May the mumbling commence!
In the midst of warring factions, it is good to surround
yourself with quality leadership who understand the temper of the people and
the times. As the other tribes of Israel
are listed as bringing commanders and warriors, the tribe of Issachar provided
some leaders – two hundred of them. Read
from First Chronicles chapter twelve:
From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives.
All these men
understood the temper of the times and
knew the best course for Israel to take. (Verse 32)
Yet even this kind of knowledge is not enough, and the
Chronicler knows it. The Chronicler is
immensely interested in proper worship of the Lord. The people of Israel were returning to their
Promised Land after exile – an exile forced by improper worship of the
Lord. It is no wonder that proper
worship is so important for the writer(s).
Read a couple of passages from First Chronicles chapter fifteen:
Then David summoned the priests, Zadok and Abiathar, and
these Levite leaders: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. He said to them, "You are the leaders of
the Levite families. You must purify
yourselves and all your fellow Levites, so you can bring the Ark of
the Lord, the God of Israel, to
the place I have prepared for it. Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time,
the anger of the Lord our God
burst out against us. We failed to ask God how to move it in the proper way." So the priests and the Levites purified themselves in
order to bring the Ark of the Lord,
the God of Israel, to Jerusalem. Then
the Levites carried the Ark of God on their shoulders with its carrying poles, just as the Lord
had instructed Moses. (Verses 11-15)
If the proper way of relating to God in worship is not
followed, the Lord’s anger will burst forth.
[This anger is a remembrance of what happened to Uzzah as the Ark of the
Covenant was carried on a cart by oxen (1 Chronicles 13:1 ff.).] The way we worship must be pure. All who come to participate in worship must
purify themselves before entering the presence of the Lord for worship.
Proper worship will bring the aid of the Lord. Read on in chapter fifteen of First
Chronicles:
Then David and the leaders of Israel and the generals of
the army went to the home of Obed-edom to bring the Ark of the Lord's covenant up to Jerusalem with a
great celebration. And because God was clearly helping the Levites as they carried the Ark of the Lord's covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven lambs. David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as
were the Levites who carried the Ark, the singers, and Kenaniah the song
leader. David was also wearing a priestly tunic. So all Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord's covenant to Jerusalem with shouts
of joy, the blowing of horns and trumpets, the crashing of cymbals, and loud
playing on harps and lyres. (Verses 25-28)
God was clearly helping as the Ark of the Lord was
returning to Jerusalem. They had
purified themselves. They continued to
sacrifice. They expressed their worship
of the Lord through dance and music and instrument playing. They even paid careful attention to what they
wore.
Proper worship is essential to the call of both
Christians and Jews.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
No comments:
Post a Comment