Saul to David
THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID CANNOT BE RESTORED WHILE SAUL IS STILL KING!
When Yeshua (Jesus) returns to earth, He will sit upon the “throne of David”—not on the throne of Saul! To prepare for His return, both Israel and the Church need to have the heart of David—it is a heart issue.
10 ‘I, Yahweh, will transfer the kingship from Saul’s family and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.’”(2 Samuel 3:1-10 Gods Word)
16‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David… 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name…’ (Acts 15:16,17)
THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID CANNOT BE RESTORED WHILE SAUL IS STILL KING!
When Yeshua (Jesus) returns to earth, He will sit upon the “throne of David”—not on the throne of Saul! To prepare for His return, both Israel and the Church need to have the heart of David—it is a heart issue. The Tabernacle of David cannot be restored while our hearts are ruled by beliefs and attitudes akin to Saul!
For unto us a Child is born…And the government will be upon His shoulder…7 Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom…” (Isaiah 9:7)
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 … and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. (Luke 1:32)
King David established an eternal dynasty and throne. His life and reign were a prophetic reflection of God’s throne in heaven. On earth, David’s is the only throne established by God worthy for Yeshua. Unlike His first appearance on earth, His second coming will be as King—and He will reign on earth from the throne of David!
The signs of His return continue to increase. So is the throne of David ready for Him? Are there preparations still necessary, within Israel and the Church, to make things ready for Him?
The first requirement has occurred. The nation of Israel has to exist for Him to sit on that throne. The second and third are simultaneously in progress. The Tabernacle of David is to be restored and both Israel and the Church need a heart like David to welcome Him. The Jews will not see Him until they say; ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”(Matthew 23:39)The Bride (Jew and Gentile) has to unite with the Holy Spirit and say, “Come” (Revelation 22:17)
Genuine hearts akin to David are needed to issue invitations like these. As we will discover in a moment, Saul did not have a heart for the Presence and Glory of God. Only David did.
The restoration of the Tabernacle of David occurs on two levels; the natural and spiritual.
- The natural occurred with the re-establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948. Amos 9 foretold a time that we are now witnessing when Jews would return to the land, and make the hills of Samaria fruitful again.
- The spiritual restoration takes place as the Holy Spirit revives both Jews and Gentiles. (Acts 15:16,17) They will seek the Lord.
The spiritual restoration requires changes of heart of and attitudes while dealing with some sins.
If the heart of Saul reigns within believers or ministries, how can we welcome the Ark of His glory or utilise the “key of David”? There is a big difference between the heart attitudes of the first two kings of Israel. God is causing a shift to occur in the hearts, attitudes, and motivations of all His people. In the midst of this stormy season of warfare to honour and welcome the King of Glory, we have to choose to leave the house of Saul. If we do not, we will be like Jonathan who desired to be with David, even in covenant with David, but yet lost his life out of loyalty to his father Saul.
Misplaced loyalty to the throne of Saul is very costly. If God removes the anointing, don’t stay with a “Saul” company! If aligning with David’s throne means going to a “cave’ first it is a safer option than staying with Saul!
We choose which kingdom we align with every time we respond to nitty-gritty situations. Do we reflect the heart of Saul or David? Do we throw spears at people or evade spears? Do we reject God’s Word or obey? Do we excuse sin or repent? Do we treat Jesus like Saul treated David? Saul wanted David to kill giants and sing away demonic Spirits, but did not want him to be king!
There are five critical attitudes that reveal whether individuals, churches, and nations are aligned with the household of Saul or David. Are we prepared to make any necessary changes?
FIVE ATTITUDES THAT MUST CHANGE!
- Conformity.
Saul became king because the people of Israel demanded to be like other nations. David became King because God found a worshipper with a heart He could trust!
Israel has had a long history of persecution because of their uniqueness—so too have Christians! At some stage, we are all tempted by the desire to be accepted and the need to be affirmed. Do we surrender to the temptation of compromise to be accepted? Or do we follow God’s Word even when it costs us? Do we conform to popular culture or are we transformed by renewing our minds?
Saul was man’s choice. David was God’s choice. Which king do we follow?
Do we follow God’s chosen leaders? Or do we follow man’s choices?
Pray for Israel and the Church to obey Romans 12:1-3; and embrace God’s choices. - God’s Enemies.
Where Saul lost his throne over the Amalekites—David gained his!
The Amalekites were God’s enemy. They did not fear God and viciously tried to destroy Israel. God told Saul to destroy them completely. Saul disobeyed—keeping only their “good” bits! David, on the other hand, showed no mercy to them. When an Amalekite thought he would get in David’s good books by gleefully reporting the death of Saul—David killed him for dishonoring God’s anointed. God’s enemies must be our enemies. His values must be our values. We must love what He loves, and hate what He hates.
Pray that Israel and the Church will align with God’s heart. Pray for a heart after God, courage to destroy all of God’s enemies. - God’s Word
When Saul lost his throne the crux of the matter was that he “rejected the Word of the Lord” (1 Sam 15:26). David loved and valued the Lord’s Word as the book of Psalms attests.
God’s Word is established in heaven forever. Do we stand with His Word and His covenants? Does Israel stand with Torah in the “peace negotiations”?
In the midst of many assignments this October, Australia will hold a plebiscite on same sex marriage. Will we vote in agreement with the plumb line of God or with our culture?
Proclaim a shift for Israel and the church—from the rejection of God’s Word to valuing it and adhering to it.
- Sin
Saul trivialized sin. So does our flesh. The pattern is denial, excuses, pretenses and blame shifting. But be sure your sins will find you out. Bleating sheep caught out Saul!
David sinned and got caught too. But David confessed, grieved and repented. When we align with God’s heart, we will not deny sin but be grieved by it. “Take away the shame of my despicable sin, forgive the extent(Psalm 51:1-7 TPT)
Pray that Israel and the Church would see sin exactly as God does. Pray for a gift of repentance. -
The Presence of God and His Glory.
The Ark of the Covenant is a metaphor for the Presence and Glory of God!
Saul did not value it. Only once did he bother to call for the Ark (some say it was the ephod) and that was only because Jonathon was missing! (1 Samuel 14:18) Those who only seek God when they are in trouble have hearts like Saul!
David desired the Presence of God above everything. (Psalm 27:4) His first priority as King was to conquer Jerusalem and return the Ark to the center of Israeli life. David was intentional about the glory. He prepared a place for it. He instigated 24-7 worship according to the pattern of heaven. Here David governed the nation of Israel.
Pray that Israel and the Church would be intentional about the glory.
Pray that throne room worship is prepared according to the heavenly pattern. Pray that spiritual and political “kings” would value it and make decisions from that space!
FIVE SINS THAT COST SAUL HIS THRONE
The kingdoms of Saul and David also serve as metaphors. Saul’s kingdom is a picture of the flesh. David’s symbolizes the Spirit. Saul could have sung Frank Sinatra’s song, “I did it my way”. But David did things God’s way. Saul excused sin. David repented.
Over recent months as we have been preparing for a worship assignment in Israel to “shift from Saul to David”; sins similar to those that cost Saul his throne have been "in our face". In various ways, the Holy Spirit has been revealing them so that they can be dealt with through the power of the cross. As preparation for Yeshua to return and sit on the throne of David, I believe the sins of Saul will be exposed in the hearts of His people. We must confront and overthrow them.
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23)
(1) Rebellion, (2) witchcraft, (3) stubbornness, (4) idolatry, (5) iniquity are also found in Paul’s list in Galatians 5. “The old nature wants what is contrary to the Spirit…these oppose each other” (Galatians 5:17) It is an uncomfortable fact, that we all have this old nature which wars against the Spirit. As Derek Prince used to say, the Biblical answer to the flesh is not to pacify it but to crucify it!
Every time we have a personal victory over these sins, we slowly but surely weaken the house of Saul and strengthen the house of David. Every time we corporately repent of these sins, we align with the throne of David and create a shift in nations to prepare the way for the King of Glory!!
REBELLION - WITCHCRAFT
God sees things so very differently to us! In the courts of heaven, rebellion is worthy of the death penalty! Many countries no longer have the death penalty. Regardless, by Australian law, I have not committed a crime worthy of any punishment. But in the courts of heaven, I am a rebel and had been given a death sentence! Thankfully, Jesus bore the curse of the “rebellious son” and paid the price for me. Now in the courts of heaven, I am “debt free”! (Galatians 3:13,14 Deut 21:18-23)
Sometimes we laugh at rebellion, or at least excuse it. But God sees it as equal to witchcraft! Occultic stuff like visiting a clairvoyant, as Saul did, is not the only activity of witchcraft! Many of us have seen it operate within a Spirit-filled Church!! Witchcraft is generally about having power—and not Holy Spirit power either! Powerless people often seek authority through domination, intimidation, and control of others.
Saul’s rebellion was his rejection of God’s Word. (1 Sam 15:26)
If I reject God’s Word, then whose word do I accept? Mine—my opinion, my plan, my judgment! My word then supersedes and overrides God’s. What arrogance to think we know better than the creator of the universe??!! Ugh! Ouch!
Do we the Church instigate “good ideas” or “God ideas”? Does Israel align with God’s Word in “peace negotiations” or give into pressure from the International community?
Proclaim a shift from Saul to David: Israel and the Church will resist the pressure of man, heed God’s voice and do “all God’s will”.
STUBBORN – INIQUITY – IDOLATRY
There is a degeneration that occurs with a stubborn heart that refuses to change. It grows and multiplies as it is demonstrated to the next generation! Iniquity is not just evil but the spiritual inheritance is passed down the generations so that there is a propensity toward evil, wickedness, and immorality.
Now God says it has become idolatry. I would suggest that the idol Saul worshipped was himself. When we are in love with our own opinions and “know better” than God, then self is on the throne. Self-exaltation and self-gratification follow. How can Yeshua sit on the throne if we are there? We must vacate the throne to welcome the King of Glory to rule.
Pray for Israel and the church to repent of all rebellion, witchcraft, stubbornness, idolatry, and wickedness. Decree we shall obey the Word. The flesh is getting weaker and our Spirit getting bigger and stronger!
FIVE HEART CHANGES FOR “ONE NEW MAN”
The restored Tabernacle of David is where Jews and Gentiles are “one” in Messiah, i.e. “One new Man”. (Ephesians 2 Acts 15)
- Revival among the Jewish population is needed for this to happen. Since the 6-day war (1967), the numbers of Messianic Jews has mushroomed exponentially and is accelerating. Pray for revival among Jews.
- “Gentiles” includes the descendants of Ishmael—not just Western, European and Asian nations! Simultaneous to the rise of Islamic terrorism, across the Muslim world, multitudes are being swept into the kingdom. Iran has the fastest-growing Church in the world.
Pray for terrorists to become Apostles like Paul. - Only the blood of Yeshua can make Jew and Gentile "one". At the cross, Messiah removed the wall of enmity. (Ephesians 2:11-22) One of the greatest joys we have witnessed in Israel are the congregations where Jew and Arab worship the Lord together! Many dear Arab brethren testify of Yeshua changing their hearts to remove generational “Jew hatred”.
- For Jews and Gentiles to be “one” in Messiah: without Jews letting go of their Jewishness and without Gentiles converting to Judaism. In Acts 15, the counsel of the Lord was and is needed to resolve the issues of ‘law’ and ‘grace’.
- The Holy Spirit is sanctifying and purifying Jew and Gentile;
“that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27)
REFORMATION
The transition from Saul to David was not just about changing a leader—it reformed the whole nation! David first ruled in Hebron, over the tribe called praise (Judah). David was king of the worshippers first. After 7 ½ years he ruled all Israel, and together, brought the Ark into Jerusalem.
In the last season, lovers of God, worshippers, and intercessors in prayer rooms across the globe have spent hours in God’s Presence. The heart of David is being formed; a shift toward Davidic worship and governmental authority is gaining momentum.
The Lord has been causing us to:
- Hear His voice
- Know His heart
- Repent
- Be cleansed and healed to be His pure bride
- Align with Israel
- Lean toward the Bridegroom
Before David was king, many joined him in the wilderness. They were described as those who were “discontented and in debt”. Hardly a group to inspire! But no matter how much of a loser we look, when we become an extravagant worshipper—He trains our hands for war.
Some have remained with “Saul” during this difficult last season and are either unaware of or even resistant to the change of heart and attitude necessary to welcome the King of Glory! But the Spirit of the Lord is saying it is time for a new and even greater reformation. As we celebrate 500 years since the Luther Reformation (31-10-17) and the 100-year anniversary of the ANZAC charge to free Beersheba from the Ottoman Empire, it is clear, something very big is stirring in the earth.
The time has come for the influence of the Davidic generation to impact the rest of the Church. Circumstances in the nations will force many to seek the help of those in the prayer and worship spaces. The Lord is about to utilize the apparent raggle-taggle army of worshippers to be a catalyst for reformation like the world has yet to see. Glory waves will wash over the earth as passionate worshippers, like David, hunger for His presence and become intentional about His Glory.
TRANSITION
Yet the transition from the house of Saul to David did not happen overnight—there was a power struggle that occurred. But Saul got weaker and David grew stronger. (2 Samuel 3:1)
This is what we are seeing today politically and spiritually. One example of this is the bumpy transition Donald Trump has experienced since becoming President. Though anointed as a “Cyrus”, people from the previous administration are still in position and “chucking spears”! There is a struggle in the nations. Ultimately it’s about the Messiah King and His throne!
The more we obey the Holy Spirit, the more we defeat the house of Saul. Every time we overcome a Saul type sin, we strengthen the heart of David. Be encouraged, every time we worship aligned to heaven and war in the Spirit, David’s throne is being “rebuilt” ready for Messiah!
The kingship of David was a defining moment to reform and align the whole nation—with God’s throne! A seismic shift of reformation is being prepared for Israel, the Church and the nations—for a fresh alignment with the throne of God! This historic and prophetic season is physically and spiritually preparing for King Yeshua! When He returns He will “take up His holy throne”, and rule from the throne established by David.
© 2017 Ruth Webb