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| MUREX |
Exodus 25:4 "And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair."
This verse is part of the offerings that The LORD told Moses the people needed to give willingly, from the heart (V. 2).
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God Is one LORD. And thou shalt love The LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."
Mark 12:30 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."
Deuteronomy 10:12 "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,"
Matthew 22:37 "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."
All worship must be from our heart to God's heart. It must be real. It must be sincere. It must be willing. And you cannot hide your heart from God, because that is where He looks when He is looking for worshipers.
When our hearts are filled to the brim with love and adoration for Him, we simply must praise and worship The LORD our God. We bring an offering of praise. We bring it willingly, lovingly, obediently; according to His Word.
The seashell pictured here is a murex. The yellow liquid that is excreted from the seashell turns purple when exposed to sunlight and this purple is what is used to dye fabric purple, just as in early Bible times. Because small amounts only were able to be obtained in this manner, this purple dye, also known as Tyrian Purple, was extremely costly and only the very wealthy could afford to wear it.
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| RAW AMETHYST |
On the breastplate of the priest the tribe of Issachar was represented by amethyst. Issachar was the fifth son Leah gave Jacob.
The worship we give to God will also be costly. Because the born-again believer's life is a life of worship, a life that is sanctified, set apart unto God, the life we live will be more than different. To the world around us, which includes our family and friends, we will be seen as crazy or extreme or fanatical. It is not that we exclude them from our lives, merely the opposite: they exclude themselves.
We who are living a different lifestyle after we get saved and Spirit-baptized know from our studies that we no longer 'blend in'. Now we have a target on our backs. This target keeps us near the throne of grace and close to God. What happens the closer we get to God? The more our hearts pour out in worship. We love Him and only desire to tell Him so.
Every time we come to God we bring an offering of praise. An offering is going to cost us something, whether we purchase it from another to give to God, or whether we draw out of our own wealth to give it to God. But we know that Jesus paid the debt we owed to God, therefore to be in God's presence is to know and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.
And in order to stay there, for ever in God's presence, we need to know and acknowledge this fact now, while we still draw breath in this life. For after death it will be too late. Yes, you will still be able in death to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, but it will be too late. Now, today, is your day of salvation.
What do you need to do to be saved? "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." Acts 16:31 And because we who have heard the Word spoken to us, we bring those within our households, both family and friends, strangers and foreigners, to Jesus, with the hopes that they, too, will believe after hearing this Word spoken.
Worship God with our lives, lift Jesus up wherever we go and whatever we set our hands to do and every time we open our mouths. This worship sets apart from all other religions, as well. Because the Spirit of God is working on us, sanctifying us, making us holy, we will be outcasts in the religious atmosphere of our towns and cities and nations.
This worship is rare and beautiful and glorifies God.
1. King of Glory: Psalm 24:7-10
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
And be lifted up, ye everlasting doors; And The King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And The King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is The King of glory. Selah."
A song/psalm of victory as The King of glory enters His city, the city of Jerusalem/Zion. It is His sanctuary, His rest. We raise our voices to welcome our King of Glory with praise and adoration; not just for His overcoming victories but for Who He Is.
2. King of Nations: Psalm 47:8-9 (Psalm 96:10 & Jeremiah 10:7)
"God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness.
The princes of the people are gathered together, Even the people of the God of Abraham: For the shields of the earth belong unto God: He is greatly exalted."
There have been many kings through the ages, set up to rule little kingdoms upon this Earth, but there is only King who rules over all and that King is God.
3. King of Salvation: Psalm 74:12
"For God is my King of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth."
There is but one hope of salvation and that is God's hope: His Word wrapped in flesh and given the name JESUS.
4. King of the Jews: Matthew 2:2 and John 19:19
"Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him."
"And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS."
Recognized as being the King of the Jews before He arrived and upon His birth, sought as such. But the little note placed on the cross upon which He was crucified stated the reason for His being crucified. Such notes were often placed on crucifixes when a criminal was being tortured and killed on them. His crime? My crime. My sin. Your crime. Your sin.
For the sins of the world from the beginning of time until the last sin. But what was His crime really? Love. Forgiveness. Healing.
He was accused of being THE KING OF THE JEWS, when there could be no king but Caesar. From a worshipful title of adoration to a mock title of accusation.
5. King of Israel: John 1:49 & Mark 15:32
"Nathanael answered and said unto Him, 'Rabbi, Thou art The Son of God; Thou art The King of Israel."
"Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe..."
Nathanael recognized Jesus for Who He Is from the beginning of Christ's ministry; not in and of himself, but through the whisper of The Holy Spirit, for it is The Holy Spirit who reveals the Truth of Jesus Christ to the hungry soul.
Used with reverence by Nathanael, but irreverently by the thieves who hung on the cross with Him (though one of them later repented and was immediately forgiven).
6. and 7. King of Peace & King of Righteousness: Hebrews 7:2
"To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;"
Jesus Christ being our Melchizedek, we recognize Him as our King of Righteousness, for He Is Righteousness, indeed. And as our King of Peace, for His peace is not like the world gives, but peace that passes understanding (John 14:27; John 16:33; Ephesians 2:14; Romans 5:1; Philippians 4:7).
Abraham gave a tenth of all he had to Melchizedek. Are we giving our King of Peace, our King of Righteousness, even a tenth of all we have?
8. King of Kings: Revelation 19:16 (Daniel 2:47; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14)
"And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
As my study Bible notes, these verses recognize the Supreme Sovereignty of The Lamb of God. And, as Supreme Ruler, His commands and will must be obeyed. Not as a tyrant would demand obedience, but The Word of God as a loving Bridegroom; The Almighty God as a loving Father. We obey and do God's will with loving hearts and a desire to please Him. Our heart is secure in His heart.
At least mine is. My heart is secure in His heart. Is yours?
