Sunday 26 February 2017

Hosting God Week 9, 2017



God is no terrorist. No He isn’t. When David met His uncompromising holiness he became terrified. And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, "How can I bring the ark of God home to me?" 1Chr 13:12  and he thrust the responsibility of hosting His presence upon Obed-Edom. So David did not take the ark home into the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite 1Chr 13:13. That happens to quite a few people. They flee; and thrust the visitation of God to another. Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?" So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to you." 1Sam6:20-21 the same response as the Philistines when God dealt with them. 1Sam5:1-12. It’s strange that faced with clear evidence of a more powerful deity they chose to get rid of Jehovah rather than seek to serve and please Him. And many of us want to do that instead of yielding to His demands, but that’s not for today.
It is not clear what the evidence of God’s blessing to the house of Obed-edom was, but it was abundantly clear he was blessed. He with his entire house and all he had; and the evidence was clear in 3 months! The chest stayed there for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-Edom, his family, and everything he owned 1Chr 13:14  can you beat that?
When the Abrahams hosted God unawares, God’s decades’ long promise to give them a son had a definite date pronounced. One of the guests was the LORD, and he said, "I'll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son." Gen 18:10.  When Lot hosted God’s messengers he was blessed with salvation from the wrath upon Sodom. Hosting Elijah saved the widow from famine, and got her son back from death; just as hosting Elisha got the Shunem woman a son and many other blessings besides that. Jesus has truly said “I am telling you the truth: whoever receives anyone I send receives me also; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me” Jn 13:20 . Even unbelievers get blessed when they host God’s people. Remember Potiphar? From the time he appointed Joseph to be overseer over his entire household and everything that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph Gen 39:5.
So what are we waiting for? Give Jesus a permanent place in your heart, invite Him in today. And invite his messengers in too to your home for a meal and a visit. Is it only cold water you have to offer? God will bless it Mt10:42. As with the time of David your testimony will move others to follow suit: And it was told King David, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God with shouting 2Sam 6:12 

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