THE COVERING OF GOD'S POWER

2 Samuel 22:1-20  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.  (5)  When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;  (6)  The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;  (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.  (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.

• God's reaction was one of anger and wrath.
• Someone was hurting one who loved God.
• And God had a covering of protection over David, and came down in wrath against David's foes.

(Romans 7:4-6)  Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.  For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.   But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

• He was made in God's image.
• Intended to receive seed into his life that he might produce fruit for God.

• And motions of sin worked.
• And they caused fruit unto death to come forth from our lives.
• Motions of sin is passions of sin.

• Man is quite far from that state now.
• However, this is restored in the church.

• She is protected by him.
• Sheltered by him.

(Ruth 3:9)  And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

• The custom now used with the Jews at marriage,shows the man casting the skirt of his "talith", or outward garment, over the head of his spouse, and cover it.

(Ezekiel 16:8)  Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.

• He washed her and entered into covenant with her at Mount Sinai.
• Then through the giving of the Tabernacle, He clothed her with broidered work, and shod her with badger's skins.
• He lists the parts of the Tabernacle as clothing for His new Bride.
• The Bride was made His at the giving of the covenant of Law.

(Isaiah 54:5)  For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

• This is seen in the Exodus.

(1 Corinthians 10:1)  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

(Exodus 40:34-36)  Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:

• Fire was within the pillar and only seen at night when all was dark.

• He came into covenant with her.

• Like a blanket.
• And when God wanted to move Israel, the cloud stood up like a pillar and led them.
• It was all around them.

Psalm 18:11  He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

Psalm 27:5  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Psalm 31:20  Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

• Pavilion in the Hebrew also is Tabernacle!

Jeremiah 43:10  And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.

• When God gave Jerusalem His Temple, He said He placed His name in that city.
• The Tabernacle/Temple both were coverings and represented God's NAME.
• Just as a man gives the covering of His name to His bride in marriage.
• That name indicates protection and covering.
• He vows to do all he can to protect that woman and keep her safe.

• He covered them.
• This is also seen in the ark of the covenant.

(Exodus 25:20)  And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

Pro 17:9  He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

Pro 10:12  Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

• God covered us with His covering of BLOOD to forgive us our sins.
• The church-goers who "repeat" bad news about someone are actually bringing forth "children" of a father other than God.
• They have actually adulterated away from God towards another.
• And the children are like their father.
• God's children are like Him.
• Love, joy, peace, etc.
• God so loves us!
• He covers us!

(Psa 91:1-9)  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.  Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.  Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

(1 Corinthians 11:7)  For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

• She is the man's.

(Ezekiel 1:4-6)  And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.  Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.  And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

• The cloud was bright.
• And a fire was inside it.
• And the colour of amber.
• Why Amber?

Ezekiel 1:26-27  And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.  And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

• Like Ezekiel's vision.

1 Chronicles 28:18  And for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

Ezekiel 1:24  And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

• This was His chariot.
• His covering.
• A canopy of protection over His people.
• He was in its midst.

• Way back in the Garden, God makes man from the ground, earth, and urges man to eat fruit of life.
• Seed is in fruit.
• And God desires humanity to be as a bride and produce fruit.
• Godliness.
• Love.
• But we know the story how that man ate the fruit of another tree.
• He ingested seed of another source other than life.
• Adam covered himself with a covering not from God.
• God was angry!
  

Genesis 3:6-8  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.  (7)  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.  (8)  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

• Its this covering.
• Its this chariot.
• In the cool of the day.
• The wind of the day.
• The Spirit.
• A Cloud.
• The same Spirit that covered the face of the earth as protecting it.

Genesis 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Genesis 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

• Humanity took another seed instead of the seed of life in the fruit of life!
• God is jealous.

Genesis 3:11  And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked?

• And there at the east of the Garden, after divorcing man out of the garden, He PLACED cherubims and a flaming sword.
• PLACED means TABERNACLED.
• The chariot was there.

• Divorced as a wife who committed adultery.
• Receiving the word/seed of another.
• Letting another WORD into her HEART.
• Producing children of another seed.

Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  (23)  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

• Children who look like their Father, God.

Galatians 5:19-21  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  (20)  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,  (21)  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

• He was willing to cover them, but they refused.

Matthew 23:37-38  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!  (38)  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Matthew 24:31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds , from one end of heaven to the other.

• We need to love the Lord and retain His covering of power over our lives.
• This idea of covering is from Genesis to Revelation.
• Revelation shows the NEW JERUSALEM.
• And the City is adorned as a BRIDE.
• And God then says:

Rev 21:1-4  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  (2)  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  (3)  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  (4)  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

• Let us not adulterate away from God.
• Love Him and receive His Word.