I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Revelation 22:16 KJV

There is a principle which underlies this Scripture. The root determines the fruit. And as we look into what this speaks to, we can very much apply this in context. It also sifts out our lives in the current spiritual transitions we are corporately going through.

More and more these days my email, Facebook, WhatsApp, is full of people of people facing great trials in their lives. As we look at what crises we may shrink it down to these areas; health, wealth, relationships. In one of these areas we may be facing great challenges. They have the potential to make or break our faith.

The chapter of Revelation 22 must be seen in context. Throughout the Church we can pass on social media great promises but we do a great disservice because all promises come with conditions. This is no different when we examine this chapter. We cannot take it out of the overall.

John sees the completion of God’s plan, in the panorama of perfection, which brings us into full communion with God, as we live in a celestial eternal community. However John is drawn to the confrontation of fullness before this takes place. The fullness of evil must come before the fullness of God in spiritual and physical dimensions takes place, bringing in the New Heaven and New Earth.

The root of David has to do with Jesus Himself being foreshadowed in the fact that David is knit in his motivation to God, and he flowed in 3 distinct dimensions of implanting Kingdom in the realm of Israel, namely the Prophet, Priest and King. These 3 streams cause us to live out and minister out by example the Kingdom expression in our generation. As it is, as David’s pursuit is God, so his root is Jesus, because as he is a shadow of the Messiah so he lives out prophetically what Jesus is now ministering out through us!

It is here that the challenge comes because it is necessary to do some self evaluation! Is our root Jesus or self? Today we can be confused being that personal ability and charisma can project the impression that we are serving Jesus, pursuing Jesus, when deep down we are projecting our own agenda.

This has a direct consequence in the “offspring” of our root. Or rather the fruit. Here David is singled out for many reasons, and as we are looking at root and fruit/offspring we must compare David with his predecessor . Saul appears not to have the same preparation in God as David. The main fruit of that is the lack of obedience in Saul’s life. We see early on another fruit, insecurity. As Samuel was to offer the sacrifice and as the enemy had lifted up an advance against Israel so insecurity led to presumption. Saul entered into a prophetic role that he was not called to in that moment. The instruction was to wait and trust that Samuel would fulfil the issue of sacrifice to confirm Israel before the Lord.

Instead Saul presumptuously offers the sacrifice and is rebuked by God. Then God was to judicially deal with Amalek, for their attacks against Israel when they left Egypt, it was imperative as king to execute God’s judgement, but Saul spared where he should have extinguished. His ignorance of spiritual imperatives brought him into demon possession. He became full of the one who is the father of all them who are lawless.

Does not these fruits seem familiar in some of our spiritual communities today?

Then as God had rejected him, so he persecuted him when the Spirit came on him, that is David.

Saul is the product of the nation crying out too soon, and forcing God’s hand. Sometimes God gives us what we want but is not necessarily good for us.

We need to refer to Hezekiah, God told him to get his house in order as he was to die. He prayed and got 15 more years. However those years were the worst as he wasted them in unwise ways of living.

What we need to be sure is that as much as Jesus was the root of David, He be also our root, bringing from the “soil” of eternity and divinity the characteristics of heaven itself. That our root reflect in our fruit, fruits of faith, love and obedience.

As society discards values which undergirds the founding of nations, values in the Bible, of faith and godly living it is imperative that we have Jesus as our root. That way by our fruits the world shall know Him.

We are directly the offspring of David and Jesus via a heart that is regenerated in Him, pursuing after Him in all things.

I am not saying I have got there, but as Paul in Philippians 3 spells out in his pursuit of the high calling it means forsaking and forgetting earthly achievements and learning that can define us in a worldly way. Paul says that he did this to acquire eternal things.

Let us learn that to acquire the root of David, being his offspring we need to make this daily exchange.

That way what fruit is produced is lasting and impacts our generation.

Shalom!

Russell

reverendrusselldurose@gmail.com