Share Life: 40 days of Prayer

Day 29, March 26, 2007

Nehemiah 12:27-47

There’s a little phrase worth pondering here in this passage. I’ll quote it from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase called The Message: “Judah was so appreciative of the priests and Levites and their service; they, along with the singers and security guards, had done everything so well, conducted the worship of their God and the ritual of ceremonial cleansing in a way that would have made David and his son Solomon proud.”

This is certainly going to sound old fashioned, but here it is: When the time came to gather in public worship of the Lord, incredible attention was given to every detail. There was this sense that everything was a gift being given to God, and because of it, the singers and musicians actually rehearsed, and great care was taken with the sacrifices and the furniture of the Temple.

The casual, post-modern, west-coast interpretation of this is pretty simple: “Well, that was then, in the Old Testament” and we emphasize the word “old”, as if it means we have nothing to learn from those who have gone before us. What bunk. That interpretation sounds more like a license for sloppiness, and I just can’t buy it.

I spend a fair bit of time in the outdoors, but somehow, even though I know my wife loves me, she’d prefer that I take a shower when I get home, rather than stinking up the place while we eat or watch a movie. How would this play at home: “Come on honey – why do you demand this outward attention to detail. You know that I love you with all my heart, what does my stink matter”? I don’t think it gets much mileage actually.

The way we care for the outer details is important because, as we’ll see later in the book of Malachi, the outward attention to detail is a reflection of the inward state of the heart. This passage finds two appropriate applications:

Am I honoring the outward displays of affection that are important to those I love? Maybe it’s picking up my socks. Maybe it’s a clean shave. Maybe it’s encouraging words. Let’s not get so high-minded that we ignore the very basic principle of trying to honor the ones we love with outward displays that demonstrate our care.

As a church, we need to commit to taking care of the many details that pass through our walls, and thinking of them in such a way that we can honestly say that we’re offering him our best. This applies to all of us, whether leading worship, teaching 2nd graders, editing an article for a newsletter, or greeting a guest. It’s GOD we’re worshipping through these acts of service. Perhaps He deserves more than an afterthought.

posted by Richard Dahlstrom @ 12:43 PM