SETTING UP THE ALTAR

“Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening burnt offerings" (Ezra 3:3 NKJV).

One of the first things the Jews did after returning to Palestine from the Babylonian captivity, was to set up an altar for the worship of God. Our verse speaks of this setting up of the altar, and it tells of the courage of the people, the consecration of the people, and the commitment of the people in the setting up of the altar.

Courage of the people - “Fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries.” The people in the lands which were in and around Palestine were idolatrous and hostile towards the Jews. Although King Cyrus gave the Jews permission to go back to the land and set up their worship, these people oppose the Jewish presence in the land. However, in spite of the hostilities, the Jews still set up the altar. Courage is necessary if we are going to honor God in worship and live godly in an ungodly society.

Consecration of the people - “They offered burnt offerings.” To provide for the offerings required sacrifice. The people who had come back from captivity in Babylon were not very wealthy, but they still made the sacrifices on the altar. If we are to worship and honor God, it will require sacrifice. It costs to live our faith, but it is worth it!

Commitment of the people - “Both the morning and evening burnt offerings.” The offerings were to be kept up continually every day. Once the altar was set up, there was offering every morning and evening. This required total commitment to the worship and work of God. Too many folk today want to make an offering now and then. They are not interested in the daily morning and evening commitment. Churches are finding it difficult getting people to commit to doing various tasks; folks today lack commitment. We will not do much for God if we lack commitment.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Active worship requires active involvement!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Distressed

In Phil 2:26 we read, “Since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick” (NKJV).

Distressed is the Greek word adēmoneō (ἀδημονέω = ad-ay-mon-eh'-o). It means to be deeply troubled or distressed, be upset, be dismayed, be in anguish. Adēmoneō describes the confused, chaotic, heavy state of restlessness that results from a time of turmoil or great trauma. The word is also in the present tense indicating this was a lingering distress.

Further, adēmoneō finds its origin in a word that has the idea of not at home, thus, uncomfortable, troubled, distressed. The word does not refer to homesickness, but to the discomfort of not being at home. Thus the heart of Epaphroditus was not at rest. The reason for this restlessness was that he was more concerned about the Philippians’ worry for him than he was about his own difficult situation.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – The Messiah would be sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12).

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 26:15; Luke 22:5.

Bible Facts

Jet stream anticipated (Ecc. 1:6). At a time when it was thought that winds blew straight,

the Bible declares “The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north; the wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit.” King Solomon wrote this 3,000 years ago. Now consider this - it was not until World War II that airmen discovered the jet stream circuit.

Bible Quiz

How old was Abraham when Isaac was born?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: How many months was baby Moses hidden by his parents before he was placed in a basket and left on the river? 3 months (Exodus 2:2).

That’s in the Bible

"One little ewe lamb”

“But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him” (2 Sa. 12:3 NKJV).

“One little ewe lamb” - The expression “one little ewe lamb” carries the idea of what one treasures most. This means that this lamb was what we would call a family pet or favorite in the family. In confronting the king, Nathan told David a story of a rich man who, in spite of having everything, stole a poor neighbor’s only "ewe lamb" to provide a feast for a guest. According to Nathan, the Lord had given David everything, yet he took the pet lamb of a poor neighbor. David was formally indicted by God, not only for taking another man’s wife but for believing that he could take whatever he wanted and being dissatisfied with what God had given him. Thus the Lord made it clear that not even a king is above the law and would be called to judgment.

Did You Know - Christian History

John Bacchus Dykes was born March 10, 1823in Hull, England. He was a was an English clergyman and hymnist

John had been a church organist since he was ten-years-old and was co-founder and president of the Cambridge University Musical Society. In 1861, a publisher rediscovered the words of Reginald Heber’s “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.” He asked John Bacchus Dykes to furnish him with a tune. Having a natural aptitude for music, John accepted the words. Within thirty minutes he wrote the tune ‘Nicea,’ which has carried the praise of the Trinity to Christians everywhere.

The year after he composed this famous tune, John was appointed vicar of St. Oswald. This put him in charge of a parish. He was thirty-nine and had already held several lesser church posts. John’s people came to love him.

Dykes published numerous sermons, book reviews and articles on theology and church music, many of them in the Ecclesiastic and Theologian. These display considerable knowledge and wit, especially on the topics of the Apocalypse, the Psalms, Biblical numerology and the function of music and ritual in the service of the church.

In addition to his regular duties, Dykes managed to write over 300 hymn tunes. These included some of our favorite hymns, such as “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee,” “Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand” and “Lead, Kindly Light.” Worn out with his labors and constant friction with his bishop, John died on January 22, 1876. He was just fifty-three years old. Those who loved and admired him, raised £10,000 to support his widow and children.

A Little Humor

Coming out of church, Mrs. Peterson asks her husband, “Don’t you think that Johnson girl need to wash her hair?” “I didn’t even see her,” Mr. Peterson admits. “And the dress Martha Hansen was wearing,” Mrs. Peterson continues, “really, don’t tell me you think that’s the proper outfit for a mother of two.” “I’m afraid I didn’t notice that, either,” says Mr. Peterson. “Oh for heaven’s sake,” Mrs. Peterson snaps, “a lot of good it does for you to go to church.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“What sin has twisted, God’s grace can straighten!”