Leviticus 9: 22-24 - Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed
them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering
and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of
meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the
glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire
came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of
fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they
shouted and fell on their faces.
The priests stayed at the temple for seven
days straight….just like God had told them.
They needed to be cleansed on the inside…so God kept them at the entrance
where they could see his presence…and he could prepare their spirit for the job
he had given them to do. And on the eighth day…they offered three other
sacrifices…to seal the deal. And fire came out of the presence of the Lord…in
front of the whole assembly…and consumed the sacrifices.
What a sight that must have been…the people
shouted….and fell to the ground ….out of a holy fear of God…completely awestruck
from his power and glory! I bet that was
one great church service…a memory seared into their hearts and souls to help
them know that Jehovah was not messing around with their life. It was one of those …what I call ‘Moses
moments’…for all the people to see and
hear….to help them know for sure that God had ordained these priests to serve
them…to connect them to the one true
God.
Those 7 days…and the sacrifice they made
after…they pumped Aaron and his sons up for the job God had given them to
do. It prepared their spirit…gave God
the time he needed to equip them for the hard job of killing hundreds of animals….day
after day. To speak to them and help
them understand how important is was to always follow his orders exactly. Like the
physical washing had cleansed their body…before they donned the Holy robes of
the tabernacle….this 7 days of tabernacle living prepared them for the work God
had called them to do. They gave these priests a taste of God’s presence….so
that they could not resist loving him and serving him.
The power they received those seven days are
the reason I still seek God out at a place of worship….as often as I can. It is the reason I go on longer retreats…where
bible study is offered. It is the reason
I love to go to revivals…and drink in an extra dose of Jesus. It empowers me…strengthens
me…helps me to let go of my own desires and take on the tasks he gives me to do
for him. God’s house is lovely…it
contains his presence….and we should all long for corporate worship so we can
experience this same kind of renewal and empowerment. It is like the palmist David said in Psalms
84:1-2 How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord
of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart
and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Father…I thank you…that is Sunday…and the anticipation of a
great time of worship is building in my heart.
I am overwhelmed by how close I feel to you when I worship with others
that love you too. Help me this day to
be strengthened and renewed by your presence…to drink in all I can of you …and
allow you to cleanse me of all my sin and weaknesses. Take this shell of imperfection and build it
up with you supernatural strength …wash me clean as I worship you and are fed
by the words you have given my pastor to feed me today. Anoint the words…and
the music to speak to all that enter your house…and lead the lost to the
knowledge of you saving grace. Amen.
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