The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 16:4,
"He [David] appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol, thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel..."
Following his bringing of the ark to Jerusalem, David made arrangements for the tabernacle worship before the ark. The ark had been captured for a period of time, and eventually brought to Jerusalem by David following his failure with an earlier attempt.
In our passage above we read that David made various appointments to insure an appropriate measure of worship was continually present before the ark, the object of God's renewed presence among his people.
The account brings to my mind again of the ultimate objective of worship. The worship of the Lord was ordained by the Lord himself. Why did he seek worship from his people? Is the Lord deficient in some way in his own self-satisfaction that he requires admiration? Is his level of self-esteem such that it needs bolstering at times? Such thoughts are an abomination - and yet are advanced by those who are ill-informed of the Lord.
Our Lord is perfect within himself and requires nothing from us whatsoever to exist in his fulness and his happiness. He is in no way in need of us at all. His interaction with mankind, his seeking us through his redemptive acts is borne by his love of us and not his need of us, "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus Christ], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:19-20.
It is that very fulness the Lord exists in that is the objective of our own spiritual growth, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness." Colossians 2:9.
"He [David] appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol, thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel..."
Following his bringing of the ark to Jerusalem, David made arrangements for the tabernacle worship before the ark. The ark had been captured for a period of time, and eventually brought to Jerusalem by David following his failure with an earlier attempt.
In our passage above we read that David made various appointments to insure an appropriate measure of worship was continually present before the ark, the object of God's renewed presence among his people.
The account brings to my mind again of the ultimate objective of worship. The worship of the Lord was ordained by the Lord himself. Why did he seek worship from his people? Is the Lord deficient in some way in his own self-satisfaction that he requires admiration? Is his level of self-esteem such that it needs bolstering at times? Such thoughts are an abomination - and yet are advanced by those who are ill-informed of the Lord.
Our Lord is perfect within himself and requires nothing from us whatsoever to exist in his fulness and his happiness. He is in no way in need of us at all. His interaction with mankind, his seeking us through his redemptive acts is borne by his love of us and not his need of us, "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus Christ], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:19-20.
It is that very fulness the Lord exists in that is the objective of our own spiritual growth, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness." Colossians 2:9.
It appears to me the ultimate purpose the Lord has in mind by his prescribing our worship of him is for our benefit, and not essentially his. Our worship of the Lord completes our reverence and celebration for our Creator who loves us and wants us. It is the very expression of our admiration of God in worship that enables our celebration of him. It creates within us a spiritual fulness. Additionally, and very importantly, our worship of God draws others to find out what all the fuss is about. Our extolling God's greatness, the splendor of his person, the majestic works he has wrought all point to his worthiness, One to whom it is entirely appropriate to give ourselves to. It furthers God's great program of redemption by drawing others to what we behold.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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