Prophetess hilda arredondo |
Dear Praying Friends, David was known as a man
after God’s own heart. Being a man after
God’s own heart meant he was filled with kindness just as our Father in Heaven.
David had been on the run trying to get
away from his enemies. Finally it seemed
that things were slowing down a bit to a “time of rest” for him. One day he was sitting in his palace. In II Samuel 9:1 it reads, “And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of
Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” In their younger days Jonathan had been closer
than a brother to David and they had entered into a brotherly covenant. In I Samuel 18:3-4 it reads “Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him
as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped
himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments,
even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.” Part of establishing a covenant was for the
individuals to have EXCHANGES; those exchanges meant they took each other’s
identity. Jonathan gave David his robe,
garments, sword, bow, and girdle in this covenant exchange. Spiritually Jonathan was
handing over to David his personal rights as
heir to his fathers’ kingdom (Saul’s). He knew that the calling to be King over
Israel was upon David and not him. What
a humble young man. He was not
threatened, but wanted God’s best for the people of the kingdom to the point
that he would give up his right to the throne and handed it over to David. As we read now in II
Samuel 9 (which was years later), Saul and Jonathan were now dead and
David was sitting at the palace when he remembered Jonathan, his long time
friend. In II Samuel 9:2-3 it reads, “And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was
Ziba. And when they had called him unto
David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he. And the
king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the
kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said
unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.” After all this time had passed God REMEMBERED and now was looking
to keep His Word of promise. He went to
David because He knew that David was his chosen vessel, compassionate and
merciful, obedient with a heart full of KINDNESS. When God chooses men who are true leaders, they
know the importance of keeping the Word of God at all cost—David was just
that! Jonathan’s son was lame on both of
his feet. This had happened years back when
the “nanny” was running in fear after being notified that Saul and Jonathan
were dead. She tripped and fell,
injuring Jonathan’s little son Mephibosheth and he became lame on both
feet. What a terrible tragedy!
GOD ALWAYS REMEMBERS
In II Samuel 9:4-5 it reads, “And
the king said unto him, Where is he? And
Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of
Ammiel, in Lodebar. Then King David sent, and fetched him out of
the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.” Lodebar means the house or land of “no bread”. This young boy, who now had grown up to be a
man, lived in a land that its name meant ‘no bread”. We can imagine what his life was like--he was
lame on both feet. He could do very
little for himself and was dependent on others to help and do for him. He had
nothing much of his own while living with others---we could say he was living
in poverty. Here he was the grandson of
King Saul living in these conditions.
The Bible tells us that the sins of the fathers go down to the third and
fourth generation; this was surely the case but things were getting ready to
change for the better! In II Samuel 9:6 it reads, “Now
when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David,
he fell on his face, and did reverence.
And David said, Mephibosheth. And
he answered, Behold thy servant!” (Because
His name has such a long spelling I will refer to him as Mephi (Mefi) as I
continue to write). In II Samuel 9:7-8 it reads, “And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee
kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of
Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant,
that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?” This young man whose
feet were lame all his life had a very low esteem of himself. He referred to himself, not just as a dog,
but a dead dog. He did not feel worthy
to receive from David the goodness of the Lord’s heart. Our God had looked down
from heaven and saw “Mephi’s” suffering as a lame man living in a land known as
the land of “no bread” and now was the “SET TIME” time to bless him and David
would remember his covenant with Jonathan and obey God and bless “Mephi”.
RESTORATION IS A WONDERFUL THING
David was to do three wonderful things for “Mephi”. One was to restore CERTAIN THINGS. Restore means to give back something that
originally was ours. God’s instruction
to David was to return all that pertained to Saul and to his entire house. In II Samuel 9:9 it reads, “Then the
king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy
master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.” Secondly “Mephi” was to sit at the king’s
table continually with all the king’s men. Then all the men of Ziba, with his fifteen
(15) sons, and twenty (20) servants were to till the land for “Mephi,” bringing
in the fruits so that his master’s son would have food to eat, but “Mephi”
would always eat bread at King David’s table. (II
Samuel 9:10). There is always the
time that God remembers his SET TIME and moves upon the hearts of those who
will do his bidding on this earth – special men and women after God’s own
heart. They are holy men and women who
are compassionate, merciful and generous. I believe that this is the year that our Jesus
will REMEMBER us who have been faithful in a greater way. He will restore back to us because he has
made a covenant with us. At Calvary’s Hill
our God looked down from heaven and the blood of the covenant (His son) was
spilled there when we cried out to Him to save us! Right then and there we also received the
EXCHANGES OF A COVENANT. As Jonathan
gave to David his garments when they entered into a covenant, our Jesus also gave
us the garments of salvation, His robe of righteousness, the garments of praise
for the spirit of heaviness, beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and his
word known as the sword of the spirit and much more. In Isaiah 61:3 it reads, “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them
beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be
glorified.” Also, it
reads in Isaiah
61:10 that “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God;
for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with
the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and
as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
YOU AND I HAVE A COVENANT
We have a covenant with God through his son
Jesus Christ and in that covenant (the Word of God) He promises to restore unto
us among many other things what the “cankerworm” has stolen. When we first received Jesus into our hearts
all things were restored back to us, but not all was manifested for us to see. You and I, the faithful people of God, grow
into new levels of restoration and as we grow into these new days or seasons--manifested
restorations will be seen—2014 is such a year for many of us. As “Mephi” Jonathan’s grandson, maybe we have
been in the land of “no bread”, or maybe things have been taken from us
unfairly. However we have been dead in sin and
trespasses without Christ; because we have not known Him, we have been
spiritually lame. Suddenly God appears
on the scene and says, I have given you the garments of salvation, praise, and
now you will sit at my table continually as my child, son or daughter. You see in the covenant as I shared with you
earlier, there were exchanges on both parts of the individuals. What did you and I have to give in our exchange to our precious Saviour when
we entered the blood covenant with Him.
In Isaiah 64:6 it reads, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all
our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our
iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Yes,
just like “Mephi” we didn’t have much to give but filthy rags and were living
in the land of Lodebar, the land of no bread.
But just as the Lord restored it all back to him and sat him down at the
king’s table, the place of the king’ sons, where He would eat bread continually
- He will do the same for us! “Mephi” surely was elevated to higher ground
and today you and I eat and drink the bread of life continually and we are not
hungry or thirsty anymore because of that wonderful covenant. We are in the land of abundance—2014 is a year
of restoration for the righteous who have stayed faithful to Him—the year He REMEMBERS
us. To God Be the Glory! By hilda arredondo
A PROPHECY FOR GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE IN 2014
This is the year that God will REMEMBER His
holy promises to His people and you will see His Word to you come to pass. As I
said before, there will be no question about those who are His! We will see that He has not brought us out to
leave us, but rather, TO BRING US IN! This is the year that God’s chosen people
will enter into their promised land with its blessings. Years ago, my husband
and I were driving home from a nearby town. We decided not to take the highway;
instead we took the back roads so we could enjoy the beautiful countryside scenery.
While driving, we were singing songs to the Lord, praising Him for His goodness
and basking in His presence. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a quick glimpse
of brilliant rays of color. I turned my head and to my surprise the most
vibrant colorful rainbow I had ever seen was before me. It appeared to be so
close that I could have run right out into that field, touched it, and stood in
the midst of it. If it had not been for a high wire fence that was in the way I
might have tried it! We stopped the car, got out, stood there for a moment and
looked at it in such “awe”. It was the most perfect ark that we had ever seen!
The presence of the Lord was so great we began to weep. Suddenly, right before
our eyes, a second rainbow began to form above it, making a double rainbow! And
the Holy Spirit said, “Tell My People I Will Judge
Wickedness In America, But I Will Not Forget My Promises To My People. Just As I
Provided An Ark Of Safety For Noah In His Time, I Will Not Forget My Promises
To My People And Will Reward Their Faithfulness. The World Will Know Those Are
Mine And I Will Be With Them Till The End Of Time. I Will Not Put Them To Shame
But Will Give Them Double For Their Trouble, For This Is The Season Of Double
Portion Of Rewards And Blessings To The Righteous And Double Portion Of
Judgment To The Wicked.” – This was a prophecy given to
hilda arredondo years past, but still applies to us today!