You Shall Be Above Only, And Never Beneath, by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye

You Shall Be Above Only, And Never Beneath, by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye

Text: Deut 28:13 – And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail, and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

The Head is the uppermost part of the body of any creature and the tail is the lowermost part. In essence, God was and has promised the Children of Israel that they will be above His other creations and not beneath; that they will have dominion over others and that they will not be subjects unto others; and they will enjoy great honours and be held in high esteem. (Ex. 19: 1-5)

The phrase ‘you shall be the head and not the tail’ is a familiar expression in the east, indicating the possession of independent power, great dignity and acknowledged for excellence. God was, therefore, promising the Israelites that they will be superior to other nations in honour and dignity; and not be below them or equal to them.

Throughout the history of the Children of Israel, whenever they listened and obeyed God (especially with their leaders), God always makes sure that they were the most superior power in their region and not been subjugated by anyone.

For example Joshua 23:1 – And it came to pass a long time after that the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.

That happened because

Joshua 24:31 – And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel.

– May God make you wax old and lengthy in age in Jesus name. May God give you rest from all your enemies in Jesus name.

The Philistines troubled Israel greatly under King Saul, mainly because of his disobedience to God. But under King David, the Israelites became the dominant power again in the region and that continued under King Solomon because of God’s covenant with David.

During the last days of David, he told his son the secret of his power and authority.

I Kings 2:1-4 – Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth:be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: That the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.

We all refer to David as a man of war, yes David fought many wars to extend the Jewish Kingdom, but David himself knew that it wasn’t his power that gave him the victory in battle, but the help of the Almighty God.

Psalms 20:7-8 – Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

– Any chariot that has risen against you shall be thrown down in Jesus name.

– May God extend your influence to its widest extent yet in this 2017 in Jesus name.

It was God that promoted King Hezekiah above King Sennacherib, who used to be the superpower in the region. Sennacherib was a terrible king, he would normally destroy any city he conquered and turned them into rubble or dunghill.

He had great Army and huge Calvary.

God, however, humiliated him before Hezekiah. Sennacherib men could not fire a shot of arrow into Judah; the Assyrian lost 189,000 in one night as an angel went through their camp; Sennacherib also lost his life because he staged a war against the people of God (2 Chron. 32:1-23).

2 Chronicles 32:22-23 – Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side. And many brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.

– Every mighty man or mighty woman intimidating you shall be cut down in Jesus name.

– May God deliver you from the hand the Sennacherib against your destiny.

– May God deliver you from other powers and principalities against you also.

– May God guard and guide you on every side.

– May people freely give to God and to you because of what God will use you to do.

– May God magnified you in the sight of all nations.

– There is someone listening to me right now, you have been trying to appease a power to no avail. God says you will soar above that power.

– To another person, a power has been boasting about your downfall, Jehovah says they can’t do anything.

– God says that Sennacherib may appear to be more powerful than you before, the tide has changed now. You are now the ‘head’. You are no longer a ‘tail’ compared to them.

King Jehoshaphat was one of the best, most pious and prosperous kings of Judah. He was a zealous follower of God’s commandment. During his time, the Philistines and other Arabian kingdoms paid tributes to Judah!

The nations around Judah were fearful of them, especially after God delivered them from the hands of three kings who teamed-up to destroy Judah.

All these happened because God had earmarked Judah to become the head in the region.

– May your headship be evident and not contestable.

– May your contemporaries and opposers pay you tribute.

– Any and all gang up against you shall be diffused by God.

– You shall be above only in Jesus name.

In today’s Israel, though they are not more than 13 million, all the Arabian nations around them respect them greatly and many are afraid of them. Talk about science and technology; defence; communication; etc, Israel is well respected worldwide.

– In your clan, locality, region, you shall not be a walkover in Jesus name. You will be a great force to be reckoned with.

– May God bestow on you huge respect and honour in your sphere of location in Jesus name.

You shall above only and not beneath.

Whenever the word ‘above’ is used, it usually connotes ‘beyond the norm or beyond the usual status quo’. I tried to figure out if the word could be used in a bad sense, I’m yet to discover one.

You shall be above only.

In instances where houses were built on different floors, I have noticed that the Landlord or the Caretaker is usually on the topmost floor. The question I asked myself is why, especially as it’s easier to move in and out on the ground floor.

The reason is simple. The owner must be above, the tenant must be below.

It will be an anomaly for the tenants’ movement in the flat upstairs to be disturbing the landlord beneath.

– From today, may God remove you from the beneath of life.

– May the beneath syndrome become alien to you.

God made Joseph the head and not the tail. Though he was 11th of 12 children, yet he was the head. He was the one that gives the accurate reports to their father whenever they go out; he was the head in Potiphar’s house; he was the head in the prison; he eventually became the head in Egypt.

– I am not sure of where life has placed you at the moment, God will, however, make you the head in your lifetime in Jesus name.

The bible says Daniel was preferred above other presidents, princes and because an excellent spirit was found in him.

During the reign of Babylonian kings of Nebuchadnezzar and Belteshasha, Daniel was the head of government.

During the reign of Persian kings of Darius and Cyrus, Daniel was also the head of government. God systematically advanced Daniel to the front.

– May you be preferred above your equals.

– May God grant you an excellent spirit.

– May government and authorities want to have you on their board.

– At your recommendation, may people become lifted and even demoted.

What are the attributes of the head? So you can know what to become.

  1. Head is the place of reasoning. Decisions that controls the body are made in the head and by those who are the head. My experience as a regular soldier. I must go back to school.

Elisha was the son of a prophet; the people of Jericho later came to him (water is bitter, the land is barren).

  1. Head determines the direction of movement for most animals and even vehicles.

Moses directed the Israelites to move forward towards the Promised Land for forty years.

  1. Head is always the location of vital senses: sight, smell and hearing.

Elisha in Dothan could see what the Syrian were plotting in Damascus.

  1. Head is very vital to and commonly used for personal identification, without the head, it will require further rigorous efforts to determine who an individual is (fingerprint, DNA).
  2. Head is one of the most delicate parts of the body. That is why the enemy attacks the head at every level: head in anatomy; head of the home; head of the church; head of society; etc.

– Your ‘head’ shall not become a prey to the enemy in Jesus name.

– Your head shall not be tampered with either by natural or supernatural elements in Jesus name.

 

 

What must I do to be above only and never beneath?

  1. Hearken & Obey God’s command (Jos 1:8; Deut 28: 13), Abram
  2. Be diligent (Prov. 22:29) Jephthah; Isaac, Jacob
  3. Ask God for a peculiar gift (I Cor. 12:4-11 make room for him – Joseph, Peter, Daniel)
  4. Don’t be in a hurry (Eccl 3:1) David (13,20 yrs.), Gehazi
  5. Don’t be too full of yourself (Phil. 2:5-11; Jesus, Daniel, Moses)
  6. Be someone who serves (Lk. 22:25-27; Jesus, Elisha, Joshua)
  7. Humble yourself (James 4: 10; Jesus, Moses)

 

Prayers

Father, make a head out of my life.

Father, help me to be above only.

Father, help me to soar high in life.

Father, demonstrate to the world your special favours upon my life.

 

The sermon, You Shall Be Above Only, by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye, was first delivered on May 14th, 2017.