Tent or Tower?
In a picture the Lord gave me I saw a building being built. It was intended to be the tabernacle of David, but its structural design was inconsistent with God's word. Instead of a tent I saw a great tower-- a looming tower of flesh. Hundreds of people were heaping themselves on top of one another in an attempt to assemble this carnal tower. In their hands were all manner of ministry tools, art utensils, and musical instruments. As I watched this event I perceived an enormous amount of gifts that exuded from these people. The scene changed and I saw a massive red heart pumping-- it was the heart of the Father. As I watched its red glow I heard Him say, "David's tabernacle is a lowly place and must be built in the hearts of men."
The book of Amos tells us that one day we will see the rebuilding of the tabernacle of David (9:11), and I do believe that we are experiencing the initial stages of it. However, there is a contingent that is trying to rebuild David's tabernacle in their own flesh. They may have started with vision and motivation that was Spirit led, but somehow along the way they got ahead of what God truly desired. And in doing so they are now leading worship services that lack God's vision, favor, and power. I see these people looking more like young Jacobs than young Davids.
Jacob knew God's destiny for his life, but he tried to bring about that destiny in the flesh (Genesis 27). He and his mother deceitfully misled his father Isaac into giving him the firstborn blessing. Genesis 27 6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 7"Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.' 8Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. 9Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. 10Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death."
Today many people have been given accurate revelatory words and insight concerning the rebuilding of David's tabernacle. But instead of humbly waiting on the Lord's timing, they try to rush the Lord's perfect plan. Out of a sincere zeal for Davidic worship they present praise sacrifices to the Lord that are imperfect. These praise leaders lead versions of spontaneous and prophetic songs that rise up out of their souls and not out of their spirits.
The song of the Lord is not to be contrived in the mind of man, but it is to come up out a heart in communion with the Holy Spirit. It comes up out of a heart that has waited upon the Lord even in the midst of great distress. Psalm40 1 I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. 2He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3He has put a new song in my mouth-- Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD. When a true song of the Lord is delivered, the people that hear it are in awe of God, and their faith is strengthened. Meager attempts at carnally producing a spontaneous song do not have these powerful results.
Rebuilding the tent of David begins with our hearts. We must pursue having hearts that are brutally honest with God, wholly exposed to His Spirit, and completely loyal to His agenda. David's life was not perfect, but his heart was. We are told in scripture that even his son Solomon did not have a perfect heart like his father David (1 Kings 11:4). In addition, David is the only man in scripture that is recorded to have a heart like that of God. And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will (Acts 13:22 ). If we are to rebuild the tent of David, we will have lives that long to fulfill all of His will.
The tower of David in scripture was an armory of defense (Song of Solomon 4:4). But the tower I saw being built was more like the tower of Babel-- ambling higher and higher into the sky to touch the face of God (Genesis 11:4). The tent of David was a place of Holy Spirit inspired creative renaissance, passionate prophetic warfare, and unimaginable expressions of fellowship between the presence of God and man. So, will we chose the 11:4 passage of 1 Kings (a perfect heart) or the 11:4 passage of Genesis (a tower of arrogance) in our attempts to rebuild this tabernacle.
Marshal Nehemiah
It was a cool Saturday afternoon in Salem, Wyoming. A small settlement on the edge of the frontier was still struggling to move forward with expansion. The Ark Railroad Company had told the townspeople that if the community would clean up its act, a track would be laid and a depot would be built in the little town. Decades ago Cody Zerubbabel had started the town with a zeal for integrity and commitment to principles. In addition to finding an old well the natives had abandoned years prior, he built the foundation of the town on the ruins of an old fort.
But now the local sheriff was trying his best to manage the lawlessness in the town. The problems were really too overwhelming for one man. Frank Baruch was a tall, lanky man of weathered complexion. He had a soft spot for the downtrodden that came drifting through his province. He constantly saw the injustices and the frailties of frontier life. Men left to their own vices often fell lower and lower into darkness. This grieved the lawman's heart.
Late one night the sheriff had a dream about a gifted gunslinger. In it he saw a man whose gun always aimed for the hearts of men. Where ever the gunslinger pointed his gun, light would shine and brightness filled the air. The next day he telegraphed across the territory to an old friend-- "Ezra Smith, come to Salem. We need your help. The foundation is not finished. Your Friend, Frank Baruch."
The next morning Ezra hopped on the first stagecoach to Salem. In three days Ezra was walking the muddy streets of Salem. And just like in Frank's dream, everywhere he pointed his gun, the light of justice shown once again. His draw was quicker than any in the town, including the Baal brothers. Ezra's aim always fell on the hearts of his opponents. When they looked down at his aim, they withdrew and the majority of the time he didn't even have to fire a shot.
The town's morale was slowly getting better, but on top of the lawlessness, the town had been defenseless against surrounding bandits and cattle thieves. At any given time day or night animals and goods would come up missing. The sheriff had enough to cope with inside of the community. But what could be done to protect the town from the outside?
Fortunately, hope was dawning again on this once forsaken town, for in another part of the territory a regional marshal was becoming homesick. Marshal Nehemiah Jones heard of the troubles in Salem and was greatly moved by the news. Salem was Nehemiah's birthplace, and he had fond memories of growing up under its large trees. He petitioned his supervisor to let him go to Salem and spend some time there rebuilding the community. The marshal had a grand scheme to rebuild the old wall that surrounded the town. He knew if the fort's walls were rebuilt, the town would be protected again. His request was granted, and he headed west on the fastest horse he could find.
Marshal Nehemiah's plans were applauded on the day of his arrival. Frank and Ezra knew this was the finishing touch that would get the railroad into Salem. But the plan could not be done by one or two people, in fact, the plan needed the compliance of the entire population of Salem. Everyone would have to work together to rebuild the fallen walls and gates of the old fort.
The work started with the gates of the old fort being rebuilt. All around Salem towns people worked together to erect the gates. Within days twelve gates stood again that had not stood in years. And as the people saw these gates, their hearts were moved. Many of the men would stop working, sit down on the ground, and weep. They knew that finally their little town was becoming something.
As the work progressed the rains came blowing through Salem?s streets. The winds howled and whipped around men as they stood stones up on one another. If a rock slipped and fell into the mud, if was quickly regained and replaced in its position. "Use every stone you find, men. It don't matter if we use broken pieces of rock. We're gonna rebuild that wall!" shouted the marshal.
Part of the brilliance of Marshal Nehemiah's plan was that everyone worked in his own backyard. If you lived on the west side of town, you helped in rebuilding the westerly wall. Likewise if you lived on the south side of town, you helped on the south side of the town. Men worked many hours at a time hoisting stones and pouring mortar. If a man was not working, he was standing watch against opposition from outside the town.
The neighboring rivals to the town did not want to see the wall go up. They knew it would end their reign of looting and harassing Salem. Because of this, Marshal Nehemiah organized men to patrol the work sites. While half of the men worked on the wall, the other half guarded the town armed with rifles and six-shooters. In addition, all of the men working on the wall were given a pistol or a Bowie knife for good measure. Whenever a skirmish arose, the Marshal used a bugle horn to rally the men to that location.
Within 52 days the wall was completed much to the astonishment of everyone in that part of the Wyoming territory. What had seemed like impossibility had become a reality. Little Salem, that had once been the laughing stock of the area, was now surrounded on all sides by strong walls of rock. A representative from the Ark Railroad Company came to the town shortly after the wall was finished and promised that Salem would have a depot station by the winter of the next year.
In his farewell speech Marshall Nehemiah addressed his real reason for rebuilding the fort wall. "I know many of you were tired of cattle thieves steeling your livestock. I know also that many of you were tired of the Baal brothers' intimidation and pestering. Others of you wanted a place where you felt your children were safe at night. All of that's good, but I wanted Salem to regain a sense of dignity and honor. I wanted Salem to believe in something again, and I think that in the midst of all of this, that's happened. God bless you all, and God bless this town."
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The Extraordinary
For the past three or four years the Lord has been speaking to me about the extraordinary coming. He has fixed my attention at times on sports figures, entertainers, entrepreneurs, and heroes that have done things that no one else could do. These people either exhibited special qualities in a single moment of crisis or display God-given talents daily in their field. They are the ones that rise above the normal up to the heights of the incredible. They are what I feel the Lord is calling the extraordinary.
The Bible is filled with stories of the extraordinary. And in these days the Lord wants us to revisit the power and splendor of Biblical stories. He wants an army of believers who are not satisfied with status quo, but who will press in (Philippians 3:14) to unprecedented events in the Spirit. I believe in the coming years we will see young people come forward who have giftings unparalleled to what we have seen in the church. While the Lord is raising up Davids who are skilled in worship, dedicated in warfare, and cunning in prophetic abilities, he is also raising up the Gideons. He wants to make use of the useless and to display His might in vessels that once appeared weak. “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.”
1 Corinthians 1:27
The story of Gideon starts with a whiny, blue-collar worker who thinks very little of himself, but he is a dreamer. He dreams of the stories of the miraculous he has heard growing up. He yearns to see the God of his fathers.
Judges 6 12And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!" 13Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, "Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." 14Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" 15So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." 16And the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man."
The Gideons that are emerging will be those that long to see a return of the King’s power. They have been waiting for the miracles that they have only heard about. They may seem very scrawny by the world’s standards, but by the Lord’s standards they will be choice. These supposedly puny dreamers will bring about demonstrative change. A reckless holy rage will come upon them, and they will plunder the altars of paganism in our land.
Judges 6 25 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, "Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; 26and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down." 27So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.
The Lord would not allow Gideon to assemble a great army against the Midianites, for this would have exalted Israel. Judges 7 2 And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, "My own hand has saved me.' Gideon and three hundred men were used of God to defeat the great army of the Midianites. The Gideons that come forward will be compelled to wage war for the Lord. In submitting to the voice of the Holy Spirit their actions will make known the Lord’s renown. And if their hearts are perfect, the world will be lured to look past them to the extraordinary God they serve. The emergence of the extraordinary is not for the glory of men, but it is for the glory of the Kingdom of God. “…Then He said to the paralytic, ‘Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’ 7And he arose and departed to his house. 8Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.” Matthew 9:6
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