Psalms 8:1, 16:2, and “Jesus, Name Above All Names” (Naida Hearn, 1974).
Jesus, my Shepherd, met me in His green pastures and laid me down in 1 Chronicles 11. The Mind of the Spirit caught the attention of the mind of my spirit in verses 17-19:
1 Chronicles 11:17 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate!
1 Chronicles 11:18 And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD,
1 Chronicles 11:19 And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest.
I pondered this retrospective accounting of David’s mighty men and the particular incident in which David’s three mightiest jeopardized their lives to bring David a cup of water from Bethlehem’s well after they heard him pine: “Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate!” (1 Chronicles 11:17).
As I read over the story of the regime change from Saul to David (1 Chronicles 10-11), I thought of the dismaying contrast between Saul and David. Saul whined against his men, “All of you have conspired against me … and there is none of you that is sorry for me” (1 Samuel 22:8). Saul did not have the respect of his men. David had too much!
I read the account of the regime change from Saul to David. My son walked in to report that a regime change is occurring in Iran. Rumors are percolating that Ali Khamenei is making plans to leave. Israel’s regime change from Saul to David was prophesied by Samuel the prophet (1 Chronicles 3), and it occurred after God removed Saul and his sons, including Jonathan, David’s friend, by the hand of his enemies, the Philistines (1 Chronicles 10:1-6). The transition took seven and a half years (2 Samuel 2:11, 5:5—if you count all the years David wandered, you’d add about 8 years, assuming he was in his early 20s when exiled). Finally, the kingdom passed to David, and his first official act as king was to make Jerusalem his capital (2 Samuel 5:6-10).
God used the Philistines, an enemy of Israel, to remove Saul, making the way clear for David to become king. However, he reigned only over Judah for seven and a half years before the rest of the tribes consented to crown him king over all of Israel. The interim between ruling in Hebron and moving to Jerusalem was fraught with civil unrest, intrigue, and open war. God used the Philistines to move events toward regime change. In Amos 9:7, we see God’s hand moving in major regime changes—Israel from Egypt, via the Exodus and the regime change He orchestrated for Canaan. This was not the first regime change God orchestrated for Canaan. Amos 9:7 tells us it was God Who moved the Caphtorims (Genesis 10:14—the Philistines) into the coastal region of Canaan to displace the Avims, who dwelt along the coast from Lebanon to Gaza (Deuteronomy 2:23). And it was God Who moved the Syrians from Kir to conquer and establish a new regime over Mesopotamia. God uses foreign powers to effect regime changes. Still, the people must endure much struggle and overcome much resistance to secure the land and remain faithful to keep it.
What is His criteria?
Deuteronomy 9:4 Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.
Deuteronomy 9:5 Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God owns “the Land,” and like “the kingdom,” He gives it to whoever it pleases Him to have it (2 Chronicles 7:14; Daniel 4:17, 25, 32).
In the valley, I knelt to worship in the shadow of His Cross! Jesus reminded me that “His people” and His “holy nation” today are those who have confessed He is Lord and, believing He arose, called on His name to be saved (Romans 10:9-13; see 1 Peter 2:9-10; see Romans 10:19). He reminded me that He gave the keys of the kingdom to His church (Matthew 16:19), that the Gospel unlocks the kingdom to the nations (compare Matthew 21:43 with Acts 28:28), that Jesus is the divine authority set over all the rulers of the Earth (Revelation 1:5), the ordaining authority over all earthly powers (governments) (Romans 13:1-6). And here is what He said when He declared the keys would be given to His church: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).
At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His sustaining grace. Goodness and mercy followed us into the Harvest. I asked Him, as we walked, LORD, will you move nations today and effect a regime change in Iran and China?
He looked at me and said, “Have faith in God.” Have I not said to you, “That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:22-23—see Jeremiah 51:24-25).
MOUNTAINS ARE TREMBLING!
Praying for revival! 🙏
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