This chapter exemplifies the joy that comes from grateful and heartfelt worship. One of the greatest acts of worship appears to be giving one’s material and financial resources to God. David gave a large portion of his personal resources to be used for the Temple. The people followed just as their ancestors did for the construction of the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness. They realized that, in a very real sense, the best use of their wealth and resources was in the service of the Lord. All of it came from God and thus derived value only from Him. And it gave them great joy to do this.
Too bad we do not always feel that way. Too often we withhold our resources from the Lord when He needs it because we would rather spend it on ourselves for things we think we need, the electronic devices that the world and the media tell us we cannot live without. The Israelites knew that the greatest good came from giving to God what He had already provided.
Another aspect of worship is exemplified by the prayer of thanksgiving that David prayed. This prayer is the embodiment of true worship for it exalts the Lord as ruler of the universe and praises Him by enumerating all of His attributes especially the fact that He supplies our every need. Too often we look to our works and our resources to supply our needs. Many times we even look to the government and our elected leaders to protect us from harm and injustice. Of course our view of injustice is often limited to not getting what we think we deserve rather than speaking up for those who have truly been crushed by wicked and evil oppression. The Israelites of David’s kingdom knew that they needed to rely on the Lord alone for their strength and to supply their deepest needs. Their joy came from acknowledging who God is.
Comments