From the desk of Steve Shultz:
God desires that we be men and women after His own heart... and with WORSHIP being key. Talking about keys, you'll learn about them here in Tiffany Ann Lewis' latest word. I think there are MANY keys of David. Like a custodian, who holds many keys, there are many keys of David, I believe.
We pray THE ELIJAH LIST encourages you. The Elijah List is a FOR-PROFIT ministry so any gift in Money or "in-kind" (such as a car), will NOT be tax-deductible. Even Jesus took donations but had to pay taxes on what He received. I truly believe God will bless you if you bless us. Donate online at: https://www.elijahlist.com/donations/donation.php. We thank YOU, our dear readers, for blessing us with your generosity.
Tiffany Ann Lewis:
The Key of David
"...These things says He who is Holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens." Revelation 3:7
For years I have asked the Lord what the key of David is. Most of the commentators tell us that it symbolizes Kingdom authority. That makes sense to me however, spiritually speaking, I believe there is something more.
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Isaiah 22:22 where it is written; "The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open." This is the key to the house/kingdom of King David that was passed down through generations to King Jesus. He is the One who opens the door to Heaven, giving us access to the Kingdom of God. This door was opened on Calvary and the devil will never be able to shut it. Hallelujah!
Interestingly though, in the book of Revelation, Jesus reveals Himself as the One who is holding the key of David, not the key of the house of David. Please read that carefully because it appears as though there are two keys.
"The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open." Isaiah 22:22
"…These things says He who is Holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens." Revelation 3:7
The first in Isaiah 22:22 is a key to a household, to a kingdom, "the key of the house of David." I call that key the "Kingdom key". The second key in Revelation 3:7 appears to be David's own personal key, "the key of David." I call this the "heart key" because of what God Himself called David in 1 Samuel 13:14 – a man after His own heart.
David vs. Saul
Why would God give David this tremendous title? Let's take a look at the attitude of both David and King Saul because I believe the key to the answer is found in how they responded when their sin was revealed for "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34).
Both David and Saul sinned in their lifetime. Both had fallen short of the glory of God. Both were told there would be consequences for their actions and both acknowledged their transgressions. However, when Saul's sin was revealed to him, he pleaded with Samuel saying, "honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel..." (1 Samuel 15:30).
Basically Saul wanted Samuel to save his face and keep him looking good to others. In contrast, when David's sin was revealed to him he pleaded with God, not the prophet. David fasted, prayed and then, when the consequence of the sin was fulfilled and his child died, Scripture says that David worshiped! (see 2 Samuel 12:20). Imagine, David's child dies and he worships!
Neither Saul nor David had done what was right before the Lord's eyes. But Saul was concerned with looking good in the eyes of man, whereas David was concerned with looking good in the eyes of God. "The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Because of what God saw in David's heart He gave David, not Saul the kingdom.
David got the kingdom, but what he was really after was God's heart. David struggled with the same things that we do. He stumbled and fell plenty of times, but ultimately he was more concerned about abiding in the very heart of God than he was about his "kingdom".
Psalm 27:4-5 reveals that there was only one thing and one Person that David wanted. The one thing: to "dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life." The one Person: "to behold the beauty of the Lord." In good times, in bad times and all the times in between, David wanted to be right smack in the middle of where God's presence dwells. There were things he wanted in and from life, but there was nothing he wanted more than God. From the depths of his heart he cries, "take not Thy Spirit from me!" (Psalm 51:11)
God remembered David's desire, and in Revelation 3:7, when Jesus reveals Himself, it's with the "key of David" in His hands. The Lord brings David's desire to an eternal reality by promising that "he who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more..." (Revelation 3:12). The door to the Kingdom of God has been opened by the Kingdom key, which is the shed Blood of Jesus Christ.
The Heart of Worship
Salvation is a gift from God that comes with no strings of overcoming attached. However there is still a whole lot of overcoming to be done in order to enter into the abiding presence of God that David was longing for, yes? There's a whole lot of little things in my life that distract me from the "one thing" that David desired. David had plenty of distractions too; he had a whole kingdom to run but he overcame these distractions with the heart of worship.
I believe that the key to overcoming the things of this world so we can enter into the very heart of God is the "key of David" – the heart of worship. This key opens a door in the Spirit into a very tangible communion with our God. It won't make everything just magically disappear but we will find a peace that surpasses our understanding in the middle of the storm. We will become so smitten with God that the things of the world don't have power over our emotions, our time, our finances, and our decisions anymore. We can dwell in His presence, gazing upon His beauty all the days of our life, here on earth as it is in Heaven and be unmoved by the storms around us.
"...These things says He who is Holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens" (Revelation 3:7). Jesus is standing beyond salvation's open door with the "key of David" in His hand inviting us to come into the very heart of God. Amen and Amen.
Tiffany Ann Lewis
Dancing with the Flame of the Lord Ministries
Email: tiffanyann@tiffanyannlewis.com
Tiffany Ann Lewis is a prophetic worship leader and Bible teacher with a unique focus on Biblical Hebrew, and whose heart has been passionately awakened by a God who sees us in our shortcomings, loves us in spite of it all, and calls out to us so we can live (Ezekiel 16). Her vision is to create an atmosphere in worship where we can meet with God face to face. Where the Spirit of God moves freely, releasing emotional, spiritual and physical healing and igniting a passion for our Heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus. Tiffany Ann has been ministering for over 10 years in prophetic worship throughout the Body of Christ. She worships with her family at Northway Church in Malta, New York, where she serves on the worship team.
