Choosing What’s Most Important
2 Kings 17: 35-39
Jealous of David’s growing power, influence and popularity, King Saul sought to have him killed. David went into hiding. But when Saul died, he could finally stop running and was anointed King of Israel. The following 7 ½ years, the nation was divided between the people supporting David and those supporting Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth, for kingship. http://www.generationword.com/jerusalem101-photos/city-of-david/city-david-image-2.jpg Finally, all 12 Israelite tribes came to recognize David as King. David had been ruling from Hebron which was in his tribal area and caused jealousy from the other tribes about why the capital should be located in his tribe’s lands. To resolve this, David decided to capture the city of Jebus, rename it Jerusalem and establish it as the capital of the reunited nation. This was a significant attempt to bring healing to the nation and unite it. It wasn’t the perfect site as it had deep valleys on each side, was only 13 acres on the ridge, which afforded little area for agriculture and the Gihon Spring at the base of the ridge could only support a limited population. In addition, Jerusalem was far from the international trade routes and it was off the beaten path of most of the main roads in Judah. But the city was defensible on either side and it did have a water source. http://www.israel-a-history-of.com/images/AncientJerusalemMap.jpg But what made this city significant for David is that it sat on the tribal boundaries of both the tribes of Judah to the south and the ten tribes of the North who backed Saul’s son. This allowed David to honor Judah who was the first to proclaim him king and win the heart of the northern tribes who were loyal to Saul’s family.
http://www.foi.org/media/filer/2012/06/27/ptab-large.jpg Now the most significant and holy space in Israel was the tabernacle. This was Israel’s worship tent that travelled wherever they went in the wilderness. http://www.jesuswalk.com/david/maps/philistine-defeat-2sam-5-1800x1170x300.jpg It eventually settled at Shiloh, and then was moved to Gibeon only a few miles north of Jerusalem. https://924jeremiah.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/5-ark-place1.jpg In the tabernacle was the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant containing the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments on them resided. David moved the Ark to Jerusalem. It was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold and ornately decorated. The Ark was considered to be God’s footstool from which he ruled the earth. http://steinarts.com/mediac/400_0/media/Ark~finished~copy.JPG
David left the Tabernacle at Gibeon with the intent to build the Temple in Jerusalem. David said, “the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands.” 1 Chronicles 22:5 While the plans of the Temple were those of David and the materials were amassed by him, he was not the man God chose to build it. Instead, God chose his son Solomon who spared no expense in building the temple. http://www.templeinstitute.org/gallery_images/first_temple_gallery.jpg It was decorated with gold and marble. In today’s values, the gold and silver used in the Temple would have been worth more than $178 billion dollars! In addition, there were great quantities of bronze, cedar, iron, and precious stones used. The total cost of the Temple has been estimated at more than half a billion dollars. http://christinprophecy.org/wp-content/uploads/Jerusalem.jpg The whole complex counting all of the buildings and courtyard was the largest temple ever built by man. It took 150,000 laborers 7 years to complete it and was said to be so magnificent that people travelled from all over the world to see it. But the Temple was not meant to be a marvel for the world, it was an expression of God’s greatness and glory and meant to be the dwelling place of God.
God was very clear that the Temple was to be built on Mt. Moriah. http://www.generationword.com/jerusalem101-photos/ophel/city-david-image-labeled-1.jpg But why this place? This was the sight where the Lord instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. As Abraham was about to lower the knife, God stopped him and provided a ram for sacrifice instead. And now nearly 1,000 years later, God led Solomon to build the Temple where the sacrifices of Israel were to be made. God confirmed this choice when at the Temple’s dedication worship service, He sent down fire to consume the sacrifices of Solomon. The priests brought in the Ark of the Covenant, and all the worship items from the Tabernacle. A cloud descended on the building and God filled the temple. Jerusalem became known as the Holy City and the Temple was the holiest place on earth. Some 800 years later, it was here in Jerusalem that God’s only son was sacrificed for the sins of the world. Thus, the city became the holiest place for Christians as well.
http://www.templeinstitute.org/gallery_images/first_temple_gallery.jpg The temple was “God’s house”, the site of God’s presence. Tommy Coombs, president of Maranatha! Music was converted in the early days of the Jesus Movement. He tells travelling in his youth with his guitar, singing secular songs and smoking dope. All the while, he was looking for God. One day someone invited him to attend a service at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California. According to Tommy, when he walked into that service and heard the music of the Jesus People, he said immediately, "Here is where God dwells—here I will find God." And that is what the people of Israel said of the Temple, “Here is where I will find God for His presence resides in this place. This is why they came with awe to worship God.
Worship has always been central to following God. For God called the 7th Day to be a day of rest and commanded us to “keep the Sabbath holy.” When Solomon consecrated the temple, all of Israel was called to worship. But what exactly is worship? Worship is giving yourself completely to whatever you determine is of greatest importance. When something has great value in our lives, we say it not just with our words but with our actions and our lives. And that is what worship is: giving ourselves to what you value the most. David Yarborough writes, “Our primary reason for attending church should be to worship God, honor Him and to show Him how much we appreciate Him. Worship is more than just singing a few songs, performing a few rituals and enduring a sermon. We come to acknowledge his authority in our lives and to worship Him as our Creator.” God calls us to worship Him weekly. Why? Because we are a forgetful people and we need to remind ourselves who God is and who we are called to worship and serve. It’s been said that it takes less than 24 hours to forget God and start living for ourselves and for God. Today, we’re finding is a troubling trend in Christians’ lives: they are worshipping less often. If they used to attend worship 3 times a month, now it’s two. If they used to attend worship 2 times a month, now it’s one and so on. And the implications are huge because our worship determines how we live. What you give yourself to will determine not only the life you choose but how you live and you treat others. When we fail to worship weekly, we often settle by worshipping the small, finite, powerless gods of the world: power, possessions, prestige and money. That’s why we need to be reminded who we were created to worship. Here’s the second implication: worship causes spiritual growth. In a recent survey on the state of discipleship, George Barna found that lay people consider worship to be the second most important catalyst for spiritual growth in their lives. So if you’re not in worship then you’re sacrificing your spiritual growth! This is why God places such a high value on worship and why we should too!
There are five things we learn about worship today. First, approach God with awe for He is the God of the Universe and Creator of all things. The design and opulence of the Temple was meant to inspire awe when approaching the Temple, not just because of the building but because you were entering the presence of Almighty God and the Temple was filled with God’s presence. But what is awe? Awe is a healthy fear mingled with reverence and wonder. Andrew Tix writes, “Several years ago, my family and I had the opportunity to travel to the Isle of Skye, an island near the coast of northwest Scotland. Because it was dark when we arrived, I didn’t have any sense for the landscape. When I went for a walk the next morning, I was surprised to find myself surrounded by five stunning mountain peaks. There was a thick, Scottish mist in the air that seemed to affect the quality of the light coming from the sunrise. The wind gusted and blew dark, low clouds quickly by me. As I walked, I felt a tinge of fear and stopped. I suddenly became aware that I felt completely overwhelmed by the glory around me. I looked up and saw the moon. At that moment, I realized that the majesty I observed is only a small part of the grandeur of the entire universe…This incident opened me up to an entirely new, more experiential way, of approaching my relationship with God.” He discovered awe. Awe determines not only how we approach God but also how we respond to God.
Awe is generated because we are in the presence of God. When we come to this place and enter the Holy, it should impact how you approach God and how you worship God. We need to enter this place with awe and reverence because it is the House of God and we are standing in His presence, majesty and holiness. We are on Holy Ground. Pastor Joseph Garlington tells of speaking at Promise Keepers Conference. As they were worshipping and singing God’s praise, he noticed the man standing next to Him had slipped off his shoes and with raised hands was worshiping our Holy God. In that moment when he had been so consumed with his message running through his mind, he had forgotten that he too was standing on Holy Ground. When was the last time you worshipped God and approached him with awe.
Second, give thanksgiving. Psalm 100:4 tells us that we are to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. The Israelites came to thank God for all that He has done. Thanksgiving is recognizing what God has done for you, how He has helped you and answered your prayers. Tony Owens writes, “The Hebrew word for “thanksgiving” is “towdah” (pronounced to-da), meaning confession, praise, thanksgiving….Thanksgiving always has to do with showing gratitude for something that God has done for you. This can be something that is naturally done already, or something that you are believing God for by faith. It was here at the Temple that Israel was reminded of God’s blessings and eternal protection. This was a time of great joy as the people came together to praise God in a spirit of adoration and to give thanks for all they had received from God’s hand.
Third, give sacrificially. Central to Israelite worship was the sacrifice of animals which was their offering back to God and meant to express one’s dependence on God. The Jewish worshipper would come to worship with two things: an animal for sacrifice befitting their income level and a knife because it was the worshiper who actually slit the neck of the animal. This was the actual act of giving. The priest would catch the blood and then sprinkle it over the altar of sacrifice. Then certain portions of the carcus would be burnt on the altar of sacrifice. The priest got a portion of the meat, the worshipper got a portion and God got his. So this was considered to be a communal meal together. Did you come to God today to make a sacrificial offering for all that He means to you and what He has done in your life?
Fourth, we come to be heard by God. God said, “My Name shall be there.” God said, “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” This was the place where they could cry out to God and know that God heard his prayers. This was the place where they could make their deepest needs known and God would hear. In fact, six times Solomon in his prayer to God says, let this be a place where you hear your people’s cry. Why because they are in the very presence of God.
Fifth, we come to receive forgiveness. The Temple was where they could come to receive forgiveness for their sins. Once a year, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood of a sacrificed animal on the lid, known as the "Mercy Seat.” The Hebrew word for ‘mercy seat’ means “to cover, cleanse, cancel or make atonement for.” This was to atone for the sins of the Israelites. This was the only place where atonement for the sins of the Jews could take place. Likewise, there is also only one place for atonement for Christians and that is in the cross. On June 1, 1973, Charles Colson visited his friend Tom Phillips, while the Watergate scandal exploded in the press. He was baffled and shocked when Phillips' shared that he had "accepted Jesus Christ." But then he saw that Tom was at peace and he wasn't. When Colson left the house, he couldn't get his keys in the ignition he was crying so hard. He says, “That night I was confronted with my own sin — not just Watergate's dirty tricks, but the sin deep within me, the hidden evil that lives in every human heart. It was painful and I could not escape. I cried out to God and found myself drawn irresistibly into his waiting arms. That was the night I gave my life to Jesus Christ” and he received forgiveness of His sins.
Several years later during a period of unusual spiritual dryness, Charles Colson found himself repenting of a woefully inadequate view of God. A friend suggested that he watch a videocassette lecture series by theologian R.C. Sproul on the holiness of God. By the end of the sixth lecture, Charles Colson was on his knees, deep in prayer, in awe of God's absolute holiness. It was a life-changing experience as he gained a completely new understanding of the holy God he believed in and worshipped. His spiritual drought ended. He had "gained a completely new understanding of the holiness of God." From that point on, he had what he calls a "taste for the majesty (and holiness) of God” that only made him thirst for more of him.
May that be how it is with us as we approach God in worship and what drives us to worship and into the presence of God each day and each week. Amen
