And David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD. And, behold, the courses of the priests and the Levites, even they shall be with thee for all the service of the house of God: and there shall be with thee for all manner of workmanship every willing skilful man, for any manner of service: also the princes and all the people will be wholly at thy commandment.”
1 Chronicles 28:20-21
House of the LORD
The Mountain of the House of the LORD Shall Be Established
But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths:” for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
Micah 4:1-5
Loving Jerusalem
“I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD.’
Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, ‘Peace be within thee.’ Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.” Psalm 122:1-9 (KJB)
A Thing… In the King’s Heart
“Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem: and hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.” Ezra 7:27-28 (KJV)
The words above come from Ezra the scribe. After being given a letter from king Artaxerxes of Persia, he rejoices in the LORD God for directing the heart of the king in matters of God and Israel.
One thing I will always stand by, and believe is: God reigns in the affairs of men, and nations. I believe Ezra realized that. Every follower devoted to Jesus Christ should realize that God is carrying out His plans in this world.
The rulers of this earth, the kings, the presidents, the prime ministers, think they have their own plans; but God will have His way, and He does so by directing the hearts of those who rule…
“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will.” Proverbs 21:1
Even when men begin to call “Wrong” right, and “Right” wrong; and evil seems to be the genre of the day; God still reigns. Evil is its own worst judgment.
What is evil? What ever the LORD God says it is. To despise His Word, and turn your backs on Him is evil.
The LORD God Almighty reigns. Walk in His ways. Begin by trusting His only way of salvation; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ His Son.
The Worship of Demons
“And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz. For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers.” 2 Chronicles 28:22-25 (KJV)
Ahaz was an evil king of Judah. He was in distress, and against the only, and Holy God of Judah and Israel; and the world for that matter. He had sacrificed his sons to fire according to the ways of those who had been driven out of Canaan (28:3). He had no heart for the LORD.
You may wonder why this is titled “Worshipping Demons”. It is because of what he apostle Paul says,
“What say I then? That the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?” 1 Corinthians 10:19-22
The worship of any “god” other than Jehovah through His Son Jesus Christ, and His atoning blood is demon worship.
If that offends you, then repent of your sins and turn to the One who died for your sins, was buried and rose again, and He will forgive your sins and give you eternal life in the presence of holy GOD.
Praising and Honoring God With Music
“And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest. And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order.” 1 Chronicles 6:31-32 (KJV)
These verses begin a chronicled list of Levites whom David placed as the authority over the singing in the “Tabernacle of the congregation” after it was brought to Jerusalem thus the phrase “after that the ark had rest”. You find that genealogy from verses 33-48.
I believe the LORD likes us to sing unto Him in worship. I also believe He is glorified with instruments of music, as they are played unto Him. He is glorified when we are enjoying Him. John Piper has written, “God is most glorified in us; when we are most satisfied in Him” and music is one way that is expressed when it honors His name, His holiness, and His righteousness.
I sometimes laugh as I drive in a city once in a while, and occasionally I will see folks in their cars tapping the steering wheel, or moving to the rhythm of a song they are listening; maybe even singing along. I laugh, because I find myself doing that, just about every time I have the car radio on, and listening to a good uplifting God honoring song.
Sing a song today, and honor God in your music.
Blessing the LORD
“Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.” Psalm 134:1-3 (KJV)
Look, see that the people of GOD are to bless the LORD. The servants of GOD, the people of GOD are to be blessing the LORD.
This decree is to those who keep watch for the house of GOD in the night watches. It is also true of the day watchers to bless the LORD.
We bless the LORD with our lips, our tongues, our mouth; but we also bless Him with our lives. A life that is not lived holy wholly unto the LORD will not bless the LORD.
When we bless the LORD we will be blessed by the LORD.
There is no blessing the LORD – ie. praising, building up, bragging about; except through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus God’s Son. Bless the LORD today by believing Jesus and trusting Him for salvation from sin’s condemnation.
I Was Glad…
“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Psalm 122:1 (KJV)
To the Israelite the house of God was the Tabernacle in the wilderness during their journey to the Promised Land after deliverance out of Egypt; it was Shiloh up intil David was king; and after David became king the ark of the covenant was moved to Jerusalem, so that was the house of God.
The “House of God” is the place where God dwells. In all of God’s Word the plan of God is that He dwell in the hearts of His people. That was impossible with a holy God. Yet, God Himself made it possible. When Jesus Christ walked on earth He was and is the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). He was without sin in the midst of the sinful, the vile, the corrupt; He remained incorruptible.
Because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ when we trust in Him He comes to live within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Those who know Jesus, and are known of Him have only to go to His Word, and hear the Holy Spirit within themselves to worship God.
The follower of Christ still desires to go and meet in places of worship with God’s people. We call those places “Houses of worship”, even “House of God”; and that is not wrong. Rest assured that where ever you are as a believer; a follower of Jesus Christ He is there with you.
Like the Psalmist says, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Let us always be glad to go into the place of worship. Like the writer of Hebrews has said,
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25
If you missed joining with brothers and sisters in Christ yesterday, or have for several weeks; be sure you commit yourself to renewing that bond next Sunday.
To Know the LORD
Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed My covenant, and trespassed against My law. Israel shall cry unto Me, ‘My God, we know Thee.’ Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him. They have set up kings, but not by Me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.” Hosea 8:1-4 (KJV)
Hosea is speaking to the people who claim to be God’s children. Those who claim to know God, “My God, we know Thee.” Yet, they do not keep His law. They do not heed His word.
The LORD counts it a vile, wicked and unruly thing for those who claim to know Him, and do not obey His law, nor keep His Word. There is judgment for those who claim to be God’s people, yet live as the people of the earth.
GOD is full of mercy and grace which is found and received only through the death, burial and bodily resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. Hear Him. Believe Him. Be saved today.
-T.A.
The Fire and Hammer 