Reconciliation.Cafe

The first place in the Bible that mentions the word worship is in Genesis 22, in the story of Abraham and Isaac. This story is centered around sacrifice. God asking Abraham to lay something down for Him. Not just something, but his son. His long-time promise come-to-pass. 

 Abraham said to his young men, “Sit yourselves down here with the donkey. As for me and the young man, we’ll go over there, worship and return to you.” – Genesis‬ ‭22‬:‭5‬ ‭TLV‬‬

This is crazy to think about on multiple levels. As a father. As someone who has painstakingly waited for a promise to come to pass. For God to ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac astounds me. But it is a statement of how God sees us, an what He wants for us. None before Him. 

To worship is to ascribe worth to something, and sometimes it doesn’t come natural to us in the moment. To worship God is to know His place. If we can’t worship God, we essentially are not aware of God’s place, or His value, in our life. That’s why worship is sacrifice. 

It’s no coincidence that the very first time in the Bible that worship is mentioned, it is an imagery of the most important thing being laid on an altar and given to God. Must of us know the ending of this particular story. At just the right time, God provided another sacrifice, sparing Abraham’s son Isaac, and allowing the promise of his lineage to remain intact.

This story is a prelude to another just-at-the-right-time stand-in sacrifice. One that would shift atmospheres, shake worlds, and rewrite divine covenants. Of course, I’m referring to Jesus. At the right moment, God sent His son to be our once-and-for-all blood sacrifice. 

 Now after Yeshua was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” – Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭TLV‬‬

 The Magi, or wise men, brought gifts to bring Jesus. They travelled from far just to bring Him gifts and worship Him. These Magi, most likely Pagan astrologers, saw the sign, and wanted to find this baby. It’s funny that the Magi followed the signs, but the Jewish religious leaders of the time missed it. Even being educated with all the stories and prophecies, they fell short. They are still looking for the Messiah to this day. 

What’s the most important thing for you this holiday season? In this Advent time, we are looking for the One. Follow the signs. Find Him. Be willing to lay down anything that holds more valuable. Anything other than the Lord, is fleeting, will fall away, and will not fulfill. Are you willing to lay whatever IT is on the altar? Are you willing to worship Yahweh as He deserves?