II Samuel 21

1          Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

2          And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

3          Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

4          And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

5          And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,

6          Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

Joshua swore he would not harm the Gibeonites 400 years before David.  Joshua 9

We need to understand the importance and magnitude of a Covenant.

·        A Covenant is a Formal Agreement between two people.

·        A Solemn agreement

·        A Promise

·        A Law

·        A Pledge

It is a commitment by two parties to adhere to an agreement.  A Pledge.

In Chapter 9 of Joshua you will find the story of how the inhabitants of Gibeon, they fooled Joshua.  They put on old clothes, sacks and old shoes, they took old food and they went in and told Joshua that they are from a far away land.  Joshua with compassion made a League, a pledge a covenant with them.

·        When he found out they had tricked him, he told them they were cursed. 

·        Even though they were cursed they still had an agreement, a promise and a covenant with Gods people.

·        They protected the Gibeonites in Battle the Children of Israel were good neighbors until Saul broke the promise.

I can imagine Saul calling out and justifying his actions. 

Regardless of

·        his motives,

·        his excuses

·        his reasons. 

He broke the covenant and promise made to the Gibeonites before God.

Church tell me about your problems, tell me about your troubles, tell me about how hard it is,

 I understand.

·         We face some of the same challenges

·         We have some of the same burdens

·         We receive calls from the bill collectors

·         Our cars have problems

·         Our pumps run dry

·         Our children get sick

And sin is standing around the corner waiting to jump out and grab each and every one of us and drag us down.

Ø The temptations of our flesh, will tell you that it’s someone else’s fault, and it might be.

o   King David, could have easily stood back and said. 

o   Your all in a drought because of Saul.  He broke the promise

o   I am helpless, the situation is hopeless.

Ø He couldn’t, King David was not the kind of man to walk away from a fight, he was not the kind of man to let the bear or the lion come in and steal from him.

Ø He was not the kind of man to allow a Giant to come out and blasphemy God.

As a Man after Gods own heart he looked at the situation rolled up his sleeves and Got on his knees and called unto the Lord.

Ø God here is the situation, I am here and I am ready.  I want to be your champion and Hero one more time. 

Ø David had the attitude of … Here am I send me.

Ø The Lord is just waiting for his church to Raise the Standard.  Be the lead, set the example.

Ø You will find in this chapter and verse that the Lord just explained the reason.  David is the one who stepped up and took action.

I am amazed at how many seasoned Christians stand back and say…

Ø “well nobody told me that I needed to do this and that”

Ø “well nobody told me that I shouldn’t do this and that”

We need to have some spiritual maturity.

David went to the Gibeonites and asked “How can I make an Atonement and be blessed by the Lord.”

It wasn’t about who to blame, it wasn’t about negotiations,

It was simply about Atonement.  How can we make amends?

Ø How can we rebuild the covenant that was broken,

Ø How can we end the suffering, end the famine,

Ø How can we start living again?

Romans 5

8       But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9       Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10    For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11    And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Because of his Love, he died for us and he has made amends for our sins, he became the atonement.

Church so many times we want the Anointing, we want the blessings,

·        but we skip the atonement,

·        we skip of the sacrifice,

We shake our fists at God, 

·        WERE IS THE PROMISE,

·        WHERE IS THE ANSWER,

·        WERE IS THE COVENANT between us.

Please understand

·        God never broke anything,

·        God is a restorer and his arms are wide open,

·        he is asking for an atonement. 

I have heard many of you pray in the alter,  God I will give you me all if you will bless me, if you will fill me with the Holy Ghost.

My question tonight is, are you still meeting your end of the deal?

Now that the Atonement was complete David began to anoint the Lord with Praises. 

He began to lift the name of the Lord, the famine is still here, but the Covenant is back in place.  

It’s still dark outside, but I know Joy cometh in the morning

Exodus 29:36 

And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.

Last year I preached a message to the church “Because of the Anointing”.  I hope someone remembers that there are two forms of anointing that takes place.

1.      Your anointing

2.     God’s anointing

II Samuel 22

1       And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:

2       And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

3       The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

4       I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

Ø We are Apostolic Pentecostal Christians who understand the fullness of the Godhead, the power of the Holy Ghost. 

Ø We have been called out of darkness and into his marvelous light.

Ø We have responsibility to Praise God in the midst of our trials.

Ø In the rain, in the storm, and in the darkest trial.

Ø We must be an anointing to God to receive the anointing from God.

II Chronicles 7:14

  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

David offered a sacrifice to God of Praise, songs, words, accolades’   Be brought an anointing to God

Take this with you.  Start applying this lesson to the famine in your life.

As you are going about your business this week I want you to dwell on this Bible FACT. 

II Samuel 22

7       In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

Anybody ever wonder how to Get Gods attention?  Atonement and Anointing.  God heard David’s Cry

8       Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.

9       There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

10    He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.

11    And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

12    And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.

13    Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.

14    The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.

15    And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.

16    And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

17    He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;

18    He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.

19    They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

20    He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

21    The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

When your heart is right with God, the portals of heaven cannot contain the reward the Lord has for you.

Ø As you come tonight, it’s not about whose fault it is.

Ø It’s not about who you can blame. 

Ø It’s about what you have to offer God.

Ø It’s about you stepping in and bridging the Gap.