This post is from the revelatory teaching notes that Dr. Aikens taught in a Bootcamp. Posted by Rev. Jane Babich after attending the Bootcamp.
Psalm 46:10
Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Be still and know that I AM God! I will be exalted among the heathen; I will be exalted in the earth.
I Will Be Exalted
Exalted in English is to be noble, elevated in rank, or character. Being highly praised; and held in such high esteem, it declares as one greater. It also signifies being filled with great joy.
Exalted is found 55 times in the Old Testament and rendered 8 ways. It is found 14 times in the New Testament and rendered 4 ways. And all declare times that man or God are being esteemed.
I will be exalted found only in Psalm 46:10 is powerfully expressed by the revelatory word “ruwm” (room) signifying God rises all He must, to show Himself as higher than; bigger than; greater than; thus worthy to be held above all else.
I will be exalted as “ruwm” signifies when we learn to believe God is, and the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, He busies Himself and remains ever ready to rise to every occasion. Even if we fall, He shall uphold us by His hand, so we never do; utterly fall. Do I hear an AMEN!
“RUWM”
The revelatory is “ruwm” also signifies as surely as He will; so He shall be exalted; shall show or reveal Himself as the rock higher than, love bigger than and a power greater than any circumstance we encounter. Therefore He is worthy for us to trust in, rely on, and believe in Him despite all else.
Be still and know that I AM God, for I will be Exalted; David learned the hard way to be encouraged in this. Many of his inspired Psalms written praised, celebrated, and extolled this absolute of “be still and know that I AM God, for I will be Exalted.” David’s experiences proved this infallible truth that God Will, indeed, be exalted.
Be Encouraged by this absolute of Psalm 46:10
David was encouraged, and we should also be, as we learn the power of being encouraged by the absolute of Psalm 46:10. When we let this truth encourage us, it engraves it upon our hearts, keeping it ever before us. In the same way, that God has engraved us and all that concerns us in His hand; thus, He keeps us and our needs continually before Him.
If we take the time to “be still and know God” regardless of what is seen, heard, felt, or done to the contrary, He shall be exalted, regardless of all circumstantial situations that seem greater.
Be encouraged in the midst of all that exalts itself to make our hearts feel overwhelmed despite knowing God’s Word and Salvation. He abides faithful and will never forget to show as our strong tower of help always.
Even if, like David, despite knowing God, we feel weary, ready to faint, having leaned to our own understanding; or took matters in our hand; thinking to work out our own salvation, in our own strength; thinking we would outsmart our many adversaries, and become overwhelmed in the process; fear not, be encouraged; God still will be exalted!
Even when situations continue to escalate, so it appears an enemy is prospering, and we fall to our knees in despair, weakened, feeling like our resolve is slipping away before we reap; still, we are to be encouraged by this truth. Why?
Beloveds the word is full of greatly distressing sifting situations that come in the form of familiar, often familial, yet assertive but silent voices, speaking loudly as do weapons that can seem justifiably formed against us. All this and more was David’s experience; continual pursuit of murderously jealous king Saul. Ziklag destroyed, and worse, his own men turned to stone so greatly distressed David to where he despaired of seeing the salvation of the Lord again, but still, God was exalted!
1 Samuel Chapter 26 Apostle-aphrased
God chose, appointed, and anointed David, a young mere shepherd considered least in his family; He knew as a man after His own heart. So God sent David, strategically positioned him to be with and be loved by King Saul for his harping brought peace when he was tormented, and he overcame every enemy he feared!
David’s family thought Saul was David’s salvation in loving him; but jealousy increased over David’s obvious anointing, prowess, and favor with God, his people, and armies; for he seemed to overcome every obstacle and adversity set to trip him up and take him out; so Saul in raw murderous rage; seemed to rescind David’s salvation; forcing him to run away from that safety and peace, or lose his life!
And David didn’t have to leave Saul’s salvation and be all alone, and interestingly we find in 1 Samuel 22:2 it reveals that besides all of David’s family; everyone is known to be in distress; in debt to and discontent with Saul as their king; gathered to join themselves unto David out in the wilderness. They numbered 400 and 30 mighty men. They chose to make David their captain and formed his band of mighty men determined to work out their own version of salvation, hiding out there with him in the wilderness!
Still, Saul continually searched for David, pursued him hard, and often with 3000 chosen men. Saul fully intended to kill him, despite David’s 430 fiercely protective men. Twice David’s whereabouts were leaked to Saul, who rushed to find and kill him. And twice God enabled David to come upon Saul asleep thinking as king he was captain of and worked out his own salvation!
But the truth is his own strength or prowess didn’t achieve David creeping upon Saul unawares, but because the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon all that sought to harm David, protecting him in knowing he’d choose rightly and exalt him before his mighty men! For though twice David’s men urged he take advantage to kill sleeping Saul; he refused; he chose to show Saul greater mercy he hadn’t shown him; so he exalted God behaving wisely!
David recognized despite Saul’s bad behavior, he was still God’s anointed thus continued to dwell in the safety of God’s salvation until God decided if and when his time for judgment had come. David recognized God’s gifts and callings don’t require repentance; so he refused to be the hand-formed as a weapon to destroy His anointed; he knew no one is permitted to touch God’s anointed in salvation and not suffer consequences for it. He also knew God alone decides the season, day, and hour in which ordered judgment may fall.
Meantime David wisely determined to keep his hands clean!
But though Saul swore to show new mercies and no longer pursue him, David recognized his heart was hard, so felt overwhelmed; thinking he’d surely perish by Saul’s treachery; So forgetting God’s working; decided it necessary to work out his own salvation in his way!
1 Samuel 27th Chapter Apostle-aphrased
So David seeming to forget God always faithfully worked out his salvation; keeping him; despite the lion and bear; despite Goliath; despite the ferocious Philistines; despite Saul’s jealous treacherous attempts to kill him; never forgot him, but worked out David’s own salvation; as God who will be exalted; and David led his people to his own way to escape. David foolishly leaned to his own understanding, deciding he’d work out his own concept of salvation; by living in his enemy’s camp!
He took his 430 mighty men; all wives, relatives, and their substance; and pretended to submit to Achish; the Philistines’ fierce king; Israel’s sworn enemy! Now the good thing is when spies told Saul where David had gone; he finally ceased to seek his life anymore.
But living in the false peace of this “counterfeit realm of salvation” given David in the form of Ziklag as his own city, the right now kingdom he settled for, proved to be ultra-costly. For in the year and four months spent there, David led his men to please the Philistines; to make them believe he’d turned against Saul and Israel; to constantly go on raiding parties; to invade cities of the fiercest of their enemies other than Philistines.
Following David, they slaughtered Geshurites, Gezrites, and terroristic Amalekites, wherever they found them. They showed no mercy; invaded, raided, looted, set afire, and killed, stirring a hornet’s nest of hatred and rage against him among other Amalekites who heard of his exploits!
David planned to make the Philistines marvel at his feigned cruelly merciless treachery against King Saul and Israel. So they warred constantly, invading; raiding, looting, and setting afire; wreaking havoc on every city. He also ordered all the spoils taken and given as tribute to Achish; to please and exalt him! So it was in less than a year and a half; David and his by then 600 men became infamous to Achish. He exalted their undisputed stealing, killing, destroying, terrorizing, so totally demoralizing Israel vengefully for him. So David’s ruse to work out their salvation there; seemed effectual!
Ziklag awaited their return to celebrate their ruse after that year deployed. It made David believe he’d succeeded in working out his own salvation in his own strength. And life seemed as good as it could get, though costly! For this salvation seemed precarious, requiring David to live as if they were weapons formed to prosper against Israel and that He’d sold out his people, proving he hated them and the God they served. But as always, what is done in the dark shall come to light and even backfire!
1 Samuel 28th & 29th Chapters Apostle-aphrased
Achish, pleased with David’s feigned prowess against Israel, had claimed David as his own forever! And he decided to take advantage of David’s terrorizing Israel and having killed so many; he was emboldened to now send all his armies against them; with David at his side, so everyone would know David was “his” weapon of such devastation!
OH NO! No more going off on his own raids. And though David pretended to agree, he despaired in thinking they’d have to actually war against God and His people, an exorbitant price to work out this portion of salvation, but the cost of compromising with the enemy.
Now unbeknownst to him, although he failed to encourage himself in knowing God was still God and would work all things together for David’s good according to what He’d purposed would be, when. God worked on anyway, for He will and shall be exalted!
God caused the Philistine generals to murmur, complain, and doubt David’s loyalty, so they refused to go into war with him. So David and his 600 mighty but weary men; were sent back to Ziklag. They went celebrating, feeling they’d gotten over!
How do we know God was working; His hand wasn’t seen?
Because meanwhile, back in Israel, Samuel was dead, and all Israel mourned him. While trying to please God, Saul had exiled all witches with familiar spirits and their wizards; outside of Israel. But as hordes of Philistines encamped against them after David headed back to Ziklag; Saul gathered his armies to make a show of facing them, but did so being greatly afraid!
Saul’s heart was overwhelmed with fear as his treachery had exiled the mighty David. Now when Saul inquired if the Lord was with him, expecting his very present help in trouble, God didn’t answer, not by dreams, Urim, or prophets. So Saul, stubbornly disobedient again, took matters in his own hands and sought the Witch of Endor’s familiar spirit to contact dead Samuel for a Word; and angered God over again!
But God used Saul’s disobedience in working all things together to inform Saul his time was up; that He was God and would be exalted for He’d taken Israel from him and his family and already had given it to the very same David he’d tried so hard to destroy.
The Lord used the vision of Samuel to declare He’d deliver all Israel into Philistine hands, while Saul and his sons would surely join him in the grave tomorrow. And Saul slain in the spirit; fell trembling and afraid all night; for that Word heard took all his strength.
That same day, Achish and his overwhelming Philistine army, after sending David and his men back to Ziklag, warred against outnumbered Israel but only succeeded in doing so because God had given Israel into their hand, but according to what He purposed.
1 Samuel 30:1-5 Apostle-aphrased
Three days later, David and his men reached Ziklag. Imagine their excitedly celebrating David’s clever deception of Achish, his dodging the bullet of their duplicity being exposed if forced to be part of the Philistine weapon of mass destruction now warring against God and Israel!
But also imagine how excitement left and the sound of their celebration died; as they pulled up to find Ziklag had been invaded, raided, looted, and set afire by some unknown enemy. Adversaries had come wreaking havoc vengefully but hadn’t killed a soul; instead, it seemed they took everything David and his men thought was kept safely in the soulish salvation they’d worked out so hard. Everything, everyone was gone. Nothing was left for them, but Ziklag on fire!
When David and his now 600 men saw what was done, they all wailed and mourned together until left empty, drained of strength. But David in the midst of this became greatly distressed; In suddenly realizing his men ominously turned, their hopeless bereaved grief refocused and now talked of stoning him!
Why? Because they had a faceless enemy; They no way of knowing who wreaked havoc on them, so bereavement settled for stoning David; as ultimately responsible. Also, consider; 400 of David’s men first joined him as reactive the debtors, distressed and discontent, having done nothing but kill, steal and destroy under David. This was their way to deal.
We can only imagine what such unwise leadership had done to those character faults as they raided, looted, stole, killed, and destroyed. Worse, they were led to do so in the name of David perpetrating mass deception; in thinking, he was working out his settled on salvation for them too.
But He inadvertently was exalting Achish over God! Yet we know our God will; indeed, shall be exalted whether we are encouraged or not.
Those who had been defaulters, distressed, and discontented, surely had become worse! For stuff only escalates when we allow our issues and carnality to be exalted in itself and choose to remain un-submitted to God! When we freely think to terrorize; steal, kill and destroy without mercy; and we leave no survivors, the enemy will come to make us reap what we sowed, and always bereaved grief that is hopeless will look for someone to blame and stone!
But David snapped to his spiritual senses and encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
And David said to Abiathar, the priest; bring me the ephod that I may now inquire of the Lord; “Shall I pursue after those men? Shall I overtake them?” And the Lord answered, “Go Pursue; you’ll surely overtake them and without fail; shall recover all!
So David went; he and the six hundred men who were with him came to the Brook Besor, where those left behind stayed. But David pursued; he and four hundred men: for two hundred stayed behind, for feeling so faint they refused to go over the Brook with David!
God works all things together; so “He Shall be Exalted”!
And low and behold; as those with David reached the other side; they found an Egyptian laying faint in the field. David’s men were now changed as David changed! They brought him to David, who ordered they mercifully show him grace and restore him; by feeding him bread which he did eat; and making him drink water and also feeding him a piece of a fig cake with two handfuls of raisins!
As a result, when the Egyptian servant finished all he was given, he revived and reported he’d not eaten or drunk anything; for three long days and three nights. And David asked, “To whom do you belong, and where did you come from? The young man answered I’m from Egypt, but was a servant to an Amalekite! My master left me here three days ago because I fell sick after they’d invaded the Cherethites and Israel’s Judah and Caleb cities; then, they came to set Ziklag afire!
Can you see when we’re encouraged in the Lord; He will and indeed shall be exalted?
And David asked him, “Can you bring me down to these Amalekites”? The servant said, only if you swear by God, you’ll neither kill nor deliver me back into their hands; then, I will bring you to pursue after them! And the servant did so.
And they found the Amalekites with all their women and children and people captive while they were spread out in leisure; eating, drinking, dancing; enjoying all the spoils taken out of Ziklag, Philistine, and Israel. So David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and let not one escape, except four hundred young men who rode upon camels and fled.
So David recovered all the Amalekites had carried away: and rescued his two wives. And nothing was lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil nor anything they had taken to them: David recovered all.
Be Encouraged; God will; Indeed He shall be Exalted!
And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil. And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had also made to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.
Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart. Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. For who will hearken unto you in this matter? As his part is, goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day. And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, “Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the Lord’!
Meanwhile, as the Philistines fought hard against Israel, the men of Israel fled from before them; And the Philistines slew Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul’s sons. And the archers wounded Saul lethally, so he begged his armorbearer; to kill him. He wouldn’t, so Saul took his sword and fell upon dead, so he likewise fell upon his sword and died with him. As God had said, Saul, his three sons, armorbearer, and all his men died that same day together.
Yet God was still exalted; for He then anointed David as His king!
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