THE PRIEST AND THE KING
THE PRIEST AND THE KING
Tuesday Morning Bible Study
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
November 22, 2016, the Year of Our Lord
Early into the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, the “Church” anointed him. His platform has been to return the United States to greatness and righteousness.
Everywhere the Zadok Priesthood is found in the Old Testament, there is righteousness, great blessing and honor.
1 Kings 1:39-40 is the time of the “inauguration” or “coronation” of King Solomon:
“Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save King Solomon. All the people came up after him and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.”
While Solomon’s brother, Adonijah, was contriving with the “Eli system” priest, Abiathar, to get anointed king before Solomon and take the kingdom by force, David sent his priest Zadok to anoint Solomon. This was done by the river Gihon, which means “bursting forth.” This river is symbolically significant. The river that watered the Garden of Eden split in four directions after leaving the garden. The second of these was Gihon. The first river went to Havilah, which means, “My brother has arisen.” (Significant names for the anointing of Solomon).
“They” who blew the TRUMPET were Zadok the Priest, Nathan the Prophet and Benaiah, one of David’s mighty men, who was also a Priest.
Adonijah usurps the Kingdom in a two-part struggle between the Old order and the New order. Adonijah exalted himself—“I will be king.” Joab and Abiathar helped this rebel. This was a counterfeit King-Priest ministry. But there were those who did not participate in this spirit of antichrist:
1 Ki. 1:8: Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.”
Adonijah’s inaugural feast was at Enrogel by the stone Zoheleth. Nathan informed Bathsheba of these events. This revolt was defeated by prophetic insight. David had covenanted that Solomon would rule. So Bathsehba related the news to David. While she was speaking, Nathan the prophet came in to confirm the world. Bathsheba was called back to hear the word of David naming Solomon as the Heir and next king.
Solomon is anointed King. Zadok, Nathan and Benaiah with the Cherethites and Pelethites went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon King David’s mule.
Jonathan, son of Abiathar, brought word to Adonijah. His guests fled in fear, and the usurper went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. The “New Man” of peace was merciful to the rebel:
1 Kings 51-53: “It was told Solomon saying, Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon; for he has caught hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword. Solomon said, if he will show himself a worthy man, there shall not a hair of him fall to the earth; but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die. So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down to the altar. He came and bowed himself to King Solomon; and Solomon said unto him, Go to your house.”
Again we are watching as these scriptures unfold before our eyes on our television screens. We are watching as Donald J. Trump forgives and extends the right hand of Christian friendship to his political adversaries. However, before King David died, he charged Solomon to follow the law of Moses. Elimination of Joab and Shimei was ordered. Solomon eliminated his enemies, and Benaiah was appointed leader of the army. Joab and Shimei were put to death.
I posted a word yesterday regarding the present sovereign move of God on our Civil government and my discernment that we will also see this same overturning in the spiritual “Church.”
If I have discerned this rightly, then the same overturning which is happening in our civil government (as well as the U.K. and now France---all nations) will also overturn the corrupt church system (Eli system). In the process, the Lord will raise up those with a sanctified heart (His sanctified ones and the Mighty Men--Isa. 13:3).
Our church has been going through a greater level of sanctification of the soul this past year.
When the "church" is prepared and we have judged ourselves, only then will we be able to "carry" the sickle which will usher in the Harvest and be able to bring in the multitudes. Those who are anointed by the Lord must carry the weight of the Glory. Those who will be chosen to carry the sickle will be anointed to carry the weight of the sickle.
1 Kings 2:27 sees Solomon casting Abiathan, Eli’s offspring out of the priesthood and installing Zadok. This action is an instance of the “corrupt system” overtly being replaced with the house of Zadok. The house of Zadok was entwined with the House of David. The outcropping of this association is a blessing both for priest and king. A trial of unusual blessing accompanied this priest. When Zadok anointed Solomon ceremonially the second time, there was great shouting and joy in Israel.
The scriptures do not reveal any instance where the House of Zadok is ever associated with evil or in bearing evil tidings.
God charges the Sons of Zadok to teach the people the difference between the holy and the profane. The Sons’ crowd is not interested in “what can I do and still be saved?” The Sons of Zadok huddle close to the altar. Those things which being them close to the throne of God they do; those things which break communion with the Lord, they leave alone. The process of learning what is holy and what is profane is not simple. Sometimes those actions which seem “holy” are calculated works (religious) works of the devil. The process incorporates every aspect of life. Speech, mental pursuits, manner of living, socializing, life pursuits, actions, choices, etc. are to be tested as to their holiness or profaneness.
11 Chronicles 30:26 tells how another King, Hezekiah, had a great revival when he re-instituted sanctification (a return to holiness among the population). God’s people were in terrible spiritual condition. Hezekiah called for sacrifices, fasting, praying, repenting, and soul searching coincident with a return to God. Instead of just seven days of sanctification the people added seven more days. Repentance began when the priests being ashamed and started getting themselves right. In order for a national repentance to take place, a wholesale repentance of the clergy, church leadership, and theologians, filled with shame for their loose, liberal, and unbridled lives, should precede anything done by the general population.
The necessity of this individual cleansing by the leadership is evident in this scripture. If this does not happen, a return and perpetuation of the “system of sin” will occur. Following this, the people who were not cleansed cried out to God for mercy and brought sacrifices and offerings before the Lord.
Captivity and sin had robbed them of the knowledge of the Law. When King Hezekiah read them the Law, they repented. After the reading of the law, the priests taught them the institution of sacrifices. The people literally overran the altars with sacrifices. The people wanted to know about God. They wanted to be right with God. When Hezekiah asked the Son of Zadok, the priest, “What are all those heaps of things brought by the people?” He replied.
2 Chron. 31:10: “And Azariah, the chief priest, of the house of Zadok, answered him, and said, “Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have plenty left, for the Lord has blessed his people, and that which is left is this great store.”
2 Chronicles 30:26 makes a comparison worth reviewing:
“There was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, there was not the like in Jerusalem, then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.”
Flowing blessings, wonderful repentance and prayers being answered are some of the results when the Sons of Zadok minister. Hallelujah, the comparison to Solomon’s era when “daddy” Zadok ministered was a good comparison. The next time we hear such rejoicing. Azariah, the chief priest of the house of Zadok, is in charge.
There’s just something about the house of Zadok. It thrives in righteousness.
Lydia Measner, missionary to Romania posted this yesterday.
“I am so grateful
that God in His sovereignty accepted our repentance and humbling ourselves in
fasting and crying out to God by the church worldwide and made the decision to
send His angels and show Himself strong on our behalf in the United States in a
way that shocked the whole world. It's the third time in my lifetime that I've
seen God turn things upside down by stepping in supernaturally. The first was
the Six-Day War in Israel
that confounded the whole world in 1967. As a young wife, I heard the utter
disbelief in reporters' voices as they gave eye witness reports of incredulous,
miraculous events every evening for a week while God established the boundaries
He had promised Abraham.
The second was when suddenly, late in 1989, with no warning, the wall came down
in Germany, bringing hope to
all of Eastern Europe. That included Romania where
I've been almost 20 years a missionary as a result. It also allowed me to
receive God's gift of unexpectedly raising from infancy and adopting, a third
child, whose orphan mother saved him from a forced abortion by running away. He
has already begun to be a player in this latest move of God in the U.S. How
grateful I am to be alive and to have seen all three of these supernatural
events.
I am also grateful for men who could hear God foretelling His decision and left
their ministry nets to bring the message of hope to the church preparing us to
stand up and believe God for this miracle He has chosen to give us. The result
is the Third Great Awakening that will happen to bring in the end-time harvest
so His House in Heaven will be full!”
Biblical Instances of the Zadok Priesthood in alignment with anointed Kings:
2 Samuel 8:27: “And Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar were the priests…”
In this passage, King David is extending his kingdom and the Lord is blessing him on every side. David conquers the Philistines, Moabites, Syrians and Edomites. He crippled the enemies of Israel and put garrisons in their principle cities. David took the spoil of battle and dedicated them unto the Lord.
2 Samuel 8:11: “King David did dedicate unto the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued.”
The priest, Zadok, took care of the dedication of the tabernacle of the Lord. That which was used of the wicked flowed into the hand of the righteous King. 2 Samuel 8:6: “The Lord preserved David wherever he went.” That is how David was able to reign over Israel. He gave God the glory. He dedicated himself to God. He honored the Lord.
2 Samuel 8:15: “David reigned over all Israel. David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people.”
Wherever there is righteousness, wherever it is synonymous with all dealings as “a way of life,” there is sent the house of Zadok. So strong is this fact, that passages, throughout the scripture relating to righteousness are reserved for the Sons of Zadok.
In 2 Samuel 17:15, Absalom was at war with his father. Times were very treacherous for David. Treason was every where. Absalom was the son of one of David’s concubines and knowing he would never be king, he decided to take the kingdom away from his father. He entertained counsel to murder his own father and had the audacity to consider such counsel as being from God. He governed himself many times by the consensus of his followers (popularity). He did radical things like running his father out of Jerusalem, setting up a tent o top of his father’s palace, and raping all the concubines that were left to care for the house. As he progressed in his campaign to take the kingdom, his ego bested him, and he was killed by David’s commanding officer, Joab.
Hushai, a friend of David, infiltrated the camp of Absalom and thwarted Absalom’s plan to murder his father. He notified two men about Absalom’s plans; their names were Zadok and Abiathar. (Abiathar would leave the ranks of God and join a political action arena in the anointing of Solomon’s brother. Zadok remained faithful. Abiathar was of the house of Eli.) Zadok sent his own son with Jonathan (Abiathar’s son) through enemy lines to deliver the message to King David. Zadok hazarded the life of his son to carry out the plan of God.
A son of Zadok is also found in 2 Samuel 18:19 and 27. He requested to be sent as first messenger to David carrying news of the war with Absalom. Joab refused to send the son of Zadok because he did not want him bearing evil news. Joab sends a Cushite to give the news that Absalom is dead. Joab allows Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok to follow the Cushite. He outruns the Cushite.
When the watchman of David saw the son of Zadok running toward them, David remarks, “he is a good man, and comes with good tidings.”
Ahimaaz could not, or did not, relate Absolom’s death to David. He left this part to the Cushite. He only delivered the good news. “All is well. He fell down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said, blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who have lifted up their hand against my lord, the king. (2 Samuel 18:28).
Any man, woman, or child is eligible to be one of God’s Sons of Zadok. All it will cost is his or her life. Every thought must be brought and laid before the feet of Jesus. Every plan must be approved by His hand. Every word is under His scrutiny and your own. He calls the plays.
I continue to be persuaded that as we have seen the Lord move supernaturally in our civil government and raise up the government to righteous principles; we will surely see the alignment of the King and the Priest ministry as the Lord will move in His Church to overthrow, cleanse and purify.
Isa. 13:3-4: “I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together; the LORD of hosts musters the host of the battle.”
“There is the sanctification (separation) that is of God. This causes us to draw near unto God in spirit and truth. This is the ministry where the Lord is the high priest of the profession of faith, perfects His saints (sons in the making) that they might inherit a new name (a new identity or authority).” (Tayo Fasan)
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V. – I entered into the labors of C. R. Oliver, Sons of Zadok; and quote of Lydia Measner, Missionary to Romania. Tayo Fasan, Nigeria. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those who I entered into their labors.