“And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished” (2 Chronicles 29:28).
TEXT —2 Chronicles 29:20-29
Message
We were created as worshipping beings. Unfortunately, worship has come to mean different things to different people. Many people worship all sorts of objects, including fellow human beings. Even for those who direct their worship to the true God, differing concepts, styles and methods are adopted ranging from perverse emotional entertainment to lifeless legalistic worship. To be sure, worship is not all about singing and dancing; it includes the whole gamut of our devotion to God. God expects worship from us but He delights only in those who worship Him in spirit and in truth – hearty, sincere, and direct worship of the true God. This is true worship.
As soon as Hezekiah became the king of Judah, he embarked on one of the most outstanding reformations recorded in the Bible. He opened and repaired the doors of the temple that had been neglected for so long; set out to renew the covenant with God; and organised the priests and levites whom he instructed to cleanse themselves and the temple. When everything was set, he assembled the rulers of the people for worship during which they offered abundance of sin and burnt offerings. Their worship was marked by repentance, confession of sin, consecration, joyful praises to God accompanied with musical instruments. Indeed, it was such a memorable worship that they had not witnessed for a long time.
The highpoint of this worship was the sacrifices that were offered to the Lord – the sin and the burnt offerings which were pointers to the Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself wholly as an atonement for the cleansing of our sins and redemption. Animal sacrifice is no more needed. Now, we receive forgiveness and cleansing from sin only by the blood shed by Jesus Christ. However, when we are saved, we present our “bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” as well as render to Him the fruits of our lips.
King Hezekiah’s revival move brought back true worship in Judah and renewed their covenant with God after a long period of apostasy. The people once again experienced the joy of true worship and recovered sacred singing and melody. There is such a joy, inner liberty, assurance, peace and redemption melody that you cannot experience if you have not accepted Christ into your heart by faith or if you have backslidden.
Thought for the day
We lose the joy of true worship when we mistake sensual workshop for sacred worship.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
