1 Chronicles 13:14
“And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had.”
Obededom was from Gath. Gath was a city in Philistine. Philistine and Israel were and are always at war. People from Gath were called Getittes. Although he lived in Gath, he was a Jew and a Levite. Being in Philistine controlled land was a mistake. A Levite was supposed to be the keeper of the true temple of God, which was in Jerusalem. He was to serve the ark where God lived.
Obededom was in bad company Obededom was living contrary to God’s will. His name ‘Obededom’ meant keeper of Edom (yet another Philistine city). Being a Levite He was supposed to be guarding the Ark of God, but he was guarding just another city instead. So beneath his calling!! And probably much more difficult. Disobeying God is always difficult.
Obededom had no chance to serve God where he lived (as far as human common sense would say) Getittes are from Gath, which is one of the 5 Philistine cities that God gave over to Israel and Joshua. He told Joshua to go in and destroy the philistines, initiating an eternal war. In fact, David’s first kill in combat was a gettite. His name was Goliath.
David gained fame as a steely eyed Philistine killer. More than 10,000 KIAS were attributed to him, just with a fancy machete and spear. If someone now manages to kill 3 people in combat with an m16 they give them a medal. David killed many more than that. The Philistines were his sworn enemies.
God made it that way. Why did God want perpetual warfare between Israel and the Philistines? Who knows!! God does though! He also does use this struggle to teach a reader of the old and new testament many important things. This war is a true historical fact, but there are many allegories to derive from it as well. The Bible and history, up to this present age records this eternal strife. Saul, Samson (the story of Samson and Delila), and many more Israelites, including David, strived their whole lives against Philistine.
The nation of Israel, to this day is still fighting the Philistines. Today Philistine is called Palestine, (the gaza strip, areas like that). And this war continues. All the enemies in the history of the freed Israelites, were the Philistines. Up until today. Where did the Philistines come from? I believe that when Abraham and Sarah did not trust God and took matters into their own hands, they sinned. Abraham (The Father of Our Faith) had sinful relationships with Hagar the slave (with the permission of Sarah, his wife). As a result, they had Ishmael. Although Ishmael was technically the ‘firstborn of Abraham’, he was illegitimate. This sin caused problems to this day. THAT ALONE IS A GREAT TAKE AWAY FROM THIS MESSAGE! I wonder how many of us suffer to this days from the effects of sin in our earlier days? God’s forgiven us, sure! But sin still hurts.
Muslims (descendants of Ismael) still fight against Israel (descendants of Isaac). I firmly believe the philistines are descendants of Ishmael. God told Hagar that there will be a division between the seed of Isaac and Ishmael, and He had many great promises made to Ishmael.
In the Bible Ishmael and his descendants (Philistines), allegorically, represent sin. The fight against sin is perpetual. How many no longer fight against sin in their life? How many no longer sin? NO ONE! The Good News is that God does not see sin if we are in Jesus. God used Rahab the prostitute, Ruth the Moabite, and many other ‘cursed’ sinners, from all nations to bring Him glory, to be His vessels.
God wants us to be merciless against all of the sin in our own lives. He wants us to be cold-blooded killers of our own sins and full of grace and mercy in the eyes of others. David hated the philistines of Gath, and worse, he feared them. People that are scared of you are more dangerous than people angry with you.
Many years later, when David was fleeing from his son Absalam, he had to seek refuge in Gath. He was very afraid of the king of Gath (a Philistine Getitte). When the king was told that he was David, the Phillistine killer, David was brought before the King of Gath. To save his life. David pretended be a lunatic, that’s how much he feared the king (probably son again). 1 Sam 21
The getittes were philistines, and the bad guys in the Bible, although many were levitical jews. The fact is they lived with the philistines. They were unequally yoked. They were contaminated by the philistines. Their hearts were far from God.
One day the philistines captured the Ark. The ark was literally the house of God. It turns out that kidnapping God is not such a good idea. The plagues of Deuteronomy 28 struck the Philistines. Then, after they realized that God was smiting them, they begged that David would come to remove God from their land.
David took the Ark, in haste. He wanted to bring the Ark back in victory. He was in such a rush though, that he sinned again. David sinned the same way Abraham and Sarah sinned, by being in a hurry and disobeying the Lord. God gave specific instructions, one of which is that the ark was to be carried on the shoulders of priest. David was in trouble because he used an ox cart towed by an ox. The ark of God began to lose balance, and Uzzah, one of David’s soldiers, stretched out his hand (disobeying God, because God said never to touch the Ark directly.) God killed Uzzah immediately.
David was terrified. He did’t want to carry the ark anymore. He asked around Gath, where the incident happened, and asked where a levite lived. He was given directiond and knocked on Obededom’s door, reminding Obededom what his true calling was. Obed edom let God into his house.
I like to take things I read in the Bible and apply them to my life in the here and now. As a matter of fact I am writing a book about Jesus, in the here and now, wondering if I would recognize Him.
Imagine this situation of Obededom nowadays. Put yourself into his shoes. You are on your couch, watching TV and a guy knocks on your door and asks you if you can take care of God for a while. Imagine what your wife would say. Your neighbors. Remember, you are apart from God. You say, after you got your wife’s permission, ‘ok, put God over there, next to the tv.’ That night you don’t watch TV, you just sit on the couch, staring at the presence of God. Your wife wakes up and you´re not in bed with her, so she gets up to yell at you to stop watching TV and to come to bed. She comes out and sees the TV off, and you just sitting on the couch, relishing in the Glory of God. She starts sitting with you, following your example, and starts that nightly habit too. And then your kids start as well. Your whole family gets to the point of looking forward to being in the presence of God every night after school and work. All of a sudden, you are sleeping less and enjoying life more. You go to work and get promoted because of your great attitude. The kids start getting straight A’s instead of straight C´s. Your wife becomes the perfect wife, and you love her more than ever, and visa versa. With God, everything is better. The Bible shows us that God restored Obededom to Himself. Obededom never left Him again. You will see him again and again in the Bible.
Obededom´s neighbors noticed a difference. Obededom´s city of Gath noticed the difference. When Obededom left the house, he took God´s presence with him, because he spent more time with God than with anyone else. People recognized that God was with him and that God blessed him. The news made it back to David.
You can do this too. Spend lots of time in God´s presence, then when you leave your prayer closet, God will be more obvious in your life to others. Time you spend along with God is directly proportional to how much people see God in you. Take your ark (the presence of God) to everyone, even your mortal enemies so they can see God for themselves and so that their lives can be restored. God is a God of reconciliation. God uses even our sins. Although Obededom was wrong by hanging out with the philistines, God restored him. Rahab, prostituting herself, was later married, and is in the lineage of Jesus. Demon possessed people and women living in sin became evangelists. Ruth, the Moabite is also in the lineage of Jesus. God is the God of married prostitutes and sober drunks. God is the God of second chances. Just spend time in His presence and you´ll see.
David took the ark, and Obededom and his family had to follow him to work with the ark (be around God) for generations.. They could no longer survive away from God´s presence.
Read these verses about Obededom. He impacted my life, I hope he impacts yours too.
1 Chronicles 13:14“And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had.”
2 Samuel 6:10 So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite. (KJV)
2 Samuel 6:11 And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household. (KJV)
2 Samuel 6:12 And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness. (KJV)
1 Chronicles 13:13 So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.
1 Chronicles 13:14 And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had. (KJV)
1 Chronicles 15:18 And with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, the porters. (KJV
1 Chronicles 15:24 And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethaneel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obededom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark. (KJV)
1 Chronicles 15:25 So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the house of Obededomwith joy. (KJV
1 Chronicles 26:8 All these of the sons of Obededom: they and their sons and their brethren, able men for strength for the service, were threescore and two of Obededom. (KJV)
2 Chronicles 25:24 And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria. (KJV)
Dean and Winnie Peters
Joyfully serving the ‘least of these’ in Managua Nicaragua
2 X the IMPACT! It’s matched tax deductible donations, now til 2022! Praise God!
https://www.facebook.com/winnie.pureheart
www.whatistheloveofGod.com
Love you guys! Spread the GOOD Word!
Dean and Winnie
2 X the IMPACT! It’s matched tax deductible donations, now til 2022! Praise God!
PS ….Matched donations are back this year!!!
All donations, up to 5,000 dollars are matched from now until 2022! 100% of your donations go straight to the kids! For example if you give $1,000 dollars, $2,000 dollars goes straight to the kids. Pray about making a 100% tax deductible donation now. Good for you. Good for the kids. And good for your taxes.
WhatIsTheLoveOfGod.com
Praise Reports
watch our new promotional youtube video of PureHeart… maybe it will encourage you to come down and be an iWitness! clic here https://youtu.be/Y7WKFRkDgHc
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS THIS YEAR! SINCE WE ARE ON OUR OWN FOR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS, GOD HAS AGAIN PROVIDED FOR 1,150 CHRISTMAS PRESENTS THROUGH RAIN AND NICA SOURCE (NICARAGUAN NEAR SHORE IT COMPANIES). THANK YOU JESUS! WHAT KIND OF CHRISTIAN CHILDREN MISSION DOESN’T GIVE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS AT CHRISTMAS TIME? MERRY CHRISTMAS!
1. Our new room, and warehouse expnasion is almost completed, God is good! Needing to install the AC and we are finished. We had some issues but we should be done in two weeks.
2. The home back up power plant is a few days from arriving. Thank you, we desperately need it! They say it should be installed next week.
3. Our summer break-change of school year is here. We have a lot of broken stuff, painting that needs to be done, light construction repairs. We spent the rainy season fixing other homes, but ours has fallen in dissarry. Praise God that we have the time to get to it without a bunch of school kids running around. Thank you for your help.
4. English class, Daily Bible studies, school and feeding centers are all going well. Graduation ceremonies for the school are this week.
Pureheart Update – All is well, finishing up the new room and warehouse. We are painting, repairing the school´s classrooms, bathrooms, (lots of plumbling and electrical stuff going on) and we are improving our school’s computer abilities.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. For Souls and Fruit.
2. FOR HEALING OF LOVED ONES WITH EVERYTHING FROM CANCER TO MENTAL ILLNESS.
3. FOR HOME VISITATIONS TO PRODUCE RESULTS, FOR VISITORS TO OUR HOME TO GET SAVED. FOR THE FAMILIES AND PARENTS OF ALL THE PUREHEART WORKERS TO GET SAVED.
4. FOR OUR 2 FEEDING CENTERS AND THE TWO OTHER FEEDING CENTERS THAT WE HELP. FOR OUR SISTER FEEDING CENTER IN ISLAMBAD PAKISTAN.
5. AS WE ARE HELPING OTHERS WITH EMERGENCY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS *THIS CONTINUOUS RAINY SEASON DESTROYS THE SHACKS THAT MANY OF OUR PEOPLE LIVE IN*. THAT WE BE THE LIGHT AND PEACE OF JESUS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM.
7. GOVERNMENTAL PAPERWORK, I CALL IT ´DEATH BY 1000 PAPERCUTS’. IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, FRUSTRATING, AND EXPENSIVE. AMONG OF WHICH IS FOR PERMISSION TO HAVE AN ORPHANAGE-OLDFOLKS HOME ON A SUSTAINABLE GREEN FARM IN THE MANAGUA CITY LIMITS. THIS IS THE 4TH TIME IN TEN YEARS THAT WE HAVE HAD TO START AGAIN FROM SCRATCH EVERYTHING FROM ALL THE ACCOUNTING, BOOKS, AND PERMISSIONS FOR THE ORPHANAGE. EVEN FORECED INTO REINCORPORATING DOWN HERE. IT GETS TOUGHER EVERY TIME, BUT WE AREN´T GOING ANYWHERE. THE LEGAL AND CPA PAPERWORK AND ACCOUNTABILITY IS ESPECICALLY TOUGH.
8. THE DELAY IS OK, BECAUSE WE ARE STILL WAITING ON THE LORD TO PROVIDE THE MONEY AND THE PERFECT RESOURCES FOR ALL THE FULL TIME STAFF, DOCTOR, NURSE, AIDES ETC THAT COME WITH A FARM THAT HAS ROOM FOR AN ORPHANAGE AND AN OLD FOLKS HOME ON IT, AS WELL AS THE PROPERTY ITSELF. EVEN WITH JUST AN ORPHANAGE HERE, OUR STAFF WILL ALMOST HAVE TO DOUBLE IN SIZE PER NICARAGUAN REGULATIONS
9. FOR OUR OWN CHILDREN`S SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND SAFETY WHILE STUDYING IN THE STATES.
10. AGAIN, THE GOVERNMENTAL PAPERWORK IS HORRENDOUS, AND GETTING MORE DIFFICULT AND EXPENSIVE EVERY DAY.
11. Looking to buy (or get donated) a large tract of land to put the orphanage and old folks home on.
}
Here’s how you can help PureHeart without spending a penny
Please Keep PureHeart in you mind at your job and ask about your company’s matched donations, or corporate donations. Help me to get ahold of them please. We are a stand alone 501c3 and are happy to share proof to any company wishing to add us to their ‘matched donations’ or corporate donations. We are extremely careful with every penny donated, meticulous in our accounting. That is why we are highly rated.
A TALL ORDER, BUT NOTHING IS TOO BIG FOR GOD, NOT EVEN DIFFICULT.
Please continue what you are doing to keep us going.. WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING, IT’S WORKING!!. pray, donate, and spread the word!
LOVE
DEAN AND WINNIE PETERS
OUR BEST EMAIL IS [email protected]
Dean and Winnie Peters