The Win Of Worship Series

We are wired for worship! Several years ago a businessman here in Brecksville said to me, “I don’t like that word ‘worship.’ Sounds soft. It’s not for me.”

Well, last week, we learned that worship is why we were created. It’s what gives us fulfillment. It satisfies. It gives us right priorities. More joy, peace, hope. If you want any of those blessings, then worship is for you. When your blessings go up to God, His blessings come down to you.

Blessing. I want the blessing of God. Right now, mom is in bad health; she just broke her hip. As a result, my brothers at odds on how to take care of her. I have a son launching a career. Another son is entering into college. Another son is entering into some tough times at middle school. My wife is fighting high blood pressure and arthritis attacks. The stakes are high with the choices our church is making right now. I need the blessing of God.

How about you? What whitewater are you trying to get through? What quicksand are you in? What mountain are you seeking to climb? I’m guessing you want God’s blessings, too.

Did you know that the worship of God is a key to unlock the blessing from God? When you worship, you win!

The win of worship

Text: II Samuel 6:1-9, p. 231

Last week, we talked about the 4 quadrants of worship.

Q1 worship… the wrong God, the wrong way.

Q2 worship… the wrong God, the right way.

Q3 worship… the right God, the wrong way.

Last week, we learned about a man named Uzzah. And we saw that every now and then, God displays His holy wrath against Q3 worship. Uzzah worshipped the right God the wrong way. And God in His justice, judged Uzzah. He died. There is danger in quadrant 3.

Q4 worship… the right God, the right way.

What quadrant are you in? Q3 worship is where most of us are. But we have to now that worshipping the right God the wrong way is not OK. Q3 worship gets justice. It’s dangerous!

II Samuel tells us about two men who had opposite experiences in worship. One man was a Q3 worshipper. The other was a Q4 worshipper. This series is designed to help us worship the right God the right way. See, Q4 worship gets blessings. Wrong way worship will hurt me. Right way worship will help me. It all depends on whether I am a Q4 worshipper or not.

Today, we’ll meet a man who was a Q4 worshipper who experienced God’s blessings in a powerful way. His name? Obed-edom. Ever heard of him? He’s not all that famous in the Bible. Want to make you son’s middle school experience a nightmare? Name him Obed-edom. I’ve read the Bible through many times. But this guy never really registered with me. He only appears in the Bible a few times. When you are reading, it’s easy to read right over his name.

(Get ready to hit “play” for the video interview.)

But one day, a friend named Nick Oleff said he was writing a book on Obed-edom. That really put Obed-edom on my radar screen.

(Play video interview here.)

Let me set the context for Obed-edom’s story. We’ve got to start with the ark of God. The ark was one of the most sacred symbols for the Jewish people. It symbolized the very presence and power of God. But when this story starts, it had not been the center of worship for many years. It had been kept in the house of a man named Abinadab for a long time. David, the great king of Israel, wanted to go get the ark to set up a worship center in Jerusalem. And the ark would be a symbol at the center of worship.

When David was bringing the ark to Jerusalem something went wrong. A man named Uzzah touched it to keep it from slipping off a cart.

God’s word clearly said that the ark was not supposed to be moved on a cart, but on the shoulders of priests by the use of long poles. Their shoulders could touch the end of the poles but not the ark itself. The ark of God was so holy that no human was supposed to touch it.

Uzzah touched it anyway. God is often patient and merciful in spite of our sin. But this time, He said, “Enough is enough.” Uzzah was struck dead by God for his irreverence. He had ignored God’s word which said, “Don’t carry the ark that way and don’t touch it.” Remember: there’s danger with Q3 worship.

So, instead of taking the ark into Jerusalem, David decided to take the ark to the house of this man named Obed-edom. Last week, we were warned from the life of Uzzah. This week, we can be encouraged from the life of Obed-edom. Let’s read…