Thursday nights are for Ben's time-outs with his guy friends. As for me - I sometimes go out with my girl friends in the afternoons. So when Thursday night arrives, I usually prefer to unwind and chillax alone at home, looking forward to Friday - with a cuppa, unless Rachel Chan is free for a meet-up. And then I enjoy that moment Ben arrives home with his face aglow - both happy with his outing and happy to come home. Joy! Today, I'll have order-in pizza and watch Singaporean drama series...
Preparing my heart for Sunday's worship-leading.
Today, I was moved by Psalm 50 and 51. In Ps. 50:5,23 - God indicates His "consecrated people" as those who have made a covenant with Him by sacrifice; also those who sacrifice thank offerings honor Him.
In the Old Testament, consecration was an act, ceremony and process of cleansing carried out by God's people to symbolize setting themselves (and whatever that was to be used by God as instruments) apart with the goal of waiting upon God in holiness and readiness.
Because animals were mentioned in Psalm 50, I thought of the priests. For the priests, self-consecration for God's service required extra work (other than the washing of garments, staying away from anything that was pronounced "unclean", etc) - because it involved first, the anointing with oil; second, a sin offering (a sacrificed bull); third, a burnt offering of two rams to make the sin offering acceptable to God; fourth, an offering of consecration with the blood of the second ram; and fifth, a wave offering with unleavened bread. (Leviticus 8:14-28) While the priests were consecrating themselves, all (yes ALL) the congregation were supposed to gather around and watch them. *Gulp* (I think this is even scarier than leading worship on Sunday!) After this ceremony, the priests were to spend 7 days in solitude (Leviticus 8:33-36) and lastly, give grain offerings to complete the act of dedication of their lives to serve God.
Whether for the priests or the common people, consecration cost something. However Ps. 50 seems to indicate that self-consecration was more than material offerings or outward ceremonies - because everything the people owned belonged to God anyway. Rather, God is portrayed to yearn for something that He cannot (and will not) take from His people by force - their hearts and their choice to honor Him by making their sacrifices with the right heart.
In Ps. 51:17, King David (after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba) proclaimed to God, "You do not delight in sacrifice or I would bring it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart You, God, will not despise."
David knew that without true repentance and an attitude of humility before God, He would not see God's glory or have God's blessing and anointing over his service - even if he were to make hasty and convenient lip confessions of his sins. (Maybe He remembered King Saul, his predecessor - whose arrogant life served as a grim warning for the many generations of kings to come.)
Similarly, today God doesn't need the vain sacrifices we make to serve Him i.e. doing our duties merely out of self-righteousness, self-importance, obligation or our fear of punishment. Rather, He is moved by willing spirits, who bring Him their gifts and offerings of thanksgiving even amid the brokenness they bear; hearts of repentance, humility and helplessness and yet those filled with sacred adoration and worship. With such faithful and sincere worshipers, God is glad to affirm His covenant; furthermore He delivers them when they call on Him in the day of trouble (Ps 50:15).
"Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean,
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me..."
(Psalm 51:7-12)
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