Archive for December, 2011

The Fullness of David: Part Six (Eyes Open)

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

As David stood at the threshingfloor of Ornan, God opened David’s eyes to his need to mend his way, in the LORD. Thus, with his eyes opened, David set out to make things right, by making amends to the LORD God because of his error in commissioning an unauthorized census

And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the LORD. And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.

Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.

And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.

And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.

So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.

And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.

At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon. But David could not go before it to inquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

(1 Chronicles 21:19-30)

David’s full acceptance of his part in the matter of the judgment that fell on Israel would not have happened if the LORD had not opened David’s eyes, thusly.

– Explore The Fullness of David: Part Six –

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Kingdom of God: Part Two (Capability)

Monday, December 19th, 2011

Our capabilities are neither one-dimensional, nor are they unilateral. Instead, our capabilities are both made up of combinations of God-bestowed components, and they are components of God-ordained processes, in the Kingdom of God. One such combination occurs when there is a blending of an earthly component (sickness) with a Heavenly type of force (sin). In these cases, we see the bridge that moves us from things of the earth, into areas of power in Heaven. Scripture gives us a specific example of a time when this bridge was crossed, in a positive delegation of God’s authority of passage. This is one of the earliest accounts of transfiguration, at the Highest level. This is, too, a prime example of our capability in the Kingdom of God.

And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

(Genesis 5:18-24) We feel comfortable referring to it as a transfiguration, even though there is no direct use of the word, transfiguration, because the apostle Paul tells us about the change that must have come over Enoch in order for him to make the passage. The following is the general set of parameters that are a part of transfiguration . . .

– Explore the Kingdom of God:  Part Two –

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The Fullness of David: Part Five (Mud Wrestling)

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

Have you ever been in a situation in which you just cannot get your mind to release from a principle or concept that you know is damaging to you? Have you ever been in a place where you know you should not be, but you lack the desire to leave? Have you ever heard a certain type of joke or story being told, and you know that it is outside of the proper thought process that you need to absorb, and yet you still do absorb it? In general, have you ever been immersed in something that just seems to hold you, in spite of yourself? When we are in these situations, it may seem to be akin to mud wrestling: no matter whether we accomplish a measure of victory, or not; we are still perceived as being dirty.

When we grab for God’s forgiveness of our actions, as based on supposed historical precedent, we need to be very careful that we fulfill all the requirements that were placed on our chosen entity of history. We need to resist the urge to generalize the events of the Bible; instead, we need to carefully overlay the entire environment on our own. We need to ask questions about the appropriateness of the fit of the ancient event to the modern condition. Among the questions is this: just because a certain outcome is present in a historical even, does this mean that the historical event acts as a kind of formula for motivating the LORD to dispense forgiveness? Of course, these sorts of questions are neither needed nor appropriate for the consequential commandments of the LORD, except where repentance has been blended with the consequential commandments: Nineveh is such a blending.

And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.

Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

(Jonah 3:1-10)

In the case of Nineveh, they followed the commandment of the LORD, which they summarized as follows: let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Specifically, they wanted to trigger a consequence of non-destruction: if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not. This is in accordance with a portion of the prayer of king Solomon, at the dedication of the first temple of God, in Israel.

– Explore The Fullness of David: Part Five –

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