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The Simplicity
of Worship |
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As believers in Jesus Christ our lives should be filled with worship. Instead, for many, worship is that elusive experience that they hope to find for a few minutes on Sunday morning. Worship is simply a grateful heart calling out to the One who saved us and sustains us, in a manner pleasing to Him - nothing more, nothing less.
What's gone wrong today is that worship has a new definition: "Worship is a directed act of calling out to the One who saved us and sustains us, in a manner pleasing to us." The differences are not subtle. Certainly the corporate manner of worship, pleasing to God, following the giving of the law, was more elaborate than earlier times (Hebrews 9:1). Yet, central to all of it was the sacrifice which looked forward to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. Focusing on this integral aspect, there is much we can learn from those before us (Romans 15:4).
This passage above immediately follows the one giving us the Ten Commandments. While it may appear obvious that worship of the one true God cannot go together with worship of false gods, it is restated for a reason. The Bible and history show us that Israel had numerous times where they mingled worship of God with false gods. For example, at one high place, found in the ruins of Tel Arad (dating back to the time of Solomon), there is miniature temple complete with altar and a holy of holies. In this holy of holies they had two shaped standing stones, one to represent God (Yahweh), the other to represent a goddess or consort (Ashtoreth). Simply put it was people thinking that God is not enough, somehow He needs someone else or something more. The shaped stone representing God shows how easy it is for people to try and rework who God is, making Him into what we want Him to be, rather than worshipping Him as He truly is. Today, the consort of God standing next to Him in many of our churches is the god called "man" (Psalms 82:6-7). As in ancient times, God again shares the focus with another as though He (and His word) is not enough and as if He needs someone else or something more. The implicit or explicit message of these modern "gods" is that God cannot do it without them. God has been relegated to a second class deity incapable of getting things done unless this additional god (man) cooperates with Him.
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The mark of a true leader (preacher, teacher, witness) of God is that people will see God and not him (or her). At the front of our worship there should only be One standing, our Savior and Lord! (Hebrews 2:9) When we build up any image that stands beside our God, taking any of His glory, we have fallen again to the scourge of idolatry. But it's not just plain stones standing there, additionally our modern gods of silver and gold are the people who have their positions of authority or prominence in the church due to their silver and gold (or the silver and gold of others). Like the gods of old, these modern false gods are just as useless, unable to bring anyone closer to God. In fact, they nullify the worship they are at the center of.
In the sacrificial system of worship found in the Old Testament, even there God wanted the focus to be on Him. What did He call for? A pile of dirt (or stones) as an altar and the sacrifice itself (which foreshadowed the coming perfect sacrifice of Jesus. Hebrews 10:1-10). In something that simple it's pretty hard to get distracted from the true focus. But then again, we're human. Of course, we think, we can improve upon this worship of God. Won't He be please if we carve those stones and build ornate altars upon which to offer this sacrifice? It's still worshipping Him, doing what He's told us to do, we assure ourselves. God knew that we would head that direction, as was proven throughout Israel's history. For this reason He spelled it out clearly...
Get your hands off My rocks! The rocks are serving God in the manner that He wanted them too, now if only the people would [See Inset Box to Right]. Why does the church think it needs the golden offering plates, the ornate buildings and spires, or the regal vestments to worship God? Because we're still trying to shape the stones, to improve upon worship! I can assure you that that secreted away fellowship, hiding from persecution, in barren quarters merely calling upon God through His word, prayer, and simple song, is a more fragrant offering than that which we have convinced ourselves that we have improved upon. Strip away the dressed and defiled stones that we have shaped with our own hands and join with our brothers and sisters in the simplicity of worship that God desires, where He alone is the focus.
In the final verse of our passage in Exodus, we see that God expressly forbid having stairs up to His altars, lest even accidentally the focus crudely become the one offering the sacrifice. Figuratively, maybe it's time the church starts considering the stairs we've built to get to our place of worship. Consider Sunday mornings. Do we need all the "show" that proceeds focusing on God through His word? Do we need all the stories and jokes used in our modern preaching, as if God's word couldn't stand for itself or be found interesting and relevant by His people? Truly we don't need the stairs we are guilty of building; they are merely more of the shaped rocks taking the focus off of God.
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Written by Brent
MacDonald
of Lion Tracks Ministries. (c) 2005. |