Introduction
The study of worship has been a 20 year pursuit for me. I still feel like I a novice in truly understanding all that can and should be done to honor the Lord.
It would be easy to start a series like this with a history lesson and a veritable “how to” guide for worship. It seems there is a how to guide for just about everything. Here are a few actual titles I found recently.
- How to bombproof your horse
- How to reuse old graves
- How to avoid huge ships
- How to bulletproof your marriage
- How to write a how to write book.
Because of the breadth of the subject, the temptation for a class like this is to come in and give you all the how to’s or to analyze theological terms and expressions that will allow us to assimilate knowledge.
There is a natural hunger within us to know “how”. But simply knowing how to do something falls short when there is not a sufficient understanding of who/why we do it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, knowledge puffs up but wisdom fears God. When it comes to this study on worship it is my hope that we will spend more effort on the who we worship then simply an in. Don’t misunderstand me, worship has form and there are write and wrong ways of doing it, which we will examine. But as we unwrap who God is and His indelible attributes, I hope we will get a better view of how to worship Him through inward transformation rather than merely external methods.
“Worship of the living and true God is essentially an engagement with him on the terms that he proposes and in the way that he alone makes possible. (Engaging with God, pg. 20)
Goal of Worship: To engage in continual communion with God in keeping with the Holy Scriptures. To seek a transformation of heart, mind, and soul that results greater obedience to the Spirit of God.
Who Is The God We Worship?
What is the over arching principles of taught in the Bible? Redemption. Redemption from what? Broken relationship.
What was this relationship before it was broken? There are 4 principle commands we will see regarding God and worship in history.
- Communal (Ps 23, Intimate, Lifestyle)
- Holy (Pure, Effortless)
- Sacrificial (Without the shedding of blood, I will not give to the Lord that which Costs me nothing)
- Missional (Gen. 1,Isa 6, Ps. 51)
8 Historical Aspects of Worship
1. Creation/The Garden
- Sabbath Rest – Calvin – “Not the 7th day but one day in 7”
- Direct communication and commune with God. Easy, daily, continual. Adam could not imagine “not” worshiping.
- Most resembles what we will experience in heaven
- Fall – Vandalism of Shalom – Plantinga (Perfect, Whole, Peace) – The effect of the fall was vast, immediate irreversible. – Ted Decker – Black
“The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. …In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom He delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be…”
2. Post Garden / Flood / Babel
- God models the first Sacrifice (Clothing Adam & Eve) Gen 3:21
- Cain & Abel – First example of unacceptable worship (offering) Gen. 4
- Jubal – Father of musical instruments (Jubilee) Gen. 4:21
- Flood – Consequences, intimacy of God in a broken world, selfishness, idolatry Gen. 6-8
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though[a] every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
- Babel – Example of man failing to understand God. Genesis 11:5–8 What does babel represent in terms of man and worship? Epitome of pride.
3. Patriarchal Period (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job)
- God speaks personally and intimately, Chistophany
- Scripture gives us individual encounters with God (Glorious Intruder)
- The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
- Led by head of household – Imagine being the sole representative to your family as to who God is.
- Offerings in worship must not have been foreign concept. (Isaac) Wholehearted
- Corruption and Consequence – Soddom & Gommorah
- Oral tradition and teaching (Deut. 6:4-9)
- Job – “Where were you… statements”
- Little is known of music during this period. (Laban Gen.31:27, not formal worship)
- Collection of private and familial ceremonies
- Little is known of formal worship within family. (Structure, liturgy etc)
4. Egyptian Enslavement
- Loosely Followed Patriarchal Faith
- Influenced by pluralism. For many Yahweh became one of many Gods. (Mt. Sinai)
- Pollution and dilution of Israel (Permissive, Excessive, Promiscuous)
- Saw their deliverer in similar fashion as NT Jews saw Jesus.
5. Exodus / Wilderness
- God displays himself uniquely, cares intimately, demonstrates powerfully, Fear of the Lord.
- Provision of Law
- Provision for corporate worship (Ex. 21-40)
- First formal picture of sacrifice and “how to” worship.
6. Tabernacle / Temple
- God makes a dwelling for Himself (Jesus Tabernacled among us) John 1
- God makes a point to show his desire to be near his creation and maintaining his holiness.
- God protects the holiness of his presence with the Law and prescribe for Israel how he is to be worshiped. The heart is always the centerpiece not merely the law.
- Use of singing and musical instruments were commanded. II Chronicles 29:25
- The care in design and structure of temple and tabernacle worship indicates that God is interested in excellence and takes interest in aesthetics as it relates to how his creation reflect His Glory. Though he cares be sure that he will tear it down if it becomes an idol. He destroyed his own creation in the flood, allowed the destruction of two temples. (John 4)
- The training and use of music was a significant part of the temple worship. There would have been dedicated levitical teachers and students in the temple. David was one of the skilled musicians who got his initial training somewhere other than the temple as he ministered to Saul. (1 Chr. 15)
7. Exile / Post Exile / Synagogue
- The “assembly” or synagogue was the center piece of teaching and heritage for Israel during exile period.
- Served as a gathering for prayer, teaching, praise, confession, during and post exilic period.
- Developed and became a crucial part of Hebrew life and gained influence during the Diaspora.
8. New Testament
- Jesus is seen as an active part of Jewish life. A keeper of the law (in Spirit) and defender of the intent of the law. (heart)
- Jesus supported the idea of the synagogue and used the assembly for much of his teaching.
- To distinguish themselves, identify w/ the resurrection and for practical reasons, the early church met on Sunday’s for their time of worship and teaching.
- Early church worship was known to happen at a variety of times and regularly.
- Worship was an integral part of the church and the NT indicates that of all the activities the church performs it will be the one activity in eternity.
- The scriptures support the use of music as an element of worship in Jesus quoting the Psalms, Paul’s encouragement to the Col. and Phil 2 being an early hymn.
- Worship will be an eternal activity.
“Beloved, if we were allowed to look within the vail which parts us from the world of spirits, we should see, first of all, the person of our Lord Jesus. If now we could go where the immortal spirits “day without night circle the throne rejoicing,” we should see each of them with their faces turned in one direction; and if we should step up to one of the blessed spirits, and say, “O bright immortal, why are thine eyes fixed? What is it that absorbs thee quite, and wraps thee up in vision?” He, without deigning to give an answer, would simply point to the centre of the sacred circle, and lo, we should see a Lamb in the midst of the throne. They have not yet ceased to admire his beauty, and marvel at his wonders and adore his person.
“Amidst a thousand harps and songs,
Jesus, our God, exalted reigns.”
Delivered on Sabbath Morning, December 28th, 1856, by the REV. C. H. Spurgeon (#110)
Let’s Review
Communal – From the beginning of time through eternity God has been interested in fellowship and dialogue with those he created in his image. How do we know this?
Gen. – Chesed Love, Ps., Deut., 1 Peter 2:9, Jesus Mt of Olives (Gathered like a hen)
Holy (Pure)- If we believe God is the sole source and substance of our worship, Is this a demand? Is God impressed that we come to worship? Amos 5, Heb. 12:1, Isa 6, Ps. 119: 10… With My Whole Heart will I seek you.
Sacrificial – God has offered everything. Given everything. Spared nothing and loves endlessly. Rom. 12, Phil. 2
Missional – God does nothing without a purpose and a plan. He is intentional about this all through the history of Scripture.
- Draws focus off of man and onto God
- Deut. 6 – Shema Israel
- Greatest Commandment
- Matt. 28:19 Great Commission
Conclusion
There is absolutely now way we will dig deep enough, explore enough or learn enough in this 6 weeks period to say we have “studied worship”. This is a lifelong sojourn. All we can hope to accomplish in the next few weeks is to increase our hunger for Him and recognize that above all that the sovereign, majestic and holy God is worthy of absolute dominion over our lives and that we must gain our understanding of how to approach Him through the Scriptures alone.