Their duty was. . . to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord.
1 Chronicles 23:28,30NKJV
1 Chronicles 23:28,30NKJV
The Levite's were never given the option to skip morning devotions. They were commanded to keep the morning sacrifice every day, without exception. As part of the morning ritual in the Temple, the high priest had these three duties:
1. To trim the lamps, making sure each oil cup of the menorah had sufficient oil and that the wicks were properly positioned,
2. To burn sweet incense on the incense altar,
3. And to burn the fat of the "peace" offerings.
Once a week, as part of the morning ritual, the priest rep!aced the "shewbread" that was on constant display before the Lord.
The priest performed these function in silent worship, wearing a highly symbolic vestment. As he worked, the only sound was the light tinkling of the bells on the hem if his garment. This ancient ritual may seem strange and if little meaning to us today, but one great lesson we can draw from it is this; the morning sacrifice involved all of the senses and the mind. The priest stood before the Lord with his identity clearly displayed; he stood before the Lord for examination.
His sacrifice touched upon all aspects of his humanity: the lamps symbolized his need for light the ability to see with spiritual eyes. The incense was a picture of his need to dwell in an atmosphere infused with God's holy presence. The peace offering were a sign of his need for peace with God and his fellow man. And the "shewbread" demonstrates his need for daily provision, which only the Lord could provide.
This was a ceremony that, in its silence, spoke clearly: "We need You. Without You, we have no life, no wholeness, no meaning."
We may not have a ritual to follow in our morning devotional times, but we must come before the Lord with the same spirit of dependency and obedience. The day ahead of us is not ours. Our lives belong to God.
(See 1 Corinthians 6:20).
Everything we need, He will supply. The day is His, even as we are His.
1. To trim the lamps, making sure each oil cup of the menorah had sufficient oil and that the wicks were properly positioned,
2. To burn sweet incense on the incense altar,
3. And to burn the fat of the "peace" offerings.
Once a week, as part of the morning ritual, the priest rep!aced the "shewbread" that was on constant display before the Lord.
The priest performed these function in silent worship, wearing a highly symbolic vestment. As he worked, the only sound was the light tinkling of the bells on the hem if his garment. This ancient ritual may seem strange and if little meaning to us today, but one great lesson we can draw from it is this; the morning sacrifice involved all of the senses and the mind. The priest stood before the Lord with his identity clearly displayed; he stood before the Lord for examination.
His sacrifice touched upon all aspects of his humanity: the lamps symbolized his need for light the ability to see with spiritual eyes. The incense was a picture of his need to dwell in an atmosphere infused with God's holy presence. The peace offering were a sign of his need for peace with God and his fellow man. And the "shewbread" demonstrates his need for daily provision, which only the Lord could provide.
This was a ceremony that, in its silence, spoke clearly: "We need You. Without You, we have no life, no wholeness, no meaning."
We may not have a ritual to follow in our morning devotional times, but we must come before the Lord with the same spirit of dependency and obedience. The day ahead of us is not ours. Our lives belong to God.
(See 1 Corinthians 6:20).
Everything we need, He will supply. The day is His, even as we are His.
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