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T R U L Y
J o s h u a L o k e
Table of Contents
Worship in the Beauty of Holiness 3
Let Us Worship and Bow Down 8
Your Spiritual Worship 15
Songs for Worship 24
Building Altars 36
In Spirit and In Truth 48
Worship in the Beauty of Holiness
It is a privilege to be able to worship God with freedom and exuberance. We
must always be appreciative of those who lead us in worship. Their work is
unenviable -‐ I’ve been a worship leader, so I know. Though it might not be
spoken, there is great expectation on worship leaders to usher God’s people
into the Presence of God through worship. Often, the quality of worship is
judged according to whether or not the Presence of God is sensed, and if so,
how strongly. It is an inaccurate way of evaluating worship, but it is the
common practice nonetheless.
Allow me to speak in defense of all worship leaders and to manage your
expectations, which are unreasonable as well as unscriptural. The worship
leader is himself a worshipper. It is not his responsibility to lead you into the
Presence of God although he should have some idea of how to do it. If you, as
a member of the congregation, do not sense the Presence of God in a tangible
way during worship, it is not because the worship leader has failed in his task.
The problem, I submit to you, lies with you.
In the first place, it is a common misconception that through worship we are
able to enter into the Presence of God. What really happens during worship is
this: they are not ushered into the presence of God, but rather they feel they
are because of the emotions that worship produces.
Worship does not take you into the Presence of God.
Worship presumes the presence of God.
Worship is what you do when you are in God’s Presence. In fact, you would
not want to do anything else but worship God when you are in His Presence.
Even with a very anointed worship leader and talented musicians; even when
your favourite songs are sung, the sense of God’s Presence could still elude
you. Do you know why? Two words: Practice and Preparation.
Practice. Whenever Christians speak about worship, it is corporate worship
that they are referring to. “Let’s worship together.” “Are you coming to the
worship service?" But do you realise that worship was designed by God to by
an individual affair more than a corporate one?
Worship was designed to be an individual affair
because there was only room for one offering (at a
time) on the altar.
How is your personal worship-‐life? How much time do you spend in
worshipping God by yourself? Many get easily distracted during worship.
That's because they do not have a discipline of personal worship.
If you have not been consistently engaging with God in Personal worship,
don't expect to be able to engage with God during Corporate worship.
Preparation. The worship of God must not be entered into without
preparation. Christians need to think of worship more of them going to God
rather than Him coming to them. Throughout the Bible, God is always the one
inviting His people to "COME". But, for some reason, modern Christianity has
reversed the order. For some reason, we are now the ones telling God to
come to us, to bless us, to let His glory fall, to fill us, and more. We expect
God to come to us instead of us going to Him. It is when we draw near to Him
that He will draw near to us, James says. Even the writer of Hebrews urges us
to “approach God’s throne of grace” (Heb 4:16).
If you are going to visit a friend, whether at his home or elsewhere, would you
go without any preparation? No, you wouldn’t. You would at least change to
more appropriate attire -‐ not in your pyjamas. You might even take a shower
before leaving your house. This is normal, common sense, because you
respect your friend. If this is what you would do for a friend, what more for
God?
Work is needed before Worship
Work is needed before worship to put on the “holy attire”.
Psalm 96:9 says, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (NASB: in holy
attire). The God we worship is a holy God. And, as such, only those who are
holy can draw near to worship Him. We see this in the book of Numbers,
where God only allows the priests and Levites to serve in the Tabernacle, the
symbol of God’s Presence. Any one who is not a priest or a Levite and comes
near to the Tabernacle will be put to death. You might say that this is
no longer true, and you are right. But the message and the principle that
God was sending to His people by giving them this instruction remains
unchanged. He wants us to know that He is holy, and only sanctified people
can worship in His presence. The people of Beth-‐Shemesh learned this the
hard way. After the Lord struck down 50,070 of them, they asked, “Who can
stand before the Lord, this holy God?” (1 Sam 6:20).
In the Old Testament, we see God redeeming His people, the Israelites, and
delivering them out of Egypt. After that, He gives them the moral law and
instructs them to build the Tabernacle. From this we see a chronological and
theological sequence: Redemption, Righteousness, and Worship. It cannot be
any other way.
The “holy attire” is not same as the “armour of God” found in Ephesians 6.
The holy attire is put on during worship. But when you are not worshipping,
be sure that you have put on the armour of God.
Worship is Work; not the other way around
Work is not only needed before worship to put on the holy attire. Worship
itself is work.
It is commonly understood that our work can be a form of worship to God.
Rick Warren, in Purpose-‐driven Life, believes that "your work can be an act of
worship to God. In fact, if I want God to bless my finances, I must make my
work an act of worship.” What does this mean? I'm saying that no matter
what you do -‐ sweeping the streets, running a corporation or the work of a
stay-‐at-‐home mom -‐-‐ your job is more than a job. The Bible says while you are
here on earth, you should use your work as an act of worship.
He is not alone in thinking this way. Honestly, I cannot find a verse of
Scripture that says or alludes to what Pastor Rick Warren just said. And,
frankly, I find it hard to see how our work can be a form of worship to the
Lord for two reasons. First, for most of us, our work distracts us from the
worship of God by sapping our time, energy and focus. And, secondly, many
of the companies we work in are not in the business of establishing and
furthering the Kingdom of God. If work is an act of worship, why did God insist
that the Israelites leave their work and make a three journey into the
wilderness to worship Him? If work is an act of worship, it would be perfectly
acceptable for Christians today to work seven days a week without a break.
We all are, after all, worshipping God through our work, aren’t we?
So, the truth is: our work is not an act of worship. It does mean, however, that
our work is not important or that we should have bad attitudes towards our
work. Christians are commanded to do everything with all our might (Eccl
9:10), "without grumbling or arguing” (Phil 2:14), serving our earthly masters
"wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord” (Eph 6:7).
I can see why some think that our work is an act of worship. It is because the
Hebrew word for worship, avodah, is the same word for work. But still, it does
not make them interchangeable in all cases.
We already know that work is not an act of worship. But the reverse is true:
Worship is work.
Worship is work in that the worship of God involves effort and labor. And by
this I am not just talking about singing and dancing with all your strength...till
you perspire.
"Worship of the true God in Messiah Jesus through the Holy Spirit and in truth
is hard work," says the Assemblies of God[1].
It demands expenditure of energy. Worship is not mere campfire singing. It
requires focus and concentration of our faculties. "Be still, and know that I am
God" (Psalm 46:10*).
Worship requires an inner humbling, a surrender of self-‐will, a repentance of
sin, and trust. It requires cultivating the presence of God. It ascribes to Him
the supreme value of who He is and acknowledges His worthiness (worth-‐
ship) in words, deeds, and posture. Worship is hard work.
[1] http://ag.org/top/church_workers/wrshp_gen_avodah.cfm
Let Us Worship and Bow Down
The last time we learned how important it is to prepare ourselves for worship;
how we need to put on our holy attire prior to coming before a holy God. This
time, we want to dive a little deeper and learn more about worship itself. A
good place to start would be to look at the first time the word worship is used
in the Bible.
FIRST MENTION
Abraham said to the servant, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go
over there and worship and come again to you”. (Gen 22:5 italics mine)
This might have been the first time the English word “worship” is used in the
Bible, but the Hebrew, “shachah”, appears before this in Genesis 18:2 and
19:1. In both these cases, it has been translated as “bowed down” instead.
Gen 18:2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he
saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed
low to the ground.
Gen 19:1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting
in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and
bowed down with his face to the ground..
While there is a huge diversity in how people worship today -‐ some worship in
total silence, while others sing and dance; some raise their hands as they pray,
while others get on their knees -‐ the Biblical expression of worship is the act
of bowing down.
Worship is not an activity. It is a posture of the body
and an attitude of the heart.
Hence, one can worship (the way we do nowadays) and yet still have not
worshipped.
However, it must be made clear that it is not merely the outward bowing
down that constitutes true worship, but the bowing down of the inner
person. To those who only paid attention to the outward form of worship but
forgot the true meaning of worship, this is what the Lord had to say:
These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as
doctrines the commandments of men. (Mt 15:8-‐9)
It seems from Scripture that bowing down is the default posture used in
worship. The fact that nearly every culture practices it show that somehow
humans have been hardwired to do so. It is our soul’s natural response when
we are in the presence of the Almighty God.
Peter fell down at Jesus’ feet when he realised who Jesus truly was. No one
told him to fall down before Jesus, but he did so because he was in the
presence of the God Incarnate.
In the throne room in heaven, the elders, the living creatures, and the angels
numbering ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
say with one voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and
riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” At the
same time, every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the
earth were saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who
sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Then the four living
creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-‐four elders fell down and worshiped
Him who lives forever and ever. (Rev 5:11-‐14)
Sadly, in modern Christian worship, bowing down has become rarer and rarer.
Most of the time, we stand when worshipping God. Some claim that it is due
to space constraints in churches. I believe it is more than that. I believe it is
because we are no longer in awe of God and have lost our reverence for Him.
I am absolutely certain that if God was in the room, we would all bow down,
even prostrate ourselves. (By this, I am implying that most of the time, God
isn’t in our midst when we worship Him.)
OCCASIONS FOR WORSHIP
In the last lesson, I said that while worship can be done corporately, it was
originally designed to be an individual affair. In other words, we don’t have to
wait till we are gathered together before we can worship God. Wherever you
are, at any time, you can worship Him. And there are many reasons to do so,
as we will see from Scripture. I’d like to share with you five occasions for
worship today.
1. When you TRUST Him. Job 1
Job was a very special man in his day for two reasons. Firstly, there was no
one as righteous as he. He "was blameless and upright, one who feared God
and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). And, secondly, there was no one who
suffered like he did. Within a day, he lost everything he had: his servants, his
livestock, and his children. He could have fallen into depression, but he didn’t.
He could have wallowed in self-‐pity, but he didn’t. He could have become
bitter towards God, but he didn’t. Instead he bowed himself and worshiped
God (1:20). He also said these words, that have since become very well-‐
known: “The Lord gives, the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the
Lord”. What was the name of God that Job was praising here? In Hebrew,
name is does not only refer to how one is known -‐ my name is “so and so”. It
is also a reference to one’s character and/or reputation. So here, Job was
blessing the character of God. Even though everything around might change,
God changes not. It was the unchanging and steadfastness of God that evoked
worship in Job. What attribute or character of God will evoke worship in you?
Job has set an example for all of us to follow. In the midst of terrible loss and
hardship, Job could still find a reason to worship God. None of us has suffered
like Job. It should not be hard to find a reason to worship God, right?
2. When you’ve done all you could do, and all that’s left is to COMMIT
everything to Him. Gen 47:31
God had brought Jacob and his sons and their families into the safety of Egypt
where they would be provided for during the famine. There, they multiplied
and increased; slowly becoming a nation as God said they would. An old man
now, Jacob made Joseph promise that he would not bury his bones in Egypt,
but to let him lie with his fathers in Canaan. When Joseph gave his word,
Jacob "worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff” (Gen 47:31 NIV). Jacob
knew that he had done all that he could do and needed to do. All that was left
was to commit everything to the Lord. So he bowed his head, resting it on his
staff, and worshipped.
3. When you need to REPENT from your sin. 1 Chron 21:16
First Chronicles 21 opens with these words: "Then Satan stood against Israel
and incited David to number Israel.” And David did number the people. God
was displeased with what David had done and struck Israel with a plague.
70,000 men of Israel fell as a result. After this, an angel was dispatched to
destroy Jerusalem, but at the last minute God stopped him. "And David lifted
his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven,
and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and
the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces” (21:16).
4. When you want to PRAISE Him. 2 Chron 29:30
Hezekiah had just ascended the throne and one of the first things he did was
to reinstate the Levites and reestablish the temple worship. The priests went
into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and they brought
out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD. For eight
days they consecrated the house of the LORD. "And Hezekiah the king and the
officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of
David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they
bowed down and worshiped."
5. When you are REDEDICATING yourself to God. 2 Sam 12
David loved Bathsheba, but she was the wife of another man. He was Uriah
the Hittite. His lust for Bathsheba was so strong that David was even willing to
commit murder. He sent Uriah “into the thick of the battle…so that he will be
cut down and killed” (2 Sam 12:15). Uriah was killed in battle, and now David
could have Bathsheba all for himself. David had relations with her and she
became pregnant.
Soon after that Nathan the prophet came to David with a word from the Lord.
He exposed David’s sin and David confessed to it. God forgave David of his sin
but David would not escape the consequence of it. David must have felt
convicted on one hand, and relieved on the other. Relived because he had
been wasting away inside because of his sin. His internal turmoil is recorded
for us in Psalm 32:1-‐4.
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is
covered. 2Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and
in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day
long. 4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was
dried upb as by the heat of summer. Selah (Psa 32:1-‐4)
As a consequence of his sin, David’s child fell sick. When the child died, after
seven days, David washed himself and "went to the house of the Lord and
worshipped (bowed down)” (verse 20). It was in all likelihood that David
prayed the prayer recorded in Psalm 51 here.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your
abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you
only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be
justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought
forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in
truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter
than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken
rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in
me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not
away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to
me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my
tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my
mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would
give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are
a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then
will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt
offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
After he had prayed, he returned to his palace, and he ate.
I have just shared with you 5 occasions for your to worship God. Now, I end
with the invitation of the Psalmist:
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker”
(Psa 95:6)
Your Spiritual Worship
So far, in our study of worship, we have learned that worship should not be
entered into without preparation -‐ we must put on the holiness as an attire,
as suggested by Psalm 96:9, before stepping into God’s presence. Then we
also learned that bowing down is the default posture, if you will, of
worship. Today, we will get to the heart of worship, and I will use Romans
12:1 as our key text.
In Romans 12:1, Paul writes: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Rom 12:1)
Before I unpack for you what Paul actually meant when he wrote these words,
it would be profitable for you to know a bit about Paul. He was a Jew; a
Pharisee of Pharisee, taught by one of the best religious teachers of the day,
Gamela. Paul not only knew the Torah well, according to the law, he was
blameless. In other words, he was an observant Jew. After becoming a
believer and follower of Christ Jesus, Paul did not abandon the Torah. No one
should. As a matter of fact, the Torah became the bedrock of much of his
teaching to the churches. He even exhorted Timothy to study it so as to show
himself approved by God, a workman who needs not be ashamed but who
rightly divides the Word of God (2 Tim 2:15). So, from the beginning, the
Torah had been the bedrock of Christian theology. Today, it has been almost
completely removed. Modern Christian theology, you can say, is not ground in
anything; it is floating, being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and
by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Eph
4:14).
Coming back to our key verse, it too is rooted in an Old Testament concept. It
came out of the Levitical sacrificial system found in the book of Leviticus; in
particular, the burnt offering, or olah. Olah, in Hebrew, does not mean burnt;
it means rising -‐ a description of the skyward movement of the smoke that
was emitted as the animal was consumed by fire on the altar. As it rises, the
smoke becomes a sweet aroma to the Lord.
When Paul wrote Romans 12:1, he was immediately understood by his
readers because they were Jews. Today, when we read Romans 12:1, God
expects us to understand it also because He presumes that we have also read
the Book of Leviticus. But sadly, this isn’t the case. While Christians, in general,
believe in the canon of the Bible, that it is the inspired Word of God, they
have created for themselves a canon within a canon. And this smaller
modified canon does not include the Old Testament, with the exception of
Psalms and Proverbs, of course.
"But why was Paul making reference to the Old Testament. Was he trying to
bring us back into bondage to the law? We are no longer under law but under
grace, you know?” Paul wasn’t trying to bring us back to the law or the Old
Covenant. We are now under the New Covenant in Christ. But while the
covenant be have changed, the God who made the covenant with man hasn’t
changed -‐ He changes not. There is an interesting and important parallelism
between the Old Testament, specifically the Torah, and Paul’s letter to the
Romans.
Therefore….
Romans 12:1 opens with the word “therefore”. This word indicates that what
proceeds after it is the conclusion to what preceded it. From chapters 1-‐3,
Paul highlights the sinfulness of mankind and how it is deserving only of God’s
wrath. And even with the law, Jews are not exempted from God’s wrath
because no one can be justified by the works of the law. Justification is only
possible by faith in Christ.
The sacrificial system is found in the book of Leviticus, and the book of
Leviticus is strategically situated in the middle of the Torah, which comprises
fives books written by Moses. I say strategic because before telling the
Israelites what God required of them, Moses had first to show them what God
had done for them. How He delivered them from bondage, destroy
the pursuing Egyptian army, parted the Red Sea and caused them to cross
over to the other side on dry ground. How he led them through the
wilderness by a pillar of fire and cloud. And how He fed them with manna
daily. On the account of all that God had done, the least the Israelites could
do was to worship Him.
In the same manner, Paul placed doctrine before exhortation. Beginning from
Romans 1, Paul showed the depravity of man -‐ all have sinned and fallen short
of the glory of God. He also showed the love of God, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. In view of all that God has done, Paul calls us
to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice” to God. This is our spiritual
worship. In some translation it is rendered as “reasonable worship”, implying
that it is not too high a thing to ask.
present...
While God would be totally justified in demanding our worship, He prefers to
give us the freedom and opportunity to do so willingly. God loves a cheerful
giver. He knows that we are weak, and so, having called us, He also empowers
us with His grace to obey Him. He who calls you is faithful. And He is able to
keep you from falling.
your bodies...
You might be wondering why God requires, of all things, our bodies. Should
we be giving God our hearts and our souls? This is what many Christians are
used to doing. They have learned it from songs that they sing. But Paul here
urges Christians to give to God their bodies because it is with their bodies that
they either serve sin or God. Earlier in Paul’s epistle, Paul calls believers to
present the members of their bodies to God so that they would use them for
unrighteousness and sin (Rom 6:13, 19). It is interesting that in all of our
worship, we have given (or attempted to give) God every part of our being
except the part that He has explicitly asked for: our bodies.
God is very concrete but we prefer to be vague and abstract. While God
wants our bodies, we prefer to give Him our hearts, our souls, and our
words. We have made ourselves believe that since God sees the heart, it is
the heart (or intent of the heart) that matter most. That’s wrong. Because for
a grateful Israelite, God is not please until he brings an animal and offers it at
the altar as a Peace Offering. (We will discuss in greater detail the various
offerings in a later lesson.)
A Pharisee asked Jesus, “Is it right to pay taxes to Ceasar?” Jesus asked that a
coin be given to HIm. Looking at the coin He asked, “Whose image do you see
on the coin?” They answered, “Ceasar’s”. “Then render to Cesar what belongs
to Ceaser, and to God what belongs to God.” The man should have followed
up with this question, “What belongs to God?” Jesus would have answered,
“Whose image is on you?”
as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable…
1. A sacrifice is holy
It was not by accident that Paul used the words “sacrifice” and “holy” in the
same sentence. That’s because a sacrifice cannot be anything less than holy in
two ways. First, a sacrifice is holy because it had been set apart or
consecrated. The Hebrew word for consecration is “kadosh”, which also
means “holy”. Hence, a sacrifice is holy unto the Lord -‐ it belongs to God. In
other parts of the Bible, the term “devoted thing” is used to describe things
that are to be consecrated to God. In Numbers 18:14, God told Aaron, "Every
devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.” By that, He was referring to the tithes
and offerings (the burnt offering, the food offering, and the peace offering) of
the Israelites.
Second, a sacrifice is holy in that is must be without blemish or fault.
“Just as I am” is a popular Christian hymn. It speaks of the mercy and grace of
God who receives with open arms all who come to Him. But most do
not realise that this applies only to sinners since they have no power to
change anything about themselves so as to qualify to be in God’s presence.
Someone who has been redeemed and justified is no longer a sinner but a
saint. He has the grace of God in him in the person of the Holy Spirit who is
the empowerment for holiness. So, while a sinner may come to God just as he
is, a saint must be holy to be acceptable by God.
2. A sacrifice belongs to God.
A sacrifice is something that belongs to God. And typically, as we will see from
Scripture, there are two ways that God deals with these things. Before the
Israelites attacked Jericho, God instructed Joshua to destroy the whole city
and everything in it, including men, women and child, by fire. This was to
prevent anyone from having possession of them. Since they belonged to God,
no one should have them.
Most of our worship has passion but no truth; song but no harmony (with
God); heart but no spirit; altar and sacrifice but no fire. This is what Tozer sees
as the problem with current evangelicalism:
Current evangelicalism has laid the altar and divided the sacrifice into parts,
but now seems satisfied to count the stones and rearrange the pieces with
never a care that there is not a sign of fire upon the top of lofty Carmel. (A W
Tozer. The Pursuit of God. Preface.)
There must be fire on the altar. When there is no fire, there will be no smoke
(rising up from the offering). And if there is no smoke, the offering will not be
a sweet aroma to God.
It pains me to say -‐ and I know it pains God even more -‐ that a different kind
of smoke is rising up out of modern worship. It is not the smoke that is
produced with holy fire meets a sacred offering, but it is the smoke that
comes from a smoke machine.
This reminds me of something A.W. Tozer said many years ago. He said:
"A church that can’t worship must be entertained, and people who can’t lead
a church to worship must provide entertainment.” A W Tozer
Not everything from the city of Jericho was destroyed by fire. All "the gold
and silver and articles of bronze and iron” were put into the Lord’s treasury
for future use (Josh 5:18-‐19). They were used later in the construction of the
Tabernacle. From this we can understand why God is calling us to be a “living
sacrifice”. We are to be a sacrifice that is burned by fire but yet not destroyed.
We are not destroyed because God wants to reserve us for His special
purpose.
3. A sacrifice must NOT be withheld.
Achan, however, coveted some of the devoted things. Specifically "a beautiful
robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing
fifty shekels” (7:21). He took and hid them in the ground under his tent.
These “devoted things” turned into “accursed things” and those who
possessed them were cursed as well. Achan and his entire family paid for his
sin with their lives. And all the accursed things that he took were burned
together with them.
In case you are thinking that this was how things worked in the Old Testament
but not in the New, let me related another story to you -‐ this one from the
New Testament -‐ to show you it isn’t so.
Ananias and Sapphire were believers in Jerusalem after the Holy Spirit has
been poured out on Pentecost Day. And as the Spirit moved among and in the
hearts of the people, they were convicted to sell all they had, property and
possessions, and to give to any one who had need (Acts 2:45). Ananias and
Sapphire were one amongst them. They had decided to sell a piece of
property and to give the proceeds to the apostles. But once the sale was
transacted, Ananias, with his wife’s full knowledge, kept back a part of the
proceeds for himself and brought the rest to the apostles. The Holy Spirit
exposed their deception and were slain instantly before the apostles. They
had withheld a devoted thing and it turned into an accursed thing.
It is good and wonderful that you wish to devote yourself to God. But be
warned. Once you have devoted yourself to God, you must not pull back or
withhold yourself from God -‐ not even partially. You must give yourself wholly
to the Lord or suffer the consequences. Jesus reminded us that "Anyone who
puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God”
(Luke 9:62 NLT).
DEVOTIONS
Currently, Christians all over the world are doing what is called their Quiet
Time which comprises three elements: Bible reading, prayer, and
meditation. It is also called "personal Bible study" or "personal
devotions”. Rick Warren calls it the "morning watch" and "appointment with
God” (Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God's Word by Rick
Warren. Appendix A.) Proponents of the concept point out that Jesus often
spent time alone in prayer: Luke 5:16 says that "Jesus often withdrew to
lonely places and prayed" (NIV). Leslie Hardin suggests that this was Jesus'
Quiet Time: spending time in prayer and fellowship with God. (Leslie
Hardin, The Spirituality of Jesus: Nine Disciplines Christ Modeled for Us, p.
28.) Evangelical theologian Greg Johnson has criticised the way the concept is
treated by evangelicals as an almost obligatory part of a relationship with God.
He emphasised that the practice is not commanded in the Bible, and was not
even possible for many centuries, until the printing press and certain
economic conditions enabled most Christians to own their own copies of the
Bible (Freedom from Quiet Time
Guilt http://gregscouch.homestead.com/files/Quiet_Time_Guilt.htm)
I think that it does not matter what you call it: Quite Time, or Personal
Devotions, and so on, reading the Bible daily and praying is a good habit for
Christians to develop. Most aren’t doing enough to begin with. In fact, I would
recommend every Christian to have a Personal Bible Study Plan on top of
their Quiet Time. But that’s just me.
But are Bible reading and prayer and mediation enough to maintain our walk
with God and draw us closer to Him? Can they make us more like Christ? My
experience and the experience of many says ‘No’. At best, we would learn
something from the Bible but knowledge only puffs up a man. If doing Quiet
Time had could transform your life, don’t you think you would do it more
regularly -‐ everyday perhaps? But because it isn’t, many Christian either do it
hurriedly, just going through the motions, do the minimum by reading a page
from a devotional, or not do it at all.
I put it to you that there is an element, apart from Bible reading, prayer and
meditation, that is missing from our Quiet Time. It is the element of worship -‐
and I don’t mean singing worship songs. It is the presentation of our whole
being at the altar of sacrifice and to be consumed by God the Consuming Fire
until there is nothing left. This worship is the process by which we decrease so
that He may increase in our lives.
In the Old Testament, the priests themselves were required to present a
burnt offering; once in the morning and another time in the evening. This
offering was known as tamid, or daily offering. If you consider yourself as part
of the Priesthood of Believers, then this is what you ought to do also. Present
yourself as a living sacrifice daily; once in the morning and then again in the
evening.
Songs for Worship
In the second session, we learned that bowing down is the most natural
posture for worship. Human beings, since the earliest civilizations, bow before
their gods and those whom they honour. Abram bowed before Melchizedek
and gave him a tenth of all he had. Job bowed down and worshipped God
when everything had been taken away from him. Peter fell at Jesus’ feet
when he realised who Jesus really was. Who taught them to do this? No one.
It is, it seems, how we have been hardwired in our minds to act when we are
in the presence of a great being.
While bowing down is the most natural posture for worship, singing, I submit
to you, is the most natural expression of praise. The connection singing has
with praise is seen in many of David's psalms, such as Psalm 92: "It is a good
thing to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praise to Your name, O Most
High; to declare Your loving kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness
every night." The idiom "singing one's praise" likewise shows their close
relationship.
After the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, they sang a song to the Lord,
praising Him for the deliverance and victory He had attained for them. At Beer,
where God gave water to the Israelites, they broke out in song: “Spring up, O
well…” (Num 21:16-‐17).
Moses was Israel's first song writer of sorts. At the end of Israel's forty-‐year
wilderness wandering, Moses was instructed by God to write a song for the
Israelites to sing (Deut 31:19). This song, the Lord says, would be a witness
against the people on the day they turn away from worshipping God. A
portion of it has inspired a modern song that goes:
Ascribe greatness to our God, the Rock
His work is perfect and all His ways are just.
.....
A God of faithfulness and without injustice
Good and upright is He.
After Moses, Israel did not have an official songwriter until David came along.
David was Israel's most prolific songwriter. While it can be assumed that most
of the songs in the Book of Psalm was written by David, not all of them can be
credited to him personally. God put some of them, according to Psalm 40,
into his mouth. They began as a stirring by the Spirit within and came forth as
prophetic utterances. The word choice here is not mine but God's because in
1 Chronicles 25: 1 & 4 we are told that the Levites David had appointed to
minister in song before the ark of the covenant "prophesied...before the
Lord". The author could have simply said that they "sang" before the Lord. But,
no. Instead he said that they prophesied, indicating that they did more than
just sing per-‐written songs but were constantly sensitive to and reliant on the
Spirit. In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote about the Spirit helping us when
we do not know how to pray. How much more do we need Him to help us in
praise and worship. We must not assume that we know how to praise God.
Often, words fail us. Sometimes, the songs we have do not adequately reflect
or express our gratitude to and adoration of God. What is needed is a new
song, stirred and steered by the Holy Spirit. Hence, it is essential for
worshippers to be filled and led by the Spirit. This is the pre-‐condition for
worshipping "in spirit and in truth".
Returning to Psalm 40, David states that as a result of the new song that God
has put into his mouth, "many will see what He has done and be amazed
[and] they will put their trust in the Lord". Hence, our praise to God has the
ability to evoke faith towards God in others. If singing praises to God is like
prophesying, then the outcome has to be that saints will be edified.
Singing praises also has an educational function as seen from Paul's
exhortation to the Colossians: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God”. I wish to
make two observations here. The first is: Paul acknowledges both singing pre-‐
written songs (psalm and hymns) and "new songs" that are inspired by the
Spirit (spiritual songs). The second is that it helps that the word of Christ is
dwelling richly in the worshippers.
When David became king, one of the first things he did was to put some of
the Levites “in charge of the service of song in the house of the Lord” (1 Chron
6:31). He appointed 4,000 Levites to "sing joyful songs" to the Lord with
musical instruments: the lyre, the harps, the cymbals and the trumpets, that
he himself made (15:16 and 23:5) "Kenaniah the head Levite was put in
charge of the singing because he was "skillful at it” (25:22).
In case you are under the impression that the Levites were leading the
children of Israel in praise on a regular basis, I want you to know that it was
not the case. The service of song took place in the Tent (Tabernacle) and
before the ark of the covenant (16:4-‐6), out of sight from the common
Israelite. The Levites were the choir and the congregation at the same time.
Our present day church, has been modeled after a misconception. In our
services, we have the worship team leading the congregation in worship.
Invariably, many worship services have turned into performances of pop
concert quality. And instead of leading the congregation in worship, they have
made them consumers, content with letting the "professionals" worship on
their behalf. The truth is, the Holy Spirit is the worship leader and every one
in the sanctuary, regardless of where you are sitting or standing, a worshipper.
Singing praises to God is the ministry of every worshipper, according to
Reformed theologian Karl Barth. He points out that singing is not an option
for the people of God; it is one of the essential ministries of the church.
What we can and must say quite confidently is that the church which does not
sing is not the church. And where...it does not really sing but sighs and
mumbles spasmodically, shamefacedly and with an ill grace, it can be at best
only a troubled community which is not sure of its cause and of whose ministry
and witness there can be no great expectation....[2]
PRAISE AND WORSHIP
At this juncture, it would be beneficial to ask and answer “Is there a
difference between Praise and Worship?”
You have probably heard the following descriptions drawing a distinction
between praise and worship:
• Praise is about God, worship is to God.
• Praise is opening up, worship is entering in.
• Praise is boldly declaring, worship is humbly bowing in the presence of a
Holy God.
• Praise applauds what God has done, worship is honoring God for who He is.
• Just as praise is intertwined with thanksgiving, worship is intertwined with
surrender.
There is definitely a lot of truth in these succinct descriptions. Some people
would emphatically claim that praise is always associated with singing loudly
to faster songs, clapping, dancing, celebrating, and thanksgiving; and worship
is kneeling, bowing, singing softly, lying prostrate, eyes closed lost in reverie.
But is this too simplistic?
This is how I see praise differs from worship from Scripture.
Praise is the joyful recounting of all God has done for us. It is closely
intertwined with thanksgiving as we offer back to God appreciation for His
mighty works on our behalf. Praise is universal and can be applied to other
relationships as well. We can praise our family, friends, boss, or paperboy.
Praise does not require anything of us. It is merely the truthful
acknowledgment of the righteous acts of another. Since God has done many
wonderful deeds, He is worthy of praise (Psalm 18:3).
Worship, however, comes from a different place within our spirits. Worship
should be reserved for God alone (Luke 4:8). Worship is the art of losing self
in the adoration of another. Praise can be a part of worship, but worship goes
beyond praise. Praise is easy; worship is not. Worship gets to the heart of who
we are. To truly worship God, we must let go of our self-‐worship. We must be
willing to humble ourselves before God, surrender every part of our lives to
His control, and adore Him for who He is, not just what He has done. Worship
is a lifestyle, not just an occasional activity. Jesus said the Father is seeking
those who will worship Him "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23).
THE SONGS WE SING
Next, we will focus on the songs we sing during our praise and worship times.
Songs are powerful instruments; more powerful than many of us realise. Cyril
Scott, an eminent 20th Century composer wrote:
“The prevalent notion holds that styles of music are merely the outcome and
expression of civilizations and national feelings – that is to say that the
civilization comes first, and its characteristic species of music afterwards. But
an examination of history proves the truth to be exactly the reverse: an
innovation in musical style has invariably been followed by an innovation in
politics and morals.”
The American philosopher Henry David Thoreau (19th century) wrote
“Music can be intoxicating. Such apparently slight causes destroyed Greece
and Rome, and will destroy England and America.”
Plato states that,
“Musical innovation is full of danger to the State, for when modes of music
change, the laws of the State always change with them.” (Plato’s Republic:
The Theatre of the Mind)
One of Plato's contemporaries, Damon of Athens, wrote,
‘Let me write the songs of a nation, and I care not who writes its laws.’
In the same vein, the songs sung in church not only reflects the theology of its
members, it also shapes it. Therefore, it is crucial to choose the right songs for
our corporate worship. Unfortunately, church worship teams are including
songs in their worship sets simply because they are the latest or the most
popular. How then should worship leaders/pastor select songs for worship?
1. Select songs that reflect the truth, goodness and beauty of God.
Since the Enlightenment, people have thought about beauty in very different
ways than they did previously. Before, art for its own sake did not exist; artists
created "works of art" for functional purposes.[3] So, we must ask what is the
purpose of songs in corporate worship? The purpose of music in corporate
worship is to provide believers with the opportunity to meditate on God's
greatness and goodness, on His unsearchable attributes and then to respond
to the acts of God. "O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonderful
things" (Ps 98:1). Whenever the Israelites experienced deliverance, they sang.
Even Jonah, who prayed from the belly of the great fish, offered up “shouts of
grateful praise" (Jonah 2:1-‐9).
"Music," says E G White, "was made to serve a holy purpose, to lift the
thoughts to that which is pure, noble, and elevating, and to awaken in the
soul devotion and gratitude to God”[4]
The composition, selection and performance of music for christian worship
merits serious and careful reflection because it is intended as a musical
offering for the Almighty God. God's Word and presence ought to fill and
shape the music of worship because the Church is the temple of the living
God and it matters what kind of offerings we present to the Lord, music
included. Corporate worship music functions in part as a proclamation of
God's attributes and actions by people who delight in him[5].
There are many good songs that are based on real-‐life experiences of the
songwriters. One such song is “It is Well (with my soul) penned by Horatio
Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss in 1873.
This hymn was written after traumatic events in Spafford’s life. The first was
the death of their only son from Scarlet Fever in 1870. Second was the 1871
Great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially (he had been a
successful lawyer and had invested significantly in property in the area of
Chicago which was decimated by the great fire). His business interests were
further hit by the economic downturn of 1873 at which time he had planned
to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Havre. In a late change of
plan, he sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning
zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic,
the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sea vessel, the Loch Earn, and all
four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the
now famous telegram, "Saved alone …". Shortly afterwards, as Spafford
traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his
ship passed near where his daughters had died[6].
Just like every verse of Scripture is situated within in a context and must be
interpreted according to it, every song also has a context and it must be taken
into consideration for the song to be fully appreciated.
The same cannot be said for many of modern Christian songs. Some times I
feel -‐ and this is totally my feeling -‐ that songs are written just to fill an
album.
As a side note, there are churches today that sing secular songs during the
corporate time. These are mostly those churches that want to the “seeker
friendly”. You can read Don Chapman’s experience and decide for yourself if it
is a good idea or not. [7]
Songs that proclaim the goodness and greatness of God must be God-‐
centered. This is logical. One way to tell if a song is God-‐centered is my
counting the pronouns that refer to God: “He”, “His”, “Him”, etc. I am not
saying that songs cannot have pronouns “I”, “me”, “we”, or “us”. They just
should not out-‐number the references of God
A couple of years ago, a pastor of a church had contacted Harland asking for
help as the worship at his church had grown cold. As a solution, the pastor
wanted to start a contemporary worship service.
But when Harland visited the church, he found that the music style wasn't the
issue. Rather, the people in the church just were not responding.
He told the pastor, "If your worship has grown cold, it's not because you
selected the wrong music style or you're making some kind of technological
misstep. If worship is a response to God's revelation and if your people are
not worshipping then they're not seeing who He is."
(http://www.christianpost.com/news/texas-‐pastor-‐worship-‐is-‐about-‐christ-‐
not-‐impressing-‐crowds-‐46673/)
2. Select songs that are written by Spirit-‐filled Christians.
There are many Christian artists out there today, each one writing their own
songs for praise and worship. Some of them have won awards for their work.
Does this mean that their songs are fit for consumption by churches. Certainly
not. Worship leaders and pastors must do their homework. They must
research the background of the artists and see if they are “solid” Christians or
merely talented artists.
3. Select songs that every one can sing.
Lately, I’ve been struggling somewhat during corporate worship times. There
are a few reasons for this. One of them is the unfamiliarity of the songs that
are sung. I have not been keeping up with the times, so to speak, and the new
songs that are in the “market” today. This is a very common problem and is
one reason why men have stopped singing in church, according to an article
which I have quoted in part below:
First, a very quick history of congregational singing.
Before the Reformation, laypersons were not allowed to sing in church. They
were expected to stand mute as sacred music was performed by professionals
(priests and cantors), played on complex instruments (pipe organs), and sung
in an obscure language (Latin).
Reformers gave worship back to the people in the form of congregational
singing. They composed simple tunes that were easy to sing, and mated them
with theologically rich lyrics. Since most people were illiterate in the 16th
century, singing became an effective form of catechism. Congregants learned
about God as they sang about God.
A technological advance – the printing press – led to an explosion of
congregational singing. The first hymnal was printed in 1532, and soon a few
dozen hymns became standards across Christendom. Hymnals slowly grew
over the next four centuries. By the mid 20th century every Protestant church
had a hymnal of about 1000 songs, 250 of which were regularly sung. In the
church of my youth, everyone picked up a hymnal and sang every verse of
every song.
About 20 years ago a new technological advance – the computer controlled
projection screen – entered America’s sanctuaries. Suddenly churches could
project song lyrics for all to see. Hymnals became obsolete. No longer were
Christians limited to 1,000 songs handed down by our elders.
At first, churches simply projected the songs everyone knew – hymns and a
few simple praise songs that had come out of the Jesus Movement. People
sang robustly.
But that began to change about ten years ago. Worship leaders realized they
could project anything on that screen. So they brought in new songs each
week. They drew from the radio, the Internet, and Worship conferences. Some
began composing their own songs, performing them during worship, and
selling them on CD after church.
In short order we went from 250 songs everyone knows to 250,000+ songs
nobody knows. (Why men have stopped singing in
church? http://www.patheos.com/blogs/afewgrownmen/2013/05/why-‐men-‐
have-‐stopped-‐singing-‐in-‐church/)
According to LifeWay Worship Director Mike Harland, the modern stage-‐
driven worship atmosphere gives people an excuse to be spectators instead
of participators.
Lillian Kwon writes in the Christian Post, “While the congregation is left in the
dark under dim lights, stage lights place the focus on the gifted worship
leader — who has in-‐ear monitors and who sings songs in a key that best fits
him or her. The worship leader can’t hear the congregation or see the
congregation and ‘they don’t even know that the congregation is not even
singing,’ Harland said.”
-‐ See more at: http://churchformen.com/uncategorized/have-‐christians-‐
stopped-‐singing/#sthash.jaZWzopP.dpuf
There is another reason for my struggle and it has to do with the words of the
songs. Either they are not completely theologically accurate or they are not
something I would say flippantly. For example, there is a chorus of a song that
goes: “Lord I give you my heart; I give you my soul; I live for you alone…”
Instead of singing it, shouldn’t we simply be doing it? Does God want to hear
us say that we want to give Him our hearts, or does He want our hearts? Did
Paul say “tell God that you want to present your bodies as a living sacrifice to
Him”, or did he say “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice”? Solomon
gave us this advice: “Let your words be few” (Eccl 5:2). Do not make vows -‐
such as the one I just mentioned -‐ that you are unable or have no intention of
keeping.
Finally, i think that the songs we sing in corporate worship ought to be simple
and sound. Simple to the point that even children can sing them. After all,
didn’t Jesus say that out of the mouths of babes he has ordained praise (Matt
21:16)?
[2] Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, Vol. IV, part 3, chapter 16, par. 72, #4.
[3] H R Rookmaaker, Art Needs No Justification, p.70
[4] Patriarchs and Prophets, p.594, by E.G. White
[5] Paul westermeyer, The Heart of the Matter: Church Music as Praise,
Prayer, Proclamation, Story, and Gift, p.31-‐33
[6] The American Colony in Jerusalem, 1870-‐2006. Retreived May 2, 2013
[7] http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/43195-‐should-‐worship-‐leaders-‐
sing-‐secular-‐songs-‐in-‐church
Building Altars
Altar building was quite common in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament.
Let’s look at some examples and see if we can find some similarities between
them.
Example 1:
An altar is a stone structure on which animal sacrifices are offered to God or
gods. The very first person to have offered an animal sacrifice was Abel. An
even though it was not mentioned that he had built an altar we can quite
safely presume that he did.
Genesis 4:3-‐4 tells us that “in the course of time” Cain and Abel both brought
their offerings to the Lord. Cain brought “an offering of the fruit of the ground”
and Abel brought “the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions”. First of
all, the phrase “in the course of time” is literally “at the end of days” in
Hebrew which can be a reference to either the weekly Sabbath, at harvest
time, or an appointed time in a year. From the description of the offerings
that they brought we can deduce that it was most likely the offering
commanded in Exodus 22:29-‐30: “You shall not delay to offer from the
fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of
your sons you shall give to me. You shall do the same with your oxen and with
your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall
give it to me.” Since both these offerings are time sensitive, it is unlikely they
were offered at the same time. One was offered some time after the other.
Then it states that God had regard for Abel and his offering but not so for Cain
and his offering (v.5). Later, God said to Cain, “If you do what is right, will you
not be accepted?” (v.7). It wasn’t the quality of his offering that displeased
God. Cain had done some thing wrong, and wrong usually means a violation
of the will and word of God. But what was it? If the command in Leviticus
23:12 applied, then Cain lacked a burnt offering consisting of “a male lamb a
year old without blemish” which should have accompanied his firstfruit
offering.
Example 2:
The next person to have built an altar and sacrificed on it was Noah. He "built
an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds,
he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.” (Gen 8:20 NIV). He did so after he had left
the ark. Hence, we can safely conclude that Noah offered the sacrifice as a
thanksgiving for the protection afforded by God through the duration of the
flood.
Example 3:
Abraham also built an altar. In fact, he built more than one. The first was
built soon after he stepped into the land of Canaan -‐ at Shechem -‐ and the
Lord appeared to him, saying, “I will give this land to your descendants” (Gen
12:7). Abraham must have been both relieved that he had finally arrived at
the land and thankful to God for leading him here. So in gratitude and
thankfulness for God’s grace and the gift of the land to his offspring, he built
an altar to honour the Lord. On this altar Abraham no doubt offered a
sacrifice.
From here Abraham traveled to the mountains east of Bethel and pitched his
tent there, symbolising that he had chosen to settle there. There he built
another altar “to honour the Lord, and he worshipped the Lord there” (verse
8). This was not to be like the altar he built previously, a monument to mark a
particular event, but one on which he would make regular offerings. The
verse states that Abraham “called on the name of the Lord”. This phrase
means that Abraham placed his trust in the Lord….but only until the famine.
For the duration of the famine, Abraham and his family sojourned in Egypt.
When the famine had ended, Abraham left Egypt and returned to the place
between Bethel and Ai where he had built an altar. There he “called on the
name of the Lord” again (Gen 13:1-‐4).
Example 4:
The next person to have built an altar was Jacob. He was running away from
his enraged brother Esau and was heading to his uncle’s at Paddan-‐aram. At
sunset, Jacob laid down to rest. As he slept, he dreamt of a ladder whose top
reached to heaven, and angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
And, behold, the Lord stood above it and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of
Abraham you father and the God of Isaac’ (Gen 28:10-‐13). Frightened by the
dream, Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place,
and I did not know it” (verse 16). Early in the morning Jacob set up a stone
pillar as a monument and made this vow: “If God will be with me and will
keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to
wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall
be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s
house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you” (verses 20-‐22).
Example 5:
Fast-‐forward twenty years and Jacob arrived safely at Shechem.
Remembering his vow to the Lord, he built an altar and named it El-‐Elohe-‐
Israel (33:18-‐20). He built the altar to fulfil his vow that the Lord will be his
God.
Example 5:Moses too was an altar-‐builder. He built an altar after God had
given Joshua and the Israelites victory over the Amalekites, and called it “t he
Lord is my Banner” (Ex 17:13-‐15).
Example 6:
After having been on the mountain of God for forty days, Moses finally comes
down and relays to the people all that God had said, With one voice, the
people answered, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So
Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. This document would become
the legal document of the covenant that God was establishing with His people.
The next day, Moses rose early and built an altar at the foot of the mountain
and twelve pillars next to it, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Young
men of Israel, presumably from each tribe, were then assigned to offer burnt
offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. It was a job for young men because
it involved a lot of hauling of heavy animals such as bulls and oxen and sheep.
The blood of the animals were used to seal the covenant. (Ex 24:1-‐8).
Example 7:
And, our last example for today is Joshua. Joshua built an altar for the Lord on
Mount Ebal and offered burnt offering on it. The people also gave fellowship
offerings (Josh 8:30-‐31).
In all of the examples we’ve just looked at, with the exception of the last one,
the offerings predated those prescribed under the Mosaic Law. In a sense,
they were their forerunners. No mention, however, was mentioned of what
was offered up in the examples just mentioned but we can quite safely
presume that in most cases animals were used. Under the Mosaic Law, God
specifies the items that may be offered by an Israelite.
Types of offerings
In the first five chapters, God gives instructions regarding 5 different offerings
that an Israelite can bring depending on the occasion and purpose.
If, for example, he has sinned or transgressed one of God’s commandments,
then he may bring either a Sin or Trespass offering.
Is there a difference between the two offerings?
The sin offering and the trespass offering, though differing in detail, were
exactly the same in character and principle. Some persons, I am aware, have
thought that the sin offering deals more with the sin in our nature and the
trespass offering with acts of sin committed by us. This poses two problems.
The first is, the sin nature cannot be atoned for. It must be resisted and
overcome -‐ which Jesus did. In spite of the fact that Jesus was brought forth in
iniquity and conceived in sin, according to David, He overcame His propensity
to sin and remained sinless even though He was tempted in every way (Heb
4:15). Secondly, if the Sin Offering is for the sin nature in us, then we would all
have to bring it everyday regardless of whether we have sinned/trespassed or
not.
The reason I believe that the Sin Offering and Trespass Offering are the same
in principle is because both are for the atonement for sins committed
unintentionally (See Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 35, 5:6, 10, 13). Additionally, the
appearance of the phrase “he shall be forgiven” in the text for both offerings
indicates that they have identical functions (4:20, 26, 31, 5:10, 13, 16, 18).
Having said that, their individual coverage differ from one another. The
Trespass Offering covers specific acts of sin such as not testifying in a court
hearing (5:1), touching an unclean thing (5:2), touching human uncleanness
(5:3), and making a rash oath (5:4). The Sin Offering covers all other acts of sin
committed unintentionally.
If he has not committed any sin, then he may bring any of the other three
offerings: (1) the Burnt Offering, (2) the Meal Offering, (3) and the Peace
Offering. Because they are not for the atonement of sin they produce
a “soothing aroma” when offered on the altar.
In general, while the first two (Sin and Trespass Offerings) served to REPAIR
the worshipper’s broken communion with God, the last three served to
MAINTAIN the worshipper’s communion with God. The order in which the
offerings appear in the book of Leviticus holds no meaning for the Israelites.
This is not the order in which they were to be offered. It just makes explaining
and remembering them easier.
All this talk about sacrifices might cause some to wonder if we are returning
to the Law. Hear me now: We are not returning to the Law; we are returning
to the Lord. I am preaching this so that your communion with God may be
enhanced. If this is what you desire for yourself, then let’s move on.
Burnt Offering
Since we have touched on the Burnt Offering we will dive right into the Meal
Offering.
Meal Offering
The Hebrew word, here translated “meal offering,” also means “tribute.”
Hence, the meal offering was a type of tribute from a faithful worshiper to his
divine overlord. As the term implies, the Meal Offering comes in the form of a
meal, either baked unleavened cakes or wafers (2:4), or grain seasoned with
salt (2:13). No leaven or honey must be used in the preparation of the Meal
Offering (2:11). All Meal Offerings must be seasoned with salt (2:13).
Firstfruits may be offered as a Meal Offering as well (2:14). Whatever was
brought by the Israelite, a "memorial portion" was burned atop the altar and
the rest given to Aaron and his sons (2:2-‐3).
Peace (or Fellowship) offering
Biblical commentators have given this offering a variety of titles. "Peace,"
"fellowship," "praise," and "thanksgiving" are the most common. However,
the Keil-‐Delitzsch Commentary states that the most correct is "saving
offering" (vol. 1, p. 298). Each title shows a somewhat different aspect of the
teaching contained in it. Verse 5 informs us that this too is a sweet-‐savor
offering, indicating that no sin is involved in it, and thus it is
most satisfying to God.
This offering represents the relationship the worshipper has with God through
redemption. Peace and fellowship are results of redemption, and this act of
worship highlights those blessings from God.
The Peace Offering came in the form of an animal. The fat of the animal -‐
considered the best part of the animal -‐ and its entrails will be burned on the
altar. The remaining meat of the animal “shall belong to the priest who offers
it” (Lev 7:9). In fact, it is sometimes referred to as a “food offering” (See Lev
3:5 & 11). Interestingly, the Meal Offering is also known as a “food offering”
(See Lev 2:3, 10, 16) indicating that the primary purpose of both the Meal and
Peace offerings are for the provision of the priests who serve at the altar.
All animal sacrifices must take place at the front of the Tabernacle of the Lord.
Anyone caught slaughtering an animal for sacrifice outside the camp shall be
guilt of blood-‐letting -‐ murdering an animal -‐ and they shall be cut off from
among the people (Lev 17:1-‐6). Meaning, they will either expelled from the
community or, most likely, stoned to death. God forbade the sacrifice of
animals anywhere other than at the Tabernacle to prevent the worship of
other gods (verse 7).
God could have simply instituted the Peace Offering. Why then did He also
institute the Meal Offering. It is my opinion that God did so to provide Aaron
and his sons a balanced diet consisting of grains, flour, oil and meat.
Enjoy the Blessing. Remember the Blesser
Neither the Meal nor Peace offerings were for the atonement of sins. As such,
they were freewill offerings of thanksgiving to the Lord. These offerings were
mere tokens. God does not need to be repaid or recompensed in any way,
shape or form. This does not in any way negate the value of the offerings. To
offer an animal, for example, was a costly affair. But it is minuscule compared
to what God has done. Nevertheless, God insists that this be the only method
of thanksgiving for the Israelites…and for a reason.
It is so that no Israelite would, in the process of enjoying God’s blessings,
forget the Blesser. This is the tendency of all human beings. The Israelites
were forewarned that this would happen if they were not careful.
And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the
good land he has given you. “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by
not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I
command you today,12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built
good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and
your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then
your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15 who led you through
the great and terrifying wilderness,with its fiery serpents and scorpions and
thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the
flinty rock, 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did
not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the
end. 17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my
hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God,
for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his
covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (Deut 8:10-‐18 ESV)
I, personally, have seen how people react when they have been blessed by
God, Christians included. When they get a raise in their salary, for example,
they would verbally thank the Lord. And as soon as that is done -‐ perhaps
even while their lips are thanking God -‐ they would be thinking of how this
extra income could be enjoyed to the fullest. Perhaps, they could upgrade to
a larger apartment; or they could buy a new car; or go on a family vacation.
God’s blessing is for your enjoyment -‐ there is no doubt about it. Paul says
that God gives us all good things to enjoy (1 Tim 6:17). But, when He does
bless you, give a portion -‐ the best part -‐ back to Him so that you will not take
His blessings for granted or think that it was by your strength that you have
attained it.
Let me leave you with four applications as we bring this lesson to a close.
1. Don't come empty-‐handed
One final observation before I end. Each time an Israelites comes before the
Lord at the Tabernacle, he comes with a clear purpose. He has come either to
atone for a sin he has committed, or to give thanks to God for something He
has done, or just to make an offering because he loves the Lord. And, as you
can see, worship is a costly affair for an Israelite. Those who are well off will
bring an bull or sheep. Those who are less well off will bring a dove. The poor
may bring just a cake. Simply put, no one comes before the Lord empty-‐
handed.
This is not the practice nowadays. Christians come to church “just as they are”.
Some do not even bring their Bibles with them. And when it is time to give an
offering, many are unprepared. Some will pull out some change to put into
the bag while others will simply pass the bag to the next person. How can we
prepare ourselves better for Offering Time? Paul says that we should think
and decide ahead of time what we will give to the Lord, remembering that we
will reap what we sow.
2. Give God your best
Sacrilege's normal definition is "the irreverent use of that which belongs to
God." Daniel gives us a detailed account of Belshazzar's sacrilege when he
took the vessels from the temple and used them for his night of carousing and
blasphemy. After the Israelites returned to the land, they questioned God.
"In what way have we despised Your name?" God's response to Israel's
belligerent question was to broaden definition of sacrilege when He said, "By
saying 'The table of the Lord is contemptible.' And when you offer the blind as
a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil?
Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he
accept you favorably?" [Malachi 1:7, 8 NKJV] G. Campbell Morgan suggested
that sacrilege in its worst form consists of taking something and giving it to
God when it means absolutely nothing to you.
Apart from what we bring as our thanksgiving sacrifice to the Lord, two things
are more important .
The writer of Hebrews alerts us to something called the sacrifice of praise -‐
another name for thank offerings -‐ which we should be offering continually
(Heb 13:15). For most, we are more persistent with our petitions than with
our praise and thanksgiving. It should be the way round.
How often should we praise God? Well, how often is God good to us? If God is
good all the time, then all the time give Him praise.
The other thing is about fulfilling our vows.
3. Present yourself first
In Leviticus 3:5, you might notice that the Meal Offering is placed on top of
the Burnt Offering. This means that the Burnt Offering is the foundational
offering. And, as we have discussed previously, you and I are to present our
bodies as a living sacrifice. We are the Burnt Offerings. Without offering
ourselves first, all others offerings that we bring will be unacceptable.
4. Fulfill your vow
Ps 50:14 sacrifice thanks offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High
The offerings prescribed by God were at the end of the day voluntary. The
Israelites were diligent in bringing their sacrifices to the Lord. God's compliant
was not in their sacrifices, for they were diligent in this aspect; His complaint
was about a more important thing: obedience. To obey, God says, is better
than sacrifice.
The Psalmist does not only recommend that we give thanks when God has
done something for us, he urges us to call unto God in time of trouble. Prayer
and praise in the time of trouble is a very sweet form of worship. You are in
distress of mind? Now you have an opportunity to worship God. Trusy Him in
your distress. Call to him as a child calls to his father or mother. Show how
you homor Him-‐how you love Him-‐how you trust Him. And when you get your
answer, which will be a sure proof that He has acxepted your offering, you
will honor him again a second time by devoutly thanking him that he heard
your prayer.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into
his courts!
. Psa 96:8 ESV
In Spirit and In Truth
John 4:20-‐24 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in
Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to
her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain
nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not
know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour
is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father
in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is
spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The Samaritans were a pagan sect that grew out of the tribes of Manasseh
and Ephraim after their deportation in 722 BC into Assyria by
Shalmaneser. The basic philosophies of the Samaritans originated with
Jeroboam. This is why we call the Samaritans, "Neo-‐Jeriboamites". Samaritans
carry on the basic traditions that Jeroboam set in order in 930 BC when he set
up two pagan worship centers to replace Jerusalem. On in Bethel and the
other in Dan.
"Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there.
And he went out from there and built Penuel. Jeroboam said in his heart,
"Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. "If this people go up to
offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this
people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will
kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah." So the king consulted, and
made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up
to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of
Egypt." He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing
became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.
And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the
people who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam instituted a feast in the
eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in
Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the
calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high
places which he had made. Then he went up to the altar which he had made in
Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he
had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel
and went up to the altar to burn incense." 1 Kings 12:25-‐33
A small population that had been deported in 722 BC from the tribes of
Manasseh and Ephraim, were brought back by Shalmaneser and they
intermarried with the Gentiles.
"The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from
Avva and from Hamath and Sephar-‐vaim, and settled them in the cities of
Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in
its cities. At the beginning of their living there, they did not fear the Lord;
therefore the Lord sent lions among them which killed some of them. So they
spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations whom you have carried
away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of
the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them because
they do not know the custom of the god of the land." Then the king of Assyria
commanded, saying, "Take there one of the priests whom you carried away
into exile and let him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of
the god of the land." So one of the priests whom they had carried away into
exile from Samaria came and lived at Bethel, and taught them how they
should fear the Lord. But every nation still made gods of its own and put them
in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every
nation in their cities in which they lived. The men of Babylon made Succoth-‐
benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, and
the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their
children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.
They also feared the Lord and appointed from among themselves priests of
the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. They
feared the Lord and served their own gods according to the custom of the
nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile. To this day
they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord, nor do
they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the
commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He
named Israel; with whom the Lord made a covenant and commanded them,
saying, "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down yourselves to them nor
serve them nor sacrifice to them. "But the Lord, who brought you up from the
land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall
fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice.
"The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which
He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other
gods. "The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall
you fear other gods. "But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver
you from the hand of all your enemies." However, they did not listen, but they
did according to their earlier custom. So while these nations feared the Lord,
they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as
their fathers did, so they do to this day." 2 Kings 17:24-‐41
After Judah returned from exile, the idol worshipping Samaritans were
confronted with a zealous and repentant group of Hebrews who immediately
started rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple. Judah had learned in exile what
the Samaritans never did: Follow the word of God exactly as it is written as a
blueprint. Tobiah (an Ammonite) and the men of Samaritan mocked and
opposed Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild Jerusalem:
"When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about
it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare
of the sons of Israel." Nehemiah 2:10 "He spoke in the presence of his brothers
and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing?
Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they
finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the
burned ones?" Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, "Even
what they are building-‐if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone
wall down!"" Nehemiah 4:2-‐3
About 515 BC, When the Jews succeeded in completing rebuilding Jerusalem,
Tobiah went off in a huff, and built his own temple and royal palace, which
was located transjordan in his native homeland of the Ammonites.
As a result of this, the Jews saw the Samaritans as idol worshiping Gentiles.
Jesus also saw them as Gentiles but He never shunned them as the Jews did.
Early on in His ministry, the Samaritans were not part of His mission. He
instructs His disciples, as He sent them out to the cities and villages, saying,
" "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the
Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matthew
10:6 In spite of this, Jesus gave them a lot of credit in His parables. One of
which was the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Just before He ascended to
heaven, Jesus commands His disciples to preach the gospel in Jerusalem, in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). In saying this,
Jesus was recognising the Jewish roots of the Samaritans.
Here, in John 4, when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, the
conversation turned towards the subject of religion; namely that of the Jews
and that of the Samaritans. The woman, by her question to Jesus, was either
seeking clarification or confirmation. She could be seeking clarification about
who is right: the Jews or the Samaritans. Or, she could be seeking
confirmation that the Samaritans were right to worship on their mountain. It
must have been to her surprise that Jesus did not side with either one.
Instead He put forth a third alternative, the new way under the New
Covenant.
He said: "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for
salvation is from the Jews.” It might seem like Jesus was condemning the
Samaritans for worshiping ignorantly and praising the Jews because they have
the oracles of God. But, in Jesus’ mind, both are clueless about what God was
about to do. Hence, He says, "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when
the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father
is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship
him must worship in spirit and truth.” God was doing a new thing. He is
bringing salvation to the Jews first, and then to the rest of the world through
the Jews. And as this is being fulfilled, the believers of God in Christ will
worship God in a new and different way: in spirit and in truth, because God is
spirit.
So, how do we worship God in spirit and in truth?
In Spirit
Eph 2:18 NIV "For through him we both have access to the Father by one
Spirit.”
First of all, it is necessary to know what Paul meant when he used the
word “both” here. Based on the context of chapter 2 (of course, the Bible
was not originally written with chapter and verse divisions), Paul was referring
to the Jewish and Gentile believers. Two groups; two views; two traditions.
Just like in ancient times when the Jews worshiped on Mount Zion, and the
Samaritans worshiped on Mount Gerizim. Such divisions will be removed
when Christ makes One New Man from the two. The new man in Christ will
have access to the Father by the Holy Spirit which will be given to all who
belong to Him. As such, a religious place, such as a Temple, is no longer
necessary for the worship of God. In each one of us is the Holy Spirit. When
two or three are gathered together, Christ is in the midst of them.
You don’t have to be in a religious place, such as inside a church building, in
order to worship God. You can worship Him anywhere, and at anytime.
From the time that Jesus had this conversation with the Samaritan woman,
the Jews only had the Temple with them for another 40 years. Forty years was
a short period of time considering God’s grand plan spans thousands of years.
In 70 AD, Herod’s temple was destroyed, as Jesus had predicted. Imagine, if
you were a Jew living in that day. How you would feel, how lost you would be
without a Temple to go to, having no altar to bring your sacrifices to. With the
destruction of the Temple, and even before that, believers could only meet in
homes. There they broke bread, prayed, praised God, and had fellowship. This
they did for about three hundred years until Emperor Constantine re-‐
introduced liturgical worship in large buildings. Up till then, the believers
were the Church. Now, they merely met in churches.
With the destruction of the Temple, God was removing, if you will, the
“training wheels from our bicycles. The ceremonialism of the Old Testament
were object lessons on faith in the grace of God for the Jews using types and
symbols. Now the lesson is over. God’s people must move away from the
reliance on visible and external symbols to an inward and spiritual faith for
worship. In the place of the visible sacrifice of animals, there is not an inward
trust in Him who is the Lamb of God; in the place of the sprinkling of blood,
there is now a reliance on the blood once shed for all; in the place of the
ephod and breastplate, there is now the robe of righteousness and holiness.
When worship is based on ceremony, there is constant danger of slipping into
idolatry. Worshippers may feel their ability to worship hampered because of a
lack of something. It may be the wrong place, the wrong song, the wrong
worship leader, the wrong prayer, the wrong temperature, etc. Anything that
distracts you from worshipping God spiritually is an idol.
When there is a dependance on liturgy, there is a clear danger that people
will worship God with their lips only -‐ but their hearts are far away. The Lord
says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with
their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on
merely human rules they have been taught. (Isa 29:13 NIV)
When all the paraphernalia of worship is removed, the distinction between an
inward worshipper and an outward worshipper becomes suddenly apparent.
Two man standing side by side, perhaps repeating the same words, but Jesus
is able to distinguish: “This one, “He says, "is a false worshipper, and that one
is a true worshipper”. Outward worshippers are false worshippers, and only
those who press into spiritual worship are true worshippers.
The Father seeks true worshippers. Who are the true worshippers? Are there
any? Just as for salvation, unless God draws them no man can or will come to
Him. So, even in worship, unless God makes one a true worshipper, no one
can worship Him in spirit and in truth. True worship is not human but divine.
It is the work of the Spirit in the soul.
Without the Holy Spirit, Paul asserts, “no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’” (1 Cor
12:3). Without the Holy Spirit, no one can cry out, “Abba, Father” (Gal 4:6 and
Rom 8:15). Both of these expressions and proclamations are vital in worship.
Wouldn’t you agree? Without the Holy Spirit, we would be like the Samaritans
who worship what we do not know.
This brings me to the next point: worshipping in truth.
It is the Holy Spirit that reveals truth to us. Such as who the Father and the
Son are. Christians must know their God. But Paul understands that such
knowledge is attainable only through revelation by the Holy Spirit. Therefore
he prays for the saints that God would give them the spirit of wisdom and
revelation so that they might grow in the knowledge of Him (Eph 1:17).
Put another way:
True worship happens when man sees God -‐ for who He is.
David bowed down in repentance when God showed him his sin (for
numbering the people). Isaiah bowed down when he saw his sinfulness. Paul
bowed down when Jesus revealed Himself to him on the road to Damascus.
A man may have been to a place of worship from his youth. He may have
been a faithful attendee of worship service. He may even have been a diligent
reader of God’s Word. Yet, after sixty years, he may never have worshipped
God in spirit and in truth. Then one day, by the grace and mercy of God, the
Father seeks him out and comes to his soul. In the light of truth, he feels he is
a sinner and cries out, “Father, I have sinned.” That is his true worship.