Tetzaveh (you shall command)

Torah Portion: Tetzaveh (you shall command)

Torah Reading: Exodus 27:20-30:10

Prophetic Reading: Ezekiel 43:10-27

“We Have a Daily Need to Worship and Serve HaShem”

In this week’s Torah portion one learns about the work and the garments of the Priests (Kohanim). Each day the Kohanim would sacrifice the “tamid offering”.

“And this is what you should do upon the altar, sheep a year old, two each day always (tamid). One sheep you shall do in the morning and the second sheep you shall do late in the afternoon.” Exodus 29:38-39

The tamid offering was done each day of the year in order to remind the people that their responsibilities before God never ceased. The Hebrew word “tamid” literally means “always”. Paul wrote, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17); the term “prayer” does not just reflect making one’s requests known before God, but it also involves worship. Because the tamid offering was so important in reminding the people of their daily need to worship and serve HaShem, it is not surprising that when the Antichrist is ruling the earth that he will eventually stop the tamid offering from being done. This is seen in Daniel chapters 8, 9, and 12.

John writes that in one way the Antichrist is already in the world. This does not mean physically, but rather that his ungodly spirit is functioning in the world even now. How can this be? All around us are influences that have their foundation in that which is opposed to the will of God. There are so many things that tempt us and cause us to drift away from our responsibilities to the Living God. So many people view worship as a one day a week activity rather than understanding that one needs to stop his normal daily activities repeatedly throughout the day and turn to Yeshua in prayer.

Daniel made it a habit to turn towards Jerusalem three times a day to worship,

“…and he (Daniel) went home and opened the windows in the direction of Jerusalem in the upper room and three times a day upon his knees, he blessed and gave thanks before his God…” Daniel 6:11

Although there are many benefits to praying and worshipping HaShem throughout each and every day, one reads in the paragraph dealing with the tamid offering,

“…there I will designate for you to speak with you there.” Exodus 29:42

One of the reasons that one often fails to carry out the will of God is because of a lack of revelation from Him. Constantly people complain that HaShem seems so distant from them and they do not hear guidance from Him. This verse teaches that it is by means of worship that one draws close to HaShem and is in position to hear counsel from the Holy Spirit so that a person will have that guidance in his life to follow after HaShem. Silence from God often is simply a symptom of a lack of a consistent daily worship schedule with the Living God.