Attendance
When we think of attendance, we usually think of bodily presence, but the word may include much more.
The queen of Sheba went to observe the wisdom and wealth of Solomon, “and when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel...behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me…” (2 Chron. 9:3-6, KJV). The New King James Version says, “service of his waiters” instead of “attendance of his ministers.” Obviously, the word service, or attendance, means more than physical presence. She was impressed with their actions of devotion.
The writer of Hebrews said that no man from the tribe of Judah “gave attendance” (KJV), or “officiated” (NKJV) at the altar (Heb. 7:12,13). The priests were not simply sitting on the premises, they were devoting themselves to offering sacrifices.
Paul told Timothy to “let no man despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention (attendance, KJV) to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine (1 Tim. 4:12,13). Again, the word involves more than sitting with a book in his lap, or just reading words. It means to be devoted, to concentrate on the message.
We need to understand that being physically present is not the only attendance that God requires. Physical attendance and mental absence may be found in the same body! Others should be able to see our service, and be impressed with our devotion, just as the queen of Sheba was impressed with the attendance of Solomon’s servants. More importantly, God should see our attendance.
The queen of Sheba went to observe the wisdom and wealth of Solomon, “and when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel...behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me…” (2 Chron. 9:3-6, KJV). The New King James Version says, “service of his waiters” instead of “attendance of his ministers.” Obviously, the word service, or attendance, means more than physical presence. She was impressed with their actions of devotion.
The writer of Hebrews said that no man from the tribe of Judah “gave attendance” (KJV), or “officiated” (NKJV) at the altar (Heb. 7:12,13). The priests were not simply sitting on the premises, they were devoting themselves to offering sacrifices.
Paul told Timothy to “let no man despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention (attendance, KJV) to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine (1 Tim. 4:12,13). Again, the word involves more than sitting with a book in his lap, or just reading words. It means to be devoted, to concentrate on the message.
We need to understand that being physically present is not the only attendance that God requires. Physical attendance and mental absence may be found in the same body! Others should be able to see our service, and be impressed with our devotion, just as the queen of Sheba was impressed with the attendance of Solomon’s servants. More importantly, God should see our attendance.