Month of Praising - Day 7

2Chronicles 5:11-14

11 And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place(for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions), 12 and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets— 13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: “For He is good,For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

The scripture here describes the time when the temple was firstly built, the priests brought the ark of the Lord's covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubims. Inside the ark of the covenant were the two tablets that Moses had placed in at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. There was nothing else in the ark (2 Chronicles 5:7,10). The ark of the Lord's covenant signifies the presence of the Lord with His people, which was the greatest honor of men, and the reality of the religion. As a result, all the priests and Levites praised the Lord with music and instruments, singing "For He is good, for His mercy endures forever". The glory of the Lord filled the house of God right at their praises, a manifestation of His acceptance and presence for/with His people.

How I wish that churches today are also filled with the glory of God, instead of mere human activities in tangible buildings. The Lord will surely fill our church, as well as our hearts, with His Holy Spirit if we clean ourselves and praise Him all in one accord. How glorious will it be for God's children when this happens!

歷代志下5：11-14

11 當時在那裡所有的祭司都已自潔，並不分班供職。 12 他們出聖所的時候，歌唱的利未人亞薩、希幔、耶杜頓和他們的眾子、眾弟兄都穿細麻布衣服，站在壇的東邊，敲鈸、鼓瑟、彈琴，同著他們有一百二十個祭司吹號。 13 吹號的、歌唱的都一齊發聲，聲合為一，讚美、感謝耶和華。吹號、敲鈸，用各種樂器，揚聲讚美耶和華說：「耶和華本為善，他的慈愛永遠長存！」那時耶和華的殿有雲充滿， 14 甚至祭司不能站立供職，因為耶和華的榮光充滿了神的殿。

本段經文記載了當聖殿建成之後，祭司將耶和華的約櫃擡進內殿，就是至聖所，放在兩個基路伯的翅膀底下...約櫃裏惟有兩塊石版，就是以色列人出埃及後，耶和華與他們立約的時候，摩西在何烈山所放的。除此以外，並無別無（代下5:7,10）。這表明了神親自與人同在。這是人最大的榮耀，也是宗教的實際，讚美有了真正的對象。因此，當全體祭司和利未人，一同奏樂，歌唱："耶和華本為善，他的慈愛永遠長存。"就在人讚美神的時候，神的榮耀彰顯出來，印證祂的悅納，表明祂的同在。

何等盼望今天的教會不僅是人的活動，物質的建築，而是人讚美神的所在，因此帶下神的榮光充滿。如果我們自潔，全心全意，眾口一心的贊美中主，神將賜下祂的聖靈，充滿我們的教會，充滿裡面的每一顆心。這對神的兒女來說，將是何等的榮耀呢？！