Morning Light – September 14th, 2016: Called, Anointed and Chosen

Morning Light – September 14th, 2016
Today: [Psalm 133-135] Called, Anointed and Chosen. In the chapters we study today we learn something of the anointing of God in our midst. There is an anointing that is not accessible to us outside of a certain maturity. Maturity in Christ can be measured by our ability to integrate into a company of believers who know what it is to move in the glory. Psalm 136 speaks of those who stand by night in the house of the Lord. This is a manifestation of intercessory ministry that many would be benefited to experience. Finally Psalm 135 speaks of the transformation of a believer from a Jacob usurper to a prince with God. Every one of us may face that wrestling time with God but it establishes for us the different between being merely called and being chosen.
[Psa 133:1-3 KJV] 1 [[A Song of degrees of David.]] Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 [It is] like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, [even] Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 3 As the dew of Hermon, [and as the dew] that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, [even] life for evermore.
Psalm 133 is a significant psalm for those who have a belief in the phenomena of the anointing of God on one’s life. The first verse starts out speaking about the blessing of being in the midst of a brotherhood of believers functioning in unity. In the 1960’s and 1970’s during the Charismatic Movement, unity was an overarching theme. There was also an emphasis on “body ministry”. Body ministry was an activity very prevalent in Charismatic congregations. When they would gather together there was inevitably a point in their meetings when they would sit quietly and wait for God to give members of the congregations words, directions or revelations to share and express in the midst of the meeting. When this would happen there would almost always be an exponential increase in the sense of God’s presence and the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the room.
As the second verse says there is an oil that runs “down Aaron’s beard…” this speaks of the priestly ministry of the body in its own midst and the maturity that is indicated by leadership being secure enough to allow body ministry and the people walking in a sense of responsibility that they have a place of ministry to one another and not just to be sitting idly in the pews. Ministries and groups that are not inclusive of and encouraging of body ministry are missing out on much of what God would pour into their midst of His power and His glory. The church is not a one-man show. Church-as-performance in the Seeker-Sensitive approach to Christian gatherings might fill churches with spectators but there is a severe deficit of spiritual life and robust anointing in our midst because we have chosen that particular philosophy and approach to Christian culture.
[Psa 134:1-3 KJV] 1 [[A Song of degrees.]] Behold, bless ye the LORD, all [ye] servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD. 2 Lift up your hands [in] the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. 3 The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.
Psalm 134 speaks to the intercessory ministry of the church. There are those in our midst who are called to stand by night in the house of the Lord. This isn’t about going to the church house at midnight in your pajamas. Remember that the body of Christ is not encapsulated in a building. We are the body of Christ, the lively stones build up a spiritual house unto God. When we study the life of Jesus there were many experiences, visitations and appearing that came in the deep hours of the night. I know in my own life for over 30 years the night season has been when I hear from God most clearly. For decades I have woken up at the exact same moment each night knowing that God was speaking and it was a time of communing with him. This theme is repeated in several scriptures:
[Psa 149:5 KJV] 5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
[Eph 5:19 KJV] 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
So when you go to bed in the evening know that when your natural eyes close in sleep that your spiritual eyes open in communion with God. You will receive dreams and night visions. The angels will come and sing to you in the night when you are down hearted. Just know that you may be laying on your bed in your house but in the spirit you are standing by night in the house of the Lord.
[Psa 135:1-21 KJV] 1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise [him], O ye servants of the LORD. 2 Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God, 3 Praise the LORD; for the LORD [is] good: sing praises unto his name; for [it is] pleasant. 4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, [and] Israel for his peculiar treasure. 5 For I know that the LORD [is] great, and [that] our Lord [is] above all gods. 6 Whatsoever the LORD pleased, [that] did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. 7 He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries. 8 Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast. 9 [Who] sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants. 10 Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings; 11 Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan: 12 And gave their land [for] an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people. 13 Thy name, O LORD, [endureth] for ever; [and] thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations. 14 For the LORD will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants. 15 The idols of the heathen [are] silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. 16 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; 17 They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there [any] breath in their mouths. 18 They that make them are like unto them: [so is] every one that trusteth in them. 19 Bless the LORD, O house of Israel: bless the LORD, O house of Aaron: 20 Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD. 21 Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 135 has an intensity about it that sets it apart from other psalms. It begins and ends in the original language with the Hallal – or halleluiah. The psalm commands praise unto God because of His name and nature and perfection. It speaks of His glory in creation and His sovereignty over the affairs of men. In verse 4 we are reminded that God chose us as Jacob (before our wrestlings with God when our nature is changed from “usurper” to “prince with God”.)
The scripture in Rev. 17:14 speaks of those standing with Jesus as King of kings who are called, chosen and faithful. This verse in Psalm 135 says that God calls us as Jacob and chooses us as Israel. This implies the graduation of maturity in the lives of those who walk with God. When you were called you were really of little use in the kingdom of God. You may have been like Jacob – whose name means “heel grabber”. When Jacob encountered God at Bethel he spoke with suspicion and self-interest – bargaining with God as though God could not be trusted. We may have been that way. We come to Christ as young people not knowing what the cost might be. Is God going to ask something of us that we don’t want to give in to? Then we as Jacob have our wrestling time when we get a good look at just how far short we fall in our own corrupt character and we lay hold on God declaring “I won’t let go until I am changed…” God called Jacob but He chose Israel. Verse 4 says when you mature from calling to choosing that is when you become a peculiar and special treasure. It is true that Israel limped away from that encounter. He was maimed in the natural but made powerful in the spirit. Would that we all walked with the limp that would be a reminder of a time that we too wrestled with God and came away with changed nature that caused us not to be only called but also a chosen, peculiar treasure unto God.