This is not meant to be a doctrinal statement or to be understood as the primary
contextual meaning of the verses in this article, but rather is my personal sense
of what the Spirit is speaking prophetically.
contextual meaning of the verses in this article, but rather is my personal sense
of what the Spirit is speaking prophetically.
The
Cave of Adullam
& the 3 Anointings of David
& the 3 Anointings of David
In 1 Samuel 22:1-2 "David left
Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household
heard about it, they went down to him there. All those who were in
distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their
commander. About four hundred men were with him."
That is the exact opposite of what most faith teachings emphasize to us today, where we are all supposed to keep upbeat and positive: 'No Debbie Downers, please!' So isn't it interesting that David, who had already been anointed by God in the sight of his family to be the King of Israel, would be immediately joined by in his hideout by those who had witnessed his anointing to be king, but also by 400 men, "all who were distressed or indebted or discontented." This man on the run, drew men who were looking for a leader which they recognized as David's anointing, so they rallied themselves to his stronghold hideout in the cave of Adullam.
David didn't get to stay in that Messianic cave for long because, "the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth." God did not anoint David to hole up in the safe place of a cave stronghold; He anointed him to go out and fight the battles of kings - recognized by many or not.
The Messianic movement emerged in the United States in the late 1960's-70's Jesus Movement. Indeed many of the young Jewish men and women who came to faith in the midst of that counter-culture generation of Baby Boomers, went on to form "a new thing". Many in the Christian world have not seen any good reason for a "messianic movement" to exist preferring that all Jewish believers merely lose the Jewishness and become good Christians.
It was God who was forming this new thing of identifiably Jewish followers of Jesus: "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19
Those young American Jewish men and women were God's building blocks for what He is doing in these last days. Many of them established congregations and ministries in the United States, but then He called a great many of them out. They were to leave the American safe place — the cave of Adullam — and immigrate to Israel. There they would continue in their calling as ministers of the gospel of Israel's Messiah Yeshua. Are you tracking with me?
Prophetically, these leaders left their nice, safe American congregations and ministries to enter the land of Promise — the promise that their new life in Israel would be taxing! There would be much greater religious opposition, less financial stability and more challenges than they would ever come up against in the nice, safe stronghold of their 'cave of Adullam' of the Messianic Movement in the United States.
That is the exact opposite of what most faith teachings emphasize to us today, where we are all supposed to keep upbeat and positive: 'No Debbie Downers, please!' So isn't it interesting that David, who had already been anointed by God in the sight of his family to be the King of Israel, would be immediately joined by in his hideout by those who had witnessed his anointing to be king, but also by 400 men, "all who were distressed or indebted or discontented." This man on the run, drew men who were looking for a leader which they recognized as David's anointing, so they rallied themselves to his stronghold hideout in the cave of Adullam.
David didn't get to stay in that Messianic cave for long because, "the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth." God did not anoint David to hole up in the safe place of a cave stronghold; He anointed him to go out and fight the battles of kings - recognized by many or not.
The Messianic movement emerged in the United States in the late 1960's-70's Jesus Movement. Indeed many of the young Jewish men and women who came to faith in the midst of that counter-culture generation of Baby Boomers, went on to form "a new thing". Many in the Christian world have not seen any good reason for a "messianic movement" to exist preferring that all Jewish believers merely lose the Jewishness and become good Christians.
It was God who was forming this new thing of identifiably Jewish followers of Jesus: "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19
Those young American Jewish men and women were God's building blocks for what He is doing in these last days. Many of them established congregations and ministries in the United States, but then He called a great many of them out. They were to leave the American safe place — the cave of Adullam — and immigrate to Israel. There they would continue in their calling as ministers of the gospel of Israel's Messiah Yeshua. Are you tracking with me?
Prophetically, these leaders left their nice, safe American congregations and ministries to enter the land of Promise — the promise that their new life in Israel would be taxing! There would be much greater religious opposition, less financial stability and more challenges than they would ever come up against in the nice, safe stronghold of their 'cave of Adullam' of the Messianic Movement in the United States.
Instead
God called them out to go into the wilderness of Israel: 1 Samuel
22:5, "... So David left and went to the forest of
Hereth." There is something interesting about this word
Hareth. First, there is no meaning given that I could find, but the word stems
from another Hebrew word, Charath, which means to engrave. Charath
is only used once in the Bible and that is in Exodus 32:16, "And
the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven
H2801 upon the tablets."
Living Stones. Living Letters. Living tablets engraved by the writing of God, and a work of God Himself. God did not want the Messianic Jewish faith to remain in the stronghold, in the places where it was safe to be a Jewish believer in Yeshua. He wanted them out in the wilderness of Israel where they would walk as living engravings, the work of God in the midst of a people God promised to return to with grace and favor. God wants to reach the Jews where ever in the world they are, but there is special significance attached to raising up a Jewish body of faith within Israel.
Now David was anointed three times to be the King of Israel before he actually became the king over all Israel. The first time David was anointed it was in the presence of his own and having witnessed the prophet Samuel anointing David, they were the first to join David when he was forced to flee from King Saul. But there was a second group that recognized the anointing on David for kingly leadership, so afterwards "All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander."
That description kind of sounds to me like so many of the Christians who have joined themselves to the Messianic movement in the past few decades. I know as a Christian when I joined myself to the Messianic movement back in about 1992, I certainly fit the profile! I was like that song from the U2 Joshua Tree album, "And I still haven't found what I'm looking for." I was distressed, in debt and discontented!
Many Christians who have attached themselves to the Messianic movement have come in distress, debt and discontent with what they received (or didn't receive) in their former church experience. They represent an opportunity to Messianic leaders for the same kind of healing, deliverance and vision that David was able to minister to those who came to him. That's why they came to David, they saw his anointing for good leadership. That's why they come to the Messianic movement, seeking anointed, solid biblical leadership.
Some in the Messianic movement have also seen this as their calling in Yeshua to fulfill the prophetic call to bless "all nations on earth" (goy/nations/gentiles). But many Christians who join the Messianic movement get stuck in bad feelings toward the Church because of Christian history against the Jews...unfortunately, many Messianic Jews are stuck there too.
Living Stones. Living Letters. Living tablets engraved by the writing of God, and a work of God Himself. God did not want the Messianic Jewish faith to remain in the stronghold, in the places where it was safe to be a Jewish believer in Yeshua. He wanted them out in the wilderness of Israel where they would walk as living engravings, the work of God in the midst of a people God promised to return to with grace and favor. God wants to reach the Jews where ever in the world they are, but there is special significance attached to raising up a Jewish body of faith within Israel.
Now David was anointed three times to be the King of Israel before he actually became the king over all Israel. The first time David was anointed it was in the presence of his own and having witnessed the prophet Samuel anointing David, they were the first to join David when he was forced to flee from King Saul. But there was a second group that recognized the anointing on David for kingly leadership, so afterwards "All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander."
That description kind of sounds to me like so many of the Christians who have joined themselves to the Messianic movement in the past few decades. I know as a Christian when I joined myself to the Messianic movement back in about 1992, I certainly fit the profile! I was like that song from the U2 Joshua Tree album, "And I still haven't found what I'm looking for." I was distressed, in debt and discontented!
Many Christians who have attached themselves to the Messianic movement have come in distress, debt and discontent with what they received (or didn't receive) in their former church experience. They represent an opportunity to Messianic leaders for the same kind of healing, deliverance and vision that David was able to minister to those who came to him. That's why they came to David, they saw his anointing for good leadership. That's why they come to the Messianic movement, seeking anointed, solid biblical leadership.
Some in the Messianic movement have also seen this as their calling in Yeshua to fulfill the prophetic call to bless "all nations on earth" (goy/nations/gentiles). But many Christians who join the Messianic movement get stuck in bad feelings toward the Church because of Christian history against the Jews...unfortunately, many Messianic Jews are stuck there too.
The
horrible history of the church toward the Jews is an important history to know,
but we have to move beyond that basis of relating to Israel. David did not
cultivate anger against Saul; he modeled respect for God's anointed. In our day
this should translate two ways: the Messianic movement should model respect for
Israel and respect for the Church. Unlike Saul, God's anointing does rest on
the Church despite the failing of many to walk in it throughout history.
That may be why the really cutting edge of anointed, prophetic Christian ministries have looked down on us spiritually — both the Messianic movement and those of us Christians who have joined ourselves to them. Could be. We don't look to them like we're something they want to be part of.
Yet God is doing something magnificent in the Messianic faith and I believe we can also see that progression paralleled in the three separate times David was anointed to be King.
The 3 Anointings of David
The first time he was anointed David was just a teenager of about 15 years old. That same year is the year he killed Goliath and from there he began to serve King Saul for 7 years, even marrying Saul's daughter. Saul's jealousy at the anointing that was upon David finally drove David into hiding when he was about 22 years old. After that David was continually on the move both hiding from Saul and battling the enemies of Israel. This went on for 8 years.
David was anointed to be king as a teenager, but Israel already had a king, so David gladly served King Saul leading men in the routing of Israel's enemies. The people recognized David's anointing so much so that it stirred great jealousy in Saul who became increasingly dangerous toward David. Finally David had to get out of Saul's reach but God did not intend for David to stop fighting Israel's enemies.
Then in those years of serving Saul, and fighting for Israel while hiding from Saul, God was preparing David to be the kind of king that God wanted for Israel — a man after God's own heart. He spent those years on the run, fighting for Israel and hiding from Saul. Saul wanted to harm David, but David did not want to harm Saul. David recognized that even though Saul was a true enemy, He was also God's anointed.
God had rejected Saul, but God had not removed Saul, so David's level of integrity was that he would never lay a finger on Saul even when the opportunity presented itself. Sound familiar? It does to me. It sounds just like how the Israeli Messianics conduct themselves in Israel, even in the face of truly threatening religious jealousy and opposition.
David was about 30 years old when Saul died after being mortally wounded by the Philestines on Mt Gilboa. After Saul's death, the men of Judah recognized David's anointing to be king, so they anointed him before God for the second time. David then became the king of Judah in Hebron. After Saul's death Judah and Israel were still separated from each other — as Messianic Israelis still are from unsaved Israel. But after a few years of internal conflicts, the elders of Israel also saw that David was anointed to be king of all Israel.
Now for the third time David was anointed by all Israel to be their King. When they acknowledged David's anointing as King of Israel, then David was able to battle for Israel, recapturing Jerusalem from the Jebusites — a root verb that means "to tread down or trample."
Do you see what I see? In the first anointing young David is like the pioneer generation of Messianic ministry leaders who came to Israel to serve Yeshua in the building up of the Living Stones of Israel. They excelled, increased and grew in much "character building" spiritual maturity facing all the challenges of Israel — the jealousy of the spiritual establishment.
In 1948 there were only 23 believers in all of Israel. After 1967 with the birth of the Messianic movement in the USA more Messianic believers began to immigrate to Israel with the calling of God to get out of their safe cave and get into the wilderness of Israel, because that is where God was going to bless them with fruitfulness.
While there is still spiritual battle going on between 'Judah and Israel' (Messianic Israelis and unsaved Israelis), yet many Israelis are recognizing the anointing that is upon the Messianic 'Davids' who are the work of God written on living tablets, living stones who are the temple, or the body that is being raised up in the likeness of Messiah Yeshua.
Yeshua said, "For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, Baruch haba B'Shem Adonai." 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'
When Israel recognizes the anointing that is on the Messianic believers of Israel, this will open all Israel up to receive the King that God has wanted for them all along: The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
That may be why the really cutting edge of anointed, prophetic Christian ministries have looked down on us spiritually — both the Messianic movement and those of us Christians who have joined ourselves to them. Could be. We don't look to them like we're something they want to be part of.
Yet God is doing something magnificent in the Messianic faith and I believe we can also see that progression paralleled in the three separate times David was anointed to be King.
The 3 Anointings of David
The first time he was anointed David was just a teenager of about 15 years old. That same year is the year he killed Goliath and from there he began to serve King Saul for 7 years, even marrying Saul's daughter. Saul's jealousy at the anointing that was upon David finally drove David into hiding when he was about 22 years old. After that David was continually on the move both hiding from Saul and battling the enemies of Israel. This went on for 8 years.
David was anointed to be king as a teenager, but Israel already had a king, so David gladly served King Saul leading men in the routing of Israel's enemies. The people recognized David's anointing so much so that it stirred great jealousy in Saul who became increasingly dangerous toward David. Finally David had to get out of Saul's reach but God did not intend for David to stop fighting Israel's enemies.
Then in those years of serving Saul, and fighting for Israel while hiding from Saul, God was preparing David to be the kind of king that God wanted for Israel — a man after God's own heart. He spent those years on the run, fighting for Israel and hiding from Saul. Saul wanted to harm David, but David did not want to harm Saul. David recognized that even though Saul was a true enemy, He was also God's anointed.
God had rejected Saul, but God had not removed Saul, so David's level of integrity was that he would never lay a finger on Saul even when the opportunity presented itself. Sound familiar? It does to me. It sounds just like how the Israeli Messianics conduct themselves in Israel, even in the face of truly threatening religious jealousy and opposition.
David was about 30 years old when Saul died after being mortally wounded by the Philestines on Mt Gilboa. After Saul's death, the men of Judah recognized David's anointing to be king, so they anointed him before God for the second time. David then became the king of Judah in Hebron. After Saul's death Judah and Israel were still separated from each other — as Messianic Israelis still are from unsaved Israel. But after a few years of internal conflicts, the elders of Israel also saw that David was anointed to be king of all Israel.
Now for the third time David was anointed by all Israel to be their King. When they acknowledged David's anointing as King of Israel, then David was able to battle for Israel, recapturing Jerusalem from the Jebusites — a root verb that means "to tread down or trample."
Do you see what I see? In the first anointing young David is like the pioneer generation of Messianic ministry leaders who came to Israel to serve Yeshua in the building up of the Living Stones of Israel. They excelled, increased and grew in much "character building" spiritual maturity facing all the challenges of Israel — the jealousy of the spiritual establishment.
In 1948 there were only 23 believers in all of Israel. After 1967 with the birth of the Messianic movement in the USA more Messianic believers began to immigrate to Israel with the calling of God to get out of their safe cave and get into the wilderness of Israel, because that is where God was going to bless them with fruitfulness.
While there is still spiritual battle going on between 'Judah and Israel' (Messianic Israelis and unsaved Israelis), yet many Israelis are recognizing the anointing that is upon the Messianic 'Davids' who are the work of God written on living tablets, living stones who are the temple, or the body that is being raised up in the likeness of Messiah Yeshua.
Yeshua said, "For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, Baruch haba B'Shem Adonai." 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'
When Israel recognizes the anointing that is on the Messianic believers of Israel, this will open all Israel up to receive the King that God has wanted for them all along: The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
For
God made a covenantal promise to David as represented in all those Jews in the
faith of Messiah who exist today and who have continuously existed since
the first century: "But My loving devotion will never depart from
him (David) as I removed it from Saul, whom I moved out of your way. Your house
and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established
forever.” 2 Samuel 7:15-17
We may have resembled a rag-tag group of people — "broke, busted and disgusted" as the old song lyric goes — but there is a progression taking place that ends in "all Israel" anointing Yeshua as their King. All of these "David's" — men after God's own heart, standing in the spiritual ancestral line of David. It is the anointing that comes by faith in Yeshua.
I see the Messianic faith being like that - how the covenant God made with David was fulfilled in Yeshua, then extended to those Messianic Jews who believed in Him in the first century - passed on now by Jewish faith placed in Him. So that is the first anointing of His kingship. Through the ages there has always been a remnant of Jewish faith in Yeshua until the re-establishment of the nation of Israel when God has released the season of reestablishment of faith in Yeshua in Israel.
We may have resembled a rag-tag group of people — "broke, busted and disgusted" as the old song lyric goes — but there is a progression taking place that ends in "all Israel" anointing Yeshua as their King. All of these "David's" — men after God's own heart, standing in the spiritual ancestral line of David. It is the anointing that comes by faith in Yeshua.
I see the Messianic faith being like that - how the covenant God made with David was fulfilled in Yeshua, then extended to those Messianic Jews who believed in Him in the first century - passed on now by Jewish faith placed in Him. So that is the first anointing of His kingship. Through the ages there has always been a remnant of Jewish faith in Yeshua until the re-establishment of the nation of Israel when God has released the season of reestablishment of faith in Yeshua in Israel.
Israel
is not to be just a physical restoration of the state, but a spiritual
restoration of Israel to God through His Messiah Yeshua. This is like the
second anointing of David, where he began to walk in a limited measure of the
kingship God intended for him and others were being added to him. The
believers are like an extension of Yeshua in the Davidic line - by faith.
The
Jewish believers will continue to increase in followers of the One who will be
crowned King of Kings. This Yeshua whose throne is Jerusalem, who is the
Lion of the tribe of Judah and the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant God
made with David, "In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem
will dwell securely, and this is the name by which she will be called: The LORD
Our Righteousness. For this is what the LORD says: David will never lack a man
to sit on the throne of the house of Israel" Jeremiah 33:16-17
Today there are 30,000 Israeli Jewish Believers according to a "conservative estimate." Some believe the actual number is double that amount. Despite all the challenges, opposition, and often the spiritual isolation, these are like David in the period still fighting Israel's enemies and hiding from Saul.
While not all the church has recognized them as a significant thing God is doing, many other international believers worldwide do recognize the anointing. I see this to be like the point in the progression when David's second anointing occurred. When "only the men of Judah" anointed him as king. That recognition of the anointing of Messiah Yeshua is increasing year-by-year in Israel, among the Jewish people and increasingly paralleled in the international church.
Soon the time will arrive when even the elders of Israel will see the anointing of the Davidic King that rests upon His Israeli Messianic Jewish people who are called by His Name, walking in His anointing. At that time all Israel shall be saved, they will declare Yeshua as the KING of Israel.
This final anointing will mean Yeshua will return to capture Jerusalem as David did: Nevermore will it be tread down and trampled by the Jebusites. It is coming and I want to be a part of this blessing that reverberate throughout the world.
Today there are 30,000 Israeli Jewish Believers according to a "conservative estimate." Some believe the actual number is double that amount. Despite all the challenges, opposition, and often the spiritual isolation, these are like David in the period still fighting Israel's enemies and hiding from Saul.
While not all the church has recognized them as a significant thing God is doing, many other international believers worldwide do recognize the anointing. I see this to be like the point in the progression when David's second anointing occurred. When "only the men of Judah" anointed him as king. That recognition of the anointing of Messiah Yeshua is increasing year-by-year in Israel, among the Jewish people and increasingly paralleled in the international church.
Soon the time will arrive when even the elders of Israel will see the anointing of the Davidic King that rests upon His Israeli Messianic Jewish people who are called by His Name, walking in His anointing. At that time all Israel shall be saved, they will declare Yeshua as the KING of Israel.
This final anointing will mean Yeshua will return to capture Jerusalem as David did: Nevermore will it be tread down and trampled by the Jebusites. It is coming and I want to be a part of this blessing that reverberate throughout the world.
2 comments:
I'm a little surprised I didn't get more conversation out of my new article, The Cave of Adullam & The 3 Anointings of David. I did get one email this morning from a Messianic Jewish brother who left Iran in 1979 & became a believer in Jesus in 1981 in the USA. He moved to Israel in '86 but had to return to the US in 94 because his mother had cancer.
Like I told him, my article was not about condemning any Messianic Jews who live somewhere other than Israel. God tells each of us where to be - not me!
My point that for most Messianic Jews living in other nations, they typically have an easier situation in which to live their lives and even to be in ministry.
My article was not about shaming any Messianic Jew who didn't live in Israel, but was about bringing attention to the fact that the Messianic Jews living in Israel deserve our respect and support. What they are doing there to impact the nation of in the name of Yeshua is done with much personal sacrifice. They deserve a higher honor not only from the international Church, but also the international Messianic community.
The other thing I would clarify is that although I spoke about the American Messianic Jews who immigrated to Israel, it is only because I am most familiar with their story. In no way do I place them above the Israeli Messianic Jews from any other nation originally, or even the sabra Jews who could move to some place not so hard. ..but they don't.
Any Messianic Jew who chooses to put their stakes down deep in ministering in Israel are the ones I am saying deserve special honor and support from the international Church, but also the international Messianic community. The ground they have been plowing, planting seed, water sprouts, nurturing fruit in the Lord's harvest in Israel, the is a priceless contribution to the rest of the worldwide body - whether we realize it yet or not.
I'm a little surprised I didn't get more conversation out of my new article, The Cave of Adullam & The 3 Anointings of David. I did get one email this morning from a Messianic Jewish brother who left Iran in 1979 & became a believer in Jesus in 1981 in the USA. He moved to Israel in '86 but had to return to the US in 94 because his mother had cancer.
Like I told him, my article was not about condemning any Messianic Jews who live somewhere other than Israel. God tells each of us where to be - not me!
My point that for most Messianic Jews living in other nations, they typically have an easier situation in which to live their lives and even to be in ministry.
My article was not about shaming any Messianic Jew who didn't live in Israel, but was about bringing attention to the fact that the Messianic Jews living in Israel deserve our respect and support. What they are doing there to impact the nation of in the name of Yeshua is done with much personal sacrifice. They deserve a higher honor not only from the international Church, but also the international Messianic community.
The other thing I would clarify is that although I spoke about the American Messianic Jews who immigrated to Israel, it is only because I am most familiar with their story. In no way do I place them above the Israeli Messianic Jews from any other nation originally, or even the sabra Jews who could move to some place not so hard. ..but they don't.
Any Messianic Jew who chooses to put their stakes down deep in ministering in Israel are the ones I am saying deserve special honor and support from the international Church, but also the international Messianic community. The ground they have been plowing, planting seed, water sprouts, nurturing fruit in the Lord's harvest in Israel, the is a priceless contribution to the rest of the worldwide body - whether we realize it yet or not.
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