They Saw the Light - The Prophets Part 1

Come into my heart

Come into my heart

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus

Come into today

Come in to stay

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

The great drama was unfolding before the eyes of humanity.  God was drawing us closer to the day when the greatest light of all would shine upon the earth and darkness would begin to breathe its last breath.  The world would still spin as though it were balancing on the edge of an abyss.  The ravages of sin weighed down the people who had been created in the image of God.

As king after king reigned over the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, God lifted up those who would continue to declare His heart and His promise of a coming light.  The Spirit of God rushed forth through the prophets.  One of them, Isaiah, faithfully proclaimed:

"In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan--the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.  You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.  For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor....For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”  Isaiah 9:1-7

The zeal of the Lord would accomplish it.  Only the Lord can bring the light which will destroy darkness.  Only the Lord can conceive in our hearts the faith to reach out to the One True Light.  Only God can speak the promise and bring it to fulfillment.  In the midst of darkness, the prophets saw the coming light.*


*Copyright 1990 "They Saw the Light" Prince of Peace Press

They Saw the Light - Prophets 2

Come into my heart

Come into my heart

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus

Come into today

Come in to stay

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. 

 

The prophets saw the light.  One of my favorite prophetic revelations of the coming Messiah is recorded in Micah.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

      Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
      Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
      The One to be Ruler in Israel,
      Whose goings forth are from of old,
      From everlasting. 

Therefore He shall give them up,
      Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth;
      Then the remnant of His brethren
      Shall return to the children of Israel.
       And He shall stand and feed His flock
      In the strength of the LORD,
      In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God;
      And they shall abide,
      For now He shall be great
      To the ends of the earth;
       And this One shall be peace" (Micah 5:2-5a)

This is the nature of our Lord.  In Bethlehem, a place known for its lower class of people (mostly shepherds), God brings forth the most precious of all gifts. We would expect a king to be birthed in a palace.  Instead He is introduced to the world to a gathering of shepherds.  

The Lord would speak to you today.  He declares that He comes to you.  He comes where you are - even if you consider that place insignificant or unworthy of such a visit.  He invades your world with His peace and light.  He restores and strengthens who you are - as designed by Him.  He is indeed the Lord and Ruler of your life.  He is Your peace!

They Saw the Light - David Part 4

Come into my heart

Come into my heart

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus

Come into today

Come in to stay

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

 

Over the last three weeks I have been preaching from Psalm 23 - the Shepherd Psalm. I have been using The Message version of the Psalm.

God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.
   You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
      you find me quiet pools to drink from.
   True to your word,
      you let me catch my breath
      and send me in the right direction.

 Even when the way goes through
      Death Valley,
   I'm not afraid
      when you walk at my side.
   Your trusty shepherd's crook
      makes me feel secure.

 You serve me a six-course dinner
      right in front of my enemies.
   You revive my drooping head;
      my cup brims with blessing.

 Your beauty and love chase after me
      every day of my life.
   I'm back home in the house of God
      for the rest of my life. 

 

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

I ask you today to simply meditate on these words.  It was written by the hand of a shepherd who knew his SHEPHERD.  I believe the Lord will reveal fresh revelation and anointing into your life in the same way He did for another group of shepherds on the hills of Bethlehem.

They Saw the Light - David Part 3

Come into my heart

Come into my heart

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus

Come into today

Come in to stay

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

David longed for God’s presence.  He went after God’s presence because that was his priestly calling.  He knew he had to go into the presence of God.  I believe he was driven there by the passion in his heart. How do I know that David longed for the presence of God?  All you have to do is start reading through the Psalms to hear David’s hunger for God’s presence.  For instance in Psalm 42:1, 2:

“As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?”

And in Psalm 63:8:

  “My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me.
So, David pursued the Lord.”

Are you going to choose to worship God and be fruitful?
or will you choose to let somebody else do it for you?
Are you going to pursue God with everything within you…
or are you going to let someone else do it for you?
Are you going to choose to be a priest after God’s heart?

David chose to be a priest after God’s heart.  He went after God, and with reverence, gladness and sacrifice, brought God’s presence – the Ark of the Covenant - into Jerusalem. 1 Chronicles 15:1-3 records the occasion like this:

“David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it. Then David said, "No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever." And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it.”

When the Ark was in its place, all the appointed musicians, Levites and people of God gathered to worship the Lord in this tabernacle established by David.  I believe that God in that moment leapt with joy.  His desire for intimacy with His people expressed to Adam and Eve and to the Israelites at Sinai was being fulfilled."*

On that day - all of the City of David saw the light!

*Copyright 2005, Return of the Priest, Prince of Peace Press.

They Saw the Light - David Part 2

Come into my heart

Come into my heart

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus

Come into today

Come in to stay

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

 

David was an anointed vessel of God who had the privilege to both approach the Lord in worship and to speak forth the heart of the Lord to all people.  David’s calling as a priest was initiated and defined by God. It was a call based on David’s covenant relationship of faith with the Lord and was an invitation into an intimate fellowship with God.  David carried out his priesthood – not in the framework of a religious system – but in his everyday vocation as a shepherd and as a king. David was called, claimed and redeemed by God's sovereign will and grace.  And David “saw” the revelation of the coming Messiah, Yeshua. David’s priesthood is expressed through his life by an authority he was given by God to serve in His kingdom.  It came in response to David’s intimate relationship with God. 

David was a priest because, unlike his forefathers at the foot of Mount Sinai, he was more than to willing to say, “Yes” to God’s call to intimacy. 
It is obvious that David was a great king over Israel. 
His mighty acts are recorded for us. 
But, David was a great king because he was a great priest.
 

As a boy shepherd, David was able to slay the lion and bear because of the strength of the Lord within him.  He had no fear of Goliath because the Lord had assured him that the battle was the Lord’s.  David’s life was saturated with evidence that he spent a great deal of his time in God’s presence.  All you have to do is read through the Book of Psalms to see that David’s heart was wide open towards God.  Somewhere in his youth, unknown to us, God’s “wooing” nature initiated a love relationship with David. 

And David responded.

And God’s heart leapt.
        God found one who searched for His Heart. 
            God longs for the same with you and me.*

 

*Copyright 2005, Return of the Priest, Prince of Peace Press.
 

They Saw the Light - David Part 1

Come into my heart

Come into my heart

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus

Come into today

Come in to stay

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

 

But once again, sin and darkness reared their ugly heads.  Witchcraft, idolatry, greed and rebellion plagued the nation.  And to make matters worse they saw the answer to the problem through human wisdom and understanding.  They wanted a king like other nations had kings.  They failed to recognize God as their true and only King.  But God lifted up kings over them. 

However, there was only one who truly won the heart of God.  His mouth and heart were filled with worship and praise.  He honored God and God honored him.  And God gave King David a promise.  He declared:

”The Lord declares to you that the Lord Himself will establish a house for you:  when your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom....your house and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever.”

The promise was still on course.  In the midst of darkness, David saw the light.*

Light three candles!

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.


*Copyright 1990 "They Saw the Light" Prince of Peace Press

They Saw the Light - Abraham Part 6

Come into my heart

Come into my heart

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus

Come into today

Come in to stay

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

The young nation was birthed with the promised and miraculous birth of Isaac.  The promise was passed on to his son, Jacob, and then to his twelve sons. The nation was preserved and nurtured in Egypt, but the people experienced the full force of darkness again as their hands were shackled and their lives were lived out in forced labor.  Through His servant Moses, God rescued the people.  He showed the power of light over darkness as Pharaoh was destroyed in the waters of the sea. 

 

The people were claimed by God.  The promise was renewed.  He made a covenant with them.  God lived among His people and cherished their worship, praise and service.  He would lead them out of the wilderness into the land which He had promised Abraham.  In the midst of their own doubt and rebellion, they saw the victories of God.  Through the Lord—their mighty warrior—they occupied the land of the Canaanites.  The LIGHT of God went before them.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.