Time and Order
There is a time and a way in which man must serve God. Man’s offerings to the Lord must be done according to time and order. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but it’s a big deal to the Lord.
1) David numbered the people of Israel, which thing was not supposed to be done, and the punishment for this was the Angel of the Lord destroying throughout Israel. David saw the Angel of the Lord with His sword drawn at the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. There, David was told to build an altar and make an offering to the Lord, so that the plague would be stayed. So here’s what David did:
1 Chronicles 21:22-24 Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people. 23 And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all. 24 And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.
Sundays from 11:00-12:00 is my time to serve the Lord. To offer the sacrifice of my lips to the Lord.
Sundays from 12:01-12:05 is your time. Not mine. I took that which was yours, to offer unto the Lord.
You may have given it freely, you may have been fine with it. But it was wrong of me to take it.
The lesson to learn from my mistake is: Our offerings to the Lord must be according to time and order.
2) The Lord told King Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites and all that they had. Instead he saved the king alive and spared the best of the flocks and herds, purposing to sacrifice them unto the Lord.
1 Samuel 15:18-22 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
The Israelites thought, surely the Lord would prefer to have all these good things given to Him in an offering! Surely the Lord will accept these good things! But you can’t just offer to the Lord what you think is right. No matter good it is, or how sincere you are. Those things should have been destroyed. Saul and the people should have obeyed rather than offer the Lord a “good” sacrifice. I should have too.
The lesson to learn from my mistake is: Time and Order. Don’t give something to the Lord that is not right to give, or that is not yours to give. If you do, it will not be accepted. The Lord called this rebellion.
3) David purposed to bring the ark of God up to Jerusalem to dwell with him. But he and all Israel did not take heed to transport the ark of God according to the exact way which God required in the law.
1 Chronicles 13:6-10 And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it. 7 And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart. 8 And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets. 9 And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.
They thought, surely a new cart pulled by strong oxen would be just as good or even a better than men carrying the ark, right? Sincerely. And all Israel sang and played music to the Lord with all their might. Sincerely. Certainly they thought this would be acceptable. But their intentions and sincerity didn’t matter. This was not according to the due order. You didn’t put the ark of God in a cart and drive it with beasts. It was to be carried by the priests. And so when David realized his mistake, he said in verse 13 … the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.
The lesson to learn from my mistake is: Time and order. An offering to the Lord must be of your own cost, of your own time. And it must be done according to the due order. Otherwise, its not an acceptable thing. Its rebellion.
Ecclesiastes 3:1– To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; … 7 … a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
Leviticus 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
Leviticus 19:5-7 And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will. 6 It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire. 7 And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.
What I did was a good thing. There is nothing more important than speaking the gospel, than teaching the truth. There is nothing more important than teaching men how to be saved, and how to save other’s. Those are good sacrifices. But for every sacrifice, there is a time and a way in which it must be done. There is a time when it is accepted, and there is a time when it is NOT accepted. There is a time to speak, and a time to keep silence. We can’t just do the things that we think are right. Not only must a sacrifice acceptable to the Lord be perfect, but it must be in due time and after the due order.
I took of yours to offer unto the Lord. I stole from you. So, how can I Scripturally make it right?
4) When David had taken Bathsheba and killed Uzziah, and Nathan the prophet had shown David what he had done in the eyes of the Lord …
2 Samuel 12:5-6 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: 6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. … 7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.
Exodus 22:1– If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore … four sheep for a sheep. … 4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, … he shall restore double.
I can’t give you back your minutes that I stole. They’re dead and gone. So what I will have to do is give you fourfold of my own minutes. 10 minutes x 4 = 40 minutes. 40 of my own minutes, I restore to you.
Oct 17 2021
Time and Order
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Time and Order
Time and Order
There is a time and a way in which man must serve God. Man’s offerings to the Lord must be done according to time and order. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but it’s a big deal to the Lord.
1) David numbered the people of Israel, which thing was not supposed to be done, and the punishment for this was the Angel of the Lord destroying throughout Israel. David saw the Angel of the Lord with His sword drawn at the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. There, David was told to build an altar and make an offering to the Lord, so that the plague would be stayed. So here’s what David did:
1 Chronicles 21:22-24 Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people. 23 And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all. 24 And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.
Sundays from 11:00-12:00 is my time to serve the Lord. To offer the sacrifice of my lips to the Lord.
Sundays from 12:01-12:05 is your time. Not mine. I took that which was yours, to offer unto the Lord.
You may have given it freely, you may have been fine with it. But it was wrong of me to take it.
The lesson to learn from my mistake is: Our offerings to the Lord must be according to time and order.
2) The Lord told King Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites and all that they had. Instead he saved the king alive and spared the best of the flocks and herds, purposing to sacrifice them unto the Lord.
1 Samuel 15:18-22 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
The Israelites thought, surely the Lord would prefer to have all these good things given to Him in an offering! Surely the Lord will accept these good things! But you can’t just offer to the Lord what you think is right. No matter good it is, or how sincere you are. Those things should have been destroyed. Saul and the people should have obeyed rather than offer the Lord a “good” sacrifice. I should have too.
The lesson to learn from my mistake is: Time and Order. Don’t give something to the Lord that is not right to give, or that is not yours to give. If you do, it will not be accepted. The Lord called this rebellion.
3) David purposed to bring the ark of God up to Jerusalem to dwell with him. But he and all Israel did not take heed to transport the ark of God according to the exact way which God required in the law.
1 Chronicles 13:6-10 And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it. 7 And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart. 8 And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets. 9 And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.
They thought, surely a new cart pulled by strong oxen would be just as good or even a better than men carrying the ark, right? Sincerely. And all Israel sang and played music to the Lord with all their might. Sincerely. Certainly they thought this would be acceptable. But their intentions and sincerity didn’t matter. This was not according to the due order. You didn’t put the ark of God in a cart and drive it with beasts. It was to be carried by the priests. And so when David realized his mistake, he said in verse 13 … the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.
The lesson to learn from my mistake is: Time and order. An offering to the Lord must be of your own cost, of your own time. And it must be done according to the due order. Otherwise, its not an acceptable thing. Its rebellion.
Ecclesiastes 3:1– To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; … 7 … a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
Leviticus 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
Leviticus 19:5-7 And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will. 6 It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire. 7 And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.
What I did was a good thing. There is nothing more important than speaking the gospel, than teaching the truth. There is nothing more important than teaching men how to be saved, and how to save other’s. Those are good sacrifices. But for every sacrifice, there is a time and a way in which it must be done. There is a time when it is accepted, and there is a time when it is NOT accepted. There is a time to speak, and a time to keep silence. We can’t just do the things that we think are right. Not only must a sacrifice acceptable to the Lord be perfect, but it must be in due time and after the due order.
I took of yours to offer unto the Lord. I stole from you. So, how can I Scripturally make it right?
4) When David had taken Bathsheba and killed Uzziah, and Nathan the prophet had shown David what he had done in the eyes of the Lord …
2 Samuel 12:5-6 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: 6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. … 7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.
Exodus 22:1– If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore … four sheep for a sheep. … 4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, … he shall restore double.
I can’t give you back your minutes that I stole. They’re dead and gone. So what I will have to do is give you fourfold of my own minutes. 10 minutes x 4 = 40 minutes. 40 of my own minutes, I restore to you.
By Pastor • Individual Lessons, Uncategorized • 0