Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
5/25/2022
He ruled his house and taught his children the fear of the Lord (1Timothy 3:4)
Ruled is a term that means, he took responsibility for his home and family. He led them and taught them the right way to live life before God. We have been talking about Obed Edom having accepted the responsibility of having the Ark of the covenant stay in his house because of its mishandling by King David.
He must have been a man of faith to allow the Ark in his home just after God had killed someone for touching it (they had broken one of God's commands concerning moving the Ark). But he said OK! He viewed keeping the Ark as an honor, not a potential problem or hardship. If he had any fear, it certainly didn’t stop him from saying yes.
The Ark was there for 3 months and when they came for it, Obed could have stayed at home and lived out his life. God had blessed him during that time but it had also changed him. If you think about it…anyone who spends quality time with God for three months will never be the same again. How could they?
But look, when the Ark was taken back by King David, Obed wasn’t satisfied anymore with his little farm. The contentment of old was history. He had something he had never had before. A relationship with God himself! His desire for God’s presence was so strong he was willing to give up everything he had to be near the presence of God. So, he went to Jerusalem with the Ark and became a gatekeeper, a musician, and then a doorkeeper for the Ark. And because no one can outgive God, Obed’s desire, his faithfulness, and love for God were rewarded by God continuing to promote him to higher levels of responsibility.
Obed had a glimpse of the glory of God and couldn’t live without it. How about you? Have you not seen a glimpse of God’s glory too? What are you willing to give up to be closer to him?
What is so valuable in your eyes that it compares?
We both know the answer, but what have you sacrificed to be closer to Father God…to Jesus? What is he asking of you now? Would you stop and name it right now? Would you write it down so you will remember tomorrow and the day after and next week? Really?
In 1 Chronicles 15:21 it says he became a worship leader and is mentioned along with Aspah the Chief Musician. Obed-Edom and his 68 associates ministered regularly before the Lord in worship. Yet, he still continues to be a doorkeeper in (16;5) He was chosen to sing and play psalteries with harps. Vs 37 “Asaph, Obed and the brethren ministered before the ark continually every day.” And what a blessed life he enjoyed.
One of the ways God blessed Obed-Edom was in giving him many sons—eight. First Chronicles 26:4–6 lists them and their own sons, along with their father, as gatekeepers in God’s temple. Obed-Edom named each of his sons in honor of God’s blessing on his household. For example, he named one son Jehozabad (“The Lord Has Given”) and another Issachar (“Reward”). Obed-Edom had sixty-two strong male heirs, and it appears that all were faithful to the Lord. Although his was a minor role in Scripture, Obed-Edom is an example to us that God is fully aware of those whose hearts are wholly His (2 Chronicles 16:9), and He delights to bless those who honor Him (see 1 Samuel 2:30).
Perhaps you have forgotten the Obed Edom story and the blessings that came on his home and children and their children because he followed God by following the presence of the Ark. The presence of God himself. You and I have that today in a new covenant. A better covenant. We are reborn and filled with His presence. How are you caring for the Ark of His Presence in your life, and in your home, as a father…a parent…a grandparent, or a guardian.
Our children need that example and need to see your legacy. They need that structure and loving hand guiding them in obedience to God's life handbook. Obed Edom was a doer of the word ( he kept the commandments of God). James 1:25 says, “anyone who looks into the law of liberty and doesn't forget what he is taught but does the work he is given by the law, will be blessed in his deeds”.
I pray you take a step closer to his blessings for your life and family today. It begins by saying yes and being obedient.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP2kZCigZKE
Steve Green Broken and Poured Out
