2 Samuel 6: 10-12
10 He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household. 12 Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.
1 Chronicles 15: 2, 16-25
2 Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.” 16 David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals. 17 So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berekiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah; 18 and with them their relatives next in rank: Zechariah,[b] Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel,[c] the gatekeepers. 19 The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; 20 Zechariah, Jaaziel,[d] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth,[e] 21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith.[f] 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark. 25 So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing.
1 Chronicles 26
Obed-Edom also had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sakar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, 5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh and Peullethai the eighth. (For God had blessed Obed-Edom.) 6 Obed-Edom’s son Shemaiah also had sons, who were leaders in their father’s family because they were very capable men. 7 The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad; his relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also able men. 8 All these were descendants of Obed-Edom; they and their sons and their relatives were capable men with the strength to do the work—descendants of Obed-Edom, 62 in all. 15 The lot for the South Gate fell to Obed-Edom, and the lot for the storehouse fell to his sons.
1 Chronicles 16: 37-38
37 David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister there regularly, according to each day’s requirements. 38 He also left Obed-Edom and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were gatekeepers.
Worship Song: Better Is One Day by Trey McLaughlin
Happy Twenty Fifth Day of Thanks Everyone!
It is the most difficult thing to be the first of one's kind or a forerunner. A forerunner usually has a vision or destiny that is unknown to external onlookers and usually unsupported because the onlookers never see or understand what the forerunners see or understand about the vision.
This is why, today I give thanks for a template/forerunner, an example if you will, that carves a path, showing us that what we are dreaming about and hoping for is possible. A template can be in the form of a person who has your future (desired) job, calling, anointing or ministry. It can also be in the form of a blueprint to create a business or embark on a particular endeavor or career path. When all is said and done, that template makes one's life a little easier by pointing us in the right direction towards where we want to go. It helps us to avoid missteps and pitfalls, while also giving insight on the necessary intensity level of our pursuit.
Since Delilah was in my womb, the Lord has revealed many of her callings and anointings. The first thing God told me about her is that she will be a minstrel for the kingdom of heaven and that He would literally give her melodies of heaven to release within the earth. Knowing this revelation, I have not only exposed Lilah to music all her life, but each year she receives a musical instrument as a prophetic symbol of her destiny to eventually release those melodies of heaven into the earth. Lilah has a gift of prophecy as well and is called to and anointed for healing and deliverance ministry. Most recently, the Lord revealed yet another calling on Delilah's life as a doorkeeper and a gatekeeper in the temple of God.
It's interesting to me how I can ask the Holy Spirit a question at one moment in time but the answer may not come until a far off moment in time. However, when the revelation comes, it comes with a comprehensive package of understanding. Years ago, I was reading about how King David tried to bring the ark of the covenant into the city of David but was unsuccessful. Once two servants died, after touching the ark, trying to save it from falling to the ground, King David decided that he would not pursue bringing the ark into the city and left the ark of the covenant in a man named Obed-Edom's house. I asked the Holy Spirit, "what was so special about Obed-Edom that they decided to keep the ark of the covenant at his house. What about him made him qualified to house the presence and the glory of God?" It was, what I thought a simple question, that could be revealed on the spot. But, the Holy Spirit didn't give me full understanding and revelation about Obed-Edom until what I thought the most "inopportune" time years later.
On one very cold morning that Delilah refused to get on her bus, we were doing our Bible study on the train and the Holy Spirit told me to start reading specific chapters from the book of 1 Chronicles to Delilah. I was baffled because we weren't studying from that book or those chapter in days prior. As I began to read, I discovered that Obed-Edom was a Levite who was a gatekeeper, a doorkeeper, and a minstrel, specifically a harpist, in charge of the most sacred songs in the temple of God. Whoa!!!! Talk about a drop the mic revelation to and for me (and Delilah). The question I had from many moons ago was not only being answered but I discovered that Obed-Edom was Delilah's forerunner, her template. Obed-Edom was part of a special branch of the Levitical priesthood. He had an anointing for worship and was in charge of the most sacred songs, which is why he could house the presence of God. He could give God what he was used to--worship-- like He received it in the heavens from the angels, 24 elders and 4 living creatures. Obed-Edom was a harpist like King David, and through his musicianship, knew the key (chord) of David that would drive out evil spirits and raise a hedge of protection, through worship, for the king of Glory to enter into a space and fortify it. This is why we find out that the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and his household for the three months that the ark remained there. The scriptures also mention that Obed-Edom was a doorkeeper and a gatekeeper of the Temple. He was a guard and watchdog who protected the holy things of God and was always on his post. This means that Obed-Edom's hands were trained for war and his fingers trained for battle. The Bible says that he and his sons were "very capable" and "with the strength to do the work." Can you imagine how strong these warriors had to be, especially if they had to destroy any and everything that tried to mess with the things of God and overtake the temple.
When Delilah was twenty years old, the Lord made me aware, through scripture, that at the age of twenty all of the young Levites were called to the temple to start active duty. The Holy Spirit allowed me to know that Delilah was in "right" timing and alignment to take her place and step into her calling as a Levitical priest who was assigned to minister in the Temple. That message also confirmed for me why we were going through so much warfare and why Delilah was being constantly attacked by all these wicked "strongman/principality" spirits. They are literal trying to stop her from answering her calling and showing up to her post.
But, she has a template, Obed-Edom as her forerunner, who has forged the pathway, letting her know that what she has been called to do and be is doable. She can be a triple threat- a minstrel, doorkeeper, and gatekeeper- in the Kingdom of God. She has been given reassurance that she is skilled, "very capable," and has the strength to do the work that God has called her to do. And she is very much learned in worship. Delilah can set atmospheres to usher in the presence of God like no other person I know. She has been praising the Lord with sacred songs since she was in my womb and has had her lifetime to perfect her worship.
Another poignant revelation about Obed-Edom is that he was blessed by God in the fruit of his womb and that his lineage also inherited his mantle. God was reassuring me that Delilah will be blessed and that her descendants will continuously carry a mantle for worship and to protect the holy things of God.
Today as we give thanks for a templates and forerunners, I ask that you donate to Theatre Development Fund (TDF), www.tdf.org/donate, for being a forerunner in offering families with disabled loved ones the gift of enjoying and seeing theater on Broadway. For several years now, they have tailored several Broadway shows to create sensory friendly versions. With each show, they create a package of visual cues and prompts and social stories for the families, they give calming sensory toys, and provide calming rooms for the families that need respite during the shows.
Love Ya,
Have a Great Day of Thanks!
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