Closer (Pt2) Worship As A Weapon
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“In that day I will restore the fallen house of David.
I will repair its damaged walls.
From the ruins I will rebuild it
and restore its former glory.
And Israel will possess what is left of Edom
and all the nations I have called to be mine.”
The Lord has spoken,
and he will do these things.
We need to understand what the tabernacle of David is:
They brought the Ark of God and placed it inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to God.
They brought the Ark of God and placed it inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to God.
1 Chron 16
1 Chron 1
David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the Ark of the Lord—to invoke his blessings, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. Asaph, the leader of this group, sounded the cymbals. Second to him was Zechariah, followed by Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They played the harps and lyres. The priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, played the trumpets regularly before the Ark of God’s Covenant.
Hundreds of years later after the removal of David’s tabernacle, Amos writes that a day is coming when God will restore the tabernacle of David and build it as it used to be. To understand what the Spirit of God is saying through the prophet Amos, let’s first address what He is not saying. The Holy Spirit is not telling us there will be a literal, physical restoration of the tabernacle of David. The ark of the covenant will not be placed in a tent again. Neither will we board a 747 jet and go to Jerusalem to worship.
The Holy Spirit is showing us through Amos that one day the ministry of worship to God would be restored. We are living in that time right now! Worship has never been more prevalent than it is right now. It’s what people listen to.
God has a purpose for everything we do in worship!
God has a purpose for everything we do in worship!
Gay, Robert (2012-05-16). Silencing the Enemy With Praise (Kindle Locations 104-108). Parsons Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
God has a purpose for everything He does. He never does anything without a reason. By understanding His purpose, we can become part of His plan. The Bible tells us why God sent Jesus to earth.
He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Likewise, God has a purpose for restoring the tabernacle of David.
Gay, Robert (2012-05-16). Silencing the Enemy With Praise (Kindle Locations 114-116). Parsons Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
After Amos declares that God is going to restore and rebuild the tabernacle of David, God’s purpose for the restoration is revealed:
And Israel will possess what is left of Edom
and all the nations I have called to be mine.”
The Lord has spoken,
and he will do these things.
“so that they may possess…” (, NIV).
God’s purpose for the restoration of the ministry of praise and worship: possessing.
God’s purpose for the restoration of the ministry of praise and worship: possessing.
“so that they may possess…” (, NIV). Here we see God’s prophetic purpose for the restoration of the ministry of praise and worship: possessing.
To understand what is being communicated we must first define the word possess.
This is the Hebrew word
Yaresh which means to “occupy by driving out the previous tenants, to cast out, to consume, to destroy, to disinherit.”
Yaresh which means to “occupy by driving out the previous tenants, to cast out, to consume, to destroy, to disinherit.”
God is restoring the tabernacle of David so that the church will have an instrument of warfare to drive out, cast out, consume and destroy the works of darkness, disinherit the devil and occupy the earth. Hallelujah! Jesus was manifested for the same reason that praise and worship are being restored – to destroy the works of the devil.
Gay, Robert (2012-05-16). Silencing the Enemy With Praise (Kindle Locations 122-124). Parsons Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
Example: When a country is at war, they are driving out someone who has invaded to take over. Or they are driving someone out for the purpose of taking over.
The devil will not voluntarily give you back what he has stolen from you. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal” (). For the Israelites to possess Canaan, they had to go to war.
The devil will not voluntarily give you back what he has stolen from you. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal” (). For the Israelites to possess Canaan, they had to go to war. To possess what is promised to you, you will have to enter into spiritual warfare. Remember, Canaan is an example of the blessings of God that have been promised and given to you. But just like the Israelites, you will have to go to war to take full possession and occupy your land.
Gay, Robert (2012-05-16). Silencing the Enemy With Praise (Kindle Locations 124-126). Parsons Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
Example: when the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the promised land the first place they come is Jericho. So the promise came with a condition. It’s yours, but you’re gonna have to take it.
To possess what is promised to you, you will have to enter into spiritual warfare. Remember, Canaan is an example of the blessings of God that have been promised and given to you. But just like the Israelites, you will have to go to war to take full possession and occupy your land.
Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
“I am strong!”
God is instructing us to prepare for war and rouse the warriors.
Ephraim is a trained heifer
that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke
on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
Judah must plow,
and Jacob must break up the ground.
Gay, Robert (2012-05-16). Silencing the Enemy With Praise (Kindle Locations 137-141). Parsons Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
Gay, Robert (2012-05-16). Silencing the Enemy With Praise (Kindle Location 277). Parsons Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
The name Judah means “praise.” Thus, the prophet is saying, “Praise shall plow.” At some time you might have heard this statement in church: “Let’s praise the Lord and prepare our hearts to receive the Word of God.”
As we praise the Lord, we plow and prepare our hearts to receive the incorruptible seed, the Word of God. Any farmer knows that before he plants seed he must first prepare the soil by plowing. Before we can plant the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, we must first plow the ground, our hearts, in which it is to be planted.
Gay, Robert (2012-05-16). Silencing the Enemy With Praise (Kindle Locations 279-281). Parsons Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
Praise and worship act as plow.
Praise and worship act as plow.
That’s one of the reasons they come before the teaching and preaching of the Word rather than after it. Seed has a greater opportunity of bearing fruit when it’s planted in plowed soil. Again, Judah (praise) shall plow.
Notice then what the prophet Joel says about your plow: “Beat your plow into a sword.” I believe the Spirit of God is saying, “Make your praise a weapon of war.”
Gay, Robert (2012-05-16). Silencing the Enemy With Praise (Kindle Locations 282-284). Parsons Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
How do we do this?
Revelation-knowledge is the hammer we use to beat our plows into swords, to make praise a weapon of war.
Revelation-knowledge is the hammer we use to beat our plows into swords, to make praise a weapon of war.
Gay, Robert (2012-05-16). Silencing the Enemy With Praise (Kindle Locations 285-286). Parsons Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
Example: Drunk man who prays the sinners prayer with no revelation of who Jesus is. The prayer is ineffective because it’s just words, but when revelation comes...
Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
“I am strong!”
Joel 3.10
In the context of Scripture, it refers to people who are getting themselves ready to go to war. It is an exhortation for those who feel too weak to go out and fight to rouse themselves by declaring that they are strong! This was a Scripture passage given for warriors. As a matter of fact, the word translated “strong” is the Hebrew word gibbor.
The Hebrew word gibbor means “warrior” or “tyrant”
The Hebrew word gibbor means “warrior” or “tyrant”
It means “warrior” or “tyrant.” The verse actually says, “Let the weak say, ‘I am a warrior.’” The Spirit of God is prophetically telling the body of Christ to declare, “We are warriors.”
It means “warrior” or “tyrant.” The verse actually says, “Let the weak say, ‘I am a warrior.’” The Spirit of God is prophetically telling the body of Christ to declare, “We are warriors.” I like that word “tyrant.” Tyrants strip all rights and privileges from their subjects. We need to be tyrants in the spirit! We shouldn’t give the devil an inch. Rather, we need to strip all rights and privileges from him that he has stolen from us. It is time for us to take our stand in the spirit.
I like that word “tyrant.” Tyrants strip all rights and privileges from their subjects. We need to be tyrants in the spirit! We shouldn’t give the devil an inch. Rather, we need to strip all rights and privileges from him that he has stolen from us. It is time for us to take our stand in the spirit.
Paul writes,
We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Eph
We must understand that the Bible teaches that we, the church, are to enter into spiritual warfare and fight with spiritual weapons. Praise is one of the weapons God has given us. It is not a carnal weapon, but a spiritual weapon of war. God is restoring the tabernacle of David today. He is restoring the ministry of praise and worship, and we are to enter into it “so that [we] may possess.” It is so that we, the church, may drive out our enemy, the devil, and receive our rightful inheritance.
Gay, Robert (2012-05-16). Silencing the Enemy With Praise (Kindle Locations 323-329). Parsons Publishing House. Kindle Edition.