“Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord also began with the trumpets, and with the instruments of David King of Israel. So all the assembly worshipped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished”
2 Chronicles 29:27, 28
The burnt offering was given up for the general sinfulness of the people. Except for the skin it was to be completely burned. This represented Christ’s total sacrifice, the giving of His all for all our sin. During this ritual the Hezekiah ordered the worship to begin. The Levites sounded the cymbals, played the stringed instruments, and the harps, while the priest blew the trumpets, and singers sang as the people worshipped joyfully in the restored temple.
God’s leaders are responsible to restore true worship among God’s people. They must call God’s people to a place of complete surrender to Christ. Our Lord gave his all, as the burnt offering represents, and so we must follow in giving our all for Christ. We must become the “living sacrifices” the Apostle Paul speaks of in Romans 12:1. As leaders we must also call God’s people to offer up the sacrifices of praise: “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” Hebrew 13:15. True worship is about sacrifice and praise.
Worship without sacrifice is shallow and empty. Sacrifice without worship is merely religious and dry. We must not become those who honor God with our lips yet our hearts are far from Him. We must not be those who are lukewarm, serving our Lord out of duty only with no heart felt love and thankfulness. Our lives must be a testimony of servanthood to Jesus Christ as our hearts swell with His love in continual praise and thankfulness. Encourage those whose lives have become cluttered with the stuff of earth to once again willingly lay down their lives for Jesus and raise the sound of joyful praise to the Lord.
Have your Christian gatherings become religious and lifeless? Do you sing the songs without heart felt love and thankfulness to God? What can you do as a leader to restore true worship among God’s people?
