, due to some compromise or mixture ... perhaps due to the prophet's lack of carefulness. So Elisha asked where the axe head fell. When the prophet showed Elisha where it fell, what did Elisha do? He did not pray and say, Lord please help us; neither did he pray and say, Lord, please cause the axe head to float. He did not pray at all! Likewise, Elisha did not prophesy that the axe head would float back to the surface. Neither did Elisha say, Let us just believe that the axe head will float back to the surface. Neither did Elisha say, Let us just praise the Lord and maybe the axe head will surface again.
What did Elisha do? He cut down a stick and cast it in that spot and the iron did swim. The stick represents the cross of Calvary. In 2 Kings 6:7, the prophet did as he was told and he put out his hand and took the axe head back up. It is easy to lose the anointing but not quite so easy to regain it. When we lose our anointing, no matter what our ministry may be, no amount of prayer, praise, prophecy, or ministry from other believers will restore that anointing. The ONLY way to regain a lost anointing is to run to the cross, ask for His grace, mercy, and forgiveness, and then reach out by faith and pick it back up.
In only one other Scripture was a stick or tree thrown into the water.
Exodus 15:22-25, "So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them."
Note in verse 22 the phrase "three days." This again foretells a resurrection truth. In the natural realm, we need water more than food to survive.
Later, in verse 27, they came to Elim, where they found sweet water, so Marah (bitter) always comes before Elim (sweet). Suffering always comes before glory. Esther was purified six months with bitter herbs and then six months with sweet herbs. The wilderness always comes before the promised land. The cross comes before the crown. And it is by embracing the cross of Calvary that the bitter is turned into the sweet! Likewise, it is only by embracing the cross of Calvary that we regain our anointing.
In Exodus, chapters 3 and 4, after the Lord had commissioned Moses to go and set His people free, Moses gave five excuses as to why he could not fulfill that which the Lord told him to do. After the third excuse (Exodus 4:1), the Lord asked Moses, "What is that in thine hand?" Moses responded, "a rod." Exodus 4:3-4, "And He said, Cast in on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand."
From that passage, it is a lot easier to lose the authority and/or the ministry that the Lord has given to us than to regain it. It is much more difficult to pick up a serpent than to cast down the rod of authority. It requires an act of faith.
Now let us see another level of significance to the verses in 2 Kings 6:1-7. First, after the prophet lost his borrowed axe head, he went to Elisha and told him about his problem. We must do the same. We must admit that we have a problem. Everyone has a problem. The pastor has a problem, the prophet has a problem, everyone has a problem sooner or later.
Isaiah 58:6a-7b, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?"Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16
Second, after we admit that we have a problem, we must go back to the source of the problem. Where and when did we first lose our anointing? What caused the problem? This is the question that Elisha asked the son of the prophet, in 2 Kings 6:6. "Where did the axe head fall?" The axe must be laid to the root of the trees (Matthew 3:10).
Third, we must have an expectation, after we run to the cross, that the Lord will restore us just as if nothing had ever happened. This is what the prophet did. He expected Elisha to do something about his lost axe head. He was not disappointed!
Expectation and anticipation are keys in our receiving from the Lord. If we do not expect Him to move on our behalf then He probably will not. But even our very expectation itself is from Him!
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. Psalm 62:5
Just prior to the first advent of Christ to the earth, the Jewish people were in a state of expectation. They had been conquered and carried away captive by the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, and more recently the Romans. They were looking for the time when the long-awaited Messiah would come and restore again the [natural] kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). When John the Baptist came onto the scene, some thought that he might have been the Messiah.
Luke 3:15-16, "And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."
In some parts of the Church today, there is likewise a great expectation of the second advent of Jesus! Along with that is the corresponding expectation of the manifestation of the sons of God. That time must be preceded by great sufferings. Does the Church in the United States glory in the sufferings of Christ? Many years ago, I visited a church in Arlington, Virginia, where the pastor told perhaps 250 Christians that "suffering is not of God." My, my, my! I wonder if that pastor believes that the suffering that Jesus experienced was not of God!
Romans 8:18-19, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God."
Likewise, we must have the expectation that, after we run to the cross, the Lord will restore us just as if the sin had never happened.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Thanks be to our wonderful Lord and Savior! The question is, however, what are we expecting?
Why did God suspend the rules when He caused the iron axe head to float to the surface? Certainly, one reason was to record for all of history the need for the anointing. "Christ" means "anointed" or "the anointed one." There is no anointing outside of Christ! We believe that there is an anointing to speak, an anointing to do, and an anointing to be or become. In each case we obtain or share in the anointing only because we are in Christ. The precious ointment of anointing is first of all upon the Head!
Psalm 133:1-3, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."
When brethren dwell together in unity, the anointing that is first of all upon the Head, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, then flows down across Aaron's beard, which represents true apostolic ministry. That anointing then continues to the skirts of His garments, which speaks of every member of the body of Christ.
We also learn from this account in 2 Kings 6:1-7 the scarcity of true prophets who dwell at spiritual Jordan. Although Elisha did twice as many miracles as Elijah, he did not have the same inner nature worked within as did Elijah. We will not list all of the scriptural proofs of that statement (I have found at least five). Elisha was content to do the miracles. Elijah allowed the sovereignty of God to work His nature within him. This serves as a warning to us. There are always more Elishas than Elijahs.
A further sobering thought is that the verses in 2 Kings 6:1-7 NEVER actually say that they finished building at the Jordan or dwelled there! This speaks of a tremendous spiritual principle which the Lord quickened to my wife many years ago. In our early walk with the Lord as husband and wife, she prayed long and hard for me to see and enter into the "oneness of the husband/wife ministry" that the Lord was after. In one of her weeping moments, the Lord quickened to her that even if we never entered into that beautiful unity of one ministry in our marriage that the Lord was after, the Lord still saw her in the company of those who DO enter in and walk as one, because it was in her heart!
The sons of the prophets who went to Jordan, even though they never actually dwelled there, entered into that place spiritually in the sight of God because it was in their hearts.
The same principle applies in many different areas of our lives. If things of the Lord are beyond our ability to enter into physically because of hindering relationships and circumstances, we can still enter in spiritually because we embrace them in our heart! Hallelujah! What an awesome God we serve! Amen and amen.
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