ODJ: the right heart
October 4, 2011
May the Lord, who is good, pardon those who decide to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed for the ceremony (vv.18-19).
READ: 2 Chronicles 30:1-21
Having grown up in a musical home, I started writing songs at an early age. Some have taken months—even years—to compose. Others have come together in minutes, as the lyrics leaped onto the page. One day, after contemplating what God truly desires from us in worship, I experienced one of those “instant song” (just add melody) moments as these lyrics flowed from my pen: It’s in the heart, not in the voice. It’s out of love, not out of choice.
That song excerpt captures what King Hezekiah of Judah lived out in 2 Chronicles 30. King Ahaz, the previous king, had “continued to reject the Lord” (28:22), but Hezekiah reopened the temple even as the people of Judah began reopening their hearts to God (29:3).
After getting the temple “restored to service” (v.35), the good king prepared his people to celebrate the Passover. In fact, he even invited the people from Israel (to the north) to come and join the festivities (30:1). But an issue surfaced that threatened this sacred festival of worship to God: If Hezekiah and the people were to celebrate the Passover on the prescribed dates, the priests would not be prepared in time and not all the people would have made it to Jerusalem (see v.3).
So what to do? Hezekiah pushed back the Passover one month. Even with that unheard of alteration, some of the people arrived late and weren’t properly cleansed for the ceremony (v.18). But the king allowed them to take part anyway, noting they had come with hearts that indicated their desire “to follow the Lord” (v.19).
Hezekiah revealed an important aspect of worship to God: It’s more important to have the right heart and attitude than to simply go through the motions in a certain way or at a certain time. Let’s worship God with truly devoted hearts today. —Tom Felten
How will you strive to show God a heart of worship today? Why is our attitude in worship more important than what we actually do?
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