Last Wednesday, I was taking the MRT, heading for a class when I decided to start reading the whole Bible in a year. (No, it doesn't bother me that I'm about 2 months behind.) So I started in Genesis, and near the end of the train journey I finished up to chapter 11, before the calling of Abraham. It seemed like a good place to just pause for a breather, so I did.
And when I did, this passage kept speaking to my heart.
Notice that Noah sacrificed burnt offerings on his own initiative? God found the aroma pleasing, and decided that he would never curse the ground again because of man (by bringing a massive flood, for example). Think about it: in Genesis 6:6 we just read that "The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain." The flood was his response to the wickedness of the earth that caused him so much grief. And you gotta admit, it was a neat solution – drown the people causing you all the trouble and pain, and make them an abject lesson to future generations.
Don't mess with God, right?
But when Noah sacrificed the burnt offerings, something significant happened. The heart of God was moved, and he issued a blanket amnesty, promising us that he would never flood the earth again in judgement. And he made that promise knowing that fundamentally the heart of Man had not changed. We are still inclined towards sin and wickedness. And we're still gonna cause him unimaginable pain and grief.
But he made that promise anyway, established the covenant with Noah, and put the rainbow in the sky as the sign of his unfailing commitment to this decision.
Why? Because of the burnt offerings.
What does that have to do with us? What if you knew that you had something that God likes even MORE than burnt offerings? If burnt offerings could move the heart of God that much and get him to commit to being merciful to us, can you imagine how God would respond to something even better?
Yes, our songs are even more pleasing to God than the burnt offerings Noah brought to God. Do we realize that? Do we really believe that? Do we know that in the depths of our heart? I don't think we have any clue about this at all.
If we did we would be singing our hearts to God any and every chance we get.
If we did we'd never say things like "worship is not JUST songs". Being frank with you, that's despising and making light of something God delights in.
But how about Amos 5:22-24, when God says that he will not accept the offerings people bring him and he rejected their singing as just noise? I'll elaborate more on that some other time, but for now let me just share this verse with you:
If you keep hanging out with me, you'll hear this from me over and over again. And I'll keep repeating it over and over again. Our sacrifices of praise will NEVER be acceptable to God based on who we are or what we do. They are acceptable ONLY in Christ. If we think that our innate goodness or the 'sincerity' of our hearts (gag, gag, choke, puke!) is what makes God look on our worship with favor, we are deluded to the max. We have only ONE way to offer acceptable sacrifices to God. And that way is Jesus Christ.
But when we fully make use of that way, and take full advantage of how pleased God is with our songs, (because Jesus, our Great High Priest, has made our them pleasing and acceptable), who knows what will happen? If burnt offerings can move God to be merciful, how much more our songs!
As you can imagine, it was quite a train journey for me, with all these thoughts running through my head. It was raining that afternoon, but when I arrived at my station and started walking to my class, I saw many people standing next to a field, pointing their handphone cameras up at the shy.
A rainbow. Stretching all across the sky.
Interesting timing. On the very day I chose to read the book of Genesis, immediately after I read about the Flood and the rainbow, there was a rainbow for me to see. Personally I see it as a kind of confirmation of my thoughts. What do YOU think?
P.S. I talked about one common mistake, despising the praises of God's people. To find out about other such mistakes that keep people from serving effectively in worship ministry, as well as how to serve successfully, get your copy of the Invisible Worship Musician today!
And when I did, this passage kept speaking to my heart.
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. (Genesis 8:20-21, NIV)
Notice that Noah sacrificed burnt offerings on his own initiative? God found the aroma pleasing, and decided that he would never curse the ground again because of man (by bringing a massive flood, for example). Think about it: in Genesis 6:6 we just read that "The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain." The flood was his response to the wickedness of the earth that caused him so much grief. And you gotta admit, it was a neat solution – drown the people causing you all the trouble and pain, and make them an abject lesson to future generations.
Don't mess with God, right?
But when Noah sacrificed the burnt offerings, something significant happened. The heart of God was moved, and he issued a blanket amnesty, promising us that he would never flood the earth again in judgement. And he made that promise knowing that fundamentally the heart of Man had not changed. We are still inclined towards sin and wickedness. And we're still gonna cause him unimaginable pain and grief.
But he made that promise anyway, established the covenant with Noah, and put the rainbow in the sky as the sign of his unfailing commitment to this decision.
Why? Because of the burnt offerings.
What does that have to do with us? What if you knew that you had something that God likes even MORE than burnt offerings? If burnt offerings could move the heart of God that much and get him to commit to being merciful to us, can you imagine how God would respond to something even better?
I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs. (Psalm 69:30-31, NIV)
Yes, our songs are even more pleasing to God than the burnt offerings Noah brought to God. Do we realize that? Do we really believe that? Do we know that in the depths of our heart? I don't think we have any clue about this at all.
If we did we would be singing our hearts to God any and every chance we get.
If we did we'd never say things like "worship is not JUST songs". Being frank with you, that's despising and making light of something God delights in.
But how about Amos 5:22-24, when God says that he will not accept the offerings people bring him and he rejected their singing as just noise? I'll elaborate more on that some other time, but for now let me just share this verse with you:
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. (Hebrews 13:15, NIV)
If you keep hanging out with me, you'll hear this from me over and over again. And I'll keep repeating it over and over again. Our sacrifices of praise will NEVER be acceptable to God based on who we are or what we do. They are acceptable ONLY in Christ. If we think that our innate goodness or the 'sincerity' of our hearts (gag, gag, choke, puke!) is what makes God look on our worship with favor, we are deluded to the max. We have only ONE way to offer acceptable sacrifices to God. And that way is Jesus Christ.
But when we fully make use of that way, and take full advantage of how pleased God is with our songs, (because Jesus, our Great High Priest, has made our them pleasing and acceptable), who knows what will happen? If burnt offerings can move God to be merciful, how much more our songs!
As you can imagine, it was quite a train journey for me, with all these thoughts running through my head. It was raining that afternoon, but when I arrived at my station and started walking to my class, I saw many people standing next to a field, pointing their handphone cameras up at the shy.
A rainbow. Stretching all across the sky.
Interesting timing. On the very day I chose to read the book of Genesis, immediately after I read about the Flood and the rainbow, there was a rainbow for me to see. Personally I see it as a kind of confirmation of my thoughts. What do YOU think?
P.S. I talked about one common mistake, despising the praises of God's people. To find out about other such mistakes that keep people from serving effectively in worship ministry, as well as how to serve successfully, get your copy of the Invisible Worship Musician today!
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1 comment:
Awesome post! Keep blogging for His glory.. amen?
Cheers,
http://cyberanger.blogspot.com
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