Tag: worship of god

Implementing Reform (2 Kings 23:1-14)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Then the king [Josiah] called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 

The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.

The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts. 

He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the Lord to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem and burned it there. He ground it to powder and scattered the dust over the graves of the common people. He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the temple of the Lord, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.

Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the gateway at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the city governor, which was on the left of the city gate. Although the priests of the high places did not serve at the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.

He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice their son or daughter in the fire to Molek. He removed from the entrance to the temple of the Lord the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the room of an official named Nathan-Melek. Josiah then burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.

He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts of the temple of the Lord. He removed them from there, smashed them to pieces and threw the rubble into the Kidron Valley. 

The king also desecrated the high places that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption—the ones Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the people of Ammon. Josiah smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones. (New International Version)

An engraving of King Josiah tearing down the idols, by Philip Galle (1537-1612)

The actions and reforms of King Josiah were bold, pervasive, and challenging.

The Book of Law was found in the Temple. Incredibly, over time, it had been lost. No one had read the words from that large scroll for a very long time. Yet, when Josiah decided to repair the dilapidated Temple, the Torah scroll was found.

Having heard the Torah’s words read to him, Josiah was cut to the heart. He quickly realized that he and the people had strayed far from the laws and commands of their God. So, Josiah was determined to do something about it.

The king decided to reinstate the provisions of the Torah. He assembled people from all levels of Jewish leadership and made a formal covenant to reinstitute the laws found in the scroll.

Over the centuries, other Jewish kings had introduced foreign deities, and built altars to those gods, even within the house of the Lord. There were sacrificial worship practices happening in Judea, from an array of nations with gods at odds with Yahweh, the one true God of Israel.

King Josiah’s purpose was to completely restore the worship of Yahweh, centered in Jerusalem. This meant that all the other gods and their worship practices had to be eliminated. They were defiling the worship of Yahweh.

Beginning in Jerusalem, and going throughout the entire land, Josiah enacted his reforms by removing the altars of foreign gods, high places of worship, and the priests who officiated at them.

Josiah’s reforms had their foundation in a clear set of values. The king knew exactly what he wanted the nation of Judah to be like, which warranted a thorough riddance of everything that was an obstacle to the values espoused in the Torah scroll.

Since Josiah had an objective standard, he was able to aggressively change anything which did not align with those values of worship and practice. And a lot of things had to go in order for the scriptural standard to be enacted and remain.

Most of us are never going to be in a position as Josiah. Yet, we can still bring about the sort of values change that is needed. Change always begins with us personally.

There may be a lot of things in your life, presently, which are obstacles to what you really want. We tend to accumulate a lot of extraneous things in our lives that are not adding to what is most important to us. This is why we often feel so loaded down with all sorts of busyness and activity.

Josiah’s reforms were a national large-scale pruning, so that the true worship of Yahweh could happen. A good place to begin for many of us is to do a regular pruning of our lives, so that we can keep ourselves free of the stuff that doesn’t really matter.

We must rid ourselves of guilt and shame, of the sin which weighs down the soul.

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1b, NIV)

We need to carefully prune our religious activities, so that we can spiritually grow and mature.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:1-4, NIV)

It is good to identify and toss out plans that don’t achieve what we really need and want in life; and are not in sync with what God wants to do in our lives.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. (Ephesians 1:11, NIV)

Like a good gardener, it is imperative we keep the garden of our soul free of weeds, insects, and critters that would either choke out or eat away at what is most important in life.

Blessed God, I will try this day to live a simple, sincere and serene life, repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity, and selfishness; cultivating cheerfulness, encouragement, love, and the habit of holy silence; exercising restraint in purchasing, generosity in giving, carefulness in conversation, diligence in work, faithfulness in every task, and faith in all things.

And as I cannot in my own strength do this, nor even with a hope of success attempt it, I look to you, O Lord God my Father, in Jesus my Savior, through the enablement of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Worship Is a Lifestyle (1 Chronicles 15:1-2, 16:4-13)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
David Dancing Before the Ark, by James Tissot, c.1900

David built houses for himself in Jerusalem. Then he prepared a place for the Ark of God, and he set up a tent for it. David said, “Only the Levites may carry the Ark of God. The Lord chose them to carry the Ark of the Lord and to serve him forever….”

Then David appointed some of the Levites to serve before the Ark of the Lord. They had the job of leading the worship and giving thanks and praising the Lord, the God of Israel. Asaph, who played the cymbals, was the leader. Zechariah was second to him.

The other Levites were Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel. They played the lyres and harps. Benaiah and Jahaziel were priests who blew the trumpets regularly before the Ark of the Agreement with God. That day David first gave Asaph and his relatives the job of singing praises to the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord and pray to him.
    Tell the nations what he has done.
Sing to him; sing praises to him.
    Tell about all his miracles.
Be glad that you are his;
    let those who seek the Lord be happy.
Depend on the Lord and his strength;
    always go to him for help.
Remember the miracles he has done,
    his wonders, and his decisions.
You are the descendants of his servant, Israel;
    you are the children of Jacob, his chosen people. (New Century Version)

Art by Sefira Lightstone

David was anointed as the future king by the priest and prophet Samuel, because God had rejected Saul as king. Yet, King Saul was still on the throne, still in power.

It’s a credit to David that he was faithful to the Lord, trusted God, and did nothing morally wrong or ethically suspect, such as trying to kill Saul. But King Saul certainly tried to kill David!

Saul’s jealousy morphed into murderous intent and evil machinations. Saul eventually died in battle, and David became king of Judah, then of all Israel. He did it the Lord’s way, and not his own.

So, it’s no surprise that once King David was securely on the throne, he paid attention to the Ark of the Covenant – the symbol of God’s presence with Israel – and made plans to have it in a protected and central place within the life of the Jewish people. What’s more, David sought to obey all of God’s laws and instructions which were graciously given to the people through Moses.

King David relocated the Ark from the house of Obed-Edom to Jerusalem – with the Levitical priests handling all of the sacred objects, as prescribed in the law of God.

The liturgical procession which moved the Ark of the Covenant was a grand and festive group, including military commanders, the elders of Israel, and the Levites. It was a celebration involving plenty of music, singing, and sacrifices. (1 Chronicles 13-14; 2 Samuel 6:12-19)

David prepared a tent for the Ark, in the tradition of the Tabernacle of Moses, to be located in Jerusalem at the heart of Jewish life.

After God’s Ark was moved and established in the new capitol, King David then organized the Levites for continued ministry around it. The work of the Levites was prayer, music, song, and praise, with Asaph as their leader.

Asaph along with Zechariah and eight other Levites, were responsible to ensure that musical instruments were played and trumpets blown before the Ark. (1 Chronicles 15:17-18)

All of the praise, singing, and music was to be a permanent ministry, because for David and the Jews, worship was a lifestyle, and not just an event.

So, we see that one of King David’s first initiatives in coming to power was to establish dozens of full-time Levites in the work of worship. David clearly knew where his royal position came from, and how he was supposed to rule. The king ensured that all of Jewish life was going to revolve around God, not himself. And he proved it both by his words and his actions as Israel’s leader.

Levites singing chapters from Psalms in Jerusalem, photo by Dor Pazoelo

The approach and attitude of David makes sense, because he was the one, along with Asaph the musical director, who crafted songs of praise such as Psalm 96. We might imagine a great Levite choir singing out with lots of spiritual gusto:

Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord and praise his name;
    every day tell how he saves us.
Tell the nations of his glory;
    tell all peoples the miracles he does,

because the Lord is great; he should be praised at all times.
    He should be honored more than all the gods,
because all the gods of the nations are only idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
The Lord has glory and majesty;
    he has power and beauty in his Temple.

Praise the Lord, all nations on earth;
    praise the Lord’s glory and power.
Praise the glory of the Lord’s name.
    Bring an offering and come into his Temple courtyards.
Worship the Lord because he is holy.
    Tremble before him, everyone on earth.
Tell the nations, “The Lord is king.”
    The earth is set, and it cannot be moved.
    He will judge the people fairly.
Let the skies rejoice and the earth be glad;
    let the sea and everything in it shout.
Let the fields and everything in them rejoice.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
before the Lord, because he is coming.
    He is coming to judge the world;
he will judge the world with fairness
    and the peoples with truth. (Psalm 96, NCV)

Amen.

It’s In the Details (Exodus 28:29-38)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Aaron the High Priest

“Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breast-piece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breast-piece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

“Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

“Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the Lord. Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the Lord. (New International Version)

This area of Holy Scripture is likely not one of the more popular places to read. Frankly, it’s boring and pedantic. Yet, contained within the Bible it is, for us to examine.

After giving Moses the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, the next several chapters, from Exodus 20-31 contain detailed instructions from God concerning the covenant code stipulations with the Israelites. Plans for liturgical and sacrificial worship are covered with a fine tooth comb. Instructions for building implements for worship are precise.

And the special garments of the priests’ clothing are described in detail, both as to their design and the material to be used. It’s as if we’re all sitting in a virtual meeting just trying to stay awake, let alone pay attention. Yet, the fact of the details lets us know that the plan is important.

Aaron the High Priest, by Jan Luyken (1669-1712)

Today’s Old Testament lesson deals specifically with the vestments of Aaron, the first high priest of the covenant. An ephod was made – which is a richly embroidered, apron-like vestment having two shoulder straps and ornamental attachments for securing the breastplate, worn with a waistband. (Exodus 28:1-30)

The garment which Aaron was to wear, when he entered the sacred space, symbolically kept the nation of Israel in front of Yahweh, and also over the high priest’s heart.

There was a robe which covered the ephod, equipped with bells. As Aaron moved, the bells rang, signaling that he was coming into and out of the presence of God. Only the high priest was consecrated to enter the most holy place; and the high priest alone wore the special clothing for the unique service which was done.

The entire ritual of the high priest’s service was a visual display of God’s glory and of the reality that no one may enter God’s presence flippantly or carelessly. God is gracious and merciful; and God also has no tolerance for impurity, unrighteousness, and pride.

God expects divine laws, stipulations, and commands to be obeyed without prejudice. The Israelites could not pick and choose what directives from God they would do, or not do. And that is the core of what holiness before the Lord really is.

An interesting observation about this text of Scripture is that Aaron the high priest is given no instructions or commands about what to say when he entered and then left God’s presence. No mantras. No incantations or formulaic words. The inference is that Aaron was silent.

Instead, the garments spoke. “Holy to the Lord” on the plate affixed to the turban said a lot – along with the ephod and the robe, affirming that holiness is needed in order to make any sort of decisions before God.

We never get an explanation in Scripture about what the Urim and Thummim are – which is why, when translating the words from Hebrew, we merely have English transliterations of them. We only know that they were used when making decisions. Evidently, the high priest was an earthly source of God’s wisdom and direction.

Whatever we think about these verses in the book of Exodus, it seems that we are meant to understand that details matter; and how we go about our obedience, down to the last jot and tittle, matters.

Orthodox icon of Jesus Christ, the High Priest of a New Covenant

In the ministry of Christ, there were people wondering if all of his talk was upending or replacing those detailed imperatives of God. Jesus responded:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17-18, NIV)

Jesus furthermore upheld God’s expectation that divine commands be obeyed:

“Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19, NIV)

At issue was the nature of righteousness – right relations with both God and others. Justice is imperative. Being humble, pure, merciful, and a peacemaker matters. The laws and directives of God are never to be used for walking around like a peacock to display what a wonderfully important and religious person you are.

In other words, the ornate garments of the high priest are not the person; they are special clothing used for a special purpose. Clothes may be important, yet it’s the heart that truly matters. And a heart devoted to God will seek to humbly obey God’s words down to the most minute detail.

O God, by whom the humble are guided, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties about obedience, the grace to ask what you would have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Set Apart for a Purpose (Exodus 30:22-38)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Aaron is anointed by Moses, by Jack Baumgartner

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Collect choice spices—12 1⁄2 pounds of pure myrrh, 6 1⁄4 pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 6 1⁄4 pounds of fragrant calamus, and 12 1⁄2 pounds of cassia—as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also get one gallon of olive oil.

Like a skilled incense maker, blend these ingredients to make a holy anointing oil. Use this sacred oil to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and all its accessories, the incense altar, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the washbasin with its stand. Consecrate them to make them absolutely holy. After this, whatever touches them will also become holy.

“Anoint Aaron and his sons also, consecrating them to serve me as priests. And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation. It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. Anyone who makes a blend like it or anoints someone other than a priest will be cut off from the community.’”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather fragrant spices—resin droplets, mollusk shell, and galbanum—and mix these fragrant spices with pure frankincense, weighed out in equal amounts. Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense. Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the Covenant, where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle.

You must treat this incense as most holy. Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the Lord, and you must treat it as holy. Anyone who makes incense like this for personal use will be cut off from the community.” (New Living Translation)

It’s not everyday that you get a scripture text like this one to reflect upon. Yet, since all of Holy Scripture is given to us and for us, it’s good to occasionally have to work through the place and purpose of seemingly mundane passages within the Bible.

The ancient world of the Israelites had a relationship with their God in which everything and every part of their lives were to be holy – both worship and daily life were infused with reminders that they were set apart entirely to God and for God.

Therefore, what the people wore, what they ate, and how they went about daily tasks of living and worshiping was dictated to them from the Lord. The purpose of all the detailed instructions was to reinforce the importance of being a holy people, a kingdom of priests, who could show the world how a community of persons devoted to Yahweh lived, talked, and acted.

Concerning the people’s worship of God, chapters 25-31 of Exodus provide detailed plans for the sacred space and symbols which were to be used in that worship. Elaborate specifications were given for their construction and placement.

Today’s Old Testament lesson deals with the special formula for anointing oil. In keeping with the holiness which is to be pervasive throughout all of Israelite life, this particular oil has a specific use, and is never to be used outside of that ordained purpose.

The sanctity of the oil is communicated in the strongest of terms; profane use of it is strictly forbidden. And all of the work is to be done during six days of the week, because the Sabbath is a day set apart as different, with an abundant rest from labor.

The anointing oil is used for symbolic marking in the service of God. The priests (the Levites Aaron and his sons) were to use the oil, since they were the only ones set apart to do the priestly work. The articles used for worship were also marked with the anointing oil. (Exodus 29:4-7)

None of this liturgical action was in any sort of way magical; it communicated the important theological concept that God is holy, and therefore, holiness is to be woven into every facet of Israelite life. The anointing oil was a sign of God’s acknowledgement and approval that the objects and the people being anointed were to be exclusively used for worship.

Holiness and being set apart aren’t only ancient ideas and practices; it’s also an important part of the New Testament and the way we are to live today. That’s because holiness isn’t merely something God does; it is inherent to God’s very nature. Therefore, as people created in God’s image and likeness, we too, are to live sanctified lives, set apart to live as humans are designed to live.

“You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2, NLT)

“You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.” (Leviticus 20:26, NLT)

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:15-16, NLT

Followers of Christ are set apart for a purpose – to be holy and sanctified in all they say and do. And, much like the ancient followers of God, Christians are to worship the Lord alone, living differently than the rest of the world.

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified. (1 Thessalonians 4:3a, NIV)

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10, NIV)

We have an opportunity, as people anointed and set apart for God’s good purposes, to bring mercy as we have received mercy, love as we ourselves have received love; and to maintain the integrity of holiness everywhere we go.

In today’s mass produced factory products, consumers only see the end results; they are ignorant of the person and process that made the product. Most things we buy and use come to us without any history of how they were made and who made them.

Yet, the people and the processes used in making anything is significant because holiness cannot be factory-made. There is always a connection between the person, the process, and what is being produced for the end product.

In God’s economy, it isn’t enough just to have anointing oil composed of the right ingredients; the individual and the craft employed are what make it truly an oil for anointing the holy.

People, in truth, are neither interchangeable on a factory floor assembly line, nor with the worship of God. The individual person offering their process will always have a particular outcome unique to that mix of person, process, and product. The belief that singing, praying, serving, and whatever else happens in worship is to be done with consistency – no matter who does it – is both impossible and not expected by God.

Though the ingredients of a particular spiritual experience always remain the same, Holy Scripture suggests that the subtle differences each individual brings to the craft of worship is good and necessary; without that uniqueness, there cannot be holiness.

Sanctify your church by the truth, O Lord; your word is truth.

Sanctify us by the truth, O Lord; your word is truth.

Sanctify me by the truth, O Lord; your word is truth. Amen.