the book of Joshua - worship

This is Day 1 of a series of posts for the month of October. I’m joining Kate Motaung over at Five Minute Friday for the annual Write 31 Days challenge.  I will write about themes found in the book of Joshua each day, with a different word prompt.

Today’s word prompt is WORSHIP.

The book of Joshua has a lot of powerful themes, and one of them for me is centered around what worship means to God himself. But before we get there, let's take a look at what God commands of his people when conquering the cities.

"But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD.” (Joshua 6:18-19)

"Devoted things" occurs several times in scripture, referring either something to be totally destroyed, or something for sacred use. In this case, the devoted things were to be set aside to be used in the temple God would have his people build once they conquered all of the Promised Land.

I realized over and over again while studying this book that I have no clue what God's holiness really means. This temple he would eventually have them build would be a permanent fixture for them after years of a mobile temple that was set up over and over again each time the people moved through the desert. The importance of this being a place of worship is significant enough, but think of the power of God's people finally having a permanent place! Worship looked different back then, as there were many ceremonial steps to take before even entered the first part of the temple. Again, because of God's holiness.

We don't have those hoops to jump through in our worship. Today I just woke up, got ready and walked into church It was my week to lead worship, so I had my guitar and some extra stuff... but it wasn't quite the ceremony it used to be.

I am thankful that veil has been torn. That Jesus ripped it open to we can finally have access to God. But may I also learn the significance of preparing my heart for such holiness. This temple God was asking his people to prepare for cannot be understated. This was access he gave his people. To him.

The "devoted things" God told his people to set aside was about preparing a place of worship. A holy place. This is just one layer in the complicated nature of God's holiness, one I cannot begin to understand, which seems especially hard for me to grasp because the veil has been torn.

Yet his holiness remains.

May this be the subject of my worship.