(This article was drawn from a message David Demian preached at a gathering of Chinese churches on Rosh Hashanah. To download a copy of this message, click here or to listen to it live streaming, click here.)
I believe that this Rosh Hashanah (September 18-20) marked a significant shift in seasons and we have now entered the era of the establishment of the kingdom where Jesus will reveal Himself not only as Saviour and Bridegroom but as rightful King and honoured Head of His church. And if there is one word burning in my heart right now it is this: fear God.
A Kingdom Shift
Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse. 1 Chronicles 10:13-14
The Hebrew year that just passed was 5769. The number nine in Hebrew means to turn. I believe we have entered a turning point where God Himself is about to “put Saul to death” and establish the kingdom of David. Saul was a strong king, a mighty man. He was even the Lord’s anointed – remember God warned David not to touch Saul. But Saul never inquired of the Lord – he didn’t seek God because he was a man after his own kingdom. And the spirit of Saul is that which has exalted the plans, desires and wisdom of man in the church.
But throughout the body of Christ there is a faithful remnant who are tired of playing church and who are longing for the presence of God. And there is a cry that has been arising from this remnant for the Lord to take His rightful place as King and establish His spiritual kingdom, a kingdom where Jesus is not a figure head but a real Head who is honoured not only with lips but with fully surrendered lives by those who have pledged allegiance to the King. And just like God heard the cry for deliverance of the children of Israel in the day of Moses, I believe the time has come when God has determined to deliver His Bride from the kingdom of Saul.
Not Only God’s Will But God’s Way
In contrast to Saul, David was a man after God’s own heart, whose life was characterized by the purity of absolute surrender and seeking the heart of the Lord with unfettered worship and adoration. David’s first desire upon becoming king was to bring back the ark.
Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul." The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people. 1 Chronicles 13:3-4
But David, even though he had a good heart and good motives, was not careful to be obedient to the Lord’s instructions about the ark and his venture was met with disastrous consequences.
They moved the ark of God from Abinadab's house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets.
When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. 1 Chronicles 13:7-10
When I read this passage I began weeping. The Israelites were so consumed with celebrating, they didn’t even realize that they were displeasing God by their disobedience. God had given very clear instructions how the ark was to be moved; upon the shoulders of the priests and not on a cart. And David and all the nation learned a very costly lesson. Even when we are venturing with a good heart after the presence of the Lord, we don’t have the right to do whatever we want, however we want. We must inquire of the Lord and obey the steps He shows, as He directs. If not, we are guilty of the same sin as Saul.
We Must Humble Ourselves
If you have been living as a Christian but with areas of your life not fully in submission to His Lordship, this is the hour to embrace the fear of the Lord and bring your life into total surrender and alignment. If you humble yourself He forgives and forgets. Don’t harden your heart at this time. If you’re thinking “Well, I have heard all this before and I didn’t repent and nothing happened,” I’m pleading with you: don’t test God’s grace. If until now God has given you the grace, don’t exhaust your chances.
And for leaders in the body of Christ, I really believe in this season, God is going to call us to account in a whole new way. Now is the time to humble ourselves before the Lord and ask him to reveal to us if there are ways in which we are walking after the order of Saul in our ministries. Being leaders doesn’t give us the right to do whatever we want. We must walk in the fear of the Lord always inquiring of Him and refusing to do anything until He gives us clear instruction.
The Next Season in Watchmen
As we were seeking the Lord before the Promise Gathering, the Lord spoke clearly to us about the shift to the new season. He told us our focus for the Promise Gathering should be in “finishing well” and celebrating the journey of the last ten years. So for each session of the gathering we prepared vignettes – skits, video clips and presentations – that told the story of a specific part of the journey – our repentance to the Jewish people, the reconciliation of the French and English, our walk with the First Peoples, our journey to see restoration between the generations, our destiny and walk to bring healing to other nations. And together, we remembered all the wonders the Lord has done as we offered thanksgiving and praise to Him for His goodness and faithfulness. One of the worship leaders, Tabitha Lemaire, even wrote a special song called “From Now On” commemorating our journey. (You can hear this song by visiting Tabitha’s website at http://tabithasings.com/.) Finally on the last night of the gathering, as on body we pledged allegiance to the King, we took communion together and then each person received a ring inscribed with the words “One King - Un Roi” (English and French) that we can wear as a constant reminder of His Lordship in our lives.
Before the Promise Gathering, the Lord also spoke to us that the new season would be completely different than anything that we had experienced before and that we needed to prepare ourselves to receive the new blueprint for Watchmen for the next season. For this reason, we felt that we were not to plan any more meetings or gathering until at least the end of 2009 so that we might posture ourselves in an extended time of focused seeking of the Lord. We also felt to bring all of the operations, administration and communications to the bare minimum, releasing all our staff at the end of August. So during this transition, if you need to contact Watchmen for any administrative reason, you can do so via email at info@watchmen.org.
We would also like to encourage you to seek the Lord with us during this important season of transition. If the Lord reveals anything to you that you feel you should share with us, you can email us at blueprint@watchmen.org. And as the Lord reveals things to us, we will be communicating with you as well.
He Has the Plan
In this season, we can rest in knowing that God is not waiting for us to put the plan, He has had the plan since before the foundation of the earth that will bring everything into accordance with the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:11). God is only looking for us to surrender all to Him – our time, our finances, our family, our dreams, our desires – and to come into alignment with Him. This is the turning point – the end of the kingdom of Saul and the beginning of the kingdom of David. It’s the end of man’s initiatives, man’s programs, man’s plans. The next era belongs to those who will inquire of the Lord, who will keep His word, who will follow His prescribed ways.
All my love
David
