God is teaching us how to propel forward with precision in our movements, and trusting God that He will guide our steps! On Saturday I felt yet another beautiful thread of the Spirit speaking, and I heard, “Follow the Dove.” Walk, run, leap, dance, laugh, do life in lock-step with the Spirit! “Follow the Dove!”
Our 1st reference to the dove in scripture brings us to Noah.
In Genesis 8:8-11 Noah decided to follow the lead of the Dove!
“Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.
He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked “olive leaf”. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.”
I see a prophetic gesture in this story, and for those who proclaim to be a “House of Worship.” We can liken the “Two Releases of the Dove” to 2 eras.
THE FIRST ERA representing the time of Noah through the rest of the Old Testament, when there was a continual “coming upon” of the Holy Spirit for moments of great and incredulous exploits! The Spirit of God came upon particular judges, warriors, kings, and prophets. He empowered them and history was made through their mighty acts.
King David said, “I will build a house for the Lord to dwell in!” But the reality is, God wanted yielded vessels, houses of worship not made with human hands, He wanted you and I for a house of worship a resting place where the “Dove”/“Holy Spirit” could permanently dwell forever!
Isaiah 66:1 says, Thus says the Lord: Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house would you build for Me? And what kind can be My resting-place?
1 Sam 16:13-14 The Spirit of the Lord came upon David… but departed from Saul… we see this coming upon, departing, coming upon, throughout the Old Testament.
David pleads with God after his episode with Bathsheba in Psalms 51 and he cries out: “Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me…
We will name a few more, however there were many who experienced the “coming upon.”
-In Numbers 11 we see the Holy Spirit was upon Moses and a portion of the Spirit was taken from Moses and placed upon the seventy elders who ministered with him.
-We see in Exodus 31:1-5 that the Spirit came upon craftsmen and builders.
-Then we see upon Joshua, who would become Moses’s successor, rested the Spirit of God. Numbers 27:18
-In Judges 3 the Spirit comes upon Othniel.
-In Judges 6 The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon.
-In Judges 13 the Bible says that the Spirit of the Lord began to stir in Samson, and throughout his life, He “enabled”, “empowered” and “helped” Samson.
-The Lord says to Isaiah in Isaiah 59:21, “My Spirit who is uponyou, and my words which I have put in your mouth…”
-I’ll wrap up our examples when the Spirit enters Ezekiel in Ezekiel 2:2, But we realize the Spirit didn’t stay, because In Ezekiel 3:22-24 we see the Spirit enters Ezekiel yet again.
THE SECOND ERA begins the moment the Spirit ascended like a dove and rested on Jesus at His baptism, and extends through the rest of the church age till now.
Remember Noah’s dove. The second time she was sent, she returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf in her mouth. In order for there to be a leaf, there had to be some maturing of the olive plant. The olive leaf speaks of “Fresh Oil”, “Fresh Anointing.”
Matthew 3:16-17 says…
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him… (remember Isaiah 66:1, what kind will be my resting place?)
…and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Jesus emerged from the water and John said, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.” John 3:32
In this new era we see not just a “coming upon” for moments of mighty exploits, but we see the unfolding and maturation of the Olive leaf, producing much fruit through the Oil and the working of the Holy Spirit that will remain for eternity within houses of worship “not made with human hands.”
Because of Jesus and his mission completed, the Holy Spirit will now unfold “ripened process” in the hearts of believers. The sin factor this side of the cross has now been dealt with once for all. And now the children of the Kingdom can develop and matureinto Kingdom son’s & daughters that bring the very expression of Heaven into the earth through His love, compassion and divine nature.
What KIND is His resting place? The Jesus kind! The kind that “Follow the lead of the Dove”
1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” John 14:16, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever!” John 14:20, “I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you!” Daughters of Zion!!! We are the Jesus Kind, and He is in us!!!! “WITH & IN!!”
He has given us “Feet like the Hinds” and “Eyes for the Dove!” What is your next step? Follow the Dove!