READING: Leviticus 8-9, Matthew 27:11-31
The priests, Aaron and his sons, were ready to carry out their responsibilities on behalf of God’s people. God was so pleased with their sacrifices—their always doing (to that point) all the Lord commanded—that “the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people” (Lev. 9:23) and “fire came from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar” (Lev. 9:24). Indeed, the people were so grabbed and moved by the work of God that “they shouted and fell facedown” (Lev. 9:24); many scholars even understand their shouting to be shouts of joy as they bowed before the Lord and worshipped Him.
How I long to be in a worship service where the presence of God is so powerful that all we can do is fall before Him in awe and wonder! I think I may be have experienced glimpses of this power throughout the years, but I can never recall a worship event that drove all the worshippers to their faces. So, I pray again today by echoing Moses’ prayer in Exodus 33—“Please let us see your glory!”
PRAYER: “God, that’s truly my prayer. Fall on us in Your glory, and grant us grace to fall before You in awe.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Leviticus 10-12, Matthew 27:32-56
