Good morning!
Text: Leviticus 5-8; Proverbs 14:19-35
The priests in Old Testament worship were certainly tasked with a lot of responsibility. The Lord’s instructions are lengthy and detailed. It becomes clear as we read that Aaron and his sons were on duty all the time. Consider Leviticus 6:12:
The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out.
The picture here is of continuous, 24-7, ongoing worship. Unbroken, the fire upon the altar must always burn. This command is repeated in the very next verse, a serious and grave responsibility for the priests. The people of God exist to give him glory, and their worship flame must never be allowed to extinguish. Never.
I see a picture here of our worship as well. We do not express our worship with sacrifices and offerings at a tent or in a temple, but in our very lives. This idea of a continuous, around-the-clock fire for God burning, applies to you and to me. We ourselves are the sacrifices – living sacrifices (see Romans 12:1) – and our lives should at every hour of every day be expressions of true worship. We ought to breathe for the glory of God, speak every word as if His majesty and reputation were at stake, work at all our duties for his pleasure and glory, and sing with joy as before the ancient altar of God. This may sound lofty and unrealistic, but it is indeed His calling upon our lives. So – I am deeply prompted here – to ask myself what it looks like when I have allowed the fire to go out – and to work to keep the flame always burning.
For the King, and for the Kingdom! Mike