who’s in the house? - apostolic bible school

TTNABS 2 : LESSON 12 – WHO’S IN THE HOUSE? (PAGE 1/32)

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TTNABS 2 : LESSON 12

WHO’S IN THE HOUSE? In this lesson, we look at the different types of mindsets that can be in the House (Households of Faith), so that we may understand, WHO’S IN THE HOUSE The types we will be looking at are : 1. Slaves 2. Dogs 3. Sons 4. Slave of Saul (Ziba) 5. Those with the spirit of true Sons (Ittai) 6. Friends (Hushai) 7. Intercessors (Rizpah)

8. Michal (the critic) INTRODUCTION

1 SAMUEL 18:1-4 (NKJV) 1 Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul 2 Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father's house anymore 3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul 4 And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt

Jonathan, Mephibosheth’s father, was attracted to the Davidic anointing He was amazed by David's expertise in dealing with Goliath



Jonathan loved David and entered into covenant with him and as such, requested the following from David :

1 SAMUEL 20:15-17 (NKJV) 15 ‘but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth’ 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the

house of David, saying, ‘Let the LORD require it at the hand of David's enemies’ 17 Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul

Jonathan confirmed his covenant with David He recognized that David was God-appointed He knew that David would be king one day He urged David to remember his children in the covenant

2 SAMUEL 4:4 (NKJV) 4 Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth

We know from Scripture that Jonathan and Saul died on the battlefield Thereafter, under the false impression that David would kill all of Saul's children and grandchildren, Mephibosheth’s nurse, fled with Mephibosheth who was Jonathan's son (and grandson of Saul) In the flight, she accidentally dropped him crushing both his feet Mephibosheth subsequently settled in Lo Debar, and grows up lame



DEF : LO DEBAR = No pasture

= No word = No communication

Time passes and God settles David on the throne of Zion, after which he remembers his covenant with Jonathan

2 SAMUEL 9:1-13 (NKJV) 1 (Now) David said, ‘Is there still anyone

who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?’ 2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, ‘Are you Ziba?’ And he said, ‘At your service!’ 3 Then the king said, ‘Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?’ And Ziba said to the king, ‘There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet’ 4 So the king said to him, ‘Where is he?’ And Ziba said to the king, ‘Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar’ 5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar 6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, ‘Mephibosheth?’ And he answered, ‘Here is your servant!’ 7 So David said to him, ‘Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually’ 8 Then he bowed himself, and said, ‘What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?’



9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, ‘I have given to your master's son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house’ 10 ‘You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master's son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's son shall eat

bread at my table always’. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants 11 Then Ziba said to the king, ‘According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do’. ‘As for Mephibosheth’, said the king, ‘he shall eat at my table like one of the king's sons’ 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet

David is truly a man of integrity He wishes to fulfill the covenant he made with Jonathan So, David sends for Mephibosheth to bring blessings to his sons David announces that he wants to bless Mephibosheth This is not because of Mephibosheth’s goodness but because of a covenant, which David had with Mephibosheth’s father From 2 Samuel 9:7-13, we see four blessings that David pronounced over Mephibosheth : ▪ Fear not ▪ Kindness ▪ Restoration ▪ Sitting at the king’s table



God wants to bless you, not because of you

BUT Because of God’s covenant with Jesus The nature of God is to bless you God’s Blessing :

▪ Fear not ▪ Kindness (providential care) ▪ Restoration ▪ Sitting at the table When Mephibosheth comes before the king and the king blessed him, Mephibosheth expressed three views regarding himself before David, which also leads us into our study on the different types of believers in the house

2 SAMUEL 9:8,11 (NKJV) 8 Then he bowed himself, and said, ‘What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?’ 11 Then Ziba said to the king, ‘According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do’. ‘As for Mephibosheth’, said the king, ‘he shall eat at my table like one of the king's sons’

1. SLAVES

Slaves, or servants, have to be told what to do - they wait for commands

They are not in covenant with the king or father of the house They are there because of captivity They have no rights or freedom

They are instruments of labour



1.1 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SLAVES

MNEMONIC: SLAVES

S TAY BECAUSE OF CAPTIVITY (NO FREE WILL) L ACK INTIMACY WITH THE SET MAN (IN THE HOUSE BUT NOT AT THE SET MAN’S TABLE) A CTS UPON INSTRUCTIONS ONLY (SEES SET MAN AS TASKMASTER, NOT FATHER)

V ISIONLESS (NO VISION TO BUILD) E ATS HIS OWN FOOD S UBMITS OUT OF THE LAW

Slaves do not possess the true nature of Son, as they operate out of an orphan or slave mentality

Therefore, they also cannot discern the true nature of God as Father and subsequently, the true nature (heart) of the set man

Just as he is your slave, he will easily become someone else's slave

Many believers in a local church operate at this level and never really commit or covenant

JOHN 8:35 (NKJV) 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever

2. DOGS

A dog is a man's best friend

BUT

A dog can also be a useless companion - bringing nothing in and taking nothing out; just eating all your food A dog is a picture of a religious spirit Mephibosheth actually refers to a dead dog Religious spirits are dead in their formalism; there is no life in their spirituality



Dogs are also enemies of the postman – the man sent by God Dogs can carry rabies – one of the symptoms of rabies is hydrophobia – fear of water / water is a picture of the Word Religious spirits hate the proceeding Word of God that comes from the set man A dead dog represents those who add no value to the house

3. SONS

This is the third view expressed and denotes bona fide membership, but, more importantly, covenantal relationship David accepts Mephibosheth as a son because of the covenant he made with Jonathan

3.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF TRUE SONS USING

MEPHIBOSHETH AS A PICTURE OF A SPIRITUAL SON 3.1.1 SONS ABANDON LO DEBAR

Mephibosheth had to leave Lo Debar to sit at David's table Lo Debar means dry place, place without pasture, no Word It is a geographical symbol of rebellion True sons are not rebellious

2 SAMUEL 9:4-5 (NKJV) 4 So the king said to him, ‘Where is he?’ And Ziba said to the king, ‘Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar’ 5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar



3.1.2 SONS SIT AT THE SET MAN'S TABLE

2 SAMUEL 9:7 (NKJV) 7 So David said to him, ‘Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually’

This is covenantal relationship with the set man of the church Note the word ‘continually’ This is marriage to a father of a local church Sons do not move from father to father, or church to church Sons do not have feet of betrayal – they are lame as far as that is concerned They are beyond suspicion and innocent of evil

ROMANS 16:19 (NIV) 19… be wise (excellent) about what is good, and innocent about what is evil

They know that the table covers their defect

Absalom looked beautiful (no defect) - but this camouflaged his pride and hatred Delilah looked beautiful on the outside, but was deceptive Sons do not have feet which are swift to do evil They need their father's covering They recognize the fact that if the light of Israel is extinguished my light dies and ‘if I kill David I kill myself’ Their destiny is linked to the set man You are the bow (father), I am the arrow



3.1.3 SONS EAT THE SET MAN'S FOOD

2 SAMUEL 9:7 (NKJV) 7 So David said to him, ‘Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually’

Sons feed on the set man's revelation, and from his table as their continuous, primary source of bread (not other tables or other fathers) The anointing of the set man is in his food – God is not confused He placed you at a specific table for a specific reason The food and mantle is for sons

3.1.4 SONS IDENTIFY WITH THE SET MAN'S PAIN

2 SAMUEL 19:24 (NKJV) 24 Now Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. And he had not cared for his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he returned in peace

When David was later rejected by his son Absalom in the rebellion, Mephibosheth demonstrated David's pain He looked the way David felt He was afflicted when David was afflicted

IN LIKE MANNER

The Good Samaritan felt the pain The four men carrying the paralyzed man to Jesus for healing felt his suffering



1 CORINTHIANS 12:26 (NKJV) 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it

Sons also rejoice when the set man is honoured

3.1.5 SONS SUFFER FALSE ACCUSATION

2 SAMUEL 19:27 (NKJV) 27 And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is like the angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes

Sons also suffer slander or accusation They are hated by the ‘Zibas’ in the house They are hated by the older and more experienced This is like the feud between Eliab and David, the older son and the prodigal When you intend to become a son, you will be persecuted False sons run away True sons are lame - they can't run away They stay although they are persecuted A father must protect his sons Consider Abraham who, as a father, protected Ishmael and provided for Ishmael and Isaac How Abraham protected Ishmael, by providing for him when he sent him into the desert, although he was not the son of promise



3.1.6 SONS SURRENDER TO THE SET MAN'S DISCIPLINE

2 SAMUEL 19:27 (NKJV) 27 And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is like the angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes

They are able to accept discipline even if it is wrong

Consider also Hannah, Samuel’s mother, through whose obedience God brought deliverance to Israel

1 SAMUEL 1:13-15 (NKJV) 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk 14 So Eli said to her, ‘How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!’ 15 But Hannah answered and said, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord’

This woman in sorrow surrendered to the prophet’s discipline, bowing her heart to him, even calling him lord, in spite of his clear misplaced word of discipline

3.1.7 SONS STAY BECAUSE OF RELATIONSHIP, NOT

BECAUSE OF INHERITANCE

2 SAMUEL 19:24 (NKJV) 24 Then Mephibosheth said to the king, ‘Rather, let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king has come back in peace to his own house’

Mephibosheth was prepared to surrender his inheritance to Ziba



3.1.8 SONS ARE BOUND BY GRATITUDE

2 SAMUEL 19:28 (NKJV) 28 For all my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king. Yet you set your servant among those who eat at your own table. Therefore what right have I still to cry out anymore to the king?

Mephibosheth was lame

He appreciated the fact that David's table covered his defect Bound by such gratitude, sons cannot and do not have the feet of betrayal They are also silent in that they do not cry out for constant attention, proof or help

As a result:

3.1.9 SONS BECOME FATHERS AND KINGS

PSALMS 45:16 (TLB) 16 Your sons will some day be kings like their father. They shall sit on thrones around the world! PSALMS 45:16 (NKJV) 16 Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, whom You shall make princes in all the earth

PSALMS 45:16 (NIV) 16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land

3.2 SONS AND THE HARVEST

The following harvests were customary in ancient Israel :



Barley harvest - April & May Wheat harvest - May & June Vine - September Olives - October Figs - August We only look at one of the harvests in this lesson, namely:

3.2.1 THE BARLEY HARVEST

This harvest was actually a symbol of poverty

Specifically poverty during the harvest; that is, there can be harvests that do not start of as a qualitative harvest of sons or overcomers and as such seems to be a poor harvest of sons

Most probably this is the meaning of the dream of the Midianite concerning Gideon :

JUDGES 7:13-14 (NKJV) 13 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, ‘I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed’ 14 Then his companion answered and said, ‘This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp’

Here, the barley loaf is a type of the peasant origin of Gideon's army and perhaps too, of his own lowly condition, (i.e.) those who operated from a slave mentality and not sonship

HOWEVER

We know God always has the last say, and that He : ▪ Has the power to exalt the humble! ▪ Has the power to turn slaves into sons! ▪ And sons into kings!



PSALM 45:16 (TLB) 16 Your sons will some day be kings like their father. They shall sit on thrones around the world!

Other harvests will follow in other lessons Let us consider further examples of servants or slaves, as well as sons from Saul’s house (old order), as we look at the fourth

type of person who’s in the house 4. CHARACTERISTICS OF ZIBA (SLAVE OF SAUL)

2 SAMUEL 9:2 (NKJV) 2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, ‘Are you Ziba?’ And he said, ‘At your service!’ 2 SAMUEL 9:9-12 (NIV) 9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, ‘I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table’. (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants) 11 Then Ziba said to the king, ‘Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do’. So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons 12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth



2 SAMUEL 19:27 (NKJV) 27 And he (Ziba) has slandered your servant (Mephibosheth) to my lord the king, but my lord the king is like the angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes

Ziba belongs to an old order

He was Saul's servant or slave DEF : ZIBA = Appointed one He is in the house by appointment, not by covenant

He acts only when appointed and commanded

2 SAMUEL 9:11 (NIV) 11 ‘Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do’

He will serve David just as he served Saul He is not there because of the set man - he is there because of the institution and the benefits of the institution; that is, he comes to the house of the father and not the father of the house He is not after David's mantle (heart); he is after David's possessions

IN OTHER WORDS He seeks the gifts and not the giver

He represents a brand that is antagonistic to sonship

2 SAMUEL 19:27 (NKJV) 27 ‘And he (Ziba) has slandered your servant (Mephibosheth) to my lord the king’

Sons are a threat to their wealth They say yes under obligation (lip service), but their hearts are not in it



To protect the house, they ensure that the ‘Zibas’ serve under the sons!

2 SAMUEL 9:10 (NKJV) 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for

4.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF ZIBA (SUMMARY)

4.1.1 Zeal based on appointment (his name means ‘appointed one’)

4.1.2 Inheritance focused

4.1.3 Benefit oriented (serves only for what he can gain)

4.1.4 Antagonistic to sons (even slanders true sons)

4.1.5 Servants are appointed, sons are anointed!

4.1.6 The appointed must take instructions from the anointed

4.1.7 Ziba must take instructions from Mephibosheth

4.1.8 The anointed must be over the appointed

Next, we look at examples of sons from the old (Saul) order also; as a type of one of the persons that can be in the house 5. THOSE WITH THE SPIRIT OF TRUES SONS AS

DEMONSTRATED IN THE LIFE OF ITTAI (THE GITTITE)

2 SAMUEL 15:13-22 (NKJV) 13 Now a messenger came to David, saying, ‘The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom’ 14 So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, ‘Arise, and let us flee; or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he

overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword’ 15 And the king's servants said to the king, ‘We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands’ 16 Then the king went out with all his household after him. But the king left ten women, concubines, to keep the house



17 And the king went out with all the people after him, and stopped at the outskirts 18 Then all his servants passed before him; and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had followed him from Gath, passed before the king 19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite,

‘Why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king. For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place’ 20 ‘In fact, you came only yesterday. Should I make you wander up and down with us today, since I go I know not where? Return, and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you’ 21 And Ittai answered the king and said, ‘As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be’ 22 So David said to Ittai, ‘Go, and cross over’. Then Ittai the Gittite and all his men and all the little ones who were with him crossed over

This is a very difficult moment in David's life His son Absalom conspired to dethrone him His ‘church’ is split Morale is very low An atmosphere of discouragement prevails Ittai the Gittite, a foreigner, an exile who ‘only came yesterday’, who had not had the privilege of sitting at David's table and eating David's food, speaks the language of a true son of a set man / father whose church is in crisis :



2 SAMUEL 15:21 (NKJV) 21 And Ittai answered the king and said, ‘As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be’

DEF : ITTAI = On time

God will send people on time with the character of true sons Although Ittai was not sitting at David’s table, he was able to discern the lamp of Israel; that is, he discerned spiritually what others could not see in the flesh Sons should therefore also accord the father the privilege of brothers, or friends, as the Word describes; that is, love the father, support him, pray for him, strengthen his hands, and follow him as he follows Christ, even as we also remember Ruth following Naomi

RUTH 1:16 (NKJV) 16 But Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God’

6. THE FRIENDSHIP OF HUSHAI (THE ARCHITE)

2 SAMUEL 15:32-37 (NKJV) 32 Now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain, where he worshiped God-- there was Hushai the Archite coming to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head 33 David said to him, ‘If you go on with me, then you will become a burden to me’



34 ‘But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I was your father's servant previously, so I will now also be your servant’, then you may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me’ 35 And do you not have Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? Therefore it will be that whatever you hear

from the king's house, you shall tell to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Indeed they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son; and by them you shall send me everything you hear’ 37 So Hushai, David's friend, went into the city. And Absalom came into Jerusalem 2 SAMUEL 17:14-15 (NKJV) 14 So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, ‘The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel’. For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom 15 Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, ‘Thus and so Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so I have advised’

Hushai, as a loyal friend to David, joined the conspirators with the intent of spying on Absalom for David He frustrated the counsel of Ahithophel and brought disaster on Absalom Hushai is called David's friend Hushai risked his life for David's victory Hushai took sides (friends take sides)



In a local church, the set man needs friends like Hushai

Friends are helpers

EXAMPLES :

▪ Jehoiada, who helped king Josiah

▪ Aaron & Hur, who held Moses’ arms up

▪ Ephaproditus, who served Paul

▪ Onesiphorus, who often refreshed Paul

7. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERCESSORS LIKE

RIZPAH

2 SAMUEL 21:8-14 (NKJV) 8 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9 and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest 10 Now Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night

11 And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done 12 Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa



13 So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged 14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded

the prayer for the land

Rizpah was Saul’s concubine, but shows us something significant here with regards to the heart of an intercessor As Saul’s concubine, she suffered consequences for his sins She had to surrender her two sons for execution Her sons were hanged from a tree Hanging from a tree was a curse

GALATIANS 3:13 (NKJV) 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’),

Her sons were cursed because of Saul's actions

BUT

Rizpah was not prepared to accept the full consequences of the curse; this is, to allow the birds of prey to eat the corpses of her beloved sons

2 SAMUEL 21:10 (NKJV) 10 Now Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night



She did three significant things :

7.1 TOOK SACKCLOTH

This is a symbol of mourning and repentance She mourned for her sons’ death

7.2 SAT ON THE ROCK

She rested on the rock - a metaphorical designation of Christ This is the heart of an intercessor, to mourn for the sins of others and to rest on Christ’s completed work

7.3 RESISTED THE BIRDS AND THE BEASTS

She resisted the birds and the beasts - pictures of devouring demons or demonic mindsets Rizpah fought back to break the curse She did this for several months - from the beginning of the harvest to the late rains

She did this till the rains came down This is the heart of a true intercessor - to resist until the rain (the Holy Spirit) manifests She continued till the king took notice A true intercessor will continue until God takes notice and the famine is broken Because of Rizpah's intercession the curse was broken – her son’s bones were removed from the tree, alongside that of Saul and Jonathan, and given a royal burial

DEF : RIZPAH = Pavement Intercessory ministry is a pavement ministry (not inferior, but an enablement ministry)



It paves or makes a way for others to walk on! Rizpah represents those in the church who are prepared to suffer in prayer for others to break through Like Nehemiah stands in the gap, as a burden bearer, but also a watchman It watches over the Word of the Lord and releases it in prayer

over others until it is fulfilled

The last type of person ‘Who is in the House’ is Michal 8. THE FEATURES OF MICHAL (THE CRITIC)

Michal represents a spirit that criticizes the man of God through whom the Lord’s blessings come to the house

David (the set man) is an instrument of blessing; we see these blessings manifested as follows in the Scriptures

8.1 THROUGH DAVID OBED-EDOM IS BLESSED

2 SAMUEL 6:10-11 (NKJV) 10 So David would not move the ark of the LORD with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite 11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household

8.2 THROUGH DAVID THE NATION IS BLESSED

2 SAMUEL 6:18-19 (NKJV) 18 And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts



19 Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house

8.3 NOW DAVID WANTS TO BLESS HIS HOUSEHOLD

2 SAMUEL 6:20 (NKJV) 20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul

Inasmuch as David represents the one through whom the blessing comes, Michal represents a spirit or an attitude that hinders the blessing of a house through criticism

2 SAMUEL 6:16-17,20-23 (NKJV) 16 Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart 17 So they brought the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD 20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, ‘How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!’ 21 So David said to Michal, ‘It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the LORD’



22 ‘And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor’ 23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death

Michal hindered the blessing to her and her household, by

despising the set man How did she do this? By ridiculing him and as such making light of the glory (kabowd or weightiness) of God through the man Thus, actually despising the glorious presence (blessing) of God Like Esau whose birthright was forfeited and Miriam who was struck with leprosy; she felt victim to her own hindrance of God’s blessings These believers, who display signs of unbelief, do not realize it, but they are essentially opposing themselves and God’s blessing for their lives

2 TIMOTHY 2:25 (KJV) 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth

THEREFORE

It is vital to be obedient to the Word, and to instruct those that oppose themselves, as the Bible commands us to do

As such (to offer instruction), the following highlight certain features of the Michal spirit or mindset:



8.4 CHARACTERISTICS OF A MICHAL SPIRIT 8.4.1 MISSING IN ACTION

There was ample drama in David's previous migration Uzza died, Obed prospered, and the ark was brought to its rightful resting place, a very passionate event

In this migration, had she been passionate for God, curiosity would have driven her out of the house

HOWEVER

She is missing from this life-changing event She was not there when the Levites carried the ark

She was not there when David sacrificed every 6 paces She was not there when burnt offerings and peace offerings are offered She was not affected by the passionate events of the day Note - she was bought with blood, had a royal lineage - yet she chooses to be a ‘window Christian’

OTHERS WHO NEVER GET INVOLVED :

• The good Samaritan’s Levite and priest (who walked

circles around him, not to get involved)

• Nathaniel, who questioned whether anything good can

come from Nazareth when Jesus met him

• Edom (who refused that Israel pass through their land

upon Israel’s exodus from Egypt – they did not want to

get involved)

• The believers in the book of Haggai (building their own

paneled houses and neglecting the house of the Lord)



THOSE WHO DO GET INVOLVED :

• Nehemiah (who passionately interceded for his people and the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, risking his own neck with the king)

• Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego (who also literally risked their lives to take a stand for the God of all flesh, refusing to bow down to an idol)

• Miriam (obeying her mother and watching over Moses when he was placed in the basket for protection on the river and so being the custodian of a saviour’s life for Israel)

• Isaiah (who acknowledged the call of the Lord, saying, ‘Here I am, send me!)

• Rizpah, Hannah, Shunamite (who all got involved as women of faith, interceding before God, laying down their lives and self-interest, so that saviours and the saving grace of God, could manifest)

8.4.2 MICHAL HAD AN INIQUITOUS HEART

2 SAMUEL 6:16 (NKJV) 16 ‘she despised him in her heart’

Always a heart matter God always works with our hearts

DEF : DESPISED = Contempt = Scorn

This is a deep-seated hatred for David, which was actually orchestrated or initiated by the jealous King Saul her father

Everything that David did for her was forgotten Saul had evil intents from day one

1 SAMUEL 18:20-21 (NKJV)

20 Now Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him



21 So Saul said, ‘I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him’ Therefore Saul said to David a second time, ‘You shall be my son-in-law today’

Eventually, Saul’s sin comes to manifestation through his daughter, Michal – who (like her father) evidenced a duality in

her love and commitment, wavering between loyalty and disdain for David

She loved David when he killed Goliath

BUT

Despised him when he worships God 8.4.3 CRITICAL CONFRONTATION

2 SAMUEL 6:20 (NKJV) 20 ‘…Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David,’

She confronts the man of God after an awesome time in God’s presence

Instead of praising or thanking him - she is the instrument of a hostile encounter She attacks him with scorn instead a celebration of joy

8.4.4 SHE RIDICULES AND HATES GOD WORSHIP

2 SAMUEL 6:20-22 (NKJV) 20 ‘How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!’



21 So David said to Michal, ‘It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the LORD’ 22 ‘And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of

whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor’

Michal has no concept of worship She did not see David dancing before the ark - she saw David dancing before the women of Israel Her mind was warped, defiled She saw it as an act of seducing women She viewed God’s work through the impure eyes of the flesh

TITUS 1:15 (NKJV) 15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled

Because her mind was defiled She wanted worship, something only God deserves

DEF : MICHAL = Who is like God?

She claims divine position by desiring worship

8.4.5 ACTIVE WHEN THE CROWD LEAVES

She confronts David when the crowd leaves This is a secret attack on leadership and cowardly in nature



8.4.6 LINKED TO A SAUL ORDER

2 SAMUEL 6:16 (NKJV) 16 Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart

She is not called the wife of David; she is called the daughter

of Saul She has not left Saul to cleave to David

Michal is a Saul order (previous season) in the house of David She is not covered by David as her head, but by Saul, her father from the old order She is an unpredictable enemy - not like Jezebel of Athaliah – who can be clearly distinguished by their open threats that they breathe out She flirts and sleeps with the reformer and the season, but has not transitioned; she is not serious about God She is in the house but not changed by the culture of the house A similar example is Jonathan, who loved David but was loyal to Saul Michal is a Saul order married in external appearance to David

The Lord did not curse her

BUT She automatically inherited a curse because of her attitude

2 SAMUEL 6:23 (NKJV) 23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death

Your attitude determines your outcome!



We see exactly the opposite manifesting in the life of Hannah, who bowed her heart before the man of God, Eli and so brought forth Israel’s salvation at the time, the prophet Samuel

1 SAMUEL 1:13-20 (NKJV) 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk

14 So Eli said to her, ‘How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!’ 15 But Hannah answered and said, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord’ 16 ‘Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now’ 17 Then Eli answered and said, ‘Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him’ 18 And she said, ‘Let your maidservant find favor in your sight’. So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad 19 Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her 20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked for him from the Lord’

The greatest hindrance to blessings is your attitude in the Lord’s presence



Michal suffered barrenness – the inability to break through, because she did not : ▪ SEE (discern) grace ▪ BELIEVE grace, nor ▪ CELEBRATED grace

MATTHEW 28:17 (NKJV) 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped

Him; but some doubted

Do not doubt or be critical of what God is doing

MATTHEW 21:14-16 (NKJV) 14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant 16 and said to Him, ‘Do You hear what these are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes. Have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise’?

This attitude was the same attitude displayed by the Pharisees and the Scribes They were upset when God was worshipped No wonder they were called vipers – the venom was in their hearts and mouths

The religious spirit cannot be a part of an unorthodox worship because it lacks passion for God

BUT

Those who passionately worship and live for, God will be fruitful, and abundantly so!

who’s in the house? - apostolic bible school

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