The priest and other worship leaders have an important role
to play in the liturgical work. Here the
writer pens a paean to a priest whose leadership led the people truly to
worship. If the leaders are worshipping
and not simply performing their duties we know it don't we? We have all experienced worship which is
nothing more than going through the motions, getting it all right but without
any sense of awe and wonder and worship.
When we are prepared for encounter, when we recognize we do all to His
glory and in His presence, everything changes.
Worship should be anticipation, not just what we do on Sundays. If it engages only our heads then we fail
because we are more than simply minds.
The writer here remembers what might seem insignificant details, "
he held out his hand for the cup and poured a drink offering of the blood of
the grape; he poured it out at the foot of the altar, a pleasing odor to the
Most High, the king of all." These
details, however, must have been powerful for him to recall them as leading to
worship. Simple things done over and
again, but sometimes magic happens.
How nice of the Pharisees to warn Jesus of Herod's wrath
against Him. (Sarcasm) Their only intent was to find a way to get
Jesus to be quiet or, better yet, leave the area in fear. Jesus has already covered that ground though
in telling the disciples to fear not the one who can kill the body but the one
who has power also over the soul eternally.
Jesus gives them a message to Herod telling the king where He may be
found. He must needs go to Jerusalem for
that is where the prophets always find their Waterloo, a sad summary of the
city of God. His desire is to comfort
her and to keep her safe and yet they will not come to Him. They will soon say within her walls,
"Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!" but they will then
soon also say of Him, "Crucify Him!"
Acclaim is usually short-lived.
John sees a prostitute seated on a scarlet beast enticing
the nations to sexual immorality and idolatry.
This woman has a powerful allure.
She represents, in the contemporary context, Rome. Ultimately, other kings will arise and they
will align with this beast to kill her, destroy her and ruin her. We know that the Roman Empire fell within a
relatively short time after this book was written. We also must know that this cycle will repeat
itself through history and that we must always be on watch against the
temptation to sin that will draw us from the Father. We are called and chosen by Him and we also
are to be faithful to Him. Worship is
one of the ways we keep ourselves on the right path.
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