WORSHIP

            There is no confusion about the NEED to worship; as the angel told John more than once, we must “worship God” (Revelation 19:10; 22:8, 9).  Most everybody is willing to worship Him; but do not understand what that requires.  How we worship, and when we worship, and what we do in worship, are essentials.  When Jesus said that acceptable worship must be “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24) He was directing our attention to the right attitude (in spirit) and the right practices (in truth). 

Jesus wants us to understand that not everything we might offer in sacrifice to Him is acceptable.  There are those who think that, whatever they give God is acceptable, to Him -- if THEY like it.  A neighbor told me that the trombone solo he was going to render in a Baptist church would please God because it pleased him and because it was his talent.  Shortly after that a lady (?) was reported as planning to offer her talent in the worship service  – she was a strip-tease artist.  By this time I had lost touch with the trombone player, which was a shame because I knew he would have been delighted to hear from me with this news.

            This point is driven home by Jesus in Matthew 15, when He said worship which is the teaching of men is unavailing – “in vain do you worship me“.

            With worship we intend to praise God – but we only praise Him as we obey Him.  King Saul is a splendid example of one who, claiming to obey God actually ignores the instruction given him.  Told to slay the Amalekites and all their livestock,  he killed all the commoners, and all the flawed livestock; but he saved the good livestock; and the king.  Hear God’s judgment on such sacrifice: “ … Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king” (I Samuel 15:23).

            Another example is of  Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10) who offered to God a sacrifice “which he had not commanded them”; the result was God sent fire and it “consumed them” (Leviticus 10: 2, 3).   Nadab and Abihu had not done that which God had forbidden, rather they had presumptuously offered what He had NOT called for.  God does not  want our originality: He wants us to speak where He has spoken, and be silent where He has been silent.                                                                                       Pat