Holy Service, Sovereign Lord

The altar, the lamp, the priestly garments, and the Lord who opens gates before kings all teach one thing: God is not approached carelessly, and history is not ruled blindly. He appoints the manner of worship, the persons who serve, and the nations that rise and fall. Israel was not free to invent the sanctuary by private taste. As Origen says, “Look that you make them after the form and pattern which were showed you on the mount.” The holy things had to be made as commanded, because the Holy One Himself was dwelling among them.

So also the priest could not come near in uncleanness. Cyprian cites the warning plainly: “And when they come near to the altar of the Holy One to minister they shall not bring sin upon them, lest they die. Exodus 28:43” Splendor of garments was nothing without purity of life. If this was required of those who bore the names of Israel on their breast, it is also required of us who bear the name of Christ. Let no man honor God with lips while his hands remain unjust, his tongue unbridled, or his purse shut to the poor.

Isaiah then lifts our eyes higher. The same Lord who orders the sanctuary also grasps the right hand of rulers, breaks gates, makes light, and creates darkness. Nothing lies outside His rule. He raises Cyrus for Israel’s sake, and, as Tertullian teaches, these words reach their fullness in Christ, whose hand the Father holds and before whom the nations are opened. Therefore serve with reverence, repent without delay, and do not fear the proud powers of the age. The Lord who commands worship also governs empires, and He will not fail to vindicate those who keep His ways.