Feb 21 [Lev 24-25] Throughout the book of Leviticus we have been confronted with these words “thou shall be holy as I am holy”. Holiness should be our ongoing view towards our destiny Heb 12:14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, for without it no one will see the Lord.
As Aaron and his sons worked inside the Tabernacle they were brought face to face with the visual reminder of their need for purity and holiness in the private areas where they tended the lampstand, the incense altar, and the table of shewbread as well as themselves. Outside, the people, who never saw this area, knew that by providing the pure beaten olive oil and the loaves of unleavened bread, they were demonstrating their understanding of the pre-eminence of the Holiness of God and the position of Aaron and his sons. They were charged with these tasks that they may participate in the purity and holiness surrounding the Tabernacle where the Presence of the Lord God dwelled.
Centuries later Malachi, as God’s prophet, called the people to account for forgetting not only their act of service but also their disdain of the sacrificial system. Thus they had lost sight of their destiny! They questioned its purpose, its plan, and its provision. They did not understand their position as a people holy to the Lord God, chosen to be his people, prized above all others on the face of the earth. (Deut 14) Instead, Malachi charged them for their faithlessness by treating the table of the Lord as if it is of no importance.
How quickly we lose sight of our part in the service for the King of Kings and as Malachi notes we are saying: ‘How tiresome it is.’ or, ‘It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped by keeping his requirements?”
OR are you of the group that recognizes this error, those who respect the Lord---these are the ones that the Lord notices and records their service in His scroll of remembrances.
How do you see the service you offer to your church, your pastor, your Sunday School teacher? Do you see it as an offering of beauty and purity or do you see it as a tiresome task? Do you see it as a sign that you are chosen by Him as His peculiar people? Can you recognize with Paul: that your labor is not in vain in the Lord?
Application: Today see your gift of beaten oil or your unleavened bread as your offering to the Lord to assist those in leadership that they may equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, (Eph 4). See yourself as God’s chosen generation to carry forth His word. (Ps 78)
