Biblical Worship

But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. (2Samuel 12: 19, 20)

Many people associate worship with fun and a good time.

I have written of my reservations about our generation’s warped understanding of worship.

But I think it is warped because we are confused as to the object of that worship. Knowing the object of our worship will guide our worship aright.

As usual, I use extreme examples to make my point.

Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, (Job 1:20)

This is immediately after Job had lost everything and everybody he owned and loved just as David had lost a son he had gotten to love.

How close is that worship to what we call worship today? How many choruses did they sing to get them into the mood of worship?

Can you compare what you call worship with this?

It is important to properly identify the object of our worship since worship is inherently what guides our whole lives.

We worship what we can’t do without. We worship what defines us. We worship what we revere. We worship what makes us who we are. We worship what occupies a central place in our lives.

Let me give you a few examples of some of those objects.

Just look at your cell phone. Think of life without it. How long can you stay without it?

Think about the internet.

Don’t shout that it is just a tool since some are unable to concentrate even in church and must sneak some glances at those ‘tools’

Think about your TV.

Where have you placed it.

Is it not an altar that you are bowing to?

Think about your job.

Would you walk from that job if God ordered you to? Can you trash it if it does something contrary to your faith?

Think about family and relationships.

What I am saying is that we already have enough objects of worship that what we think is our worship is nothing different from the Hindus with their three hundred million gods, only that we do not have that many.

We therefore come to church to worship another deity.

But our lives are full of the worship of other gods, some that are of our making.

True worship of God says that it is God or nothing. I am content being yours. Though He slay me yet will I trust Him.

That is what we see in those two examples.

A study of David is a study of worship and of a worshipper.

The boy who stood up to a giant felt guilty for cutting a small piece of Saul’s cloth.

Why?

Goliath was blaspheming but Saul was a king, backslidden and rejected as he was.

David was guided by God’s revelation.

Look at him when he is overthrown and the priests want the ark of the covenant to accompany him.

And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again, and shew me both it, and his habitation: But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. (2Samuel 15: 25, 26)

The same ark signified God’s presence and could have been a very great motivator to his men and demotivator to his enemies.

But David worshipped God and not His representation.

His surrender is the worship I am talking about. And he said the same thing when his army was pleading with him to kill Saul who was seeking to kill him or Shimei who was abusing and insulting him to high heavens, even throwing stones at him.

That is the kind of worship that led him after his young son died.

The first aspect of worship is surrender. And I think the message can be complete even if I stopped here.

Do you know that in the Bible worship is depicted as prostrating before God?

That is an indication of absolute surrender to the object of worship.

You realise that it is the same thing that happened with kings before our time though I know it even happens in some kingdoms even today.

A worshipper is in effect saying, ‘I am totally under your control. Do with me as you would’.

Is that how we worship God?

You realise that one outward aspect of repentance is tearing of clothes, wearing of sackcloth and more or less bathing with ashes.

That also points at worship.

Clothes cover our nakedness and shame. Our respectability is reflected on our clothing choices.

Tearing them is therefore a clear statement to God that I am unworthy of any respect from Him. I am going to him worse than naked. Remember Isaiah 64:6?

Wearing sackcloth goes farther by saying I am completely and totally unworthy of respect, either from God or from fellow men.

Bathing with and sitting on ashes is going farther as a cry to God for mercy as I am really nothing apart from His mercy.

I am therefore losing everything, even my name and respectability to gain the acceptance of the One I have offended.

That is why repentance is rarely a private matter.

Again, repentance does not have excuses. It is only in rebellion that as I explained when I wrote about rebellion that someone looks for excuses.

Repentance also does not look for concessions. It is bare and only looking for forgiveness.

Why am I talking about repentance when the topic is about worship?

It is because the object is the same.

This means that both result from the same attitude.

It is only when my attitude towards God in repentance is right that I can relate with Him properly in worship.

When our repentance becomes a fun affair, is it possible to expect a somber worship? And vice versa.

However, can repentance ever be fun?                                                                                                                          

Yet we are inundated with release after release of extraordinary celebrations of repentance and revival.

This is a clear demonstration that the object of our worship is not the One we claim or think.

Repentance is brutal because the One we have offended is unlike us in every way.

He is holy in the fullest sense.

Meaning there is no middle ground between us and Him. Ther can be no negotiation to soften His stance towards our sin. I think this verse says it.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. (Isaiah 6:5)

This is coming from a prophet, and not after he has sinned. It is coming from a servant of the same God.

Yet seeing the same God brings out the worst in him.

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42: 5, 6)

And this is coming from a person God was boasting about.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? (Job 1:8)

Seeing God and knowing Him produces true worship.

I am simply saying that worship is the response of a person to the reality of God; or more accurately after an encounter with God.

And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. (Exodus 20: 18, 19)

You may remember that Peter said a similar thing after realizing who Christ was after the miraculous catch of fish?

The same happened to practically every Bible who had such an encounter in the Bible.

Which God is this then that we see and dance ourselves lame when we are not even dressed right? What God is this we see that we can talk of boring or exciting worship? Which God is this we see that our worship does not produce any transformed lives, that we continue doing the same things we were doing prior to that worship experience?

Allow me to stop here because I want to have this as a wake-up nudge on someone who seeks God.

The others will me as a rubble raiser who does not want to see others enjoy their lives.

I will be content if only one person can connect to Biblical worship. And I am sure God will lead you to the hows and ifs of the same.