Tuesday, February 5, 2013

THE ADVANCING KINGDOM



David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus).  The Jebusites who lived there said to David, “You will not get in here.”  Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David…And David became more and more powerful, because the LORD Almighty was with him.  (1 Chronicles 11:4, 5, 9)
David was the newly crowned king of Israel.  He set his eyes and heart on the hilltop fortress of Jebus which would come to be called Jerusalem.  He marched on the city and as he stood outside the walls the people called down to him.  They were confident.  They were powerful.  They would do everything in their power to defeat David in his quest.  They were certain they could prevent him from conquering their city.
In spite of their confidence and their efforts, the Jebusites failed.  The Chronicler simply states, “Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion…”   We can use our imaginations to see the battle and the efforts of the Jebusites.  As David and his men stormed the walls the defenders threw down stones and poured out hot oil.  They shot arrows and threw spears.  They used every strategy they could imagine.  Yet David captured the fortress, made it his capital, and it came to be known as the City of David.
The explanation for David’s success is found in verse 9, “And David became more and more powerful, because the LORD Almighty was with him.”  David and his men stormed the city and pressed the defenders with all their energy.  They fought valiantly and skillfully.  But they did not conquer the city because of these things.  They won the victory because God was with them.
As I read this passage in 1 Chronicles 11 a New Testament passage came to mind.  “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11:12).  Jesus told his disciples that the kingdom of heaven had come to earth.  They may not have been able to see what was going on in the spiritual realm but Jesus told them the kingdom had been advancing forcefully.  The Enemy was losing territory as the kingdom of heaven moved ahead.  Certainly Satan was doing everything in his power to stop or slow the advance of God’s kingdom but he was failing.  The Son of God was on earth and with his presence the kingdom’s advance could not be foiled.
Jesus also said that “forceful men lay hold of it.”  David was a forceful man.  He was courageous and did not care about the numbers or strategies of his enemy.  He pressed on, determined to lay hold of the kingdom that had been promised him.  And so it is with the kingdom of heaven.  One does not find himself in the kingdom accidentally!  Nobody will open his eyes and look around and ask how he ever entered into the kingdom of heaven!  Only those who fix their eyes on the prize of the kingdom and pursue it energetically without concern for the opposition will enter the kingdom. 
The kingdom of heaven continues to advance today.  Perhaps many people do not perceive the way God is working in this world.  The Enemy works to blind their eyes.  He uses every strategy he can think of to prevent the advance of the kingdom.  Those of us who are Christ followers are the army of the King.  We are the forceful men who have laid hold of the kingdom and are fighting to spread the rule of our Lord.  We will not fail because the LORD Almighty is with us.  So we press on without growing weary!  We proclaim his kingdom and his victory in spite of the efforts of the Enemy to hinder us!  The good news is that the victory has already been won and we cannot be defeated!

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