Word of Encouragement (10/17/2024)
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! 29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; 30 tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. (1 Chron. 16:28-30)
In addition to “bring an offering” in ascribing glory to the LORD, David calls on “families of the peoples” to “come before him.” This is to “[w]orship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.”
If we want to ascribe glory to the LORD, we must come before Him in worship. During the time of Israel, this meant coming to the tabernacle/temple of the LORD. But this was not because God was present only there in that small edifice. In the Old Testament era, God had to teach His people the idea of holiness (being set apart from the world) in an earthly way. This was because they were in their childhood, as it were, under a guardian/tutor (Gal. 3:22-24), under the elementary principles of the world (Col. 2:8, 20). But it is not that God’s presence is confined to a location. God is omnipresent. At the dedication of the temple, Solomon wondered, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built” (1 Kings 8:27)!
When David called on people to come before the LORD, he probably had in mind the tent where the Ark of the Covenant was housed (because the temple was not built until Solomon’s reign). But under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David invited people to “come before him.” Whether he intended it or not, this serves as a good reminder that what sanctifies a place is not any religious artifact such as the Ark of the Covenant but God’s presence there. If the Israelites had to come to the tabernacle/temple, it was because God chose to put His name there. Without His presence, it was just an empty shell. So, the Philistines were able to capture the ark Philistines because God’s glory departed (1 Sam. 4:21). So, the Babylonians were able to destroy the temple because the glory of the LORD departed (Ezek. 10). When they came to the sanctuary, it was not to marvel at its grandeur; it was to worship God. It is His presence that fills the space with “the splendor of holiness.”
To come before God should be for worship. Worship is an act of acknowledging God’s supreme worth to us. To come before God, we must value Him more than wherever we happen to be, whatever we happen to be doing, whoever we happen to be with, regardless of when that time is or how we get there. No idol should distract us. We should not let any obstacle stop us.
How important is our Lord’s Day public worship to you? But even between Sundays, you can have access to the throne of God’s grace in the name of Jesus Christ. How often do you come before Him and acknowledge His supreme worth to you? Why don’t you take some time now to worship Him?