Dearly Beloved,
This story comes from 1 Chronicles 13 and 2 Samuel 6 when David wanted to bring the Ark of God into Jerusalem. They invented a cart pulled by oxen to transport the Ark contradictory to the biblical requirements of the Ark being carried by the priests and an accident resulted; with the death of Uzzah who tried to steady the Ark as it stumbled. David experienced anger and fear when it occurred (2 Samuel 6:8-9). He must have felt angry at God that his gestures of adulation and celebration was not rewarded by God’s mercy and compassion. God is NOT obligated to respect our breaking of His laws even if our intentions are noble. After his anger subsided, he felt a fear of the Lord who is greater than him in every way. Not wanting to move the Ark any further, David took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom. While it remained in Obed-Edom’s house for three months, Obed-Edom prospered in every way (2 Samuel 6:11). The Bible did not describe the details of this prosperity but in visions, we saw that Obed-Edom’s household became fruitful. Many children were conceived and all his flocks also conceived. All his fruit trees bore fruit out of season and none of his family or his flock were sick. All his produce was better than others and his flock were the best fatted calf in all the land. Nothing changed in what Obed-Edom did, the only difference was that the Ark was not in his household. Such is the power of the presence of God inherent in the Ark of Covenant.
Are you labouring and not producing fruit? Are you working many avenues to get ahead and nothing seems to work? Are you barely making it in life? The answer is God’s presence in your life. As long as God is present, everything will work out well as long as you do not contradict God’s written word. We need to point out very clearly that David contradicted God’s written word on how to transport the Ark, and nothing he did would help prevent disasters from taking place. in spite of the fact that God’s presence was clearly visible upon the Ark, it did not benefit David as he did not follow the written word and guidelines of Ark transportation. So before bringing the presence of God into our lives, we must first examine that we are NOT contradicting God’s written word in our lives. God honours His Word and our respect for His presence and person is in honouring His written and spoken word. Having covered this essential point, let us now go forth to increase the presence of God in our lives.
Biblical figures like Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, our Lord Jesus and the apostles were blessed because of the presence of God in their lives and not just because of their works alone. Each of them tapped upon the presence of God in their lives and learn to live in that presence. The Hebrew word for ‘presence’ (paniym) is derived from the word ‘Face of God.’ This implies living our lives right before His eyes, being aware of His constant eyes watching us. Indeed, the Bible says that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). These are the keys to living in the presence of God to bring forth the Obed-Edom effect:
- Awareness of the Lord’s ever watching eyes
When Joseph was tempted to sin with Mrs Potiphar, he said ‘how can he do this great wickedness and sin against God?’ (Genesis 39:9). He has an acute awareness of God at all times. Similarly, Abraham to the king of Sodom, that he did not want him to be able to say that he had made Abraham rich (Genesis 14:23). We must always be aware of the eyes of the Lord roaming to and fro, watching our hearts, our motives and our actions. And also being aware of Him hearing everything we say and do. This is the fear of God, a respect that all the earth and all the Universe is before His presence and we live always in His universal presence in all and through all. For the Lord to truly judge every human being on earth on Judgment Day, requires that there is a record kept of every word spoken, every thought we think, every action we do. We will have to give account for every word we speak and every action we do on earth (Matthew 12:36-37; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10). Paul makes it his aim, whether present or absent to always be well pleasing to the Lord.
- Obedience to God’s Word
The presence of God in the Ark did not work for David because he was not obedient to the written word instructions on carrying the Ark. God said that He will not hide anything from Abraham for He knows him; that he will command his children and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to Him (Genesis 18:17-19). The rejection of King Saul was due to his lack of obedience to God’s spoken word in killing all the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:10-11). God specifically said that he ‘has not performed My commandments.’ God promises that His heavenly presence will be available to anyone on earth who trembles at His word (implies obedience to His word) (Isaiah 66:1-2). God will put His rest upon those who obey His word.
- The closeness of our heart to God is greater than all physical distances
Although what we intend to do is no excuse for wrong methods nor justification for every action, motivation and intentions is everything to God. God has in the past searched for one who is after His heart and He found David (1 Samuel 13:14), God is and always has been searching for people after His own heart. In Samuel, He found someone who will do according to what is in His heart and in His mind (1 Samuel 2:35). God is not interested in outward worship when the heart is not sincerely into worship (Mark 7:6). The church is to become the greatest temple build by God embodying His full presence (Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:21-22). For this purpose, God requires that His word be sharper than a two-edged sword applied to the cleansing and purification of all the thoughts and intents of each believer in Christ (Hebrews 4:12). God has always desired a pure heart that can see Him in all His fullness (Matthew 5:8). It is not physical distance that separates us from God, rather it is the distance of our heart from the heart of God. The way into the presence of God is through having the same heart beat as the heart beat of our Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ. The righteousness of faith does not ask of the distance between earth and heaven nor of the earth and hell but acknowledges that God is in our heart and in the word of faith in our mouth (Romans 10:6-8).
- Thanksgiving, praise and worship is the air of heaven
We enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter into His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). Thanksgiving and praise have always been the requirement to contain the presence of God in the heavens. Even in the Tabernacle of Moses, the smoke of incense symbolising praise and worship was what kept the high priest safe when he entered into the holy of holies once a year (Leviticus 16:13). This cloud of incense is the covering of praise needed to shield us from the overwhelming power of God’s presence. David declares that God dwells in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). The degree of God’s presence manifest is always directly proportional to the comparative degree of praise and worship present. Any higher degree of manifestation of presence without the covering of praise will be destructive. In God’s mercy, He tailors His manifested presence to the same level of praise and worship in our lives.
- The highest form of praise and worship will be manifested in the end time church.
The apostle declares that we are all living stones, being built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus (1 Peter 2:5). A new tongue is given unto the New Testament church to enable us to rich the heights of praise and worship beyond our understanding (Acts 2:4, 11; 1 Corinthians 14:2, 14-15). Our Lord Jesus predicted that such a time would come when we have the ability to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). In visions of the end times, we saw that the finale of the church is the last week of full-on worship offered to God non-stop which culminate in the Rapture as all of the church is captured into His holy presence physically and spiritually. The pattern of praise and worship as warfare seen in Jehoshaphat’s time is the normal way in which warfare is wage in the heavenlies. I have never seen an archangel of God needing to cross swords with the enemy. All they do is praise and worship and the energies of God’s presence around them destroys the enemies.
The presence of God that fills God people and brings the Obed-Edom effect is obtained through the indwelling of God’s presence in them. Just the mere presence of God is enough to destroy the enemy and bring forth all that is needed upon the earth and the heavens above. The presence of God can
- cause creative growth in a dead piece of wood, causing it to put forth leaves, flowers and fruit as in Aaron’s rod (Numbers 17:1-8). The ripe almonds were all ready to be eaten.
- cause the cloud of glory that manifested the tangible presence of God (Exodus 40:34-35; 2 Chronicles 5:13-14).
- bring side effects of wind, earthquake and fire although these are merely side effects and not the actual presence of God (1 Kings 19:11-12).
- be around God’s people like a hedge or wall of fire in which the enemy cannot trespass (Job 1:10; Zechariah 2:5).
- prosper a person or nation such that they will be the head and not the tail, concentrating all the wealth of the world for their use (Genesis 26:13; 39:3, 23; Joshua 1:7; Psalm 1:3; Isaiah 60:1, 5).
- transfigure and transform our bodies (Mark 9:1-7; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
- bring us into the true rest in God (Exodus 33:14; Hebrews 4:10).
- bring us into the experience of true fullness of joy in the Lord (Psalm 16:11).
- destroy all of the enemies of God in one breath (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
Above all these things, we in the end time church have the privilege of manifesting the powers of the age to come, bringing the leaves of the Tree of Life in New Jerusalem to heal all the nations. The presence of God in our lives will increase past the levels of the Ark of Covenant, surpassing all the manifestations of the Bible as the church is predestined to bear all the fullness of the presence of the Godhead through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the ultimate purpose and existence of the church, to be God’s holy temple for all His creation. This presence begins with Jesus within us and grows until we are perfectly one with Jesus and with the Father, shining with the same divine glory that only God Himself has, perfectly mirroring the fullness of the Godhead within us. Amen.