“The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.” (Lev. 6:13)
Ancient Israel had a culture that was centered on proper order for worship and sacrifice. This was a nation that God birthed and its religious order was built around proper rules regarding the burnt offering, as seen in the sixth chapter of Leviticus. We see in verses eight to thirteen that God gives the command five times: “the fire must be kept burning and must not go out.” Therefore, when we look at the culture of this nation, we see that it was completely built around the keeping of the flame; the entire culture and the activity of the people had to center around one priority --- the flame can’t go out. The nation’s culture was based on tending the flame of God’s presence and ministering to Him. Their culture was defined by their priority. They understood that if they would minister to God… He would minister to them.
Can this be said of us? We are not ministering to the Lord like we need to be, and so we are run ragged in ministry, trying to meet the needs of people when we need heaven to open and heaven’s miracles to break down upon us.
The flame represents the presence of God, and tending the flame represents ministering to the Lord in the House of God. Through the nation of Israel, God is prophetically speaking to us today; The calling of the people of God has never changed… we are still to be keepers of the flame. Can this be said of our churches? Our nation?
Revolution is in the land! God is calling for keepers of the flame… individuals and churches that will fall in line with the order of His house --- the order to witnesses for Christ and in this chaotic world we live in to remind this nation that has fallen from its pledge: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
As we celebrate the liberation of this nation, this union will never be free until we who are keepers of the flame remind the nation that our God has made us all equal in His sight and until this nation acknowledges the reason for its birth, and that is to put God first and ministering to Him in worship will bring His presence to bring this nation out of chaos to order and through it stop the needless spilling of innocent blood in the streets and houses of our nation.
This is a revolutionary call, requiring revolutionary measures. May the Lord give us grace and wisdom as we learn to rightly judge and discern the priorities of our lives. As we learn to operate according to God’s order, we will begin to see Him come in greater measures in our churches, in our nation, and in our lives. Why? Because the restoration of His order becomes an invitation for His presence and of this we can be sure… where the presence of the Lord is, there is fullness of joy!
