THE MERCIES OF DAVID

 BOB JONES AND PAUL KEITH DAVIS

Recently Bob was given a series of visions, all related one to another, revealing a portion of the Lord’s heart concerning this hour. These are issues necessary for us to prepare to hear the Lord’s voice and prepare His permanent dwelling place during these last days.

In the first vision Bob was shown a black porous mineral that looked something like coal set before him. In the vision he then began to crush this material into a powder and mix another substance with it making what he determined to be mortar. In the second experience, on the day of Pentecost 1996 Bob was given an audible promise from the Lord stating that He was going give us “the sure mercies of David”, or translated otherwise “the Holy blessings of David.” In the third and final vision, Bob was shown a rainbow coming to the earth representing a covenant with the Lord. This rainbow however was different from any other in that it remained constant and did not dissipate.

In the vision Bob began searching for the end of the rainbow to see what it contained. He discovered that while in the light of this rainbow he felt great peace, love, and joy. Once he reached the end of the rainbow, instead of finding a pot of gold, he found that the rainbow produced something of far greater value. The gold at the end of the rainbow are the goals that are the object of our faith– the fruit of the Spirit.

One scripture that provides insight into these visions is Isaiah 55:3. It states, “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you – THE SURE MERCIES OF DAVID.” This outstanding covenant the Lord made with David can be found in 2 Samuel 7:8-29. In this passage, the Lord promises many things to David, yet we will see particular elements of the covenant seem paramount at this hour and of particular interest to the Lord.

THE HEART OF DAVID

To understand these “sure mercies of David”, we must understand some things about David himself. David was a man after God’s own heart. In 2 Samuel 7 we find David searching his heart after the Lord had given him great victories over all of his enemies and even after his beautiful house of cedar had been completed. He then finds in his heart the desire to build a permanent dwelling place for the Lord. He inquires of his friend, Nathan who, speaking out of his own soul, tells David to do all that is in his heart, for the Lord is with him.

However, the Lord appears to Nathan and speaks a more sure word about the desire of David’s heart. David’s desire to build a permanent dwelling place for the Lord and His Ark pleased the Father, for it precipitated Him establishing an outstanding covenant with David. It has always been the Lord’s heart to dwell with man. That same expression of David desiring to establish a permanent dwelling place for the Lord should also be the echo of our heart in this hour as we prepare the temple of the Lord to be His Dwelling Place. We are that temple.

Through the covenant the Lord promised David victory from all his enemies and an enduring house with a son sitting upon his throne. The Lord stated that a descendant would come from David whose kingdom would be established by the Lord. God would allow this man to build a house for His names sake and His throne would be established forever. The Lord also stated He would be a Father to him and he would be a son to the Lord, prophetically foreseeing the Sonship of Christ.

THE ONLY FOUNDATION

The description of this enduring house can be found in Isaiah 54:9-17. It states in verse 11 of chapter 54 that the Lord will set your stones in antimony. Antimony is a black mineral that was ground into powder during those days and used for a variety of purposes. When mixed with water, this powder could be used for such things as mascara and other cosmetic purposes. However, when mixed with resin the powder was used as a seal to set stones in jewelry or used as a mortar to set foundation stones within a building. We believe the black porous stones that Bob crushed into powder, in his vision, were antimony. History records that this mineral when mixed with resin in this manner made a permanent seal for stones and bricks that were placed into their proper position creating a very firm and enduring structure.

It goes on to state in verse 11 that God will lay the foundations in sapphires. The sapphire (sometimes translated lapis lazuli) represents the Lord’s divine nature and His Holy character as seen in several scriptures (See Exodus 24:10, Ezekiel 1:26, 10:1, Rev. 21:19) In both Exodus and Ezekiel we find descriptions of sapphire “under the Lord’s feet”, illustrating that the very foundation of all that the Lord does is built upon His divine nature and His Holy character.

In Acts 13:34-39 the Apostle Paul revealed that the promise for the sure mercies of David was fulfilled through Christ when God raised Him from the dead. It is stated in Romans 1:4 that Jesus was raised from the dead by the Spirit of Holiness. Being raised from the dead by the Spirit of Holiness proved that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, purchasing for all who believe the opportunity of sonship. This can only be produced by being the dwelling place of God’s manifest Presence

Isaiah 54:17 states a profound promise to God’s children: No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgement you will condemn. THIS IS THE HERITAGE OF THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD, and their vindication is from Me, declares the Lord.

It is the heritage of the saints of God to receive the mercies of David, including protection and victories over our enemies (see Ephesians 6:12), the potential for sonship, and the opportunity to become the habitation of God. This heritage was confirmed to David by the Spirit of Holiness (see Psalm 89:35), which was also intended to advance holiness in the hearts of those who would believe. From this we can see the basic foundation of the house represented by the sapphire as the Divine Nature and Holy Character of God. It is only upon this foundation that successful Christian living or ministry can result. Without controversy it is true, unless the Lord builds the house they labor in vain that build it.

Our Goal

In Bob’s vision of the rainbow, it was revealed by God that the goal of our faith should be the fruit of the Spirit reflected in the Lord’s Divine Nature. God wants to have the fruit of the Spirit residing in us so that the power ministries necessary for the end time harvest do not destroy us. In this vision, Bob was shown both sunlight and darkness, revealing that a person is either in the Son’s light or in gross darkness. These times will produce simultaneously both cleansing and judgement. Just as with Israel, either blessings or curses will be ours, depending on our choices (see Deuteronomy 28). Those who continue in the Son’s light will increasingly become partakers of His divine nature bearing His fruit, while those who reject the Son’s light will find themselves in despair and gross darkness.

Those who find themselves in this gross darkness must do as Paul stated in Acts 3:19, REPENT and RETURN to the truth. Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

Just as a citrus tree can only produce citrus fruit, because that is the life abiding within the tree, so it is with a Christian life. A Christian can only bear Godly fruit when the life of God is abiding in that person. Once that Life finds its dwelling place in the heart of man then the natural result will be the production of Godly fruit just as the citrus tree by its very nature produces citrus fruit.

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or the foundation of the covenant which the Lord will establish with us can be found in the fruit of the Spirit reflected in the Lord’s divine nature and His Holy Character. If the believing church will embrace the Spirit of Truth being released in this day, He will produce a sanctifying light that cleanses us of all leaven, the traditions of man, and the corruption of man’s fallen nature.

Luke 8:15 states, “The seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the Word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance”. The ultimate call of the Christian is to be the dwelling place of God establishing sonship and producing eternal fruit. This is done when we embrace the true Word of God, which is His seed, in an honest and sincere heart. As we receive His Word and obey it, the Holy Spirit has greater freedom to water the seed bringing forth His fruit… the Life of Christ developing mature sons.

As those who are in Christ, we have access into this covenant of the sure mercies of David. This covenant is sealed with us by God’s Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Holiness. Paul in Ephesians 4:30 implored us to “grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are SEALED UNTIL THE DAY OF REDEMPTION.” The mortar produced by mixing antimony with resin is symbolic of the Holy Spirit who seals us, as living stones, into the temple of God and into our rightful place within His body. Once we are sealed by the Holy Spirit it is a permanent resting place that cannot be broken.

As Solomon did in 2 Chronicles 6:42, we should ask the Lord to remember the promise that He made to his father David and the covenant established granting the Holy Blessings of David. When we put the Lord in remembrance of His Promises, we are declaring that our faith is in Him and what He has spoken.

When our Lord was baptized in the Jordan River, the scriptures declare that the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended as the appearance of a dove and remained on Him declaring “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.” Some translators indicate that another rendering of this could read “This is My Beloved Son in whom I am pleased to dwell in”. This is what we must have, the abiding Presence, the Holy Spirit not merely moving through us, but RESTING IN US.

With this seal of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was declared to be the Son of God and immediately He began to bear fruit for eternal purposes. So it is with us if we will allow this cleansing and sanctifying process, making us a suitable abode for the Lord’s Manifest Presence. As the Holy Spirit tabernacles in us, we then begin to bear fruit and become partakers of His divine nature. The Lord is then the firstborn among many brethren. The basis for this is the sure mercies of David, the promise that God has given us victory over our enemies, the opportunity for sonship and the right to be His dwelling place. We partake of this covenant through hearing the Lord=s voice and placing our faith in His Word.

2 Peter 1:3-4 outlines this principle: Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness THROUGH THE TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Only through the true knowledge of Christ revealed to us through the Spirit of Truth can we obtain life and godliness, resulting in the sharing of His divine nature.

From these visions it seems that the prophetic message for this hour clearly reminds us to be tender as the Spirit of Truth brings us into greater knowledge of Christ and His purposes. We should not harden our hearts as we hear the Lord’s voice through His messengers though their message may seem contrary to age old traditional teachings that in reality have been the precepts of man taught as doctrine. It is through the true knowledge of Christ that we are sanctified (John 17:17).

As Isaiah 55:3 declares “INCLINE YOUR EAR, and come to Me. HEAR, AND YOUR SOUL SHALL LIVE; AND I WILL MAKE AN EVERLASTING COVENANT WITH YOU – THE SURE MERCIES OF DAVID.”