“And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:” II Chronicles 5:11
The NLT reads this way: “All the priests who were present had purified themselves, whether or not they were on duty that day.”
Solomon had finished building the temple in Jerusalem and the day had come for it to be dedicated to the Lord. The priests gathered together and purified themselves to be ready for whatever was required of them. They would not all participate on that day, but this verse tells us that they prepared themselves anyway, just in case they were needed.
In I Peter 3:15, we read “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”
When we have Jesus living in our hearts, we are called to be a vessel He can use. Like the priests in the Old Testament, we should have daily communication with the Lord, purifying our hearts and renewing our relationship with Him. Then we will be ready for whatever He calls us to do.
The three Hebrew children in Babylon did not hesitate to stand against the king and refuse to bow to his idol. They could face death and witness to the king because of a daily commitment to God. The same is true of Daniel when he faced the lions’ den. We may never have to face that kind of a trial, but we never know who we will meet up with during the day, that the Lord may want us to witness to. We need to keep ready, just in case we are needed.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for choosing us as vessels for you, help us take time every day to renew our consecration and be ready for whatever you would have us do.
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