Daily Rituals
Exodus 29:38-39: "Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight."
As God's anointed priests, Aaron and his sons must perform regular rituals on behalf of themselves and the people. Every day, sacrifices were to be made. God is quite specific about these sacrifices - two lambs that are one year old. One is sacrificed in the morning; thus, the day starts with God. The other lamb is to be sacrificed in the evening; the day ends with God. Every day of the year, these morning and evening sacrifices are to be made.
Daily sacrifices were a constant reminder of the sin of the people. As God dwelt among them in the tabernacle, they started the day in acknowledgement and confession of sin, asking that their sins be covered and forgiven through the blood of the lambs. They ended the day confessing yet again that they had failed and fallen short of the glory of God. In the evening sacrifice, they petitioned the Lord to cover and forgive the sin of that day.
The repetitive nature of these sacrifices could have become tedious to the priests, yet in these daily rituals the Lord would meet with his people. The Lord declares about the tent of meeting, "There I will meet the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory" (Exodus 29:43). While these rituals may feel like they were monotonous, they were the regular means of staying in an intimate relationship with God's abiding presence in holiness.
There are many rituals you and I are called to perform in our Christian walk. We, too, need to daily confess our sins before a holy God. We, too, must repent of our wicked ways and look to the blood sacrificed on our behalf to cover us and forgive us. Thankfully, we do not need to offer daily animal sacrifices, but our very lives are to be offered as living sacrifices. The writer of Hebrews explains, "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God" (Hebrews 13:15-16). As we read yesterday, our bodies are to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2). Here, our praise of the Lord is a daily sacrifice. We acknowledge the sacrifice made on our behalf and praise the Lord for what he has done for us. Then, we tell others what God has done for them, that they can be forgiven through the blood of Jesus, that he has taken away our reproach, and that we are invited into fellowship with him. Hebrews encourages us to follow the example of Christ and to serve one another through the sharing of our gifts.
Morning, evening, and all through the day we are called to remember the Lord, to remember what he has done for us, to praise him, and to live our lives for his glory. May this daily sacrifice never become tedious. Like the daily rituals of the priests, it is where we will experience intimacy with the living God.
Reflection:
How do you view rituals? Do they open your heart to the Lord? Or do you resent the repetitive call to confess your sins, to repent, and to acknowledge what the Lord has done? Think of how your attitude towards ritual affects your weekly worship, and ask the Lord to open you to the blessing of rituals and the blessing of his presence through the rituals.
As God's anointed priests, Aaron and his sons must perform regular rituals on behalf of themselves and the people. Every day, sacrifices were to be made. God is quite specific about these sacrifices - two lambs that are one year old. One is sacrificed in the morning; thus, the day starts with God. The other lamb is to be sacrificed in the evening; the day ends with God. Every day of the year, these morning and evening sacrifices are to be made.
Daily sacrifices were a constant reminder of the sin of the people. As God dwelt among them in the tabernacle, they started the day in acknowledgement and confession of sin, asking that their sins be covered and forgiven through the blood of the lambs. They ended the day confessing yet again that they had failed and fallen short of the glory of God. In the evening sacrifice, they petitioned the Lord to cover and forgive the sin of that day.
The repetitive nature of these sacrifices could have become tedious to the priests, yet in these daily rituals the Lord would meet with his people. The Lord declares about the tent of meeting, "There I will meet the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory" (Exodus 29:43). While these rituals may feel like they were monotonous, they were the regular means of staying in an intimate relationship with God's abiding presence in holiness.
There are many rituals you and I are called to perform in our Christian walk. We, too, need to daily confess our sins before a holy God. We, too, must repent of our wicked ways and look to the blood sacrificed on our behalf to cover us and forgive us. Thankfully, we do not need to offer daily animal sacrifices, but our very lives are to be offered as living sacrifices. The writer of Hebrews explains, "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God" (Hebrews 13:15-16). As we read yesterday, our bodies are to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2). Here, our praise of the Lord is a daily sacrifice. We acknowledge the sacrifice made on our behalf and praise the Lord for what he has done for us. Then, we tell others what God has done for them, that they can be forgiven through the blood of Jesus, that he has taken away our reproach, and that we are invited into fellowship with him. Hebrews encourages us to follow the example of Christ and to serve one another through the sharing of our gifts.
Morning, evening, and all through the day we are called to remember the Lord, to remember what he has done for us, to praise him, and to live our lives for his glory. May this daily sacrifice never become tedious. Like the daily rituals of the priests, it is where we will experience intimacy with the living God.
Reflection:
How do you view rituals? Do they open your heart to the Lord? Or do you resent the repetitive call to confess your sins, to repent, and to acknowledge what the Lord has done? Think of how your attitude towards ritual affects your weekly worship, and ask the Lord to open you to the blessing of rituals and the blessing of his presence through the rituals.
No Comments