What other biblical instances show the importance of proper timing in worship? Setting the Stage: Hezekiah’s Delayed Passover 2 Chronicles 30:3 – “for they had not been able to celebrate it at the proper time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number and the people had not gathered in Jerusalem.” • Hezekiah’s desire was godly, yet even revival had to respect God’s stated calendar. • The king deferred to the timing provision already given in Numbers 9:10-11, demonstrating that zeal must move within God’s timetable, not outside it. Exodus 12: The First Passover—God Sets the Clock • “Keep it until the fourteenth day of this month” – a precise date. • “This day is to be a memorial … a lasting ordinance” – timing is part of the ordinance itself. • The deliverance of Israel is forever tied to an exact night; worship remembers what God did when He said He would. Numbers 9: The Second-Month Passover—Grace Without Abandoning the Calendar Numbers 9:11 – “They are to observe it at twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month.” • God allows a make-up date, but He still fixes the day and the hour. • Flexibility is pastoral, not random; participants still align with God’s stated rhythm. Leviticus 23: Appointed Feasts, Appointed Days Leviticus 23:4 – “These are the LORD’s appointed feasts… at their appointed times.” Key appointments: • Passover – 14th day, 1st month • Unleavened Bread – 15th-21st, 1st month • Firstfruits – day after Sabbath during Unleavened Bread • Pentecost – 50 days after Firstfruits • Trumpets – 1st day, 7th month • Day of Atonement – 10th day, 7th month • Tabernacles – 15th-22nd, 7th month Each date anchors Israel’s worship to God’s redemptive story. Daily Offerings: Worship Book-ended by Morning and Evening Exodus 29:38-39 – “Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight.” Daniel 9:21 – “about the time of the evening sacrifice.” • Regularity trains hearts to expect God at set moments. • Even in exile, Daniel’s prayer life synced to the long-established temple timetable. 1 Samuel 13: Saul’s Impatience—Timing Equals Obedience 1 Samuel 13:11-13 – “You did not come within the appointed time… So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” • Saul lost a dynasty because he could not wait for God’s chosen moment. • Rushed worship proved faithless, not faithful. 1 Kings 18: Elijah Waits for the Evening Offering 1 Kings 18:36 – “At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet stepped forward…” • The prophet does not invent a new hour for fire from heaven; he aligns with the temple schedule, even on Mount Carmel. • God answers when worship occurs on His timetable. Jeroboam’s Counterfeit Calendar—1 Kings 12 1 Kings 12:32 – “Jeroboam instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival that was in Judah…” • A self-made date led Israel into idolatry. • Altering God’s calendar eventually alters the object of worship. The Gospels and Acts: Christ Fulfills the Divine Timetable • Luke 22:14-15 – Jesus celebrates Passover “when the hour had come,” then becomes the Passover Lamb. • Mark 15:34-37 – He dies at “the ninth hour,” the afternoon offering. • Acts 2:1 – The Spirit is poured out “when the day of Pentecost came,” linking harvest imagery to the harvest of souls. • Acts 3:1 – Peter and John go to the temple “at the time of prayer—the ninth hour,” showing the church still values set hours of worship. Living It Today: Honoring God’s Appointed Times • Scripture presents divine appointments—from annual feasts down to daily hours—as integral to true worship. • Proper timing is not ritualism; it is responsive obedience that keeps worship rooted in God’s acts and promises. • Whether observing the Lord’s Supper, gathering on the Lord’s Day, or守 structured times of prayer, believers today echo the biblical conviction: worship flourishes when it moves to God’s timetable, not ours. |
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