Why a Solemn Assembly?
sol·emn 
(sŏl’əm) Pronunciation Key
adj.
- Deeply earnest, serious, and sober.
- Somberly or gravely impressive. See Synonyms at serious.
- Performed with full ceremony: a solemn High Mass.
As I’ve had a little more time to meditate and reflect about the impact of theCall Nashville and the significance it had on my family and the families of those who also attend it. The question came to me, why a solemn assembly? I won’t try to force feed you with a feel good answer, but I will say this, I believe as it was in the day of early biblical times, that there were certain protocols and ways of approaching God that without fail, got God’s attention. Calling a Solemn assembly is one of those ways.
I’m not degreed in biblical theology, nor am I’m the best researcher, but I do remember reading God’s word - that there was one priest designated to enter the tabernacle of God to offer sacrifices of sin. The priest would be the one to go in and offer the offering while the people looked from afar off (remember Moses and Solomon) If I can, i’ll find the scripture for you later.
As I reflect and merge this with the recent call event, I feel like God was giving us a model on how to approach Him - which is through a massive meeting, called Solemn Assembling (see Joel 2:15 - Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly.) The only thing different from the old testament assemblies to God and the new testament approach, is that we have an entire kingdom of priests who are able to make sacrificial offerings to the Lord, instead of only one. This is what happened at theCall Nashville, a generation got on there faces, they came sober, earnest and serious and were willing to remain on the altar of sacrifice, waited for convictions of their own sins, and cried for God to reveal to them how to pray and intercede for their generation.
I believe that our fasting and prayer’s of repentance mixed with worship became a sweet incense in the nostrils of God and as he breathed-in this national solemn assembly, I believe he breathed-out a spirit of purity and holiness over us, so that we in turn could affect the generation, particularly in the areas of music and creative arts. I’m confident and have a witness that indeed, “everything has changed”.
The contemporary secular forms of music and arts that have demonized and poisoned a whole generation has been pierced by a more powerful sound that comes out of hearts committed to purity, holiness and extreme devotion to God! I believe the act of calling a solemn assembly is one of the ways God has position us to approach Him to respond to the issues of sexual perversion over our youth and the unsalted and lukewarm-ness of the church. He needed an entire remnant of youth to approach Him with fasting and prayers of repentance and weeping and mourning over the state of their generation, and I believe He answered theCall.
A solemn assembly takes the glamour out of our meetings with God. A solemn assembly checks all egos at the door. There are no who’s-who list in solemn assemblies, there are no celebrities. It’s just the elements, you and God. Just think… as a friend of mine brought out - In bible days there were no drinking fountains or stores to buy bottled water or food. Yet they prayed earnestly in dire conditions for God to simply have mercy on them and remove their sins.
We are all called to live earnest, sober and serious lives before God and man, if we’ll not lust for glamour in our meetings - God will come in glory. The solemn assembly this past weekend at theCall Nashville help cut away the dross of glamour, pleasure and the lust of ministry from out of my life and heart, so that God could be the pure object of my faith and subject of my affections. Remain sober and diligent my friends.
Until next time…
Darrian
Darrian,
When I first read this yesterday, I had some thoughts related to the question you posed regarding why a solemn assembly. The solemn assembly itself is the precise context necessary for the birthing and releasing of “The Sons of Thunder” in this hour. No hype. This assembly consisted of humble hearts seeking God’s face for a fresh sound from heaven. Without question this is related to your calling as a worshiper who is to release a new, revelatory sound—the sound of heaven. There must be a hunger deep within you Darrian to pursue the Lord for this new sound. It doesn’t come to the casual seeker. It doesn’t come to the faint of heart. It doesn’t even come to those who can dunk a basketball!
This sound is ethereal—of a heavenly origin. A solemn assembly demands that we set aside all else to pursue Him regardless of what it costs us; because the reality of the times dictates that it will cost us more if we do not pursue His face. The casual seeker pays a price: a stagnant spiritual life; a skewed prioritization of what is truly of value in life; and, no voice to be heard above the clamoring static of culture. Darrian, you are called to be a voice, one who can release a sound that penetrates the heart.
So the question remains: Has the sound of heaven penetrated and apprehended your own heart?
To the degree that this takes place will be to the degree that you are able to influence your sphere. Meanwhile, the great cloud of witnesses waits for the “Son of Thunder” in you to arise with a sound of heaven that will demolish strongholds and release the “awe of God” within regions.
Much love,
Brian Francis Hume
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I wanted to respond to a couple ideas you had.
You had said that the “Solemn Assembly” was a way to satisfy certain protocols and was a way “…of approaching God that without fail, got God’s attention.” — We already have God’s attention… He loves us and is yearning for us to turn to Him. The moment we do that… He’s right there waiting. So, the “Solemn Assembly” isn’t to get God’s attention… it’s a way for His church to come together and pay attention to Him in unity. — You may wonder how we pay attention to him if He Himself isn’t there in the flesh — we pay attention to His mouthpiece… the leader of the church… the one that was able to atone for our sins after passing through the veil at the temple.
I think that it’s odd that we call the one person… that used to be called the “Prophet of God” a priest… as though he’s like any of the many priests you spoke of when you said the difference between the old and new testament is “…that we have an entire kingdom of priests who are able to make sacrificial offerings to the Lord, instead of only one.” — That’s like saying we have entire kingdoms of Noah and Moses walking around. We don’t… there’s one at a time… and he’s called the “prophet.”
So, the “solemn assembly” is also a chance to come together as a church and recognize the Prophet of God to be such.
So, do we need a prophet? — The book of Joel says that we do. Joel (Chapter 1 & 2) prophecized for us things that would and should take place in the end of times… and one of those things he told us to do is the hold a “Solemn Assembly.”
But why do we need a prophet when we have the Bible? — …because of that which (according to Joel) the palmerworm, locust, cankerworm and caterpiller have eaten (Joel 2:25)… and it needs to be restored… so what is it thaat needs restoring? — Well, Ezekiel 14:9 says, “And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.”
If you believe God deceives people so He can destroy them… then you don’t really know God. But, if you do know God, then you know that Ezekiel 14:9 is wrong… and it needs restoring.
Someone actually has restored it to read that such a prophet was not decieved by God, but that he allowed himself to be decieved of Satan… and that’s why God would destroy him.
The prophet that restored that passage (and many others) is named Joseph Smith… of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Food for thought.