(continuation of meditation 68)
In meditation 68 we saw that the Greek version of the Old Testament (i.e., the Septuagint) and the Greek New Testament both use several words for ‘worshipping God’, which portray “the priestly ministry of worship by which the bringing of a sacrifice is implied.”
We also realised that the figurative way of speaking about the priestly ministry of worship in the New Testament stands entirely in the context of the Old Testament tabernacle and temple service. It is beyond the scope of our meditations to look more deeply into the Old Testament use of sacrificial language.
However, let me give you one beautiful example from the Old Testament of someone who expresses his love for God in the figurative use of sacrificial language. David says to God: “Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.” (Psalm 141:2)
Central to all New Testament use of sacrificial language stands Jesus’ self-sacrificing love. The apostle Paul encourages Jesus’ followers in Ephesus to follow His example: “... live a life of love, just as [in the same way as] Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
(Ephesians 5:2)
In the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 9 verse 14 we read:
“Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.” This is all ‘sacrificial language’:
1. Jesus offers Himself to His heavenly Father as the perfect sacrifice of love;
2. It is God’s Spirit who leads Jesus to provide that sin offering for us;
3. Jesus’ sacrificed blood will liberate our hearts from the bondage of sin;
4. The aim of Jesus’ self-sacrifice is to empower us by the Holy Spirit for the priestly ministry of worshiping God. In this Spirit-empowered ministry of worship we are called to bring to God our life as a daily sacrifice of Christlike love.
In meditation 68 we saw that Paul beseeches the Christians in Rome (and us!) to sacrifice their bodies as an act of priestly worship to God. God’s Spirit moves us to such self-sacrifice in love as a response to God’s self-sacrifice for us: “... I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)
The apostle Peter points to whom we really are as followers of Jesus: “... you are God's holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him [God] because of Jesus Christ.”
(1 Peter 2:5)
Actually, Peter says that God has anointed my local church to be a Spirit-empowered community of priests. And it is my church’s priestly ministry to bring Spirit-empowered [spiritual] sacrifices to God.
But what are spiritual or Spirit-empowered sacrifices? The Epistle to the Hebrews explains that to us:
“With Jesus' help, let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of his name.” (Hebrews 13:15)
As we just saw, the Epistle to the Hebrews calls those Spirit-empowered sacrifices “sacrifices of praise”.
The Old Testament and specially the book of the Psalms are brimful of texts that summon all of God’s people to bring sacrifices of praise to Him.
What’s more, the Levites who assisted the priest in the service of Salomon’s temple, were specially ordained to bring daily sacrifices of praise to God:
“The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron's descendants [the priests] in the service of the temple of the LORD ..... They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the LORD on Sabbaths and at New Moon festivals and at appointed feasts.” (1 Chronicles 23:28 and 30)
God announced through His prophet Isaiah (ca. 700 BC) that one day the Messiah - the Saviour of the world - will come. First of all He will redeem Israel, His rebellious people, and breath new life into them. God's Spirit will revive the entire nation so that it will solely live to proclaim God's praise. (see Isaiah 40:1-44:5).
God says: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honour me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people [Israel], my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise." (Isaiah 43:18-21)
In the book of Acts we see that this prophesy of Isaiah is starting its fulfilment! These Jews, as the beginning of God's messianic, reborn people of the new covenant, find the true reason for Israel's existence. Through the inner transformation by God's Spirit they become the people which solely live for the proclamation of God's praise: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts [...] praising God..." (Acts 2:46)
Then, the apostle Paul shows in his letter to the Christians in Rome that according to God’s plan, not only reborn Jews would be the fulfilment of Isaiah's prophesy. Far from it!
Paul writes that Jesus the Messiah is indeed the Saviour of the entire world! Therefore, all the nations will ultimately join in the sacrifices of praise to the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ: “... he came so the Gentiles [non-Jewish people] might also give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: « I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name. » And in another place it is written,« Rejoice, O you Gentiles, along with his people, the Jews. » And yet again, « Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; praise him, all you people of the earth » (Romans 15:9-11)
Important questions emanate from this meditation:
-- What does it practically mean that God has ordained my entire local church to be a Spirit-empowered community of priests?
-- Are my local church and its leaders aware of the fact that God has ordained us to that priestly ministry?
-- We read in Hebrews 9:14 that one of the aims of Jesus’ self-sacrifice is to liberate my local church from being self-centred, so that God can use us for the priestly ministry of worship. In how far has God’s Spirit liberated my church for that ministry?
-- Does my church realise that the true reason of its existence is to be a people which solely lives for the proclamation of God's praise.
-- Is my church committed to the priestly ministry of worship?
-- Does God’s Spirit urge the members of my church to offer themselves to God as living and holy sacrifices of Christlike love?
(Romans 12:1)
-- What are Spirit-empowered sacrifices of praise? That will be the theme for our next meditation.
(to be continued)
Ephesians 5:2, Romans 12:1, 1 Chronicles 23:28.30-32, Acts 2:46 are quotes of the New International Version. The other texts are quoted from the New Living Translation.
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