Solomon hit the nail on the head when he prayed this prayer in 1 Chron 6:19-20:
"Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You, that Your eyes may be open toward this temple day and night, toward this place where You said You would put Your name...."
"This place" that Solomon is referring to is the first House of Prayer in Jerusalem!
It is not just a house of prayer for the sake of building a house for prayer but a house for spiritual activities!
What are the acceptable spiritual activities in a House of Prayer that is dedicated to God?
Isa 56:7 mentioned that "burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar".
God is looking for "burnt offerings" and "sacrifices" to be offered at "His altar".
There are 3 things to be activated in a House of Prayer:
1. 1 Altar
2. 1 Burnt offering
3. 7 Sacrifices
1. Altar
Another word for the House of Prayer in Isa 56:7 is the "altar". It is a physical altar as there is a special place designated for the children of Israel to bring their offerings to God.
For us in the NT, it is also the spiritual altar of our hearts where the Holy of Holies resides and where we bring firstly our lives as a burnt offering to be totally consumed by the "fire of God" - the Holy Spirit.
Secondly it is for us to bring our sacrifices of prayer, praise and worship, thanksgiving and a broken and contrite heart (among other spiritual offerings).
God hates the trading, buying, selling or making money and the abuse of the House of Prayer to advance our own agenda like what we saw happened in Mark 11:16-17:
"And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught to them, "Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?" But you have made it a den of thieves"
2. Burnt offering
The Hebrew word for "burnt offering" is "olah" which means to "ascend" upwards in smoke. The smoke from the sacrifice ascended as a "soothing aroma to the Lord" Lev 1:9
Lev 1 and 6:8-13 describes the burnt offerings as being an animal like a dove, pigeon, bull, sheep, ram or goat male animal with no defects and killed at the entrance of the temple. Blood was then sprinkled around the altar. The animal was then skinned and cut into pieces, the intestines and legs washed, and the priests burnt the pieces over the altar all night.
It is for general atonement, an acknowledgement of our sinful nature and a request to renew our relationship with God.
The ultimate burnt offering is Jesus sacrifice on the cross. His life was completely consumed. He ascended to God as a pleasing aroma. His sacrifice, one for all time, atoned for our sins and restored our relationship with God.
Eph 5:2
"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma"
So Jesus is the whole burnt offering when He gave His life for us on the cross and a sweet smelling aroma ascended to God through this penultimate sacrifice.
In the House of Prayer, we follow the example of Jesus to offer to God our lives so that a pleasing aroma or fragrance may come out of our lives to touch others be it in the workplace, homes, schools or neighborhood.
This is the very first thing we need to do in the House of Prayer. Without the offering of our lives to God, we cannot begin anything in building a House of Prayer.
Rom 12:1
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."
All our activities will come to nothing if we do not get this first part right.
2. Sacrifice
"Sacrifice" - is that offering which is partially burnt and most of it eaten in communion at a sacrificial meal.
The word means "corban" or "qorban" in Hebrew. "Sacrifices" can be kosher animal sacrifices or grain, meal, wine or incense.
God wants us to bring not only our burnt offering but also sacrifices to the House of Prayer.
Sacrifices - the ancient sacrifices are offerings which are partially burnt and partially eaten by the priests and the people thus this type of offering requires participation on our part.
God wants us to offer spiritual sacrifices in the House of Prayer. They are:
1. Sacrifices of righteousness
Psalm 4:5
"Offer sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord"
What are "sacrifices of righteousness"? They are right actions and heart attitude that we need to maintain. For e.g whenever someone hurts us, the sacrifice of righteousness is for us to forgive the person.
For me a mother and son who wanted to go to morning prayer may set me back a few minutes if I were to detour to fetch them on my way there but it is an action that pleased God - a sacrifice of righteousness.
Blessing a person who persecute us or who speak bad things about us or who misjudge us wrongly, this is a sacrifice of righteousness.
2. Sacrifice of prayer
To offer up our prayers unto God is a form of sacrifice which produces incense rising up to the throne of God.
Psalm 141:2
"Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice"
3. Sacrifice of joy
God delights in our praise and worship as it expresses our joy in His presence.
Psalm 27:6
"And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord"
5. Sacrifice of praise
Psalm 54:6
"I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good"
It is so important for us to praise the Lord with all our hearts when we come to church on Sundays. By doing so we are offering to God spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to Him.
5. Sacrifice of thanksgiving
Psalm 107:22
"Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing"
Psalm 116:17
"I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord"
Heb 13:15
"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name
6. Sacrifice of our heart
The spiritual altar or "mizbeach" in Hebrew is the altar of our heart. God desires the sacrifices of a broken spirit and a contrite heart.
Psalm 51:17
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken spirit and a contrite heart - these, O God, You will not despise"
7. Sacrifice of our finances
Epaphroditus sent gifts from the church in Philippi to Paul and this was described as an acceptable sacrifice.
Phil 4:18
"Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Ephaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God"
Paul was talking about giving as the verses before this mentioned about "no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only" - Phil 4:15.
Phil 4:16
"For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities"
Paul commended the Philippian church for their financial and monetary gifts as an acceptable sacrifice to God.
Collectively we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices in the House of Prayer to God through Jesus Christ - the Author and Finisher of our faith.
1 Peter 2:5
"You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ"
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