DAVID - Easton's Bible Dictionary

DAVID, CITY OF - Easton's Bible Dictionary

DAVID - The new Bible Dictionary

JERUSALEM - Easton's Bible Dictionary

JERUSALEM. - The new Bible Dictionary

18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes. (2 Samuel 6:18-19)

Yet, in spite of His closeness to the Lord, David still did things his own way. He wanted to please the Lord. He truly wanted to do his best for the Lord. Yet he didn't ask God first. Just like us! For while we too have hearts for God, we still insist on glorifying Him the way we think is best, without asking Him first. Nothing changes!

David, no doubt relieved, as well as being overjoyed, blessed the people in the natural, with gifts of food. Physical provision was the Old Testament way of blessing, peaking of course, in the splendor of Solomon's kingdom.

In this Age of Grace, the one of New Testament blessing, our blessing is spiritual, to be obtained through holiness.

This change in blessing between the two Testaments is confirmed here.

Unfortunately, in our human nature, we still look to the Old Covenant blessing of physical prosperity. Yet God has chosen those who are materially poor but rich in faith to inherit the kingdom.

Our blessing today is in the spiritual realms.

The blessing comes through obedience. Jesus too had to learn obedience, and attained perfection by doing so.

Obedience leads to righteousness which, in turn, leads to the spiritual blessing of kingdom inheritance.

Unlike the Old Testament where kingship, status and wealth were the signs of God's favour and blessing, our blessing comes through personal sacrifice, servanthood and obedience to God's will, as was the case with Jesus. For He operated under New Covenant provisions.

The spiritual has replaced the physical.

For our true blessing is in building the kingdom of God within.

To rule and reign with Him for a thousand years.

Sad though we get, most of us can understand and accept rejection by non-believers.

But the biggest critics of the ministry of Jesus were not the unbelieving Samaritans but the religious leaders of the day.

David found the same response from the 'King Saul' family of his time.

The same principle still applies today.

Regrettably, much of the church today is preaching the prosperity, 'blessing of Solomon', rather than the sacrificial, servanthood blessing, modelled by Jesus and the disciples. For Jesus and all the disciples except John, even to the death!

Sadly Solomon, in spite of being the wisest man in the world, was unable to handle his wealth, succumbing to the temptations of the world, and falling into apostasy. Surely there is a lesson to be learned from his experience.

The end time, 'bride' church understand and apply the self sacrificial principle of absolute obedience to the Father's will. The principle of unconditional love. Of putting others interests ahead of their own. In the eyes of the world, and much of the church, we will look foolish. For God's ways are so different to man's.

But it is these fully committed, faithful ones who will reap the reward of ruling and reigning with Christ upon His return.

Are we prepared to make the sacrifice?

New Testament Baptistry

The early Christian baptistries are shaped like a cross. These baptistries are located in Avdat, and Mamshit/Mampsis in the Negev and likely built in the Byzantine era 250-600AD. The Arabs conquered the area around 636AD.