Developing Horizons Magazine (2).pdf Spring 2017 DHM A | Page 5

Christian Understanding
done to him. He said, “Cursed be
Canaan; A servant of servants He
shall be to his brothers” (Genesis
9:24-25). By comparison, the mer-
cy shown by Shem and Japheth
brought great blessing to the linage
of the Hebrew and Gentile nations.
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of
Shem! May Canaan be the slave of
Shem. May God extend the terri-
tory of Japheth; may Japheth live in
the tents of Shem, and may Canaan
be his slave” (Genesis 9:26-27). With
a simple act of spreading a mantle of
mercy over Noah; Shem and Japheth
were blessed with position and in-
crease. As the elder brother of the
Hebrew nation, Shem reflects the
position of Jesus Christ who is the
elder brother of every born-again
believer. Jesus has brought together
the descendants of Shem who is the
origin of the Hebrews and Japheth
who is the first of the Gentiles un-
der the covering of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We have been grafted into
the True Vine of Christ as one.
When we are aware of our pride
and, in poverty of spirit, cry out to
God, He meets us in a place of un-
attainable heights, a place of ascent.
Like Jehoshaphat and the people of
Judah in II Chronicles, the place of
ascent is reached by the power of
praise. Even if you find yourself in
the wilderness as Judah did, the
place of insurmountable prob-
lems will turn into the place
of ascension through praise.
“When Judah came to the ‘look-
out’ (high place),” God took His
people to the high place of His
perspective. Jesus was taken to a
high place (Matthew 4) to prove He
had all power over the temptations
of the evil one. John was taken to
a high place (Revelation 4) to hear
and receive end-time vision. Peter,
James and John were taken to a high
place and told, “This is my Son.
Listen to Him.” had been born to him in his old age;
and he made a richly ornamented
robe for him” (Genesis 37:3). This
mantle of prayer is a mantle of bless-
ing. The colors are the anointing
bequeathed to the family of God.
It is a mantle that prays blessing
on family, neighbors, friends and
all people everywhere. When the
“blessing” of God is poured out, it
convicts, it converts, it releases com-
passion and it brings commitment.
When the blessing was released
through Joseph’s life, it saved a na-
tion but first brought reconciliation
to Joseph’s entire family.
God’s perspective is given to those
who persevere in praise and wor-
ship. When the people of God turn
to see from a higher vantage point,
they can see a defeated and slain en-
emy. Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like
lightning from heaven. I have given
you authority to trample on snakes
and scorpions and to overcome all
the power of the enemy. Nothing
will harm you” (Luke 10:19).
God’s mercy causes hearts of con-
trition that bring forth a torrent of
praise for who He is and what He
has accomplished. In this place of
praise, the “rich ornamental robe”
of royalty is being restored to cover
God’s sons and daughters; through
ascension they enter God’s Holy
dwelling place. God has blessed
both the Jew and Gentile in Christ
and every time the rainbow arcs
the clouds, we are assured of God’s
Covenant blessing. Joseph knew that the lineage of
Shem made him the vessel God
would use to bring great provision.
Those who are the lineage of Gen-
tiles have been given this same rich
robe of destiny. The Father’s recep-
tion to the prodigal son reveals not
just parole but pardon and complete
restoration. “...bring forth the best
robe, and put it on him, and put a
ring on his hand and shoes on his
feet” (John 15:22).
The ornamental robe of Tamar, the
richly ornamented robe given to
Joseph and the mantle of Elijah are
the mantles God’s people find in the
closet of prayer.
Elisha had followed Elijah from
Bethel to the Jordon and to Jericho.
It was in these places he had expe-
rienced the demonstration of God’s
power. Elisha knew to receive the
power was to use the power. He had
to act on what he had seen and
“Now Israel loved Joseph more than
any of his other sons, because he
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