SundaySermon - Sunny

Worship as divine design

God in all in His creation has displayed His excellent workmanship. This unique design extends to patterns of living and the way he instituted worship. The pattern for worship and it related design are as below

  1. Temple design in the garden
  2. The divine design in the wilderness
  3. The power of divine design

1. Temple design in the Garden

When God created the earth and the Garden of Eden, we know there was a design. The design included how the 4 rivers watered the entire garden to make it green and full of life. The design also pointed out to the tree of good and evil and the significance. 

When Moses was given instructed to build the temple, the design mirrored the creation and the garden of Eden. The temple design pointed to The Holy of Holies and its significance. And everything in the temple was built around it.
 
And so when Adam fell in sin, he was driven away from the garden and the pattern of the garden living.  What was the pattern of garden living? We will look at this below verse from three different translations

Verse: Genesis 2:15 (NIV)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Verse: Genesis 2:15 (ISV)

15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden in order to have him work it and guard it.

Verse: Genesis 2:15 (YLT)

15 And Jehovah God taketh the man, and causeth him to rest in the garden of Eden, to serve it, and to keep it.

In order the get an accurate understanding of the verse, let us compare the different (highlighted) words from the different translation along with the Hebrew meaning

  • (Translation) NIV - (Highlighted words) put, work, care - (Hebrew meaning) Rest
  • (Translation) ISV - (Highlighted words) placed, work, guard - (Hebrew meaning) Serve or Worship
  • (Translation) YLT - (Highlighted words) rest, serve, keep - (Hebrew meaning) Keep or Obey

So if we get the accurate meaning would be best documented if we incorporate all these words

Verse: Genesis 2:15

And God caused Adam to REST so that he could SERVE/WORSIP him and KEEP/OBEY His WORD.

So this verse has nothing to do with Adam taking care of the Garden. It is all about Worship and Word. In fact if you review God's work, there was nothing more for Adam to do. God did everything!!!

  1. God planted the garden
  2. God watered the garden with 4 rivers
  3. God brought all the animals
  4. God saw it was not good to be alone
  5. God decided to make a suitable Helper
  6. God caused man to sleep
  7. God made the woman out of the rib of man
So here is what we can learn from the verse - God said to Adam "You will enjoy MY REST, when you WORSHIP ME and OBEY my WORD". 

Hence two elements of divine design in worship is - Worship and Word. 

2. The divine design in the wilderness

The wilderness experience is undesirable. But the design of God becomes evident when see his
  • Provision
  • Purification
  • Humility and Integrity

Provision

Verse: Deuteronomy 2:7

7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.

Purification

Verse: Deuteronomy 8:2-5

5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.

God disciplines his children. This discipline brings purification in our lives. So don't give up on worship and word while in the wilderness

Humility and Integrity

Verse: Deuteronomy 8:2-5

2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 

Genuine worshiper will embrace humility and Integrity because this is also the very nature of God. When God instituted temple worship, the presence of God would fill the Holy of Holies. This portion of the temple was significant. But yet this was the smallest portion of the temple. Why would God of all the universe decide to come to the smallest of all rooms in the temple!!!

3. The power of divine design

When the children of Israel camped, they had a design and places where the tribes would be at. There were three tribes on each side. The next circle would the 4 clans of the Levites/Priesthood. And the center was the tabernacle. 

What does it mean to have God at the center in our homes. The design would mean a pattern of daily family prayers. Parents need to rise up to be priests to their home. And then God will take his place at the center. We will look at the

  • Enemy plan
  • Victory

Enemy plan

Here is the story of Balak and Balaam and how the enemy tried to destroy the design

Verse: Numbers 22:4-6

5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in his native land. Balak said: “A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 

6 Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.”

The Israelites were setting up camp. And Balak was threatened. His evaluation of threat was not based Israelite weaponry. The threat was an outcome of their settlement design. And the pattern in which this camp was set up terrified Balak

The design of family prayer morning and evening is terrifies the devil. The destruction attempts come in the form of lack of time, mobile phones ...etc. Once this sets in, there is no family prayer, no parental priestly function and no God at the Center

However when the design was intact and the heavenly battle starts before any sign of actual battle. The angel of God with drawn sword, confronted with Balaam before he could reach Balak. And it took a donkey to show the prophet his error and the danger that he was in. 

Here is another verse where the simple sight of design (tribe by tribe) was significant

Verse: Numbers 24:1-3

1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness.

2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him 

The other word to focus is divination. This word in Hebrew is the same word for serpent. What does the serpent represent? 

Verse: Psalm 140:3

3 They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips.

If tongues are as sharp as serpents, we unknowingly use divination... when they speak negative words over ourselves or others in our families. Bless your family all the time and stay out of divination

Victory

Verse: Numbers 24:3-9

5 “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel!

6 “Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters.

7 Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water.

Balaam sees that the pattern/design is in place and compares this to a lush green garden. Balaam takes the picture of the original design.... the garden of Eden

Conclusion

We may not understand the value to consistently adhere to the design standards - Worship and Word. We may not even see the heavenly battle waging in favor of those who are loyal to God. But the fruit of this consistency will be evident when your life blooms like the lush green garden..... the garden of the Lord. Let us pursue to keep this design intact and the devil will be defeated

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