(Read 2 Samuel 6:1-12)
Today I will continue with “Faith and Patience Volume 5 – Greater is Coming!” Before I get into the message, I want to share how thankful I am that I get to share God’s Word with you daily. I had a great THANKSGIVING break, and I pray you did as well. Despite COVID and the challenges of 2020, I have lots to be thankful for! With that, let’s get into the message.
After David settled in as King Israel (ruling over all 12 unified tribes), he decided to bring the Ark of God (i.e. the Ark the Covenant) to the City of David. He gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all, just in case anyone attempted to steal it during transport. To give you some context, 30,000 Soldiers is a military unit about the size of two FULL U.S. Army Divisions. That is a lot of firepower, all to protect something that is about 4.5ft long and about 3ft. tall. The power of the Ark was not in it’s size. It was in it’s inhabitant. The Lord Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit, dwelled above the Ark, enthroned between the gold cherubim. In other words, wherever the Ark was, the Spirit of God was with it.
I will take this opportunity to provide you a Biblical history lesson. Adam and Eve had God’s Spirit living inside of them in the Garden of Eden. The Holy Spirit was their direct connection to the Father. This meant Adam and Eve were connected to the Father Spirit-to-Spirit. In Genesis 1 and 2, we see a perfect picture of what God wants for us: creation was connected directly to their Creator, they were operating in Kingdom dominion/power/authority, they were advancing God’s Kingdom on earth, and they were unimpeded by fear or satan. While this sounds amazing, Adam and Eve lost everything I just mentioned when they sinned. The Spirit connection between creation and Creator was severed the moment Adam ate of the forbidden fruit. Every man born after the legacy of Adam was born devoid of the Holy Spirit.
If you fast forward to the Old Covenant, ushered in by Moses, you will find that the people who operated under that Covenant did not have the Holy Spirit living inside them. From time to time, the Holy Spirit came UPON people, but He did not dwell within them. He dwelled between the cherubim, over the Ark of the Covenant, normally housed within the Tabernacle or Temple.
Now I will get back to the story of David. The Ark of the Covenant was placed on a new cart and moved from Abinadab’s house. The house was on a hill, so the team had to be extra careful. God had made it clear to the Israelites that only certain Levites were authorized to touch the Ark. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were the ones guiding the cart as it left the house. Ahio walked in front and guided the team. David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the LORD. They were excited about receiving the Ark. In their excitement, they were singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark. Remember, he was not supposed to touch it. He died on the spot.
David stopped the caravan. He was afraid of going any further, so he decided to leave the Ark in the house of Obed-Edom of Gath, which was nearby. The Ark remained there for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and his entire household while he housed the Ark of the Covenant. When King David was told, “The LORD has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God,” he decided that the risk was worth the reward. So he got another team ready to move the Ark to the City of David.
We will stop here for today.
So what does this mean for you today? Lots of things:
1. The Holy Spirit is our direct connection to the Father.
— Adam had God’s Spirit within him in the Garden of Eden. While He did, he was able to connect and communicate directly with the Father, Spirit-to-Spirit, 24x7X365. He walked with God in the cool of the day, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
— Adam’s transgression caused a separation between God and man. When he sinned, the Holy Spirit was removed from humans. Every human born after the legacy of Adam was born devoid of the Holy Spirit.
— Because of one man’s sin, sin and death entered the world and reigned.
— Under the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit lived over the Ark of the Covenant, in the temple, behind the veil.
— Jesus came to get us OUT OF everything Adam got us INTO.
— Just like one man’s sin (Adam) got us in trouble, one man’s righteousness (Jesus) could get us out.
— We did nothing to make Jesus die for us, paying the penalty for Adam’s sin. Jesus freely died for us by grace and we can now accept His free gift of salvation and restoration by grace; through faith.
— When Jesus cried, “It is finished!” the veil in the temple was ripped from top to bottom. The Father ripped it open because the Holy Spirit would no longer live there.
— You and I are now the temples of God, and the Holy Spirit lives in us.
— Once we are Born-Again, we have what Adam had: a Spirit-to-Spirit connection with the Father.
— We can now operate in the same Kingdom dominion, power, and authority that Adam operated in while he was in the Garden of Eden.
— If you are Born-Again, you carry God’s Spirit inside of you. This also means you are a carrier of His presence. You are taking Him (the Holy Spirit) and His presence with you everywhere you go.
— Just like Adam walked with God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, you can do the same daily!
2. God’s Spirit carries with it, His presence.
— The big deal about the Ark of the Covenant was not about the physical item itself. The larger issue was that God’s presence was connected to it.
— Wherever the Ark of the Covenant was, the Holy Spirit was.
— During the time of the Tabernacle and later the Temple, the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies (the innermost section). The only person authorized to visit the presence of the Holy Spirit was the High Priest, and even he could only do it once a year, on the Day of Atonement, where he offered a sacrifice for sin. So the High Priest got to visit, once a year, what Adam and Eve enjoyed every second of every day prior to the fall.
— The reason David wanted the Ark of the Covenant with him was that He wanted God’s tangible presence. He knew that God’s Spirit carries with Him God’s presence. He did not want to rule without God’s presence. This reminds me of what Moses said back in Exodus 33. He said, “Lord, if your presence does not go with us, I would rather just stay right here. I don’t want to go anywhere without Your presence.”
— The good news is that if you are Born-Again, God’s Spirit lives IN you, and His presence is with you every day of your life. He will never leave you, forsake you, nor turn His back on you.
— One of the greatest ways to walk with God for the long haul, and to operate in faith and patience, is to know that God is with you and to enjoy the power of His presence daily! So please make time to spend time with God! His presence is amazing! The more you enjoy His presence, the more equipped you will be to endure until God’s promise is manifested.
3. There is a blessing tied to God’s presence.
— While the Ark of the Covenant was with Obed-Edom, his house was blessed. David left with Ark with Obed-Edom for three months. When he heard that Obed-Edom was being blessed by simply having the Ark with him, David decided to go get it. He wanted the Ark with him because he wanted The Blessing.
*** I cannot overstate the importance of the Holy Spirit.
— He is our direct connection to the Father.
— He reveals things TO us that were prepared FOR us but concealed FROM us.
— His presence brings with it His peace.
— His presence brings with it His blessing.
— Just like David yearned to have the Ark of the Covenant with him in the City of David, we should yearn for and enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to go visit Him anymore. He does not live in a temple. We are now the temple, and the Holy Spirit lives in us!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for sending Jesus to get me out of everything Adam got me into. Adam had a perfect and intimate relationship with You, and it was severed because of sin. Adam lost the direct connection. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit’s presence lived above the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was placed in the temple, and only certain people could visit Your presence.
Jesus died to pay the penalty for what Adam did. Because of one man, Adam, sin entered the world, and death reigned by sin. But because of another man, Jesus, righteousness has been restored. I am delivered from both sin and death. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit was restored on the Day of Pentecost. When I was Born-Again, Your Spirit took up residence inside of me. I don’t have to visit a temple to visit the Spirit, I am the temple, and Your Spirit lives in me. You are inside of me 24x7x365.
I take You everywhere I go. You never leave me, nor forsake me. You are ON me, IN me, WITH me, and FOR me. I enter this day with fearless confidence. I go, knowing You will bless me to make a Kingdom impact in everything I engage in. This is how I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
