DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 28 May 2025: The Joy of True Worship
Text: 2 Chronicles 29:20-29 (KJV)
Then King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. 21 And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Likewise they killed the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They also killed the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23 Then they brought out the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. 24 And the priests killed them; and they presented their blood on the altar as a sin offering to make an atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering be made for all Israel.
25 And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the commandment of the Lord by His prophets. 26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord also began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 So all the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 And when they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped.
KEY VERSE: (2 Chronicles 29:28) And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
We were created as worshipping beings. Unfortunately, worship has come to mean different things to different people. Many people worship all sorts of objects, including fellow human beings. Even for those who direct their worship to the true God, differing concepts, styles and methods are adopted ranging from perverse emotional entertainment to lifeless legalistic worship. To be sure, worship is not all about singing and dancing; it includes the whole gamut of our devotion to God. God expects worship from us but He delights only in those who worship Him in spirit and in truth – hearty, sincere, and direct worship of the true God. This is true worship.
As soon as Hezekiah became the king of Judah, he embarked on one of the most outstanding reformations recorded in the Bible. He opened and repaired the doors of the temple that had been neglected for so long; set out to renew the covenant with God; and organised the priests and levites whom he instructed to cleanse themselves and the temple. When everything was set, he assembled the rulers of the people for worship during which they offered abundance of sin and burnt offerings. Their worship was marked by repentance, confession of sin, consecration, joyful praises to God accompanied with musical instruments. Indeed, it was such a memorable worship that they had not witnessed for a long time.
The highpoint of this worship was the sacrifices that were offered to the Lord – the sin and the burnt offerings which were pointers to the Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself wholly as an atonement for the cleansing of our sins and redemption. Animal sacrifice is no more needed. Now, we receive forgiveness and cleansing from sin only by the blood shed by Jesus Christ. However, when we are saved, we present our “bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” as well as render to Him the fruits of our lips.
King Hezekiah’s revival move brought back true worship in Judah and renewed their covenant with God after a long period of apostasy. The people once again experienced the joy of true worship and recovered sacred singing and melody. There is such a joy, inner liberty, assurance, peace and redemption melody that you cannot experience if you have not accepted Christ into your heart by faith or if you have backslidden.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: We lose the joy of true worship when we mistake sensual workshop for sacred worship.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 15-16
Daily Manna 28 May 2025
