Re:Verse passage – 2 Chronicles 5:1-14 (day seven)
I’m normally a silver-linings type of guy, but there is something dark in this passage that caught my eye.
“And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.” Vs 6
Animals lined up to be slaughtered, a massacre in the midst of a celebration. One can only imagine the amount of sacrificial blood that was shed on this day. It seems unnecessary. You are having this grand celebration and decide to have this ritual in the middle of it all? It sounds out of place… until we take into consideration the Presence of the Lord. A Devine encounter will always result in genuine repentance. As the people came into the temple they were overwhelmed by the Spirit of the Lord, which up against Perfection highlighted their imperfections and need for forgiveness.
Christ took on the massacre so blood is no longer on our hands; He only asks that we continue to draw near to His presence. Our encounters with Him will always result in genuine repentance.
