Daily Devotional for Tuesday, February 13

The Priests

“These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the Lord, according to their manner, under Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him,” 1 Chronicles 24:19.

I just cleaned out our storage shed. I had not been in it for at least three years, and most of the items in it had been originally placed there about eight years ago. It was a disgusting mess, covered with dirt and much of it ruined. Based on the dirt and decay, my family and I had neglected the items in storage and did not place much value on them.

I think this describes the care for the Tabernacle and the official worship that should have happened there prior to David. One of the many great things David did as king was to restore proper Tabernacle worship. Almost all textual evidence points to the neglect, misuse and abuse of the Tabernacle and the priests from the end of the conquest until the time of David. The book of Judges and early accounts in Samuel show a corrupt priesthood. David set about to correct this. He had a rough start with the ark, but over time he accomplished, biblically, his goal of restoration. His reforms lasted for a long time, setting the patterns to follow for many years to come.

Reform is not easy, as a nation or as an individual. I dreaded going back to the storage shed. I knew I had left a mess there, and I also knew I would feel bad about having left it that way. Likewise, we find in our individual lives areas in which we need reform. Perhaps you need to deal with a sinful habit. Perhaps you have neglected some spiritual discipline in your walk with the Lord. Reform indicates that you have failed, and that is hard. But it is worth it.

REFLECTION
Do not let pride stop you from admitting a needed reform in your life. Fix it and move forward.

Jason Rutherford