2 Chronicles 29:20

2 Chronicles 29:20 says, Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord.  Hezekiah got up early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the temple.  It would be wonderful if people in power in the world today would get up early everyday ready to worship and serve God, but that is unlikely to happen.  Verse twenty-one adds, And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the Lord.  There were several animals brought to sacrifice for the sins of the people, and Hezekiah had the priests offer them in accordance with God's law.  We have only one High Priest, Jesus Christ, Who can offer an acceptable sacrifice for our sins, but we as a part of the priesthood of believers are still called to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God.  We cannot an offer an acceptable sacrifice for our sins, but we must sacrifice all that we are or have to God to be used for His purpose and glory after we accept the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for our sins.  Verse twenty-two continues, So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.  The bulls, rams and lambs were killed, and their blood was sprinkled on the altar to pay the price of the sins of the people.  Verse twenty-three states, states, And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them:  I know many people today would say this was animal abuse and claim that anyone who claimed to be following God wouldn't have done this, but God Himself initiated the sacrificial system, and we don't follow it today not because killing animals to do so would be wrong, but because when Jesus Christ shed His blood for us, it was an everlasting sacrifice.  Verse twenty-four adds, And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.  Hezekiah commanded the priests to offer blood and burnt offerings for all people of Israel.  We cannot command anyone to offer a sacrifice for our sins, but Jesus Christ willingly offered Himself as the only sacrifice acceptable for the sins of all mankind, but it does us no good if we don't accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-five continues, And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the Lord by his prophets.  Hezekiah also had the Levites in the temple with musical instruments ready to offer praises to God.  When we gather to worship God today, we should worship with praises of song and music as well as with preaching and our tithes and offerings.  Verse twenty-six concludes, And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.  The Levites stood ready with the musical instruments of David while the priests stood by with the trumpets.  We should always stand ready to praise God, even if we personally don't play any musical instrument.  Of course, now Jesus Christ stands by ready for the final trumpet sound when it will be time for His return to claim His people.  Verse twenty-seven says, And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel.  At the command of Hezekiah, the burnt offering was offered and the trumpets and other musical instruments ordained by David were played.  Some people might say that this means only certain musical instruments are to be used in worship services, but I think it means we can use any and all musical instruments in worship service as long as they are used to bring glory to God.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.  All the congregation worshipped God while the singers sang, and the trumpets sounded until the burnt offering was finished.  We need to be actively involved in worship service today, even if it is only by attentively listening to God's word as it is taught and preached.  It is not enough to be physically present if we are not spiritually involved.