What other scriptures emphasize the importance of gathering for worship and sacrifice? The Pattern in Deuteronomy 33:19 “ ‘They will call the peoples to the mountain; there they will offer righteous sacrifices; for they will draw from the abundance of the seas and from the hidden treasures of the sand.’ ” • Zebulun and Issachar anticipate a gathering of many peoples at a specific place (“the mountain”) for unified worship and sacrifice. • This pattern—God’s people convening at His chosen location to present offerings—runs consistently through Scripture. Foundational Old Testament Calls to Gather • Exodus 19:17 – “Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.” • Leviticus 23:3 – “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a sacred assembly.” • Deuteronomy 12:5-7 – “Seek the place the LORD your God will choose… There you are to bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices.” • Deuteronomy 16:16 – “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God… and they must not appear before the LORD empty-handed.” Pilgrimage Feasts: Required Corporate Worship Passover / Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12), Weeks (Pentecost), and Booths (Tabernacles) each demanded: – Physical travel to the Lord’s appointed site – Communal meals and sacrifices – Remembrance of redemption and provision The Psalms: Delight in the Assembly • Psalm 22:22 – “I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.” • Psalm 35:18 – “I will give You thanks in the great assembly.” • Psalm 122:1 – “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’ ” Prophets Foreseeing Global Gatherings • Isaiah 2:2-3 – “All nations will stream to it… ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD.’ ” • Micah 4:1-2 mirrors Isaiah’s vision. • Zechariah 14:16 – Survivors of the nations “will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.” Messiah’s Example and Teaching • Luke 4:16 – “He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath as was His custom.” • Matthew 18:20 – “For where two or three gather together in My name, there I am with them.” The Early Church’s Rhythm of Assembly • Acts 2:42 – “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” • Acts 2:46 – “With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts.” • Acts 20:7 – “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” New Testament Mandate to Keep Meeting • 1 Corinthians 14:26 – “When you come together, each one has a hymn, a teaching…” • Hebrews 10:24-25 – “Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another…” • 1 Peter 2:5 – “You also… are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Heavenly Fulfillment: The Ultimate Gathering • Revelation 5:13 – Every creature joins in worship. • Revelation 7:9-10 – “A multitude… standing before the throne and before the Lamb… cried out in a loud voice, ‘Salvation to our God… and to the Lamb!’ ” Across the pages of Scripture, individual devotion is never detached from corporate worship; God repeatedly calls His people to gather, to sacrifice (whether with animals, offerings, or spiritual sacrifices), and to celebrate His redeeming work—culminating in the eternal assembly before His throne. |
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