Listening To The Word - 1 YearПримерок

The Altar before the Ark

2 Chronicles 1:4-5
“Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the Lord; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there…”

Why did Solomon begin his leadership in Israel by seeking God before the bronze altar and not the Ark of the Covenant?

The ark represented God’s presence and blessing, but it had been used like a good luck charm by some. The bronze altar was where sin was repented of and God’s forgiveness was received. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Many today desire intimacy (favor) with God, guidance and provision (symbols in the ark) without repentance. We are losing the language and the practice of repentance in worship. There can be no true relationship with God without applying the blood of Christ, shed on the cross for our sins. We must approach the altar before the ark.

Lord Jesus, I humble myself before you this day and thank you for the provision of repentance and forgiveness of sin through your finished work on the cross.