Pipes

Often when there is an important event, there will be music to help celebrate the occasion. There were the sounds of instruments at the coronation of King Solomon.

At the dedication of the New Veterans retirement home I was honored to play with some of the most gifted trombone players. A full orchestra played the old familiar swing music for the WW2 veterans as well as patriotic marches, topped off with "The Stars and Stripes Forever" featuring a piccolo solo. A piccolo is a form of a pipe instrument.

1Ki 1:39  And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon. 
1Ki 1:40  And 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. 

Our Scottish WW2 allies supplied the stirring sound 
of pipes, bagpipes. This group was a firefighters bagpipe band.

Drums kept the beat and they added to the excitement.

1Ki 1:41  And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar? 
1Ki 1:42  And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings. 
1Ki 1:43  And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king. 

Psa 150:1  Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
Psa 150:2  Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
Psa 150:3  Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
Psa 150:4  Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Psa 150:5  Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 

Seven lamps

In my walk, I saw this Mullen plant with seven branches, reminding me of the lamp stand with seven lamps used in the temple in Jerusalem. Zechariah the priest was given a vision concerning this holy item to be used in the rebuilt temple.

Zec 4:1  And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
Zec 4:2  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

The lamps were to represent the light of God. Seven is the number of completeness. Seven is the number of Jesus, the light of the world. Some refer to the lamps as the perfect eyes of God, seeing all things. Another thought would be the seven spirits, the fullness of the Holy Spirit as described in Isaiah.


Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 

Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

The two olive trees supplied the oil for the lamps. Oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. The two Olive trees may refer to two witnesses. The word of God and the Spirit of God go together. Two witnesses were required to establish a truth, in the law. The law and the prophets could be the two witnesses in the two witnesses in Revelations. Were these two witnesses Moses and Elijah?

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 

Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 

Zec 4:4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
Zec 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

This is often quoted, but not in context. The rebuilding of the walls and the temple in Jerusalem would take more than the unity and might of men. There was the power of the King Cyrus' decree by the will of God allowing the rebuilding; Cyrus was given that power by God. Facing many obstacles, they must rely on the power of God, the Spirit of God to finish the work of God. We can apply this to our own walk in the Spirit. It is by God's Spirit that we have success in accomplishing his work, our strength is made complete in God. Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

The Power of His Love

 As Christians we are to love one another. I find fellowship with God and sometimes with others who venture out on the park trails in the early morning. Politicians have shut down part of the government, but it is a lovely day, all is well. The park is beautiful and I met friendly people on my morning walk.

An Evening Primrose greeted me as I 

approached one of the ponds. The oil from 

the seeds are used to treat skin problems. 

Beauty is skin deep?

The LORD looks upon our hearts.

Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Eph 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Eph 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

I talked with this lady and petted her dogs. 

She loves her dogs and feeds them "natural" food.

It takes 300 lbs a month to feed them.  Love the pets, love one another but love God with all your being. In
the name of Jesus is all power and all love.

 There are several birdhouses on the trees. 

This one is in need of repair. It reminds me of the

song made popular in the 50's 

that Bob sings at the rest homes.

(This old house, by Stuart Hamblin)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WhLhF12TBE 

I stopped to take this picture of a horse's head when

 a little old lady wearing a hoody stopped to talk.

She said yes I see the horse and there are two more down the trail. I told her I would listen for them; laughter.

Three women were walking with their dog. It is getting cooler on this October morning and the dog had a pink sweater. I said to them, "being pink the dog must be a she...unless it was in a prison in Arizona?" They laughed. There was good fellowship this morning

Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 

A little red as the Autumn leaves begin to change. 

Jesus shed a lot of blood to secure our salvation and 
in a little while by faith he will return. 

The Holy Spirit in us is the power of God. He is able to do

more than we ask or think. Think on that. 
What will you ask God  ... through the Holy Spirit?
 Ask, and do not fear. 

His love keeps us in his perfect peace.

Eph 3:21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

I Speak the name of Jesus and all is well with my soul.

Unction

1Jn 2:20  But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

Unction, chrisma, a smearing on of oil, anointing, as for a priest or king for service. An anointing of a believer with the oil of the Holy Spirit, the power and presence and calling of God for his service. A pastor is anointed to preach the word. A musician is to be anointed to  perform in the service of the Lord. That special presence of God that we must have to do his work. The anointing sets you apart as sanctified unto the LORD. The unction from the Holy One, the Holy Spirit teaches us all things of God.

 

Spiritual

 

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Joh 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 

Physical

Joh 12:3  Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

Mary, as an act of worship, anointed the feet of Jesus. The spiritual anointing is to be manifested in the world to honor Jesus and God the Father. The anointing is to be shared and is sometimes not understood. Can we explain the presence of the Holy Spirit? We welcome it, but some fear Him, because they are convicted of sin in the presence of God. LORD make me worthy to be in your presence and by your spirit be able to honor and obey you. Fill us LORD with your spirit so that we are anointed vessels for your service.

Fill my vessel

2 Ki 4:1  Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 Ki 4:2  And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
2 Ki 4:3  Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
2 Ki 4:4  And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
2 Ki 4:5  So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
2 Ki 4:6  And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
2 Ki 4:7  Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

 

My first thought was that God did miracles like Jesus did through Elisha; Amazing and good. The widow borrowed all the vessels she could get and the LORD filled them miraculously through his servant Elisha. This story has been used as an allegory, the LORD will fill you with the oil of His spirit, he will fill all you give to him.

 

Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24  Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

2 Cor 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

 

2 Tim 2:20  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
2 Tim 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

LORD fill our clay vessels with the oil of  your Spirit for your service and we will give you all glory honor and praise. Amen