“All the priests who were present had purified themselves, whether or not they were on duty that day.”
2 Chronicles 5:11 NLT
The work of building the Temple was finished and every piece of furniture had been carefully crafted and set in its place—all but one, and it was the most important. All the elders of Israel had been summoned to Jerusalem because it was time to move the Ark of the Lord’s Presence to its new home.
It was for that glorious celebration we read, “All the priests who were present had purified themselves...” Of course, purity was not an option—after all, the God Who they were bringing to dwell in the Temple was HOLY. However, the next phrase intrigues me, “…whether or not they were on duty that day.”
It makes sense that any priest on duty that day would need to purify himself—he would be close to a holy God. But why would an off-duty priest need to purify himself?
Perhaps our view of duty is different from God’s. We assume being on duty with a worship team, teaching a class, or meeting a non-believer for lunch would require purity of heart. However, in God’s mind we are not on duty or off duty—we are in relationship. Whatever we do is not out of duty—everything is a natural flow of HIS love and power through us.
So, I keep my heart pure, not because I’m on duty,
but because I’m IN relationship with a holy God!
