Numbers 29:1-6 - " 'On the first day of the seventh month
hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day
for you to sound the trumpets. As an aroma pleasing to the
LORD, prepare a burnt offering of one
young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all
without defect. With the bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour
mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; and with each of the seven
lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a
sin offering to make atonement for you. These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their grain
offerings and drink offerings as
specified. They are offerings made to the LORD by fire--a pleasing aroma.
These were the directions for the first of
three serious celebrations that needed to occur in the seventh month of the Israelite’s
year. They were to gather together as a whole group…on the first day of the
month….and offer sacrifices that included specific animals….grains mixed with
oil …and drink offerings. These offerings
were to be in addition to the ones they brought to the Lord on a daily…weekly…and
monthly basis…and they were to refrain from work on those days. This first day
of the seventh month they were to celebrate a Festival of the Trumpets…as written
here…and then the Day of atonement 10 days after…and then in just five more
days begin the most serious and lengthy of the three…The Festival of the
Tabernacle.
I could research for years and not
completely understand the Jewish calendar. It involves way too much math for my
brain. My mind was thinking this celebration came in July…because I was raised
to think that the year begins January first.
But these people actually celebrated these feasts in the fall...most commentaries
stating they came in September…and coincided with the harvest times of their
crops.
These three festivals remind me that God is
pleased when we gather together in corporate worship….and stop our busy lives to
give thanks to him for the many blessings we receive from him daily. These
three celebrations put our meager one day Thanksgiving celebration to shame….for
they celebrated practically all month. With the eight days they celebrated the
Feast of the Tabernacle…this seventh month in the fall included 9 days of EXTRA
corporate worship ….when they did no work…and praised and worshiped God…all
day!
Once again I am thankful that I do not have
to raise animals for sacrifice anymore…or buy them at a temple gate to make
atonement for my many sins. Christ
changed all those rules when he gave his life for me …and shed the final blood
required for sacrifice on that cross. But I sure do need to reflect on my
habits of worship…and just how much time I spend praising him for the many
blessings I receive each day. I need to reflect on the positive things that God
has done for me in the 54 years of life he has granted me to date.
There are many other verses in our bible
that tell us how important corporate worship is to the big picture of our faith
in God. Hebrews 10:25 says….. “Not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” I Timothy 4:13 says…. “Until I come, devote
yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” And
that is just two of the 38 I just googled! You can use this link… http://www.openbible.info/topics/corporate_worship …. to
check them all out sometime today!
I used to think we had plenty of time
before his return…I couldn’t even fathom that God could return in my
lifetime. But every day my heart is burdened
with another horrific …senseless act of violence ...that results in innocent
children suffering such horrible …brutal death…well….my heart just feels it
could be soon…and the flutters I get in my soul when I allow those words to be
put in print…and the tears that come to my eyes that make it hard to type ….confirm
that I had better be ready….just in case.
We had all better heed the reminder here in
Numbers to gather together and celebrate the life that God allows us to live
everyday. We had better devote more of
our day to teaching and study of his word.
We had better make sure that we are sharing the gospel with those around
us….so that at least a few more souls will abandon the evil one that thinks up
these horrible ways to make people suffer. …and strike fear and unrest in our
souls. We had better do what I read in
the news last night…and run to our churches…and open the doors for continual
prayer vigils…and call out to the father to save us...and make us strong…just
in case we are in the last days.
Personally… I just don’t know what I would
do without my weekly doses of Jesus…that I receive at the wonderful church God
led me to after my divorce. It can’t hurt me to go worship with them even more
than I do now. In our world of work….work…and more work…..so we can have things…things….and
get more things…it can’t be a bad thing to slow down ...and drive by our church
even each night of the week…and kneel at an altar …TOGETHER….and pray for God’s
leadership in this world that seems to get more and more evil by the day. It sure won’t get better till we get on our
knees and ask God to intervene…and save us.
And if the end of time on Earth is coming to close…we sure won’t have the power to endure
the horrible events of Revelation and Daniel if we are not focused completely
on God! The wise King Solomon… may have
been on to something when he penned these great words in Ecclesiastes 4:12… “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a
threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Oh father…my heart is so heavy with renewed
grief for these families I know are hurting so this morning. Please comfort them….and send some extra
angels to their side to help them through these days of sorrow and emptiness.
It seems the wicked King Herod is trying to rear his ugly head in our great
nation…and evil is overtaking the hearts and minds of people who satan is
tricking into evil acts…that prey on our children. Rachel is once again weeping for her children…as
too many mothers have to somehow find a way to say goodbye…too soon. I would ask for you to stop the evil that
caused it completely….but my heart knows that you have a purpose for even this
pain and sorrow in each life that is hurting this morning. So I will ask
instead for quick revelation of the bigger picture this senseless evil plays in
the saving of the whole world. And I ask you to hold the hand of each mother
and bother…and father…and sister…and aunt…and uncle…and cousin who will miss a
loved one these next few days. Help them
to cling to the sweet memories of the days you allowed them to be together…and
draw close to your side for strength and power to endure the pain and emptiness
to come. And father…I thank you for this
chapter in Numbers that reminds me to spend more time with you…not just in the solitude
of my home …but in the strength of groups of people who believe in your power
to save us all form the evil you have allowed to walk the Earth these days. Show me how and when to gather together…and
thank you for all you have done…ask you to publically forgive my sins…and
gather to request your supernatural power to save others like you saved me. Amen.
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