Worship Is A Verb Part 5
Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2; Exodus 20:3-4; 2 Chronicles 5:12-14
Introduction:
For the last three weeks I have discussed seven types of hindrances to our worship. This week I want to move into another area pertaining to our true worship of God. Before I go into my subject matter for this morning, I want to share with you an experience that I had while on a plane to Philadelphia this past Monday. As many of you know, I have never enjoyed flying, but I have grown very accustomed to it. When I first started flying, any small amount of turbulence would cause my hands to sweat and my heart to beat faster. Today, it does not bother me. As I look back on it, I guess I have come to realize that my fate does not rest in my hands when I am on a plane – it is in God’s. So this past Monday as my plane climbed to 30,000 feet, I felt the need to praise God. Actually it started while I was in the van driving to the airport. But as the plane reached beyond the clouds, I looked out the window as the sun was rising and I felt the need to praise and worship God. It was not about being scared for I was not, it was about this inward need that I had Monday morning to praise and worship God. So I closed my book, took out my IPod and carefully selected songs of praise that I could listen to as I silently began to praise and worship God on the plane. If you have never felt such a desire, keep living and you will for the desire to worship “something” is in all of us.
There are two common elements that exist among all people. The first is a “need”; we are all in need of something. The second is the desire to worship. God has placed within us an innate desire, something we do not always control or understand, to worship Him. The problems come when we do not seek to fulfill the desire we have to worship in Jesus Christ. Because He is the only one that can truly fulfill the need, when the void exists, we attempt to fill it with possessions, education, systems of religion and other people – only to be disappointed in people, dissatisfied with possessions and disillusioned at systems of religions. Spiritual, intellectual and emotional needs are met by worshiping God. God revealed Himself and his plan for worship through His written Word, the Bible. The Bible chronicles God’s plan to bring humanity to himself so that together they may enjoy a dynamic relationship through communication, obedience, service, ministry, humility and prayer. When God provided the Old and New Testaments for us, He revealed His plan for redemption and in the process provided a snapshot of how we will worship in eternity. Today we will examine God’s plan for worship starting with the Old Testament. Next week we will look at worship in the New Testament.
I. Old Testament Worship
The Old testament contains evidence of five periods of worship: (1) early Hebrew worship, (2) Mount Sinai worship, (3) tabernacle worship, (4) temple worship, and (5) synagogue worship.
A. Early Hebrew Worship
The first evidence of early Hebrew worship can be found in Genesis 1:1-2 with the recognition of God as Lord of Creation. Genesis 1:1-2 reads “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” These verses leave no doubt as to how the world began and Who it was that made what is in existence today. When we move to the second chapter of Genesis, we find that God created the Garden of Eden and placed Adam and Eve in it. What is so unique about this is that God’s presence was with them. When you read of Adam and Eve’s interaction with God in the Garden, most of us focus on the fact that they sinned and had to leave the Garden. But consider for a moment the relationship they enjoyed with God. They knew His presence and they knew Him. They enjoyed all of the benefits of fellowship – communication, companionship, security and love for each other. God loved them and they loved God back. They recognized that God was the creator and was due their praise. Now when they sinned, they severed this special relationship and fellowship that they had with God and the communication between them ceased. Have you ever had someone stop communicating with you because you did something that offended them? When this happens you miss the relationship on some level even though you may still carry some hurt feelings. I am sure God was disappointed in Adam and Eve’s actions and I know that He missed that connection with them because He immediately put a plan in motion to re-establish this special relationship with man, His Son Jesus Christ.
The second evidence of early Hebrew worship is found in Genesis chapter fourteen and was seen in Abraham’s response to Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High and king of Salem. When Abraham returned from battle (rescuing his nephew Lot), Melchizedek met him and blessed him. After this, Abraham gave him a tenth of all of the spoils from the battle. In his action, Abraham was acknowledging God and worshiping Him with what he had received. The third evidence of worship, and the first time the word is used in the Bible, was when Abraham prepared to offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice of worship. In Genesis 22:5 Abraham says the following to his servants: “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Now understand, God had told Abraham to sacrifice his only son and Abraham was prepared to do it. In Abraham’s mind, what he was about to do, as far fetched to us as anything imaginable, was worship God in his sacrificing of Isaac. Now read what Abraham said closely. Abraham knew God and knew what God was able to do. When he told his servants that he and Isaac were going to worship and would return together, I believe that he understood that if he did what God had told him that Isaac would be fine. Again, Abraham considered doing what God had told him to do as worship. The fourth evidence of worship was when Miriam rejoices in the Lord with song as recorded in Exodus 15:20-21. When God had delivered them from the Pharaoh’s army at the Red sea, she lead the praise to Him. This was the first recorded Old Testament record of the use of instruments and vocal music in praise. The next formal worship happened on Mount Sinai.
B. Mount Sinai Worship
When Moses brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt, he took them to Mount Sinai so they could worship God there. Worship during this period focused on the redemptive acts God in history. During this time God gave the Ten Commandments and approaches His people at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments provide a structure for the Israelites to love the Lord God completely (“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deut. 6:4-5); worship Him alone (“You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters below.” Exo. 20:3-4); and love others as themselves (“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” Lev. 19:18) After the Mount Sinai worship came the worship in the tabernacle.
C. Tabernacle Worship
The third period of worship outlined in the Old Testament is tabernacle worship. The Mosaic tabernacle was a tent-like construction, divinely ordained, to provide a place for God and His people to meet. It was portable and symbolized God’s living presence among the Hebrews. It was here that the Hebrew priesthood led the people in worship and gave instruction in covenant obedience to Yahweh. It stood as a life-sized object lesson, vividly portraying the nature and character of God. Through signs, symbols, colors and liturgy the tabernacle served to instruct the Hebrews in God’s holiness, wrath and mercy, justice and grace, and covenant love and faithfulness. Once the Hebrews came to a place where they could settle down, God provided them with a more permanent place – the temple.
D. Temple Worship
Here once again God provides a place where He can dwell in the midst of His people. The building of a permanent site for the worship of God fulfilled the covenant God made with His people in Deuteronomy 12:5 which says “But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put His Name there for dwelling. To that place you must go.” In verses 11-26 of this same chapter, God tells them how they will be able to worship Him in that place. The temple became the center of Israelite worship. The temple was seen as the landmark honoring the one who alone hears and answers the prayers of his people. During the temple worship period, the people developed a genuine appreciation for and use of the arts in worship. The visual arts included engravings, metalworking, woodworking, stonecutting and painting. Musical arts included singing, making and playing musical instruments, the writing of songs, dance and lamentations. As I was studying this I was reminded of something my daughters constantly remind me of about dancing in Church. For some reason they think I am against it, but actually for me it depends on the type of dance. But scripturally, it was a part of the worship service in the Old Testament. Worship practices were organized into areas or responsibility during the temple period. King David appointed Levitical priests, skilled musicians and leaders of worship. A Hebrew choir and an impressive orchestra is assembled, trained and organized. According to 2 Chronicles 5, a monumental and extravagant display of music in worship takes place at the temple dedication. 2 Chronicles 5:12-14 records the following: “All the Levites who were musicians, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives, stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps, and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: ‘He is good; His love endures forever.’ Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.” Can you imagine this praise service at the dedication of the temple and God’s presence entering in such a powerful manner that the priests could not perform their duties? That was a praise service!
During their time in the temple, God provided the Israelites with a hymnal, the psalms. Written by King David, Moses, Solomon and others, the hymnal is divided into five books or sections totaling 150 songs. The psalms served an important role in the daily Hebrew worship as they were read, recited, chanted and sung. Hymns and songs provided them the opportunity to praise God for His attributes (Psalm 147:1), creative acts (Psalm 19:1), and ruling of the nation (Psalm 2:4). The religious, political, and social significance of the temple during the postexilic time serves as a catalyst for the New Testament temple and a greater emphasis on worship of the heart. Temple worship illustrates the importance of God occupying a permanent dwelling place in the presence of His people. The temple became a place of prayer, instruction and divine revelation.
E. Synagogue Worship
The final worship period in the Old Testament was the synagogue worship period. Although outlined in the Old Testament, its actual development and importance in the life of Hebrew worship did not take place until the intertestament period, approximately 600 B.C. Synagogue worship evolves as the Jewish people are dispersed across the Mediterranean world and the people adapted it as an important center for education and worship. Emphasis was placed on personal piety, temple ritual, animal sacrifice, prayer, teaching and preaching of Old Testament Scripture, exhortation, fellowship, fasting, and almsgiving. Issues of faith, justice and mercy as taught from the Torah, served as a basis for synagogue teaching.
II. Summary of Old Testament Worship
As we examined the development of worship through the Old Testament periods we were able to see how worship developed as the people got to know God more personally. Adam and Eve had a very personal relationship with God that was lost when they sinned. Their relationship was severed and for a while there existed no personal relationship with God until God reached out to Abraham. When Moses took the Israelites to Mount Sinai, they had already witnessed what God was able to do, but still some were not totally convinced. However, God had proven Himself and the people became to focus on God’s redemptive acts – again drawing them closer to Him. As they continued to grow closer to God through the tabernacle period, their worship was more formalized as they had a temporary place among them for God to dwell. After the temple was built, the worship became more of what we are familiar with, with services that included teaching, praise and worship with instruments and almsgiving. The first praise service stopped the show as God’s Spirit entered in during the praise. This experience was so personal and powerful that the priests were not able to carry out their duties. This time period came after David, but David had left resources for them to use during their praise in the form of songs he had written and left with them. As we read the Psalms today, they help us to get focused and enter into His presence. David’s experiences and praise are ours as we can directly relate to them. The evolution of the Old Testament worship took place as the people grew closer and closer to God in a personal way. The same will happen for us as we too draw closer to God in our personal worship. I will continue next week with the New Testament worship. May God bless and keep you is my prayer.
(The primary resource used for this message is the book "The Dynamics of Corporate Worship" by Vernon M. Whaley.
