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Worship God Robert Sykes Copyright © 1998 Everyday Publications Inc.
Worship
God
Robert Sykes
Copyright © 1998 Everyday Publications Inc.
Copyright ©1998
Everyday Publications Inc
ISBN 978-0-88873-449-5
Printed in Canada
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Copyright © 1998 Everyday Publications Inc.
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CHAPTER TITLE PAGEPreface 5Chap. 1. Abraham at Moriah, Genesis 22 72. Abraham’s Altar at Shechem, Genesis 12.7 103. Abraham’s Altar at Bethel, Genesis 12.8; 13.3,4 124. Abraham’s Altar at Hebron, Genesis 13.18 145. Noah and His World, Genesis 6,7 176. Noah Worshiping, Genesis 8 227. Approaching God – right and wrong way, Genesis 4. 268. Abraham’s Servant, Genesis 24 309. Isaac, Genesis 26.25 3410. Jacob’s Youth, Genesis 25-28 3911. Jacob Meets the Lord, Genesis 28.10-22 4412. Jacob the Married Man, Genesis 29-30 4813. Jacob Renamed Israel, Genesis 32,33 5214. Back to Bethel, Genesis 35 5615. Jacob – Old Age and Death, Genesis 47.28; 49.33 6016. Moses at the Burning Bush, Exodus 3.1- 4.31 6417. The Passover, Exodus 12 6918. Moses at the Red Sea – Great Rescue, Exodus 14 7219. Moses at the Red Sea – Great Song, Exodus 15 7420. Second Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32 7821. Moses again on Worship, Deuteronomy 13.3-4 7922. Captain Joshua, Joshua 5.13-15 8723. Mr. and Mrs. Manoah, Judges 13 8924. Hannah, 1 Samuel 1,2 9225. David’s Psalm 96 9626. Jonathan and David, 1 Samuel 18.1-4 10227. Mephibosheth, 2 Samuel 9 10728. Wise Men Worship, Matthew 2.1-12 11229 Christmas Chorus of Worship, Luke 1,2 11630 Mary’s Song of Worship, Luke 1.46-55 11931. Zechariah’s Song, Luke 1.68-79 12432. True Spiritual Worship, John 4.1-42 13033. Worship in a Storm, Matthew 14.22-33 136
Contents
Copyright © 1998 Everyday Publications Inc.
CHAPTER TITLE PAGE34. Worthship – Worthiness, Matthew. 26 13935. Paul the Worshiper, 1 Timothy 1.12-17; 6.13-16 14436. Paul Blesses God, Ephesians. 1.3-14 14937. John the Worshiper, Revelation 1 15238. Worship in Heaven, Revelation 4,5 15639. Worship today 161
Conclusion 164
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Contents (cont’d)
Copyright © 1998 Everyday Publications Inc.
Preface
Worship has been called the Christian’s highest occupa-tion or activity. In other words worship is the most importantpart of the Christian believer’s life. So it should be the one partof our life that we should be most careful to be improving.
But at the same time worship has been termed a “lostart” because it is absent in many lives in our present generation.We have lost the ability to wonder and be amazed at the beauti-ful and worthwhile. We have lost much of the attitude of aweand reverence.
Also worship seems to be perhaps the least understoodBiblical subject to many professing Christians. Or, at the least, itmay be the most misunderstood teaching in the Bible.
This book is the result of considering the above state-ments. However, we realize there are many excellent booksalready written on the subject. Many of them dig into the deepteachings and are written for the learned and expert Bible stu-dents. This present book is not like those. We are writing for thatspecial group of believers who are called the lambs of Christ’sflock, or, the little (young) children, spiritually. They have notlearned the original languages of the Bible nor the heavy writ-ings of the scholars. But instead they are simply believers in ourLord Jesus Christ – perhaps only newly converted to Him. Weseek to write in as clear and simple language as possible for theirsake.
The subject of worship is a very important part of theBible. It runs through the entire Bible, from Genesis toRevelation. Therefore the number of references to it are very
5Copyright © 1998 Everyday Publications Inc.
many. Since that is so and since this booklet is limited in space,it is necessary to select only a few to be included in this book.
We have felt it might be more profitable for the reader ifwe look mostly at the stories of people who were worshipers aswe find them in our Bibles. With the Lord’s help we will try tolearn important lessons from their lives.
Our prayer is that each reader may be helped andencouraged to consider how we as individuals can improve theworship of our own hearts. God is so very worthy of the verybest praise we can offer Him.
He is our Lord – worship Him! (Psalm 45.11)
Worship God (Revelation 19.10; 22.9).
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Abraham atMoriah
Genesis 22What are those two men doing, climbing up that high
mountain? Look, the old man is carrying a sharp knife and livecoals for starting a fire! And the younger one is packing a heavyload of firewood. What are they going to do so far up hereamong the bare rocks?
If we had been present two days earlier we would haveheard the old man tell his two servants, “You stay here with thedonkey while my son and I go up there to worship and then wewill be coming back down to you.”
Now as the old man struggles up the steep trail along-side his son, he is listening to his son speaking to him, “Father,we have coals and wood, but where is the lamb for the burntoffering?” So! They are going to offer up a sacrifice. But, whyshould they do that?
Well, when we read the story in Genesis 22 we discoverthat God had told Abraham to do just that, “Take your son Isaac,who is so dear to you. Go up on the mountain and offer him as asacrifice of burnt offering to Me.” And in verse 9 we are toldthat when they arrived at the appointed place the first thingAbraham did was to build an altar there. Then he arranged thefirewood on it, tied up his precious son on top of the wood andprepared to sacrifice him. But verses 11 and 12 tell us that Godstopped Abraham from actually putting Isaac to death. The nexttwo verses explain that God had provided a substitute for Isaac
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(that is, to take the place of Isaac). It would be in the form of aram whose horns were caught in a bush. This was offered as aburnt offering instead of Isaac.
It is very interesting to note that in this passage we findthe first time the word worship occurs in the Bible. There is anunwritten law or basic rule of Bible study called the Law of FirstMention. Many Bible students believe that, in general, the firsttime an important subject or truth is mentioned in the Bible therewill be key thoughts found which can help us understand itsbasic meaning in future use.
So here we find this first reference to the word worshipis linked with an altar, v. 9. This suggests to us that:
(1) Worship is associated with sacrifice, verses 3,6,9,13.This story is a clear picture to us of the sacrificial offering of ourLord Jesus on the cross. Sacrifice speaks of blood shed. Theblood of our Lord Jesus Christ makes us clean from our sins,forgiven of our guilt and fit to serve and worship our God. (See1 John 1.7; Hebrews 9.14,22.) This is the only ground on whichwe can approach God.
(2) Worship is also related to submission, v.9. Isaac will-ingly let his father bind him. Christ willingly laid down His lifefor us. When we worship we must take the low place.
(3) Worship is associated with substitution, v.13. Thinkhow very thankful Isaac must have been for the one (ram) whodied in his place!
(4) Worship is called obedient reverence for the Lord,v.12. Here is an early definition for worship: An attitude (rever-ence) displayed in an action (obedience – at a cost – sacrifice).
(5) Worship is here tied to the commemoration or
Abraham at Moriah
celebration, v.14. They named the place in honor of the Lord:The Lord Will Provide.
(6) Worship, obedient reverence, results in great bless-ings, read verses 15-18.
(7) Worship is an act of faith, Hebrews 11.6, 17-19.
These few seed-thoughts contained in this passage onworship will be developed in future chapters as we search otherportions of the Bible for more references and examples of wor-ship.
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Abraham’s Altar atShechem
Genesis 12.7Abraham’s altar at Moriah was not the first one he built.
We have looked at it first because that is where the word wor-ship is first mentioned. But we will go back to consider the otherthree altars in his life.
He was born and raised in the city of Ur of theChaldeans (Babylonians) which is present-day Iraq. Joshua 24.2tells us that his family were idolaters, that is they worshipedfalse gods (idols). But God, the Lord of Glory, (see Acts 7.2,)called Abraham to leave his country and people and family. Hetold him to go to another country He would show to him, –Canaan. Then He promised to bless him greatly, Genesis 12.2-3.These blessings would include: riches, Genesis 13.6; redemp-tion, Isaiah 29.22; righteousness, Romans 4.1-3; relationship, asfriend of God, Isaiah 41.8.
Moreh at Shechem, Genesis 12.7So Abraham obeyed the Lord and made the long, hot
journey until he reached the Jordan river probably at the Ford ofJabbok. The cool oasis would be very refreshing to the travelersas they rested there at about 300 meters below sea level. Whenhe crossed the river into the land of Canaan he began the longclimb of about 40 kilometers (24 miles) to reach a place calledShechem. There he camped by the great tree at Moreh. It was on
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Abraham’s Altar at Shechem
this the higher ground, inside the land of Canaan that the Lordtold Abraham, This is the land I will give to your descendants.
Abraham had obeyed the Lord’s command. By faith hehad claimed the land God had promised him. It was then theLord appeared to him, v.7. Now see what the rest of verse 7 tellsus:
So – for that reason, because of such a gracious offer bythe Lord;
He built an altar – the response of a thankful heart;
There – on the high ground of the blessing of the Lord;
To the Lord – the Source, the Giver, the Blesser;
Who had appeared to him – as the Lord of Glory, Acts7.2.
The persons who hear the Word of the Lord and have arevelation of the glory of the Lord will do what Abraham didwith a full heart – worship HIM! That’s why he built the altar atShechem, – to express his thanks to the Lord for such greatblessings.
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Abraham’sAltar at
BethelGenesis 12.8 – 13.3-44
From Shechem Abraham moved southward about 30kilometers. He traveled on the “high road” until he came to thehills east of Bethel and northwest of Ai. It was there he pitchedhis tent, built an altar again, and called on the Name of the Lord.
But he did not stay there very long. He moved on againsouthward, v.10, and went down to Egypt. It’s sad to see that heleft the highlands and went down to Egypt, because that’s wherehe got into trouble, vs.10-20. The highlands speak of commu-nion and fellowship with God. Please notice there is no mentionof his tent or his altar down in Egypt.
But in chapter 13.1-3 we find him returning up to higherland at Bethel. Once again we read about those three importantsigns of his faith: his tent, his altar and his calling on the nameof the Lord, compare chapters 12.8 and 13.3,4.
(1) Pitching his tent tells us he was a pilgrim andstranger on earth: the Life of Faith – read 1 Peter 2.11;
(2) The Altar speaks of his love and worship forJehovah, the true God – the Worship of Faith;
(3) Calling on the Name of the Lord, or, calling on theLord by Name: this brings him back into direct contact with hisGod – The Testimony of his Faith.
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Abraham’s Altar at Bethel
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The name Bethel means House of God, or God’sdwelling place. Many long years after Abraham lived, Godwould have His temple built where His people could come toworship Him. But Abraham could not come to a building likethat. However this place, Bethel, is a picture ahead of time ofthat temple. And Abraham knew how to approach God to wor-ship Him. It was by means of an altar on which he offered a sac-rifice.
Psalm 43 was not written by Abraham, but verses 3 and4 might well express the heart desire of Abraham at Bethel:“Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me, letthem bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where youdwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my joy anddelight. I will praise you . . . O God, my God!”
Spending time near the Lord, living in His house, Hishome, was a great blessing to Abraham and can be for us aswell. The closer we live to Him the more worship will flow outof our hearts to Him!
Abraham’sAltar atHebron
Genesis 13.18In Genesis 13.5-17 we read that Abraham and Lot could
no longer stay together. So Abraham gave his nephew the choiceof which way to go. Lot chose the lowland cities of Sodom andGomorrah. Abraham remained in the highlands. He moved to aplace called Mamre, near to Hebron. This was about 45 kilome-ters (25 miles) to the south of Bethel. There were great, majestictrees at Mamre (which means strength). Hebron means commu-nion.
Bethel and Hebron are closely linked in Abraham’sexperience. Both places are mentioned many times in the Bible.We do not have space to deal with them here, but our readerswould benefit to look up and carefully study them.
The name Hebron, communion, suggests to us the veryheart of what worship is. Communion means close union withsomeone; having and sharing something in common; a lovingnearness one with another. It was in this kind of enjoyment thatAbraham built his altar. Worship is the natural outflow of com-munion.
After Lot had gone, the Lord again spoke to Abraham,in vs. 14-17. He renewed His promise of the land and of manydescendants. We may be sure these words of the Lord caused afresh flow of gratitude and worship as he built his altar there tothe Lord and pitched his tents, just as he had done at Bethel.
Abraham lived in the Mamre/Hebron area for many
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years (until chapter. 20.1). Mamre is specifically mentioned inchapters 13.18; 14.13; 18.1. Read chapters 14 through 19 andtake note of the important events that took place in his life.Living in the place of worship and communion with God includ-ed:
1. Genesis 14 – Contact with Melchizedek, God’s Priest.This man was a clear picture of our Lord Jesus (read Hebrews7). Perhaps that is the meaning of our Lord’s statement in John8.56 – “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: he saw itand was glad.”
2. Genesis 15 – Covenant of Land and Son renewed.
3. Genesis 17 – Covenant of Circumcision.
4. Genesis 18 – Personal Visit of the Lord, revealing:promise of a Son in one year; judgment coming on Sodom; andintercession of Abraham for his nephew, Lot. In these chapterswe find the Lord appearing to Abraham, 15.1; 17.1; 18.1. Andthe response of Abraham – worship, in the form of bowingdown, face to the ground, 17.3,17 and 18.2. (More about thislater.)
5. Genesis 19 – The high ground of communion iswhere Abraham (and believers today) get God’s viewpoint ofearthly events as God reveals His plans and thoughts to us, chap-ter 18.16-19. Note chapter 19.27-28, Abraham looked down onSodom.
Then looking ahead to chapter 23.17-20 we findMamre/Hebron is associated with the purchase of a burial placefor Sarah in the cave Machpelah. Later Abraham himself wasburied there, Genesis 25.9. And later still, Isaac and Rebeccahand Jacob and Leah were buried there also, Genesis 49.29-32.
What a fitting resting place for Abraham – until the day
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of resurrection. A lasting testimony to the importance of commu-nion and worship in his life. He dwelt much of the time in thehighlands, physically. This pictures to us that the place of wor-ship and communion is in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus(Ephesians 1.3) where all our blessings are. Are we dwelling orliving there?
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Noah andHis World
Genesis 6 & 7Now let’s go back earlier than Abraham to look at Noah.
Genesis 8.20 makes the first direct mention of an altar in theBible. As we have noted, there were other altars made and usedin worshiping God, but this one is the first one which is clearlyreferred to. There are important lessons we can learn from Noahabout worship. But first we need to look at the history inGenesis 6.
Great Wickedness of MankindVerse 5 tells us God saw that man’s thoughts were evil
all the time. Verses 11-13 show how those wicked thoughtsworked out into evil deeds, – violence filled the earth. Allmankind was defiled, like rotten fruit spoiled and no good. Thedisease called sin had made every human being sick with its poi-son. It was true then just as it is today, “All have sinned andcome short of the glory of God,” Romans 3.23.
Verse 6 says this all was a great grief to the loving heartof God. That is because He knew what the awful results ofman’s sin would be:
Great Judgment on MankindMankind’s great wickedness would be crushed by God’s
great judgments. In chapter 7 we are told about the destroyingpower of the great flood over all the earth. God unlocked theflood-gates of the great bodies of water underground, probably
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with huge earthquakes and terrible volcanoes. And He openedthe clouds and emptied their billions of tons of water onto theearth. That was no gentle spring shower! For 40 days and nightsthe violent storms slashed and tore the earth, changing its sur-face and covering even the highest mountain peaks. And verse22 gives the sad but terrible result: every creature on earth thatbreathed, including mankind, lost their lives, died! Destroyed!
That is the Bible description of the times Noah lived in.Our Lord has told us that the days of Noah picture the days welive in today. Violence and wickedness of every kind fill ourworld today. Our world is ripe for God’s severe judgment. Godhas declared judgment is coming: the punishment for our sins isdeath and destruction forever. Our world is doomed. We cannotescape. How hopeless is our position! Just as the times Noahlived in. But stop! That is not the whole story! Read on!
Great Grace (Favor) to NoahGenesis 6.8 – But Noah found favor in the Lord’s eyes.
Why? What made Noah different than the mass of other humanbeings? Note five things recorded about him:
1. Noah was a righteous (just) man. That is, he was rightwith God in his character. He had a right inward attitude towardGod. He did the right things in contrast to the rest of the worldwho hated and rejected God.
2. Noah was blameless manward. He didn’t go alongwith the evil men of his day. His lifestyle was not defiled by thewicked habits of the others.
3. Noah walked with God. That was the Godward direc-tion of his life – in paths of fellowship and habitual communionwith his Lord. He had not “put God out of his thoughts” like theothers had done, Romans 1.28.
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4. Noah obeyed God’s commands, 6.22 and 7.5. Hisinward right attitude toward God caused him to obey the wordof God.
5. Most importantly, Hebrews 11.7 tells us of his faith:By faith he:
1) Feared, respected, reverenced, stood in awe of God;
2) Paid careful attention to God’s message about comingjudgment;
3) He reverently obeyed God’s word by building theark;
4) He condemned the unbelief of the rest of mankind;
5) He received the righteousness which is by faith.
So God instructed Noah about His –
Great SalvationGenesis 6.14-16 – God tells Noah how he is going to
deliver Noah and his family and the animals and birds of earth.
Noah is told to build an ark. Some Bibles call it a boat.The word originally meant a wooden chest. And that is what theArk of the Covenant was in the Hebrew tabernacle, or tent, andtemple. But Noah’s ark was like a huge building or residencewhich was designed to carry and keep alive a great number ofliving creatures through the flood. So it was more like a house-boat, having three decks with plenty of rooms (living quarters),nesting places, stalls, corrals, etc. suitable for the many differentkinds and sizes of creatures, plus plenty of room for food andsupplies.
But the ark was not a boat, ship or vessel with sails,
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rudder, oars or engines that could be steered or guided by man.It was not to be towed like a barge or raft. It was to be directedand preserved by God only. It was built in just the right mea-surements of size so as not to turn over and sink, even in themost severe storms the oceans had ever known.
The passengers would travel in perfect safety, restingand well fed and having ample living space and light and freshair.
All of this is a beautiful picture of the salvation we havein our Lord Jesus Christ. When we received Him as our Savior,God placed us “in Christ.” We are just like Noah (and family)inside the ark – safe, dry, well fed and resting. In Christ we havesafety from the storm of God’s wrath, forgiveness of our sins,rest, peace, joy and hope. How safe and happy we are in Christ!
Dear reader, have you entered into this wonderful salva-tion? If not, may we remind you that everyone outside of Christwill die in his or her sins. God loves you and has provided salva-tion, full and free, through the Lord Jesus. The ark of Noah hadonly one door. Jesus said, “I am the Door, by Me if anyone enterin he (she) will be saved,” John 10.9. And there was only oneark to carry Noah and family to safety. Today Jesus is the onlyway to the safety of heaven. “I am the Way, the Truth and theLife, no one comes to the Father but by Me,” John 14.6. And Heinvites you – “Come to Me . . . and I will give you rest,”Matthew 11.28.
Genesis 7.1 – God said to Noah, “Come with all yourfamily into the Ark.”
v. 7 – And Noah obeyed God and went in with all hisfamily – faith obeys.
v.16 – And the Lord shut them in – divine safety.
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Genesis 8.1 – God remembered Noah – divine lovingcare.
v.14 – The earth became completely dry – judgment allpast.
vs.15,16 – God said “Come out of the ark, you and yourfamily.” – release, freedom.
v.18 – Noah and his family came out – in safety, into anew life!
NoahWorshiping
Genesis 8We should easily be able to imagine what joyful smiles
were on the faces of Noah and his family as they stepped out ofthe ark. How glad they must have been to put their feet on dry,solid ground again! Did they hug and kiss each other? What arelief to know the terrible storm was past and they were safelytogether as a family, ready now to set up their new homes in thisnew world. Wasn’t this an exciting end to the awful flood theyhad experienced during the many months? NO! That was not theend to this story.
Noah knows what must be the climax, the high point.Verse 20 tells us the very first thing Noah must do and did:
1. He built an altar. We have already seen that this is thefirst altar which is directly referred to in the Bible. So we needto look at the meaning of the altar.
An altar is a raised place, a pile of earth or rocks formedtogether. A place where sacrifices and offerings are made toGod. (1) It is raised above the ground so as not to be trampledon, or thought lightly of. (2) God is the Most High God. To wor-ship Him we must ascend, or go up; lift our offerings of sacri-fices and praises upward toward heaven where He dwells.
Worship is directed to heaven; it rises upward.
2. Noah sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The word burntoffering comes from the word ascending, or rising up. This is the
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first reference to burnt offering. (Abel’s sacrifice was simplycalled a gift or present.) From now on the altar, the raised place,is used from which sacrifices rise up by fire to God. Altar speaksof upward coming to God; sacrifice tells of the way to come –by blood.
What were the sacrifices? Noah took some of each kindof clean animals and birds. What does “clean” animal refer to?Later God will explain to His people His laws about this, but fornow He is beginning to teach mankind that He is holy, pure andclean. And that men and women are dirty with sin and can cometo God only on His terms: through proper sacrifices.
Why did the animals have to be killed? Because it isonly through the shedding of blood our sin can be washed away,Hebrews 9.22.
When did Noah offer his worship to God? After hisdeliverance from the judgment (flood). At the beginning of anew life, like a resurrection life in a new world. It was thenNoah, by reverent faith, came to worship this great God ofSalvation. When he had been saved with “such a great a salva-tion” the only right thing to do was to worship so great a Savior-God.
If Noah had lived at a later date he might have usedDavid’s words from Psalm 107, “Let us give thanks unto theLord for His unfailing love . . . for His wonderful deeds to man. . . Let us sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works withsongs of joy!” Or in Psalm 95, “Come let us bow down in wor-ship, let us kneel before the Lord, for He is our God.” Or Psalm100, “Worship the Lord with joy and gladness.” Should not weChristian believers do the same?
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The Result“The Lord smelled the sweet odor.” This is a figure of
speech that relates to us human beings. It is not that God has anose of flesh and blood with nerve endings like we have to smellthe physical odor of roast beef or lamb. God is Spirit, and Hevalues the spiritual meaning of the physical sacrifices. Theyremind Him of His dear Son. He loves Him and it pleases Godto be reminded of His Son.
In the books of Genesis through Numbers we find 38references to burnt offerings and they are always described asbeing a pleasing odor or smell to the Lord. Our worship is like avery sweet, pleasant smell to God. He places a very high valueon it.
Another interesting thought is expressed as some Biblestranslate this phrase as a “odor (smell) of rest.” It is the wordlinked with verse 4, “the ark came to rest on the mountains atArarat.” And it is the name Noah which means rest, quietness.The same word is used in Exodus 20.11. “God rested after fin-ishing the creation of the world.”
In other words, as Noah enters this new life in the newworld he lifts his heart in grateful worship to the Lord. God isresting satisfied with the new creation His Son has made. AndNoah is resting in it as well. God received the worship of Noah’sheart. And it is all based on the death and resurrection of Christ.Someone has pointed out that the ark rested on the seventhmonth and the 17th day. Exodus 12.2 tells us that later Godchanged the seventh month to the first month of the year relatingto the Passover. On the tenth day of the (old) seventh month thepassover lamb was picked out. On the 14th day of the (old) sev-enth month, the lamb was killed. Three days later, on the 17th
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day of the (old) seventh month, Christ rose from the dead! Theday Noah’s ark came to rest.
Yes, God rests satisfied with Jesus and His work on theCross, and Noah (and we) are resting satisfied as well. Oh, let usworship Him and praise His Name!
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Approaching God–Right and Wrong Way
Genesis 4Now we need to go back to think about the first human
family as it is told to us in Genesis 4. There are some veryimportant lessons for us to learn.
Verses 1 and 2, Eve, the first human mother, bore twosons, Cain and Abel. In these verses she shows that she knowsthe Lord is the Source of all life. Acts 17.25 tells us it is GodHimself who gives to everyone life and breath. And Adam, herhusband, also states his faith by calling his wife “Eve”, themother of all human beings, (chapter 3.20). How happy motherand father must have been at having two little boys in their newfamily! The first two children to be born into the world will haveto be taught all about their parents: where they had come from;who God was; what had happened in the Garden of Eden; whythey were not living there now. In short, everything we now canread in Genesis chapters 1,2 and 3 must have been explained toboth of them.
Perhaps our readers should take time right now to readthose chapters for themselves, especially if you are not familiarwith the history. You will find that God created Adam and then
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Eve and placed them in the beautiful Garden of Eden. Therethey could enjoy the beautiful, fresh creation God had just made.And they also enjoyed God’s visiting with them in His eveningwalks in the garden.
But the boys would also learn that something very badtook place there. Adam and Eve, their parents, had disobeyedGod’s command. This was sin. God had told them that theywould suffer punishment if they sinned. They would surely die,that very day. Death means separation from God. As soon asthey ate the forbidden fruit they died inwardly. Fellowship withGod was broken. Their conscience told them they were nakedand ashamed. So they hurried to sew some fig leaves togetherfor coverings. When they heard God coming for His walk withthem they were afraid and ran away to hide. Why did they dothat? Because they knew they were guilty sinners. And theyknew God is a holy God who must judge and punish guilty peo-ple. And they knew the skimpy fig leaves were not enough tocover their shameful sin from God’s holy eyes.
But Adam and Eve learned something else about God –He is a God of love and salvation. In Genesis 3.21 we are toldthat the Lord God made clothes for them. But what kind of cov-ering did He provide? Animal skins! Where did He get these?He Himself took some living animal and killed it so that Hecould use the skins to cover the two guilty sinners. This is thefirst picture of the great truth of salvation by substitution. A sub-stitute is someone who takes the place of another. The punish-ment for sin is death. The Lord caused an animal to die in theplace of the human beings. And its blood was shed in order totake away the stain or guilt of sin. All of this is made clear asyou read further in the Bible. It pictures our Lord Jesus Christwhen He died for us on the cross. He died in our place and shedHis blood to wash our guilt away. Praise His Name!
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And this simple lesson that Adam and Eve learned waspassed on to their two boys – they could not come near to Godexcept in His way, by blood-sacrifice. “Without the shedding ofblood there is no forgiveness for sin,” Hebrews 9.22.
Now, getting back to Genesis 4, we learn from verse 2that Abel grew up to be a shepherd and Cain was a farmer. Ashepherd keeps sheep and a farmer raises food. Both are equallygood jobs. Both boys had equal education, being taught all thehistory of their family. They had the same parents, the samehome, and the same opportunities. And they both had the samedesire – to bring a gift to their Creator-God, which they both did.
Verse 3 tells us Cain brought some of his harvest, thefruits of the soil. We do not doubt he picked out the very best ofthe vegetables from the garden and fruit from his orchard.Possibly he took the most beautiful flowers he had. They wereall products of his hard work and sweat. It wouldn’t surprise usif he looked with great pride at the “labors of his hands.” SoCain brought his gift to the Lord.
Verse 4 tells us about Abel’s gift for the Lord. Hebrought some of the firstborn lambs of his flock, and the best,fattest ones at that. As he killed his offering the blood pouredout.
Then we read how the Lord responded to these men:
He accepted Abel’s gift, He looked with favor on Abel;
He rejected Cain’s gift, He did not look with favor onhim.
WHY?
Cain came in the wrong way, “the way of Cain,” Judev.11. Proverbs 14.12 tells us about a way that seems right to aman but it ends in death. Cain should have known better. He had
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Approaching God
heard from his parents about their experience. He knew theywere not wearing fig leaves for clothing. Neither was he! Heknew why God had provided skins for covering. But he chose tocome his own way. He did not obey the instruction of his par-ents.
And what about Abel? Did God look with favor on Abelbecause he was a better man than his brother? Or because he hadbeen living a better life than Cain? Hebrews 11.4 gives us theanswer: It was by faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Caindid. Romans 10.17 says – Faith comes by hearing . . . the wordof God. Both brothers had heard (from their parents) the mes-sage of God. Cain did not believe it (faith) and Abel did. Abelobeyed the message and did what God had shown them: shedblood, by faith. So God spoke well of his offering and He calledAbel a righteous man, that is he did the right thing, by faith. Andthat faith still speaks to us today with this lesson:
Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness;
Without shedding of blood worship is impossible;
Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11.6);
Without faith worship is impossible.
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Abraham’sServant
Genesis 24In this chapter we return to Abraham near the end of his
long life. He is concerned about his beloved son Isaac who is notyet married. He wants to find a bride for Isaac. So Abraham callshis oldest servant to him. He instructs him to go back to the landAbraham had come from. There he would find a young womanwho would be willing to become Isaac’s wife. This chapter 24 ofGenesis tells us the lovely story of how the servant won the handof Rebecca for Isaac.
Very often this story is taken as a beautiful picture of thethree Persons of the Godhead: Abraham pictures to us God theFather, who gave His well beloved Son for us to die at Calvary.Do you remember Genesis 22, Abraham taking his dear sonIsaac up the mountain to offer him in sacrifice? Isaac picturesour Lord Jesus, the Son of God.
Let’s briefly compare Isaac with our Lord Jesus:
Isaac was the beloved son of his father – see Matthew3.17;
Isaac was heir to his father’s wealth – compare John16.15; Hebrews 1.2;
Isaac loved his bride, v. 67 – Ephesians 5.25;
Isaac married her, v. 67 – see Revelation 19.6-9.
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We have already seen he is a picture of Christ in Hisdeath. Of course Isaac himself did not really die, but was givenback to his father as a picture of our Lord’s resurrection,Hebrews 11.19. The next time we see Isaac is at the end of this24th chapter of Genesis. He is going out to meet his new bride,vs. 62-67. That is a picture of the rapture of the church, 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18.
But now all the rest of our chapter is given to tellinghow Abraham’s servant won Rebecca to be Isaac’s bride. Theservant is a picture of the Holy Spirit. Consider – He onlyspeaks about the Son, revealing Him, John 16.12-15. And duringthis present age of grace, the Holy Spirit is the power of God inattracting men and women to Christ as our only Savior.
However, for our present purpose we want to look atthis servant of Abraham’s as a picture and example to us who arebelievers in Christ and who are called to serve our beloved Lord.It gives us some important lessons about how we should be serv-ing Him.
In this chapter the servant is not named. That, no doubt,is so that we may put our name in and see how our Lord wantsus to serve Him. But we also can note that Genesis 15.2 refers toone named Eliezer, who probably is this man in our chapter.Eliezer’s name means God of help. This is a key to all servicedone for our Lord; it is only possible as God is our strength andguide. In our own strength we can do nothing, John 15.5.
Abraham’s servant was given clear instructions, vs.3-9.And so are we; see Matthew 18.16-20 for one example.
He was sent (v.4) and he went (v.10) obediently andpromptly.
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any contact for his master he prayed, v. 12. Note some importantlessons about his prayer: It was at the kneeling down time of hiscamels, evening, v.11. That was the way they had their burdensunloaded. And so it was with the servant. He prayed in direct,simple faith. He asked for specific guidance. He put a “checktest” in the request – not as a doubt about God’s ability toanswer but as a proof that God was at work. The test was thatthe girl would not only give him the drink he requested, butwould also offer to draw water for all his camels (ten of them)!That would be very unusual, because she must have known thatcamels drink a very large quantity of water! It would take a longtime to draw small buckets full of water and pour them into thedrinking troughs until ten camels were satisfied!
Then verse 21 tells us he stood back and watched forGod to work His answer! Does that remind you of Ephesians6.18 – we are to be praying with all kinds of prayer in the Spirit,watching for the answer by faith. His prayerful attitude wasanswered with success. The answer proved it was all done by theLord! Even Laban and Bethuel had to admit that, v.50.
But three times in this story we are told of his attitude ofhumility and worship:
Vs.. 26 and 27 – the man bowed down in humble grati-tude for God’s clear answer to his prayer. He takes the low placebefore the Lord. With bowed head he offers his worship as hepraises the Lord for His kindness and faithfulness. “He led meall the way. To God be the glory, great things He has done!”
In verse 48 he repeats the story to the family. The fact itis recorded in the Bible for a second time tells us it is importantto notice.
And in verse 52 is the third time it is mentioned. All the32
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more reason we should take notice! This time he falls totally onthe ground as he worships the Lord in deep gratitude.
Some brief notes to close this section:
Serving the Lord with worshipful, loving attitude ofheart is the only kind of service that truly is blessed by God. Anyservice done without that condition of heart is wasted andempty. It is called dead works.
Worship includes not only praise and thanksgiving butalso service to God – priestly service, given to God with a heartfull of worship to Him.
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Abraham’s Servant
IsaacGenesis 26.25
In Genesis 22 we have seen Isaac as a picture of ourLord Jesus Christ:
As the Beloved Son of the Father
As offered on the altar of God (the cross)
As risen from the dead (in figure).
But Isaac can also be seen as a picture of Christianbelievers, as they are viewed in the New Testament:
Appointed to death, Genesis 22, but spared from deathbecause his place was taken by a substitute (a ram), v.13. In thissense Isaac was “born again”. Now look up these verses whichshow how this took place for us who are Christian believers –Romans 5.6-8; 1 Peter 1.23;
He was made very rich by his father, Genesis 24.36;
Made heir to the wealth of his father, Genesis 25.5;
Made heir to the Promised Land, Genesis 26.4;
Promised many descendants, Genesis 26.4.
Compare Ephesians 1.3, 1 Peter 1.3-5 and Romans 8.17 to seehow we have been made rich and blessed in Christ.
But now let’s look at some of Isaac’s personal qualities.In some ways Isaac had weaknesses and failures in his life. Butfor now let’s just look at some good qualities that may be impor-tant lessons for ourselves.
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One interesting thing to note is that Isaac was the onlypatriarch who had only one wife. This, of course, was God’sideal plan for mankind, see Genesis 2.24. It is good to seeIsaac’s obedience to God’s will in this area of his life.
His obedience to his father on Mount Moriah shows awillingness to submit. In 1 Peter 5.5-6 we are told to be submis-sive and humble in spirit, because God opposes the proud andgives grace to the humble.
He seems to have been a quiet, gentle person. Look upwhat the New Testament says to us – 1 Timothy 2.2; 1 Peter 3.4.
We see his peaceable attitude in Genesis 26.20-22.Romans 12.18 says we should as far as possible live at peacewith everyone.
His faith is mentioned in Hebrews 11.20.
His prayerful concern and love for his wife are seen inGenesis 24.67 and 25.21. This surely should be found in us aswell, Ephesians 5.25.
Genesis 24.63 gives us a very interesting insight. He isout in the field one evening. Probably walking with handsclasped behind his back, head bowed down. The verse says hewas meditating or thinking. It could read conversing, or talkingto someone. With whom? We are sure he was having a goodheart-to-heart talk with the Lord. And we wonder if this was ahabit in his life, at least during that period of time. Communionwith the Lord tells us of a heart devoted to Him.
In Genesis 26.23-25 Isaac came to Beersheba (the Wellof the Oath) where the Lord appeared to him. Isaac heard Himspeak words of –
Revelation – I am the God of your father AbrahamAssurance – do not fear
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Presence – I am with youPromise – I will bless you and multiply you.
Then, as a result of that, in verse 25 we read theseimportant statements: he built an altar, he called on the name ofthe Lord, he pitched his tent, and he dug a well.
(1) He built an altar. He took a public stand as his fatherAbraham had done. He would worship the Lord, the true God.Building the altar speaks of worship. We have seen this in chap-ters 2,3,4. (Perhaps our reader would review those now.)
(2) He called on the name of the Lord, as Abraham haddone, Genesis 13.4.
This may refer to:
– Identification, (placing a name on one) Genesis 4.26,calling themselves by the name of the Lord;
– Salvation, Acts 2.21; Everyone who calls on the nameof the Lord shall be saved;
– Prayer life, Psalm 18.6; In my distress I called to theLord; Psalm 50.15, Call on me in the day of trouble, I will deliv-er you;
– Worship, Psalm 116.12-17, How can I repay the Lordfor all His goodness to me – Lifting up the cup of salvation Iwill call on the name of the Lord . . . I will sacrifice a thankoffering (of thanks and praise);
Isaiah 12.2-6, God is my salvation, my strength, mysong . . . give thanks to the Lord, calling on His name . . .singing to the Lord . . . with joy. It all speaks of joy-filled,thankful, praise-filled worship.
And it is interesting to note that in verse 3 we read how
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worship is linked with salvation – Joyfully drawing water fromthe wells of salvation, because –
(3) Isaac had a well dug, Genesis 26.25. The importanceof earthly water is a picture of spiritual water, the life-giving,living water our Lord spoke of in John 4.10-13, and John 7.37-39 (read these verses). There is a direct link with drinkingdeeply of the water of Life, (the Word of God applied to ourhearts by the Spirit of God) and the outflow of worship whichwill be directed to our Lord.
(4) Isaac pitched his tent there. This is the sign of thepilgrim and stranger which all of the patriarchs were. Hebrews11.13-16 says they were not settling down here on earth, butwere looking forward to the better land. Read how this applies tous, in 1 Peter 2.11.
This worshipful attitude of Isaac is reflected in some-thing his son Jacob said, years later, in Genesis 31.42 and 53.There Jacob was in trouble with his uncle Laban. Twice hereferred to the Lord as Abraham’s God and Isaac’s God. But it isvery interesting to note the title he used for Isaac’s God: “theFear of Isaac.” This can be also translated “the Awesome One”of Isaac. And the meaning is given as follows – “the God Whowas tremblingly adored by Isaac.”
Why did Jacob used this term for God? Somewhere dur-ing Jacob’s younger life he must have witnessed somethingimportant about his father. He must have seen a deep respect forthe Lord. There must have been evidence of a trembling adora-tion of Jehovah his God.
This is an important side of worship which should bepresent in all true Christians. But we regret to say it is often notvery evident in our lives today. We find our thoughts of God aretoo shallow, careless and casual. And this attitude toward God is
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a source of weakness in the spiritual lives of many Christians inour present day.
Oh, that the Spirit of God may stir in our hearts a deepersense of true reverence. Yes, that we may know more of thistrembling adoration in our own worship of Him!
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Jacob’s Youth
Genesis 25 - 28Isaac and Rebecca had two sons – twins. The firstborn
was named Esau, because of his red hair. When the second wasborn he was grabbing the heel of his brother, so he was namedJacob or Grabber. The Lord had told their mother that the olderone would become servant to his younger brother. Then, lateron, in Malachi 1.2,3 the Lord said, “I have loved Jacob but EsauI have hated.”
Do we wonder why the Lord made these two state-ments? There surely must have been a great difference in thetwo boys for the Lord to say that about them. Yes, there was, andit shows up very early in their lives. But not in the way we mightthink. Outwardly Esau seemed to be a good man. He was a goodout-of-doors man, a hunter who pleased his father with tastywild meat to eat; a real “he man.” He became ancestor of theEdomite nation. And later he could forget his great wrath againsthis brother and forgive him.
Jacob turned out to be a deceiver, a “grabber”, and acheat. Not a very nice kind of man, was he? But we humanbeings look at the outside of people while the Lord looks intothe heart, 1 Samuel 16.7.
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The BirthrightGenesis 25.27 gives us a key to understanding Jacob’s
true character. In some Bibles he is called a “plain” man, or aquiet or a peaceful man. But the word includes being sound,wholesome, upright, balanced. Jacob had an early sense of rightvalues. He decided that spiritual things were important. Let’slook at his first (recorded) words, in verse 31: “sell me yourbirthright! (That means the rights of the firstborn son). Jacobcared about the spiritual meaning of a birthright. It had to dowith the future of his family in God’s plan of blessing. Here is asimple list of the main important features of the birthright of thefirstborn:
Spiritual position – head of family descendants – priest-ly rights;
Double portion of the father’s goods – property rights;
Including a throne (Genesis 27.29) – princely rights;
Headship of the only family chosen by God – patriar-chal rights;
Direct link to Messiah lineage – Progenitorship (ances-tor’s) rights.
Jacob was very, very interested in this spiritual right.Verse 33 shows how determined he was to get it. And, in con-trast, see how little Esau cared about it:
v.31. Jacob desired it, Sell me the birthright!v.32 Esau belittled it, What good is it to me?v.33 Esau sold it;v.34 Esau despised it
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Jacob’s Youth
Genesis 27.36, Esau lost it. Genesis 25.34, He got upand went away. Genesis 27.39, He would dwell away from allthe blessings!
And that is the message of Esau’s first (recorded) words:Quick, feed me, I’m starved half to death! And in his secondstatement: What good is it to me if I die? Hebrews 12.16 sumsup his character: an unholy, godless person, foolish, lookingonly at present advantage and caring nothing for the eternalblessing of God.
The BlessingChapter 27 tells us about the second thing that Jacob
was very interested in, the Blessing. Verses 28-29 show us fourthings:
1) Heaven’s dew speaks of spiritual blessings;
2) Earth’s richness – earthly abundant crops and herds;
3) Rule over nations, and
4) Divine protection. The abundance of God’s blessingis shown by how often the words bless and blessing are men-tioned in Genesis 27.1 to 28.14, at least 28 times.
It is interesting to compare these with the blessings onthe Church today as listed in Ephesians 1. We do not have thespace to go into details here, but only a simple list. We suggestthat interested readers should study carefully for themselves:
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Genesis 27.28-29; 28.3-4 COMPARE Ephesians 1:3-14Divine, heavenly blessings Eph. 1.3 Blessings of the Lord in
the heavenly places.
Abundance of blessings Every spiritual blessing
Riches vs.6&7 Riches of God’s grace and favor
Inheritance vs.14&18 Riches of His glorious inheritance
Possessions Chosen, holy, adopted, redeemed, forgiven.
Genesis 27.15 tells us about “the best clothes of Esau(the firstborn)”. This refers to the special, choice, decorated robegiven to the firstborn to mark him out from all the rest.(Compare Joseph, Genesis 37.3,23,32). This was put on Jacobwho was the second-born. Does that remind you of Luke 15.22?This same thing happened to the younger son; he was not thefirstborn but he received the best robe, the birthright blessing. Inboth cases neither one deserved this favor but it was all by thepure grace of the Father (God). Blessed be His Name!
And the purpose of all this is that “The Blesser beblessed,” Genesis 27.29. That is what worship is. Now noticeEphesians 1.3 – Praise, (worship, give thanks, bless) the Godand Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; v.6 – to the praise of Hisglorious grace; vs.12,14 – to the praise (worship) of His Glory.
But, as we read back over the story of Jacob’s life up to
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this point, we cannot find one trace of praise or even one wordof thanks to the Lord or even to his parents! Instead we readabout his lies, trickery, deception. He had a good desire for thegood, important things, but he used bad means to get them. Atleast nine times in Genesis 27 he deceived his father. Galatians6.7 tells us that God is not fooled, He cannot be deceived.Whatever a person sows he will reap. And so God is going todeal with Jacob to teach him some very hard lessons. And it isgoing to take many years for Jacob to learn. But God is patientand merciful, as we shall see.
But now a word to ourselves as Christian believers. Wehave been so blessed by our Lord, as we have seen in Ephesians1. Are we returning to Him the true thanks and praise of ourhearts? Or is worship lacking in our lives because of sinfulactions and desires? If these are in our hearts the Lord will nothear our prayers, nor praises, Psalm 66.18. Let us confess andforsake any wrongdoing at once and then from cleansed heartsgive Him our grateful praises and worship!
JacobMeets theLord
Genesis 28.10-222
Jacob’s DepartureEsau was very angry with his brother Jacob and said he
would kill him. So mother Rebecca urged Jacob to get packedand leave home at once. He should flee to his mother’s birth-place in the land of Mesopotamia. In verse 11 he stops for thefirst night after a hard day’s “forced march”. He had coveredabout 40 miles (about 60 kilometers)! That was a long hike forone day! He certainly made a great effort to get away from hisangry brother. And we can be sure that his conscience was push-ing him forward at top speed.
The place where he stopped was a rocky valley; a bar-ren, hard place, full of many stones. There was no shelter there,so he would have to lie down on the ground under the open sky.There were not nice, soft pine boughs to lie on, so he had to takea stone for his pillow. A rather hard pillow at that! But it allreminds us of Proverbs 13.15. There we learn that the way of thesinners is hard, rough, rugged. Jacob is experiencing this on hisvery first day away from home.
Verse 19 tells us the name of that place was Luz, whichmeans perverse or also a curve or turning aside. It proved to be
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the turning point in Jacob’s life. Because it was here he met theLord.
Jacob’s Dream
Verse 12, Jacob’s first dream was a vision of the graceof God. He saw:
1) a staircase, or ladder. It was set up on earth with itstop reaching to heaven. In John 1.51 and John 14.6 our LordJesus referred to this as a picture of Himself, the Way (to God inheaven), the Truth (from God in heaven) and the Life (of God inheaven) – all made known to us in Jesus;
2) the servants, angels, going up and down serving theLord and His people;
3) the Supreme Lord, – above all others, revealed in Hisexalted glory “high and lifted up” as Isaiah saw Him, in Isaiah6.1;
(Or it can be translated – beside him, close to him. Thiswould also be true of our Lord, revealed in His great grace,coming right down to where the sinner, Jacob, was. The Lord isnot only a God high and mighty but at the same time He is aGod nearby in His gracious love.)
Then Jacob heard the Lord speaking to him:
4) precious promises. vs. 13-15. The Lord was renewingthe covenant-promise He had made earlier to Abraham and toIsaac. He was telling Jacob that He was the God of Abraham andof Isaac and He now wanted to be Jacob’s God also:
(1) The person who was speaking gave His name – “IAM,” “LORD” – see Exodus 3.6-10, 14-15. And He uses the
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Jacob Meets the Lord
personal pronoun “I” seven times in fullness of grace to unwor-thy Jacob;
(2) The Promises He made:– property, the land of Canaan;– people, a large family of descendants;– plenteous blessing to all nations;– personal protection and presence of the Lord.
And all of this was given to Jacob in the Lord’s freegrace!
Jacob’s ResponseVerses 16-17, Jacob recognized a sure fact – the Lord
was there;
He regretted a sad failure – not to realize that fact;
He experienced a sincere fear – awesome reverence ofthe Lord. Reverential fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowl-edge, Proverbs 1.7. And reverential fear of the Lord is the begin-ning of worship! This is Jacob’s first glimpse of the Lord. It ishis first direct contact. And his heart was overcome with awe(“how awesome is this place”).
This became a turning point in Jacob’s life – Luz is nownamed Bethel, which means House of God. Jacob exclaimed,“This is the house of God, this is the gate to heaven.”
So he set up the stone pillow for a stone pillar, for a wit-ness to all. And he made it a sacred pillar by pouring oil over it.This was an important testimony to his great decision.
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Jacob’s DecisionVerses 20-22, His faith. Faith comes by hearing the
word of God (Romans 10.17) and Jacob believed what God hadsaid. Now Jacob says, “Since, or because God has spoken thesethings, I believe and act on it.”
His confession. The Lord will by my God. He is nolonger content to have the Lord be his father’s God and hisgrandfather’s God. Now He is mine!
This was a most important decision in Jacob’s life. Andit is the same for all of us. May we ask our reader just now, haveyou ever personally made this decision? It is the only way youcan receive the blessing of God’s grace in salvation. It is not suf-ficient that your father or mother may be believers in the LordJesus. You must receive Him for your own self.
His vow or solemn promise to God:
1) Regarding God’s place, house of God, is where He isworshiped. That is what Jacob was doing there that day;
2) Regarding God’s portion – he would give the tithe(tenth) back to God in gratitude. That is part of worship too, thevoluntary giving to God of our thank-offerings. We will belearning more about this in future chapters.
Jacob theMarried Man
Genesis 29-330
Journey to MesopotamiaGenesis 29.1 – Mesopotamia was the area east of the
Euphrates river, now known as Iraq. Haran was the city to whichAbraham had moved with his family, Genesis 11.31. Jacob’smother, Rebecca, had been born there. Jacob is now taking thelong hike (probably 500 miles – 800 km – or more). His parentshad sent him to visit relatives. Apart from the first night, chapter28, nothing is told us about the long weeks of hard, hot walkingJacob did. We are simply told that he arrived at the land of theeastern people. Had he been walking with joyous heart thinkingabout the grace the Lord had shown him? We would hope so.What we do know is that there is not much sign of any joy in theLord during the next 20 years.
Life in MesopotamiaJacob was young, strong and ambitious. Also he was
self-confident and independent, able to handle his own affairsvery well. As we read these two chapters we find he was very
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busy with two major projects – (1) Marriage(s) and wives, pro-ducing a family;
(2) Money and wages, producing a fortune (riches).
Marriage & WivesJacob had deceived and cheated his father and brother
(chapters 25 and 27). Now his very first experience with his newfather-in-law (Laban) was to be cheated and deceived himself.He thought he was marrying Rachel whom he loved, but insteadgot her older sister, Leah. So much for Jacob’s clever ability tolook after himself! But then he worked another seven years andgot Rachel. Now with two wives (plus their two slave-maids)Jacob fathered 11 sons and one daughter during this 20 yearperiod.
As Jacob established a home his household life becamebusy and hectic. The women were quarreling. Jealousy and bit-terness soon became evident in the lives of the sons as they grewup. (This is one painful result of having more than one wife.Having only one wife was really God’s will for man.)
Another sad thing to be noted – the only time Jacobmentioned the Lord to his family was in chapter 30.2 whenRachel demands he give her children and Jacob says only theLord can do that. (And later he mentions to Laban how it wasthe Lord who had blessed Laban, chapter 30.30). The only otherreferences to the Lord are made by Jacob’s wives! Leah was thefirst to confess faith in the Lord. She mentions the name of Godthree times and the Lord twice at the births of five of her sixsons. Bilhah refers to God at the birth of one of her two sons.And Rachel mentions both God and the Lord at the birth of
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Joseph. But Jacob seems to be silent about the Lord during these20 years! What a shame!
And another thing lacking in this story: Jacob’s love forthe Lord. Three times we read about his love for Rachel, chapter29.18,20,30. And later (chapter 37.3,4) twice for his love forJoseph, and (chapter 44.20) of his love for Benjamin. But neveronce refers to his love for the Lord. This does not mean that hedid not have any love for Him, but it seems to be overshadowedby love for family.
Money & WagesBut as a man’s family increases so must his income to
provide for them. Jacob was not lazy. He was a hard worker andfor these 20 years he worked very hard, day and night. (Readchapter 31.38-40.)
But one again we find that Jacob’s past sins are catchingup with him. Years ago he had deceived and cheated. Now hehas his wages changed ten times (chapter 31.41). And so Jacobhad to work all the harder. But in all his long and hard work itseems Jacob was neglecting his spiritual life and his family life.
Jacob was so busy raising a family and making moneythat he did not have time for the Lord! For 20 years we do notfind Jacob having an altar to God. There is no record of himpraying. Not one sound of praise to the Lord. Not a word ofthanksgiving. Not one reference to his love to the One whodemands that His people love Him with all the heart, with all thesoul, and with all the strength we have, Deuteronomy 6.5. Thereis no record of his giving the tithe (tenth) to the Lord as he hadpromised. In short, there is no worship in his heart because therehas been no time to even think about the Lord.
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Warning to UsBut why do we include this sad chapter in the present
book? Because today many Christian believers may be picturedin this experience of Jacob. We start out well at conversion butall too soon we find ourselves being carried away from our firstlove to our Lord. Love of this present world, 2 Timothy 4.10;love of money, 1 Timothy 6.10; love of family and friends, Luke14.26; love of pleasures, 2 Timothy 3.4; love of self, 2 Timothy 3.2. Any or all of these can and will crowd out wor-ship from our hearts. Let us beware!
JacobRenamed Israel
Genesis 32 - 33Twice in chapter 31 the Lord spoke to Jacob and told
him to go back to his homeland, vs. 3,13. This return speaks ofrenewal, revival of his communion with the Lord. It leads toBethel (chapter 35) which speaks of fellowship with God in Hishouse (Bethel means house of God). Twenty years inMesopotamia was too long for Jacob to be away from the Lord.
So in chapter 31.21 he began his journey home. Thiswas at a difficult time in Jacob’s life. He is leaving Laban, anangry relative and going to meet Esau his angry brother. We sayhe was “between a rock and a hard place.” But he was going inobedience to the Lord. So we find in chapter 32.1 the angels ofGod met him, to serve him and help him in his difficulties (seeHebrews 1.14). As Jacob saw them he must have been encour-aged. He said this was God’s host or army, and he named theplace Two Camps, meaning God’s camp alongside his owncamp.
But he hears that Esau is coming against him with 400men, and Jacob is greatly frightened. Then, in verse 9, we readthat Jacob prayed. It is the first time we know of his praying,except for perhaps the last part of his vow to pay the tenth toGod, chapter 28.22. But here in our chapter, v.11, he clearlyprays for the Lord to save him from Esau. A great change inJacob’s attitude!
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Next he begins quickly planning the best way to winback his brother’s friendship with large gifts. He divided up hisflocks and his wives and their families and sent them all acrossthe Jabbok River at the shallow part (near the Jordan), v.23. Thisriver Jabbok flows into the Jordan River about 30 km north ofthe Dead Sea. The name Jabbok means flowing or emptying out.This is interesting because it is where Jacob experienced thatvery thing spiritually.
Verse 24 – So Jacob was left alone. Between leavingLaban and facing Esau, Jacob needed very much to be alone.For 20 years his life had been filled with wives and children andflocks and herds. He had been busy, busy – too busy for timewith God. So busy, in fact that God had been almost shut out ofhis life and thoughts altogether!
And how true this can be for us today in this busy 20thcentury living. We have already seen this in our last chapter. Andhere Jacob is alone – yet not alone by himself. The verse tells usJacob was left alone with a Man (or Angel, Angel of God)!Jacob recognized it was God Himself who had met with him.
We understand this to be one of the times our Lord Jesusappeared in bodily form in the Old Testament. He is called aman here, vs.24,25,26,27 and 28, and also referred to as God,vs.28 and 30.
What is the Lord doing with Jacob? Wrestling, strug-gling to bring Jacob to the end of his own pride and self-suffi-ciency. Emptying out of him his old natural abilities to “do it allhimself.” He had to make Jacob weak in his hip so that helimped the rest of his life. He called on Jacob to say his ownname. Back in chapter 27.19 Jacob had lied to his father, I amEsau. But now he freely admitted to the Lord, I am JACOB, thegrabber, cheater, deceiver. Jacob’s confession showed his true
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Jacob Renamed Israel
change of heart: no longer a proud, self-made man, able to do itall on his own. But instead unworthy of any of God’s mercies(he had already admitted this in verse 10 in his prayer to God).
So now the Lord announces the great news: your nameis changed from Jacob, the grabber, deceiver, to Israel. Israel istranslated as: a prince with God, or one who struggled with God,or God rules. It is a beautiful act of God’s great grace and kind-ness to one so unworthy! The change of name is a sign of achange in the man – from, v.24, battling with the Lord, by beingbroken by the Lord, v.25, to blessing from the Lord, v.29. Thischange of name is repeated, or confirmed in chapter 35.10, like aseal of assurance to Jacob.
From now on Jacob will still be called Jacob over 200times in the Old Testament but he will be called Israel manymore times than that. It seems to be an Old Testament picture ofthe New Testament teaching regarding the believers in Christwho are stated to have two natures: (1) Old natural Jacob repre-sents the old, sinful nature, sometimes called the flesh; and (2) Israel is used of spiritual Jacob and descendants, the newnature which we received when we were born again by the Spiritof God.
But the exciting thing about this new experience is thatat chapter 32.30 we read that Jacob called the place Peniel, theface of God. And verse 31 tells us that a new day dawned forJacob as the sun arose over him; and a new walk would charac-terize him, walking with God. And this is evidenced in chapter33.20. Here we see a new stage of worship for Jacob – he buildshis first altar to the Lord. And he names it his new personal tes-timony: God is now my God! because that is what the name ofhis altar means: God the God of Israel. He has finished with justbeing content to refer to the Lord as his grandfather’s God, orhis father’s God. Now He is my God! And his worship is direct-
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ed to Him by means of this altar he has now built. He worshipshis God as being the Mighty One.
In summary of this chapter, Jacob received five newthings:
(1) New Name – Israel, Prince with God. Speaks of his newcharacter with God.
(2) New Power – from God – over men, he shall overcome;
(3) New Blessing – there, at Jabbok: struggling of his old sinfulnature stopped and the clinging of faith began;
(4) New Relationship – face to face with God. No one can seeGod and remain the same: (a) toward God, pleasing to him; (b) toward Esau, his enemy made to be at peace with him, chap-ter 33.4. He kissed him, not killed him.
(5) New Day, v.31 – spiritually the sun shines on him in bless-ing. Walking with a limp is proof that he was now a God-con-quered man! But he walks in spiritual victory.
Back toBethel
Genesis 35We saw in our last chapter that Jacob had been away
from Bethel too long; for twenty years he had been inMesopotamia. Paddan Aram is the name some Bibles give it.This means, the ransom is high. Jacob found that to be true: itwas costly to be living away from God, see chapter 31.41. Whilehe was busy building his family and wealth he was not makingprogress spiritually. It was like his descendants (the nation ofIsrael) 300 years later who wandered around the desert for 40years. They were not making progress bodily or spiritually. SoJacob had neglected his spiritual life. He badly needed to returnto God, to communion and fellowship with Him. We saw that hehad been told twice, in chapter 31 to go back to Bethel. He hadstarted out but had turned aside.
So in verse 1 God again tells Jacob to return to Bethel.Notice He says to him, get up and go up. He had been restingand now must get up and get going in his obedience. And to getto Bethel he had to go up. He must climb out of the lowlands ofliving on a worldly level, that is merely living an earth-centeredlife. Fellowship with God is centered in heaven, where Godlives. For Christian believers this is called the heavenly places,or realms in Ephesians 1. “Set your hearts on things above,where Christ is . . . “, Colossians 3.1.
The PlaceBethel was a very important place in the Old Testament.
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It is referred to more than any other place except Jerusalem. Sixtimes in this chapter alone, 12 times in Genesis and 71 times inthe whole Old Testament. It was a very important landmark inJacob’s life. Review the notes on chapter 28.10-22. And also inthe life of Abraham, in chapters 12.8 and 13.3.
The PurposeHe was to dwell there, make his home there, in the pres-
ence of the Lord. King David expresses his desire for this inPsalm 27.4, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: thatI may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, togaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in Histemple.” That did not mean to be bodily sitting in the templebuilding every day (the temple had not yet been built). But to bespiritually enjoying the presence of the Lord at all times no mat-ter where he was physically. It is this that really produces theattitude of worship. And in the next words we find the act ofworship:
He was to build an altar to the Lord. This was activeworship that the Lord desired. (See previous references to altarsfor review of the meaning.)
But he was to build the altar there, at Bethel. In chapter33.20 he had already built his first altar, but it was at Succoth.That was not satisfactory because he had stopped short of goingall the way to his fatherland as he had been told to do. He hadset it up too close to the wicked world. The evil influences of thegodless pagans at Succoth brought terrible damage to Jacob’sfamily and his testimony, see chapter 34. Does that remind youof Lot who was living in Sodom? He was giving in to the evilworld and he lost his testimony also.
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The PreparationBut before we can worship we need to prepare our
hearts: So Jacob is now told what he must do:
1. Put away, get rid of, all evil things in his household:
(1) Foreign gods, idols This no doubt included thehousehold idols Rachel had stolen from her father Laban, chap.31.19.
(2) Ear rings and other tokens or signs of heathen reli-gion. Probably among the things Simeon and Levi took as plun-der from Shechem, chapter 34.29.
These kinds of things represent to us any evil habits andeven bad language that Christian believers today can so easilypick up in our lives. Our thought-life can easily be defiled bysin. Sinful habits and thoughts cling to our hearts and minds.They hinder our spiritual life. They block the spirit of worship toour God. They must be put away, thrown out. If I love some sinand hold it close to my heart the Lord will not hear my prayersnor my worship, Psalm 66.18.
2. Bury it. Put it in the grave, the place of death. In NewTestament language we are to put to death all unclean thoughtsand deeds of our old sinful nature, Romans 8.13.
3. Clean, wash ourselves; change clothes. This is pic-tured often in the Law of Moses regarding religious cleansingof the priests and the people before they could approach God toworship Him. It is because God is holy and pure, and we areunclean, defiled. Holiness describes the House of God, Psalm93.5. And Holiness must be seen in the worship of God,“Worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness, tremble beforeHim all the earth,” Psalm 96.9.
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These instructions to Jacob are just as true and impor-tant for us today. May we remember this when we go up to theLord’s House to worship at the Lord’s Table. Please read care-fully 1 Corinthians 11.27-32. And remember 1 John 5.21 – getrid of idols in our lives. An idol can be anything or anyone thattakes the place of God in our hearts!
Jacob’s ObedienceJacob built the altar, as instructed.
Jacob named it El Bethel, meaning God of the House ofGod.
Now let’s notice the results of his obedience:fresh appearance of God, blessing of God, change of name, confirmed,renewed promise, guaranteed by “I am God Almighty,”renewal of Jacob’s pillar-witnessplace truly named house of God, confirmed.
These are little glimpses of the blessings that we can andwill experience whenever we come to God to worship Him “inspirit and in truth.”
Jacob –
Old Age andDeath
Genesis 47.28; 49.33We now come to the closing days of Jacob’s life. It has
been a long and eventful time, one hundred and forty-sevenyears. He did not live as long as his father, Isaac (180 years), orgrandfather, Abraham (175 years), had lived. But he toldPharaoh (in chapter 47.9) that his days were fewer but full ofhard, difficult and stormy times. It is very interesting to notethat, in spite of the shorter life he lived, more space is given totelling his story than anyone else in Genesis. In fact almost halfof the book of Genesis is about Jacob!
We believe God had a good reason for taking time to tellus so much about Jacob. We learn of God’s great patience andlove in dealing with such a sinful, independent, proud man. Hewas working to shape the poor, sinning man into the true saint ofGod. Changing his character from being the deceiver to thehumble, thankful receiver of the undeserved mercies and kind-ness of the Lord (see chap. 32.10); from the sinner to the saint;from the grabber to the grateful one; from the wicked one to theworshiper of the Lord. And this is what He wants to make eachof us.
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In this section of Genesis, chapter 47.28 - 49.33, we seeJacob’s death-bed events. We notice he now is a matured, spiri-tual man of God in action. He first speaks as a pilgrim. He hasbeen living in Egypt for 17 years, but he has not let Egypt live inhis heart. His heart has been in the promised land, Canaan. He isa stranger and foreigner in Egypt. In vs. 28-31 he gives orders toJoseph to bury his body in the promised land, his true homeland,for that is where his heart was.
In chapter 48 he is the priest, blessing the sons of Josephand then his own 12 sons. These blessings are especially linkedwith his name, Israel. See chapter 48.2,8,9,10,13,14,21. And theblessings are referred to at least 12 times in chapters 48 and 49.They are summarized in 49.25-26 where we find they are fargreater than earthly, physical blessings relating only to time.They reach out to the farthest borders of eternity! That isbecause they are spiritual blessings, and were given by a spiritu-al saint of God as he was directed by the Spirit of God Himself.
In chapter 49 he speaks as the prince. Back in chapter32.28 he was given the name Israel which can be translatedprince or overcoming ruler. In 49.10 he refers to the royalscepter and in verse 28 he used the same expression for the 12tribes of Israel. He speaks as the head of the nation Israel. Andin this way he also speaks as the prophet when he predicts thefuture of each tribe. But in a special way he foretells the comingMessiah Who will be the Redeemer-Ruler of not only Israel butthe whole world. And who is that? None other than his mostimportant Descendant – our Lord Jesus Christ!
What remarkable proofs these are of the spiritual growthof the new Jacob – Israel. And the climax or result of it all is inchapter 47.31, Israel worshiped as he was leaning on the top ofhis staff (or, on the head of his bed).
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We need to look at the reference to this in Hebrews11.21. This chapter is the New Testament summary and com-ment on the great men of faith in the Old Testament. All of theirgreat acts were done by faith. And it is the same with Jacob.When he was dying we see him believing (by faith), blessing hisdescendants, and bowing (in worship). But during his lifetimewe do not read of his faith. In fact the only reference might be inchapter 45.26 where he did not believe – in the report thatJoseph was alive! He seemed to think according to the saying,Seeing is believing. His belief was because he saw the wagonswhich Joseph had sent. “I am convinced” (verse 28) is after hehad seen!
However, he had faith, even though not mentionedclearly in the Old Testament. It would suggest that his faith wasnot mature but weak; not developed like his grandfatherAbraham’s who was called “strong in faith”, Romans 4.20. Buthe had faith in God’s promise to give the land of Canaan to him.This faith had been firm to the end and he refers to it again here.His faith is like a flower coming to blossom in full beauty hereat his deathbed.
Hebrews 11.13-16 tells of these who were still living byfaith when they died. They saw a country far away and lookedfor a reunion with loved ones (Genesis 47.30 and 49.29-33). InMatthew 8.11 Jesus spoke of the coming feast in the kingdom ofheaven, with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Jews referred tothis as the Messianic banquet (see Isaiah 25.6-9; 65.13-14). Thisgreat joyful (wedding) feast is a lovely picture of worship inheaven, as in Revelation 19.6-10 where all who are there will beworshiping Messiah/Jesus (compare Revelation 4 and 5).
So as Jacob finishes speaking he gathers up his feet intobed and dies; his body is preserved in preparation for burial.But he himself, his spirit, is “gathered to his people”. The five
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most important men in the early history of Israel the nation areall described at death as being gathered to their people.
The patriarchs:
Abraham, Genesis 25.8,
Isaac, Genesis 35.29;
Jacob, Genesis 49.29,33;
The first high priest: Aaron, Numbers 20.24-26;
The great law-giver: Moses, Numbers 27.13; 31.2;Deuteronomy 32.50.
These were all men of faith whose bodies were buried inearth but whose spirits are described as being gathered to theirpeople (families, fathers, wives). This is described (for believerstoday) in New Testament language (2 Corinthians 5.6-8) asbeing at home with their Lord in heaven.
In Jacob’s case he leaves this world worshiping andenters the heavenly world to join the great worshiping crowd toworship fully and forever! That is the blessed climax crowningall God’s patient work with Jacob, shaping him into a worshiperof Jehovah forever.
And that is His grand purpose in working in your lifeand mine today, my dear fellow-believer. He is seeking peoplelike us to worship Him!
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Moses atthe BurningBush
Exodus 3.1 - 4.31In Exodus through Deuteronomy Moses comes on the
scene. He is going to be the one appointed by God to lead Hispeople Israel out of the slavery of Egypt. They were to becomethe Lord’s special people to worship and serve Him – the Lord-Jehovah. But before Moses can teach Israel about worshipingthe Lord he has some important lessons to learn himself.
To approach God requires preparation of heart andmind. This is to keep us from trying to come rushing carelesslyinto His presence. Moses will have to learn (1) that God is sepa-rate from mankind; that is, He is pure and perfect in character.This means He is holy; and (2) that mankind, including Moses,is sinful. (Exodus 2 tells us he was a murderer!)
So there must be a something like a barrier, a fence orgreat wall to stop sinful mankind from coming too close to theHoly God in any other way than He directs. Do you rememberhow when Adam and Eve sinned they were shut out of theGarden of Eden? Genesis 3.
Now as Moses was tending sheep at the far side of thedesert, at Mount Horeb (Sinai) he noticed a bush burning bright-ly but it did not burn up. This surprised him so he went to look
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more closely at it. But the Lord called out to him to stop him inhis tracks with two barriers:
(1) Stop! Don’t come any nearer! Why? Because thisis holy ground in God’s very presence. God’s holiness, His per-fect purity requires all that is not pure or holy to keep away;
(2) Take off your sandals from your feet! In the Biblesandals are used as a word-picture of standing, or acceptancebefore God so He can receive us. See how this is used in rela-tion to Israel in Ezekiel 16.10, and in relation to the prodigal sonin Luke 15.22.
Along with the best robe and ring the sandals tell of theperfect acceptance he had with his forgiving father.
But being without sandals pictures to us the sad condi-tion of:
(1) a captive or prisoner without liberty, rights or protec-tion, and with feet and body stripped bare. Isaiah 20.2, 2 Chronicles 28.15;
(2) a man without honor because of (for example) dis-obeying God’s marriage laws, Deuteronomy 25.10;
(3) a very poor, needy man without money. Amos 2.6;
(4) persons who are full of sorrow for their sins, Ezekiel24.17,23.
So with this in mind it is interesting to see how twofamous leaders of Israel were told to take off the sandals fromtheir feet:
(1) Moses at the bush, Exodus 3.5. In the presence of theHoly God he must admit his own lack of holiness and righteous-ness. He did not have any right to come near to such a God;
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(2) Joshua, captain or commander of Israeli armiesapproaching Jericho, Joshua 5.15. He has to learn that God theLord is supreme over and above all others. He must take off thesymbol of any honor or standing of his own importance.
Both Moses and Joshua can picture to us in this act thatthey admit their own sinfulness, lack of rights or standing. Theyare totally not worthy.
Now let us consider –
1. What was God doing in all of this? Verses 2 and 4tell us that the Angel of the Lord was really the Lord Himself.The Lord was showing Himself to Moses! This was the fifthstep in God’s plan of saving Israel. See chapter 2.24 and 3.7: (1) God heard the cries of the Israeli slaves; 2.23; (2) He remem-bered His promises; (3) He looked, saw their suffering; (4) Hewas concerned for them; so now (5) He came down to deliverthem, 3.8.
2. How did He come? In the form of a flame of fire.Everyone is familiar with fire: (1) it makes light, as from a torch,lamp or candle. (2) it can consume or destroy; it pictures judg-ment. (3) it gives heat and warmth needed to support life; (4) yetit melts and refines, makes pure precious metals, cleansing awaythe dross, the part with no value. (5) it is used to test or try thevalue of materials (1 Corinthians 3.13). These qualities of fireare word-pictures of God’s character – holiness. He is pure,without sin or being defiled. He loves what is right and hateswhat is wrong.
(FOOTNOTE: The interested Bible student may find prof-it in looking at the following references to flame/fire as symbolof God’s presence – powerful, full of glory, destroying yet pro-tecting: Genesis 3.24; 19.24; Exodus 13.21-22; 14.24-31; 19.18-20;Judges 13.20; Ezekiel 1.27-28; Hebrews 1.7; Revelation 19.12)
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3. Where did He come to? He came to dwell in themidst of a bush, Deuteronomy 33.16. Some Bibles translate thisverse “He showed forth His Shekinah Glory from the midst of alowly thorn-bush”. How amazing! What humility! God’s gloryfills all of heaven and earth, 1 Kings 8.27. Isaiah 6.1-3. Yet Hebent down low to limit Himself to – a lowly, common bush. SeePhilippians 2.5-8 and Isaiah 57.15;
– A cursed bush. Thorns are part of the curse, Genesis3.18. Compare Galatians 3.13-14;
– A bush in the desert – just where Moses was. (OurLord came to meet us right where we were in our need, see Luke10.33.)
4. Why did He come? For what purpose?(A) To reveal His own character – (we have already seen HisHoliness; this is the first direct statement of holiness of theLiving God);
– identify Himself as the God of Israel’s forefathers ,Abraham, Isaac and Jacob;
– as Deliverer, I have come down, v.8;
– by His special name, vs.14,15 – Jehovah or Yahwe – IAM WHO I AM, or I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE. He is theEternally Existing One, the One who is Self-Sufficient.
(B) To reveal His plan of deliverance for Israel, chapter 3.16 to4.28.
5. Why did He come? For what cause, or reason? – Hisgrace, compassion. vs.7-8.
We have already noted the words: seen, heard, con-cerned, come down,rescue. This should fill us with awe andwonder! It did this to Moses and he at once took off his sandals
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(in humble unworthiness) and covered his face (from the blind-ing light of pure Holiness).
Then the Lord told him the details of what he was to doand answered his questions, 3.16 - 4.28.
Chapter 4.29-30 the leaders of Israel heard the story,saw the miracles and believed. Then (v.31) they ALL – Moses,Aaron and the leaders
bowed down and worshiped.
It was the only proper thing they could do. When ourfaith lays hold of the Word of God revealing His great glory andgrace, we also are overcome by His holiness and love. Ourhearts as His people can only bow and worship such a wonderfulGod!
“When God’s face of love...glorious but lowly,
shines forth to bow us, Lord,Low at Thy feet”.
ThePassover
Exodus 12When our calendar tells us the date is January 1st we
call it New Years Day. And we celebrate the beginning of a newyear. It is a special day set aside as a holiday.
How surprised the Israeli people must have been whenGod the Lord told them here in this chapter that they were tochange their calendar. It was the seventh month, called Abib(ch.13.4). And now the Lord said they were to call it the firstmonth of their new (religious) calendar. They probably won-dered why this would be such an important month that it must bemade first in the year. Well, they didn’t have to wait long to findout.
Israel was to have a new beginning, like a new birth.They were going to be rescued from slavery to Pharaoh, king ofEgypt. And they were going to begin a new kind of life, follow-ing the Lord their God as He would lead them to the promisedland, Canaan. And this would be the month of their deliverance.
The Lord gave them clear instructions about how theywould be saved from the judgment that was about to fall onEgypt. They would be saved by a substitute, one who takes theplace of another. This one would die in the place of each first-born in every household. In 1 Corinthians 5.7 we are told thatthis substitute – the passover lamb – was a picture of our LordJesus Christ who is the Lamb of God who takes away our sintoday. So we shall compare these two lambs now:
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PASSOVER LAMB CHRIST OUR PASSOVER
v.3 On the tenth day they 1 Corinthians 5.7. Christ is our must pick out the lamb Passover Lamb.from their flock.
v.5 It must be a male and a 1 Peter 1.18,19. We are redeemedperfect one, not sick or with precious blood of with any defects. Christ who is a Lamb
without blemish or defect.
v.6 They must watch it closely For 3 years Jesus served pub-for over three days to make licly, many witnessed to sure. His innocence: see John
18.38; Matthew 27.4; Mark 1.24
v.6 It must be killed, blood shed Hebrews 9.22 without shedding of blood is no forgiveness/ salvation. See 1 Peter 1.18,19again.
v.6 In the evening. Christ died at the hour of the evening sacrifice.
v.46 No bone to be broken See John 19.36.
vs.21,22. Personal application, By faith we receive Christ as blood applied to door. Savior, Romans 5.8. Christ
died in our place.
v.13 When I see the blood I Colossians 1.14 we have for-will pass over you. giveness through His blood.
So this was to be a day of feasting and celebration for allgenerations of the people of Israel, v.14. Whenever they wereasked by anyone, “What do you mean by keeping this feast?”they were to give confession, “We were saved and deliveredfrom God’s judgment by the death of a substitute.”
The Passover
What joy must have filled the hearts of the Israeliteswhen they heard all this good news!
Verse 27 tells us the result of it all: Worship! Then thepeople bowed down and worshiped the Lord their Redeemer. Itwas the most proper thing they could do. And so should we,today, who have been redeemed by the precious blood of ourPassover Lamb, Jesus Christ our Lord. We should worship Him.
Passover Lamb, by God appointed, All our sins on You were laid;
By our Father’s love anointed,You have full salvation made;
All who trust You are forgiven, Through the virtue of Your blood;
Torn in two the vail of heaven, Grace shines forth to man from God.
Worship, honor, praise and blessing, You shall soon from all receive;
Loudest praises, without ceasing,All that earth or heaven can give.
In that day Your saints will meet You,Welcome You with grateful song;
Joyful hearts will ever greet You, Source of joy to heaven’s throng!
(John Bakewell).
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– GREAT RESCUE
Exodus 14
Let us think of ourselves as being Israelis living duringExodus 14. We could find ourselves standing beside Moses.The Lord is telling him that Pharaoh is going to change his mindand will chase after us. He wants to catch us again to take usback as his slaves, verse 4.
We could see the Egyptian armies come rushing outafter us in 600 of their best chariots. Our cries of terror are fill-ing the air. All our hearts are failing for fear. We are trapped!Mountains on each side of us and in front of us lies the Red Sea!
But we hear Moses saying to us, “Do not be afraid. Juststand still and watch the Lord rescue us. He is going to fight forus. We only need to be still”. Now, look – the pillar ofcloud/fire (the Angel of the Lord) is moving from the front of usto the rear (v.19). That is stopping the Egyptians completely –they can’t see in the black darkness (v.20).
But, look again, Moses is holding up his hand and thesea waves are rolling backward forming a wall on the right andleft side. Now it is morning and the sea bed is perfectly dry in
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front of us! Here we go, walking safely across the dry land tothe other shore, v.22. How amazing!
However, look back across toward Egypt again. Herecome 600 Egyptian chariots full speed ahead! Now what can wedo? Just listen again as the Lord is speaking to Moses: “Holdout your hand again over the sea.” The next thing we hear is theEgyptian soldiers shouting, “The Lord is fighting for them, Let’sget out of here! But our wheels have come off and we arestuck!” But it’s too late – the sea rushed and roared back overthem and they were all drowned (v.28).
And now we are standing in safety on the sandy shore.As we look back we see all their dead bodies lying on the shore.We are free from the enemy's power! Our hearts are filled withgreat respect and awe at the Lord. Our faith and confidence inthe Lord are renewed and deepened (v.31). And now what do allsuch rescued people want to do most of all? They break out in amighty song of praise and worship to our Great Savior and God!And that is what takes place next. Read on!
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Moses at theRed Sea
– GREAT SONG
Exodus 15We remember that there was no singing in Egypt – only
sad sighs and loud groans. But now we are free from that slaveryto sin and Satan. We now have hearts full to overflowing inworshipful thanks and loving praise to our great God and Savior.We can (and must) sing and celebrate. We will rejoice and beglad. That is what this chapter is all about, a bursting forth ofthis new and first song of redemption in the Bible. And it is allbased on the great and finished work of salvation the Lord hasaccomplished for us. Let us join with Moses and all theredeemed people of God in singing this song together.
Part 1. Singing ABOUT our greatLord and Savior, vs.1-55.
We celebrate His praise:
(A) What He means to us believers, vs.1-2. I will sing tothe Lord because –
(a) He has won a glorious victory, He has defeated ourenemy, Satan.
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(b) (1) He is my strength: the power of His mighty hand,vs.1,4,6,7,12–
His powerful arm, v.16,
His powerful breath, v.8.
(2) He is my Song: the source and the theme of my song.
(3) He is my salvation, my Savior, my safety, my victorious One.
This lovely triplet, my strength, song and salvationoccurs three times in our Bibles: here, and Psalm 118.14and Isaiah 12.2.
(c) He has become my God, even God of my fathers, mymighty One. I will set Him apart in my heart; I will praise andglorify Him.
(B) What He means to His enemies, unbelievers, vs.3-5.
He is a warrior, mighty in battle; the victor over all Hisenemies.
Part 2. Singing TO our Great Godand Savior, vs.6-118
Here the song rises to heights of worship directed to theLord.
(A) Your hand, arm, breath are awesome in power,majestic in triumph over all opposition, vs.6-10.
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(B) Who is like You, O Lord? You are beyond compare!vs.11-18.
Here the believer’s highest expression of worship ismade clearer in the repeating of the question – Who is like YouO Lord?
(1) in past tense, vs.11-13:
majestic in holiness
awesome in glory
wonderful in deeds and works, power
(2) in future tense, vs.13-18:
unfailing love, v.13
redeeming grace
strong and sure in guiding and guarding.
successful in establishing us in His home andkingdom, forever. vs.17-18
(3) In other Scriptures this same expression of worshipis used. Note: Deuteronomy 33.26,29 – Beyond compare, theGod riding heavenly clouds in majesty.
1 Samuel 2.2 – No one holy like Him, no rock like Him.-– alone in majesty, and holiness and strength;
1 Chronicles 17.20 – No one like You, no God but You –alone in dignity, honor;
Psalm 35.10 – Who is like You in saving grace – alonein grace;
Psalm 71.19 – Who is like You in righteousness – alonein righteousness;
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Psalm 73.25 – Who but You is so desirable – alone inloveliness and beauty;
Psalm 86.8 – None can compare with You, incompara-ble One;
Psalm 89.6,8 – None can compare with You, heavenly,holy One.
Psalm 113.5 – Who is like You in mighty faithfulness, onthe high throne.
Who is like You, O Lord? Christian believers today singtheir worship to our wonderful Lord, in words like “There isnone, Lord Jesus, there is none like You”, and:
Chiefest of ten thousand, Fairest of the Fair;
Altogether lovely, BEYOND ALL COMPARE!
Lord of all creation,
Yet Man of Calvary,
Son of God Who loved
And gave Himself for Me.
(A.P.Gibbs)
My heart can only add
AMEN and AMEN!
Second Song ofMoses
Deuteronomy 32This second song of Moses tells of the many ways the
Lord loved and blessed His people, Israel; and their sinfulresponse in rejecting Him and turning to idols. We only willconsider the short section (vs.3-4) in which Moses has given usbeautiful words of worship; and the mentions of God’s namewhich are like windows into the very character of God. His titleto this section is in verse 3, “Ascribing Greatness to God” or“Singing the honor of the Lord’s name.” That is just what wor-ship is.
The first song of Moses was sung at the beginning of thedesert journey, Exodus 15. His second song was given at the endof that desert journey, the last day or days of his life, vs.48-52.
He begins by singing, v.3, I will proclaim the name ofthe Lord. In this song he uses seven names of God. Each of themis likened to one of the colors in a beautiful rainbow. Each oneseparate or different from another yet all blend to make the com-plete picture beautiful. We could say the seven names are reallyone seven-part name:
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1. LORD, Jehovah or Yahwe, vs.3,9,12,19,30,36. Hisname of close, covenant relationship.
2. God, Elohim, plural; El, singular, vs.3,18. The MightyOne of fullness.
3. The Rock, vs.4,15,18,30,31. The Solid, Stable,Enduring One.
4. Father – Creator, v.18. The One who fathered andbirthed us. Our Source, the One who brought us into being.
5. Most High, Eleyon, v.8. The Highest One, withoutequal.
6. God, Eloha, vs.15,17.The God to be respected, wor-shiped, the Worthy One, the Supreme One.
7. I, even I am He, or, I Myself am He v.39. Exodus3.14, I AM that I AM, I AM who I AM. I AM, that is Who IAM. I AM the God that IS. I AM the Same, The One WhoExists, and who changes not. Note other references:
I AM the One Without Equal, v.39 – No God beside Me,
I AM the Controller of Death, and Source of Life, v.39,
I AM the Sovereign One who wounds and heals, v.39,
I AM the Eternal One who lives forever, v.40,
I AM the Just One of punishment, vs.41,42,
I AM the Atoning One, the Forgiving One, v.43.
The song uses other words describing more of the won-derful character of our wonderful God: His greatness, v.3; per-fection of all His works, v.4; His justice, faithfulness, rightness,v.4. He always does what is right and fair.
We would urge our readers to go back over these names79
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and titles. Take time to look up other references to them and justmeditate on the varied beauties of our blessed God. Let yoursoul warm and rise in loving worship to our wonderful, worthyLord.
For the believer who is interested in pursuing furtherthese thoughts, we add a list of some references Isaiah makes tothe Lord’s statement, I am He, I Myself am the Lord:
Isaiah 41.4. I, I the Lord – with the first and with the last; I am the same.
43.3. I am the Lord your God, the Holy one your Savior.
43.10 I am He – No one came before Me, and none will replace Me.
43.11 I Myself am the Lord – apart from Me there is no Savior
43.12 I am God
43.13 Yes,from ancient days I am He.
43.15 I am Jehovah, your Holy One, Creator, King.
46.4 I am He. You grow old and feeble; I remain the same, unchanging; I will hold you up, I will carry and rescue you.
48.12 I am He, I am the First, I am the Last. The eternalOne.
Again, may you be encouraged to study and meditate onthe lovely names and beautiful character of our wonderfulLord.
The more you know Him the more you will love Him,
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The more you love Him the more you will worship Him,
Because that is just what worship is –
Loving God with all your heart,
with all your soul
and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6.5.
Moses
again on WorshipDeuteronomy 13.3-44
Deuteronomy is the last book of Moses. In it Mosessums up the teachings and laws of the Lord, which had beengiven in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Many important andinteresting lessons are given there regarding the public, nationalworship of Israel. But we regret we do not have space to go intothem in this book.
However, before leaving Moses we do want to considerone more brief portion in Deuteronomy 13. Back inDeuteronomy 10.12 Israel was told to fear (that is, have rever-ence for) the Lord God, and to walk in His ways. They were tolove Him with all their heart and soul. Then in chapter11.1,13,22 they were to love Him, serve Him and be faithful toHim. In chapter 12 he told Israel they were to worship the LordGod, the true God according to His instructions. They were notto worship Him in the way the heathen worshiped their falsegods or idols. But they were to: Seek out and go to the placeappointed, chapter.12.5
Bring something – burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes andgifts,vs.6,11;
Eat and rejoice, vs.12,18;Observe and obey all that was commanded, vs.14,28;Offer sacrifices, especially the blood, v.27.
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And now in chapter 13 he tells Israel that they were notto listen to anyone who would try to turn them away from theLord to worship the heathen false gods or idols, vs.1-3. TheLord God is testing them (v.3) and showing them what true wor-ship of the true God really is. Let us notice now each of theseven words the Lord is using regarding worship:
1. Love. (v.3) Loving God is the first and greatest com-mandment. It means giving God all the love of my heart andsoul. Love is the chief, most important part of worship. LovingGod is mentioned at least ten times in Deuteronomy. The firstreference is in chapter 6.4,5 which is called the great Shema(most important prayer of Israel). Love God with all my heart,soul, strength and mind. This was confirmed by the Lord JesusChrist in Mark.12.30.
If there is no love in my heart for God there is not andcannot be any worship for Him. The very heart and life of wor-ship is love. Worship is love overflowing out of the heart to theLord. The writer of Psalm 45 says that his heart is stirred up,boiling over, overflowing. What was the cause? His heart wasfilled with beautiful thoughts concerning his glorious King, theLord. And then he directly addresses his worship to Him, “Youare the most wonderful One of all to me!”, Psalm 45.2. It wasjust the natural, loving response of his heart to his wonderfulLord God.
2. Follow the Lord, v.4. walk after, run toward Him. InSong of Solomon 1.4 the bride says to her beloved, “Draw meafter you”, (like the magnet pulls the steel to itself). Draw me (aswater is drawn out of the well and poured into the lips). “Wewill run after you,”– follow after you. “We will be glad andrejoice in you, we will remember [celebrate] your love . . . .”His love carries away my heart attention and affection towardHimself. Draw my heart after Yourself.
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Fairest of all the earth beside,
Chiefest of all unto Your bride,
Fullness Divine in You I see,
Beautiful Man of Calvary!
That Man of Calvary
Who died to set me free,
Has won my heart from me,
Blest Man of Calvary!
(M.P.Ferguson).
3. Revere, (v.4). This word includes the thought of:
(1) Reverence, respect for, as to parents, or authorities;to honor, like a soldier salutes an officer; or like taking the hatoff in respect. When we worship we do so in reverence andrespect for God;
(2 ) Stand in awe in devoted wonder, amazed at Hisglory. (Like Leviticus 19.32 but in a spiritual sense). It is oftenlinked with bowing the knee, falling on the face to the ground.
(3) In formal religious worship by Israel, as in Psalm22.23.
4. Keep His commands, v.4. Observe them carefully.Exercise great care over, give careful attention to them. Holdthem as very important. This would tell us that worship is notsomething of little importance. It is not to be done with littlefeeling or concern. We are never to approach worship lightly or
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carelessly, but rather with wholehearted and honest and eagerspirit. Our Lord Jesus tells us that “they who worship God mustdo so in spirit and in truth”, John 4.
5. Obey, or hear His voice, v.4. The lover in Song ofSolomon 2.14 says, “Show me your face, let me hear your voice,Your voice is sweet and your face is lovely”. And in chapter8.13 she mentions his voice again. It was precious to her, itthrilled or stirred up her soul. Have you ever had to be awayfrom dear parents or family for a long period of time? Do youremember what a thrill it was to hear their voice again – perhapsonly on the telephone? Oh, what a response of love rises in theheart at the sweet sound of the voice! And that is what Worshipis like.
All that thrills my soul is Jesus,
He is more than life to me;
And the fairest of ten thousand
In my blessed Lord I see.
(T.Harris)
6. Worshipfully serve, v.4. It is the word used often ofthe Levitical service to the Lord in the tabernacle and temple. Itis worshiping with our hands – as we do His work; and worship-ing with our feet – as we walk in His paths. Only service to theLord which is done with attitude of worship in our hearts isacceptable to Him. See where this word is used in Philippians3.3; 2 Timothy 1.3; Hebrews 12.28; Revelation 7.15 and 22.3.
7. Hold fast to Him, v.4. Be faithful to Him. Cling toHim. Embrace or hug Him. As we worship Him we are clingingto Him in faith. Like a lover puts her arms around her beloved,
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hugs him to herself, with hearty, warm feelings of love. So as weworship Him we are embracing Him in our love and affection toHim. Worship is the heart-felt response of our close, very warmlove to the great Lover of our souls, our precious Savior andLord Jesus Christ.
These important qualities of True worship are all con-firmed also in Deuteronomy 10.20; 11.22; and 30.20; and Joshua22.5.
So then, the substance of true worship is —
The total love and devotion
of our total being, spirit, soul and body,
given in total loyalty and faithfulness,
totally and only to God our Lord God.
(How does my love and worship measure up to this?)
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CaptainJoshua
Joshua 5.13-115Moses, servant of God, has died. Joshua has been
appointed to take his place in leading the Israeli army intoCanaan. He has been commanded to drive out the people of thatland so the Israelis could settle down and live there. Joshua isalready a veteran warrior, experienced in battle. See Exodus 17.Now, as the commander of the armies of Israel, he is lookingacross the Jordan river. He sees the fortified city of Jericho. Itwill be his responsibility to plan how he can capture this firstfortress that stops his entering the promised land.
Perhaps he is saying to himself something like this, “Myarmy is not experienced in climbing walls like those! How can Itrain them for this new kind of war?” Then suddenly he sees aman with his sword drawn ready to fight. Joshua is a good sol-dier and at once calls out to this stranger, “Stop! Who goesthere? Friend or enemy? Are you with us or with our enemies?”And the answer comes back, Neither! I have not come to be ahelp to you, nor just to follow or encourage you. I am theCaptain, that is commander-in-chief of the armies of the Lord-Jehovah!
What a revelation! This was no ordinary man, no ordi-nary soldier. Here was someone who claimed to be commanderof not only the Israeli army. That, at best would not be a verylarge number by our present-day standards. But He is the
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Commander-in-Chief of all the armies of heaven as well.(Compare Matthew 26.53.) Here was someone greater than allthe angels in heaven, greater than even the archangel; here is theLord-Jehovah Himself (see chapter 6.2 where He is called theLORD). “And now I have come here.”
The instant response of Joshua – He fell face down tothe ground in reverence or worship. He recognized and con-fessed at once, two things:
(1) You are my LORD, to give me orders. You are myGod to receive my worship. See Revelation 19.10 and 22.9;
(2) I am your servant, to receive and obey those orders.In the words of Samuel (1 Samuel 3.5,10), Here I am, SpeakLord for your servant is listening.
Now comes the Commander’s first order. Take your san-dals off, you are now standing on holy ground. Joshua mustlearn that he has no right to stand in the presence of the SupremeOne of the universe. Do you remember how Moses had to learnthat same lesson in Exodus? Look back and review our com-ments on that portion in chapter 16.
Joshua has learned that the LORD is the Supreme One,over all. And Joshua has learned that the LORD is the Holy One.Therefore Joshua does the only right thing to do: he bowslow in humble worship. He acknowledges the “worth-ship”or worthiness of His Lord and Master.
Any place we meet God must be holy ground.
Any time we meet God we must worship.
Like Joshua we too must bow humbly before Him inworship every time He shows Himself to us as He did to Joshua.It is only right and proper.
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Mr. and Mrs.Manoah
Judges 13Mr. and Mrs. Manoah lived in Zorah, in the tribe of
Dan, about 25 km. west of Jerusalem. They were a godly, devot-ed Israeli couple, worshipers of Jehovah. But they lived in atime of double distress, or misery: (1) Time of national distress –the Philistines were attacking and defeating them; and (2) Time of personal distress – they did not have any children.
But during this time of trouble and sadness their gra-cious God gave them a wonderful surprise – they were going tohave a son! So the Lord took away both of their distresses. Hepromised they would have a baby boy and this boy would growup to manhood and would begin to deliver Israel from thePhilistine power.
At once they made a very wise request of the Lord.They asked for wisdom and help to know how to bring up theirchild. (This is what all parents should do when they know theyare going to have a baby). So the Lord gave details (l) for themother – not to take any strong drink or food forbidden by God.(See for example Leviticus 11). This was a picture of separationfrom evil unto God; (2) for the son – he was to be set apart forthe Lord, as a Nazirite from birth. See Numbers 6.1-8 for this.
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But we want to specially consider this miracle appear-ance of the Lord to Mr. and Mrs. Manoah. In the Old Testament(before the birth of Jesus Christ) God appeared to men andwomen a number of times. Some of these had already happenedbefore this time. Look up some in: Genesis 16.7; 18.1-11; 22.11,12;Exodus 3.2; 14.19;33.11. They always had some special mes-sage or promise, brought by someone called the angel of theLord or someone appearing like a man. In this case here inJudges 13 the messenger is called:
Angel of the Lord – vs.3,13,15,16,17,20,21Man (of God) – vs.6,8,10,11.Angel of God – vs.6,8.The Lord – vs.16,19,23.God – v.22.His appearance is described: He looked like a man,
vs.8,10,11; like an angel (see above); and His appearance wasvery awesome, v.6.
Who is this mysterious person? He must be more thanan angel or a man, because he is called the Lord in verse 8 andGod in verse 9. And Mr. and Mrs. Manoah realized that it wasGod who had appeared to them, v.22. Many Bible studentsbelieve that it was God the Son (our Lord Jesus Christ) who isseen in all of such cases.
In verse 17 they ask him “What is your name?” Here isthe key to who He is. The answer to that question is given invarious ways in different translations of the Bible: Secret, hid-den, wonderful, beyond understanding, name of wonder,unspeakable, remarkable, too high or too sacred to be spoken.
Isaiah uses this name directly for the coming Messiah-deliverer, in his great prophecy in chapter 9, “Unto us a Child isborn, to us a Son is given ... and His Name shall be called
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Wonderful. . . .”, v.6. This name of our blessed Lord truly tells usHe is wonderful beyond our understanding, beyond our ability tofully know – He is our Wonderful God and Savior. Praise HisName!
We must now look at the response of Mr. and Mrs.Manoah to this revelation. In this we have the very substance ofworship, in their attitude of:
1. Awe, they were awed at His appearance; filled withdeep respect, v.6.
2. Wonder, astonished or amazed at what He had done,
3. Desire to honor Him, v.17, to glorify Him, show rev-erence and respect.
And in their actions:
1. They sacrificed burnt offerings on the altar. Compare– sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13.15)
2. They bowed low before Him, in worship. He is won-derful in name and wonderful in all his works.
0 Lord, how much Your Name unfolds To every opened ear!The pardoned sinner’s memory holdsNone other half so dear.The mention of Your name shall bowOur hearts to WORSHIP YOU;The chiefest of ten thousandYour love has set us free!
(Mary Peters)
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Mr. & Mrs. Manoah
Hannah
1Samuel 1 and 2Hannah lived in the same troubled times we have just
been noticing in our last chapter. She was the favorite wife ofElkanah a man from the tribe of Ephraim. Her name, Hannah,means, Grace or Gracious. It was by the Lord’s grace she waschanged from being the saddest woman in Israel to the gladdest.See chap.1.16 and 1.18; 2.1. Let’s look at how the Lord accom-plished this.
First, see her great sadness. There were several reasonsfor such great sadness of heart:
(1) Her husband had two wives. This was not God’s willfor mankind, Genesis 2.24. Having more than one wife was anevil introduced by the wicked man, Lamech, Genesis 4.19. True,you find some men in the Old Testament had more than onewife, even some men of faith. But in every such case you willfind trouble in the family life, unhappiness in the children orbetween the women, – quarreling and even murder.
(2) Hannah was not able to have children, chapter 1.5.
(3) Peninah was Elkanah’s other wife and had severalchildren, v.2. She provoked or irritated Hannah without mercy,vs.6,7. She kept this up year after year. (Compare Hagar andSarah, Genesis 16.4) All this hurt Hannah very much. See thewords used to describe it: she wept, bitterness of soul, misery,
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deeply troubled, great anguish, pain and sorrow, and grief(vs.10,11,15,16); and
(4) she was misunderstood by the priest Eli, vs.12-17.No wonder poor Hannah was suffering in great sadness!
But next notice her great prayer, vs.10-11.
– It was directed to the right Person – the LORD Jehovah.
– It was a very direct, special request – for a son.
– It was very sincere – she poured out her soul, withtears.
– It was with a promise and purpose – to give this sonback to the Lord! We will look more at this in just a moment.But first consider –
Her prayer answered, vs.17-20.
– Peace of heart, v.17
– Face no more sad, tears dried, v.18
– Fasting ended,
– Faith rewarded,
– Fact accomplished, v.20, child given and son born.
Now we look at the result: Worship. The double expres-sion of worship:
1. The sacrifice of worship. Hannah's natural mother-desire was to have the son to love and bring up and enjoy in herhome. But she gave him up to the Lord and as under the Naziritevow to serve Him all the days of his life.
We should remember that the Levite servants of theLord were to serve Him from the age of 25 or 30 until age 50,
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Numbers 8.25. The Nazirite vow was for a limited time only,Numbers 6. But Hannah gave him as a full sacrifice, all the daysof his life, from young boyhood (not an infant, chapter 1.25)until death. No holding back for herself to enjoy him. This washer worshipful act of giving her highest treasure to the Lord.(Compare Abraham giving to God his dearly loved only son; thelong-prayed-for-and-waited-for, Isaac, Genesis 22).
2. Now the song of worship, chapter 2.1-10.
Hannah’s song begins on the highest note – My heartrejoices in the Lord, v. 1. This is more than a song of thanksgiv-ing for answered prayer. It surely is that, but much more! Her“mother-heart” rejoiced in her precious new baby whom theLord had graciously given her in answer to her earnest prayer –“for this child I prayed”. But she does not sing “My heart rejoic-es in this child”. Her “spiritual-heart” was looking at the Onewho had given the son, and she worships Him. This is her wor-shipful song in which she is rejoicing and delighting in the Lordher God. Many times in the Bible we are told to be rejoicing inHim. Look up these few references – Romans 5.11. Philippians4.4. Psalm 32.11; 35.9.
My heart rejoices in the Lord! This is the language ofevery heart who is truly worshiping the Lord, finding all joy inHim. And Hannah’s rejoicing and delighting in Him comes fromknowing who God is and what He is like.
She knows He is supremely above all others, beyondcompare – No one like You, v.2; He is the all-knowing One, v.3;the Judge of all, vs.3,10; Savior-deliverer, v.4; One who meetsall our needs, vs.5-7; Giver of Life and Controller of Death, v.6(Resurrection and Life, John 11); Creator and One who holdseverything together, v.8; and Coming King-Messiah, v.10. Whata good understanding Hannah had on the very nature and great-ness of her (and our) God! Every thought of the character and
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Hannah
work of our blessed Lord should make us also glorify and wor-ship Him as Hannah did.
Hannah’s Song of Worship is rated high along with allthe other great songs of the Bible. She reaches high notes rightalong with David and Mary and Zechariah. Notice some briefcomparisons:
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Hannah David Mary Zechariah(1 Samuel .2) (2Samuel 22) (Luke 1.46-55) (Luke 1)v.1 Rejoice, praise Lord vs.46,47 v.68v.1 Horn, strength v.3 v.49 v.69v.2 Rock, mighty One vs.2,3,32 v.49 v.76v.3 All Knowing One –
Defeats the proud vs.48,51,52v.4 Salvation –
Deliverance vs.3,4 v.52 vs.68,71,74vs.5,7 Hungry Fed v.53vs.6,8 Raise the poor vs.17,18,20v.10 Prophetic King v.51v.10 Thunder vs.10,14,15
Relating to Zechariah’s song, note that Hannah sings tothe Lord as she dedicates her son (Samuel). He will be the one tointroduce to Israel great King David. Zechariah sings his song ofpraise at the birth of his son (John the Baptizer) who will intro-duce to Israel their great Messiah, great David's greater Son, ourLord Jesus Christ. They both use similar notes of praise andworship to our great God, Who is Giver of all good gifts.
Let us, also, learn to do more than be thankful for giftsGod gives to us in answer to prayer. Let us thank Him for thegifts and worship the Giver because of Who He is!
David’sPsalm 96
We now move on to consider the worship of KingDavid. As you know, David wrote many of the Psalms, and theentire Book of Psalms is really the Song or Hymn Book ofIsrael. David has been called the Sweet Singer of Israel. ThePsalms contain many beautiful expressions of high worship. Butwe will not consider all of them here.
However we have chosen just one of his Psalms as a fairexample of David’s attitude and spirit of worship. In1 Chronicles 15 we read how David brought back the ark of theLord to Jerusalem with great rejoicing and celebration. Then inchapter 16 we find his great Psalm of Thanksgiving andWorship, vs.8-36. Actually this is made up of parts of three otherPsalms, as follows:
1 Chronicles 16.8-22 is Psalm 105.1-15;
1 Chronicles 16. 23-33 Psalm 96.1-13a
1 Chronicles 16.34 Psalm 106.1;
1 Chronicles 16.35-36 Psalm 106.47-48
It is in the second part we find the important referencesto Worship, in 1 Chronicles 16.23-33, Psalm 96. So please turnnow to Psalm 96 and carefully read through it before readingmore in this chapter.
One reason we are going to look at this Psalm is its spe-cial location in the Bible, at least in our English Bibles. We are
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told that Psalm 96.11 is the middle verse in our (English) Bible.Bible scholars have shown that this verse is made up of sevenwords in the Hebrew, and there is an interesting hidden messagehere. Taking the first letter of each Hebrew word and puttingthem together they spell two Hebrew words, ie: Jehovah Jahu,which means in English “Jehovah He is God” (or The Lord Heis God). He is the One to be worshiped. And in this verse bothheaven and earth are called on to put Him at the very center ofour attention and worship.
Then we want to briefly notice the group of Psalmsimmediately around Psalm 96. These also make special refer-ences to why we should worship the Lord – His attributes (char-acter) – who He is and what He has done.
For example:
Psalm 92 mentions His Name, Most High, He is exalted forever,and His great works.
Psalm 93 – The Lord reigns on high, clothed in majesty, Histhrone eternal, and Holiness adorns His house forever.
Psalm 94 – Judge of all the earth, fortress, rock, refuge, knowsall things.
Psalm 95 – Rock of salvation, great God, great King, Creator,Shepherd. Note specially vs.6-7: Bow down in worship, kneelbefore the Lord our Creator, He is our God. Then –
Psalm 97 – The reigning One, righteous One, His throne, Hisglory, Most High over all, exalted above all others. Note spe-cially v.7, worship Him, He alone has worthship (is worthy); allother gods (deities) are worthless
Psalm 98 – Marvelous, holy, salvation, righteousness, love,faithfulness, Lord, King, Judge.
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Psalm 99 – The Lord on His throne, between cherubim, great inZion, great Name and awesome, holy. Note verse 5, exalt Him,worship at His footstool, He is holy; and verse 9, exalt Him,worship at His holy mountain, He is holy.
Psalm 100 – The Lord is God, Creator, Shepherd. He is good,loves forever, faithful.
So, in this beautiful cluster or group of Psalms in thevery heart of our Bible we can hear notes of harmony – notes ofadoration, praise and worship, all sung to our worthy Lord andGod.
Now let us look at Psalm 96 more carefully.
(A) CALL TO WORSHIP.
(1) Threefold call to worship in song, vs.1-2.
1. Sing to whom? To the Lord.
How? With a new song. This is the third of seven refer-ences in Old Testament to a new song – (look up Psalm 33.3;40.3; 96.1; 98.1; 144.9; 149.1, and Isaiah 42.10).
2. Sing – Who? All earth and creation.
3. Sing – What? Praise to His name
How? With joy before the Lord, v.12.
Notice references to joyful music and song in theseother Psalms:
Psalm 92 – Make music to His Name, v.l, sing for joy, v.4.
Psalm 95 – Sing for joy, extol or highly praise Him with musicand song, vs.1-2
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David’s Psalm 96
Psalm 98, – Sing to the Lord a new song, v.l, joyful song withmusic, v.4, harp music to the Lord and sound of singing, v.5,with trumpets and horns, v.6, singing together with joy, v.8,before the Lord, v.9.
Psalm 100 – with joyful songs, v.2.
Psalm 101 – sing of love and justice, sing praises, v.1.
These verses present just a little of the sweet music ofworship in the Psalms. There are over 200 references to musicand singing in the Psalms! We worship as we sing and makemelody (music) in our hearts to the Lord. See Ephesians 5.19.
(2) Threefold Message, or Theme, of Worship Songs:(vs.2-3)
l. Proclaim the salvation of the Lord – daily!
2. Proclaim the glory of the Lord – world-wide!
3. Proclaim the marvelous deeds of the Lord – from thecreation-act of the Lord, Genesis 1, right down to your present-day life experience: daily miracles, answers to prayers – Hismarvelous, wonderful deeds.
(B) GREAT CAUSES FOR WORSHIP, v.4.Because of the following:
(1) Greatness of the Lord. In Psalms alone note referencesto various views of His greatness: great mercy, 5.7; great love,17.7; great glory, 21.5; great goodness, 31.19; great compassionor pity, 51.1; great power, 66.3; great works, 71.19; great name,76.1; great wrath and respect, 90.11; great wonders, 136.4.
And He is the great King, 47.2; great Lord, 48.1; greatGod, 77.13; You, Lord, are great, 86.10; You, Lord, are verygreat, 104.1.
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And, His greatness – no one can measure, 145.3; Hisgreatness passes all others, 150.2.
(2) His worthship = His worthiness, recognized. v.4.
Psalm 18.3 The Lord is worthy of praise
Psalm 48.1; 96.4; 145,3, The Lord is most worthy ofpraise!
(3) His supremacy (He is above all) – He is the realGod, the royal God, the true God! Verse.5 gives the strong con-trast – all other gods (idols, deities) are “nothings” –- also trans-lated non-gods, non-good, good for nothing, non-existent(“except in the darkened imagination of those who worshipthem,” one Bible teacher said). All other, false gods are fakes ormake-believe fiction, – empty nothings! See 1 Corinthians 8.4-6.
But this all makes more clear the true worth of the trueGod, The only God, the Lord Jehovah, creator of all things!Please take the time to look up each of these references:2 Chronicles 15.3; Jeremiah 10.10; John 17.3; 1 Thessalonians1.9; 1 John 5.20; John 1.14,18; Jude 1.25. The true God, the liv-ing God, only true God, living and true God, the only God.
Therefore we come to –
(3) The threefold call to give, vs.7-9
1. Give to the Lord – glory and strength, v.7
2. Give to the Lord – due glory and sacrifice, v.8.
3. Give to the Lord – our songs and substance.Hebrews 13.15,16 refers to this. We glorify the Lord with ourlips – songs of praise, plus our sacrifice of earthly possessions.
And so, v.9, we give expression to the worship of ourhearts to the Lord. We bow down in the presence of His majesty
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and holiness. We bow in reverence. We tremble in His presence.Our hearts are filled with awe and wonder!
Come let us sing the MATCHLESS WORTH,
And sweetly sound the glories forth,
Which in the Savior shine;
To God and Christ our praises bring;
The song with which the heavens ring,Now let US gladly join! (Samuel Medley)
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Jonathanand David
1 Samuel 18.1-441 Samuel 17 tells a very stirring story. If we could have
been present that day in the valley of Elah (Oak trees) we wouldsee two armies camped on opposite sides. A powerful, proudPhilistine army over against a fearful, terror-filled Israeli army.But for 40 days they had not moved forward to fight each other.Do we wonder why? Well, twice a day the Philistines sent outtheir best soldier, named Goliath. He shouted at the Israelis, dar-ing them to send out a man to represent them and to fight withhimself.
But why were the Israelis so filled with terror? As soonas Goliath appears this day we can understand why. Just look athim! He stands about ten feet (about three meters) tall. Hisarmor alone weighs over 200 pounds (90 kilograms). All togeth-er he must have weighed 600 pounds (270 kilograms)! But onthe Israeli side we see their biggest man was King Saul who wasonly a head taller than any other Israeli man (1 Samuel 9.2). Nowonder Saul and all his men were shaking in terror, weak asspilled water. No one dared to go out to fight this giant, Goliath.
But wait! Who is that young fellow marching straightout of Saul’s tent down the valley to meet the big giant? No, it’ssurely not Saul! But we learn his name is David, son of Jesse ofBethlehem. But look at him – he is perhaps only a teenager(vs.33,42). And he doesn’t even have a sword or spear or shield.
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And listen to Goliath cursing him by his gods. He shouts “Comehere, I’ll give your flesh to the wild beasts to eat”. But now lookagain at David. He’s running (not away) but straight towardGoliath. And he is shouting to him, “You are coming with only asword and spear and shield, but I am coming in the name of theLord God Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel whom youare defying. The battle is the Lord’s and He is going to give allof you into our hands.”
Everyone is holding his breath, eagerly watching youngDavid. He takes out his sling and a smooth round stone, proba-bly about three inches (eight cm.). Watch now! He is slinging itwith all his might and it travels 100 miles (160 km) per hour asit hits the giant in the forehead. Goliath falls face down on theground. At once David runs up and takes the giant’s sword, cut-ting off his head. Then the Israeli soldiers gave a great victoryshout and chased the Philistines all the way to their cities, Gathand Ekron.
What a sigh of relief and joy filled Israeli hearts.
But there was one young man who was carefully watch-ing the whole affair, and who was deeply moved. It was PrinceJonathan, oldest son of King Saul.
Jonathan recognized at once David's worth: his excellentcharacter, his great courage, his simple trust in God, his verygreat skill. He saw David's worthiness, – worthy of praise, honorand glory. (Our English word, worship is shortened from the oldEnglish word, worthship) Jonathan admired with delight David’sworthship, that is, his worthiness to be honored. That is whatworship really is, acknowledging the greatness of a person.
In this story we have a beautiful word-picture of greatDavid’s greater Son, our Lord Jesus, and our response to Him.Notice then:
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1. Distress- (of Israel) 1 Samuel 17 (of all mankind)The Enemy, great, powerful - Goliath SatanFear, terror Fear of death
Hebrews 2.14,15Helplessness, hopelessness Ephesians 2.12.
2. Deliverance – rescued by DAVID By CHRISTVoluntary, willing –
Sent by father (Jesse) By God His Father,1 Samuel 17.17-18 1 John 4.14
Sent on mission of love John 3.16Not understood, despised Mark 6.2,3Risked his life Gave His life,
John 10.15.Victorious over enemy It is Finished –
John 19.30Raised from the dead
Hebrews 2.14-15Promoted, honored, 1 Samuel 18.5 Honored, glorified –
Hebrews 2.9Philippians 2.6-11.
Then in our portion in Chapter 18 we find Jonathan’s(and our) response:
3. Delight in the Deliverer –Became one in spirit, 18.1 At conversion we are(two lives knit together in love) united with Christ
in love. l John 4.19.
Admiration, he admired, delighted inDavid’s character, his courage, All Christian graces
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Jonathan and David
skill, faith, devotion to the Lord in 2 Peter 1.5-7 arefound in Christ
Appreciation, Jonathan understood the value of David’s: We appreciate the
Personal excellence – who he was same in Christ.Powerful victory – what he didFuture glory – what he will be (king).
Affection, love, mentioned 5 times: We love Christ18.1,3 Jonathan loved David as because He firsthimself loved us.1 John 4.1919.1 very fond of him20.17 loved him as himself2 Samuel 1.26 his love was wonderful.
4. Love’s Sacrifice, 18.4. Love always gives. Worship is lovegiving.
Jonathan is a picture of a worshiper who thinks highlyof his deliverer and nothing of himself. Like John the Baptizerspeaking of Christ, “He must become greater and I must becomeless.” So Jonathan strips himself and gives to David every sym-bol of his own high position, prince-royalty, rights and power.Notice his gifts:
1. His outer royal robe. Jonathan was next to sit on thethrone of Israel. Here he strips himself of his right to the throne.He says, in effect, "David is my lord and king from now on. Igive my position to him”.
2. His tunic or armor, consisting of his sword (his
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weapon for close fighting) and his bow (long-distance weapon).Together they represent his power.
3. His belt or girdle, probably a leather sheath for swordand also pouch or bag for his money/wealth. This can representhis possessions.
Jonathan lays his all at David’s feet. He admits David’sworthiness to have all he had and was. This reminds us of thescene in heaven when we who are believers in Christ will beworshiping our blessed Savior and King. Notice Revelation 4.11and 5.12- ‘You are worthy to receive – glory, honor, power,wealth, wisdom, strength, praise.”
Jesus is worthy to receive Honor and Divine Power,
And Blessings more than we can give, be, Lord, forever Yours!(Isaac Watts)
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Mephibosheth2 Samuel 9
Before leaving the story of King David let’s look atanother man who was the object of the loving favor of that greatking. His experience is a beautiful picture of all of us who arebelievers in our Lord Jesus Christ. Just briefly notice some com-parisons.
1. King David’s reign of grace. David has finally cometo the throne. His bitter enemy, Saul, has died in battle. NowDavid's kingdom has been firmly established. He is victoriousand famous, and in control of all Israel. See chapters 1– 8.
Here, chapter 9.1, David is asking his servants about thefamily of the defeated king Saul. Let’s quietly step into thethrone-room and listen and watch. The king is asking if therewere any of Saul’s family left. What would he want to do withthem? To bring them to justice and punishment? Does he wantrevenge? Not at all! David wants to show loving kindness. He istold about one lone survivor of Jonathan’s family. His name isMephibosheth.
2. Mephibosheth, grandson of Saul. Let’s take a look atthis man and see how we can be seen in his experience:
(1) The shameful one. His name means “breathingshame.” Why shame? of what would he be ashamed? Read on!
(2) The enemy. He was from the family of Saul, David’s
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cruel enemy. How often Saul had tried to kill David or have himkilled, as in battle. Romans 5.10 reminds us that we were God’senemies and hated Him without cause or reason.
(3) The cripple. He was lame in both feet as result of afall when he was a child. See 2 Samuel 4.4. Psalm 51.5 remindsus we are sinners from birth, ‘born in sin”. Mephibosheth andourselves are without strength, unable to walk in God’s ways,Romans 5.6.
(4) His location. (a) in Lodebar, place of no pasture, nofood. Apart from God our whole world is a place of no satisfac-tion. It is empty and barren land.
(b) At the house of Machir, which means “sold.”Mephibosheth had lost everything when Saul’s kingdom andfamily had fallen. Saul’s properties had all been taken and givento king David. So Mephibosheth had no money and he had tostay with friends as he had no home of his own.
We, too, are sold as slaves to sin (Romans 7.14). Wehave lost standing before God because of our sin. We are bank-rupt (without riches) before God.
(c) Hiding from King David’s presence hoping to escapedue revenge of justice on Saul’s family.
(5) “Unworthy”. That is what Mephibosheth meantwhen he asked David “What is your servant that you shouldnotice a dead dog like me?” In Bible days dogs were uncleananimals to Israelites. They were mostly regarded as nuisances.And a dead dog was considered worthless. It was hardly worththe bother to bury it.
And we are unclean in God’s holy eyes. “We all havebecome as one who is unclean, all our righteous acts are likefilthy rags”, Isaiah 64.6. All of us must admit we are in the same
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condition before God as Mephibosheth. And we must join himin taking the very low place of unworthiness before Him.
But now let’s look at how king David treatedMephibosheth –
3. David’s kindness and grace:
(1) Looking for the unworthy one. David asks abouthim. Then he sends for him, and brings him to his palace. It wasnot because of Mephibosheth’s begging for mercy. Nor becauseof his worthiness. But rather because of David’s love he inviteshim to his palace. So with our Savior, He says “Come unto Meand I will give you rest.”
(2) Blessing. David’s action was based on his covenant-promise with Jonathan, see 1 Samuel 20.14,15 & 42. ThereDavid had promised to show:
— unfailing kindness, like the Lord’s, v.14;
— unending kindness, never to stop, v.15;
— kindness, favor, instead of justice or wrath; – just likeGod does;
— kindness for the sake of another, Jonathan. In ourcase we read in Ephesians 4.32 “we are forgiven for Christ’ssake.” What a picture this is of our Lord’s great kindness andgrace to us! Ephesians 2.7 – the super-greatness of His grace inHis kindness to us through Christ Jesus!
(3) Providing: (a) Peace. Mephibosheth would surelyremember that his own uncle, Ish-bosheth, had been put todeath, 2 Samuel 4.7,8. Mephibosheth’s heart must have beentrembling in terror as he is taken to King David. But instead hehears words of peace, “Don’t be afraid.” All fear is removed.
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Perfect love drives out all fear (of punishment), l John 4.18. Hecan enjoy peace, perfect peace.
Next he hears words of (b) Promises, v.7:– I will surely be kind to you– I will restore Saul’s property to you– You will always eat at my table.
How sure and positive these promises are!
(c) Possessions, vs.7,9. Rich inheritance – All of Saul’sproperty!.
But think of what we receive as believers in Christ: 1 Peter 1.4, an inheritance (rich blessings) which can never per-ish, spoil nor fade away.
Ephesians 3.8, unsearchable riches, that is, riches whichcannot be counted. Romans 8.17, heirs of all God owns, heirsalongside Jesus Christ.
(d) Position, v.11.– made sons and daughters of God, inHis own family. “Just like one of the king’s sons”. Look up 1 John 3.1-2.
(e) Provision – at the King’s table, vs.7,13. With royalbanquet spread every day –
(1) Plenty of food, more than they can eat. Like the tableof the father of the prodigal son in Luke 15. John 6.12-13. Andfor us we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in ChristJesus, Ephesians 1.3. We feast on our Bread of Life, JesusChrist, John 6.
(2) Privilege – Placed in God’s family, like a son of theKing.
(3) Permanent home, in Jerusalem, city of King David.
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This pictures our home, in heavenly Jerusalem, our King’spalace.
Is it any wonder we read twice that Mephiboshethbowed low before King David. He was simply overcome,amazed by such grace being shown to such an unworthy one ashimself! His past was forgiven, his present now provided for,and his future all prepared and arranged in the palace of theKing. He has confessed his own unworthiness and at the sametime learned the very great worthiness of his king David, hisfriend and savior. And he worships bowing before his king, con-fessing how very worthy David was of his gratitude.
And what about us today who are believers in our LordJesus Christ? How much more our Greater David (Lord JesusChrist) has done for us! How can we hold back our wonderingworship: We must and do confess, I am not worthy of the leastof all His mercies. But He has saved us by His wonderful graceso we sing
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved awretch like me!
And we worship Him as we confess His Worth-ship, worthiness — Jesus, You alone are WORTHY,
Endless praises to receive,For Your loving Grace and Kindness rise above
All our thoughts conceive.With adoring hearts we give
Honor to Your precious Name; Overflowing with Your mercies,
Far and wide YOUR WORTH proclaim!
(Mrs. J. Trench, alt)
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Wise MenWorshipMatthew 2.1-112
As we come to the New Testament we find worshipmentioned in the very first record of the birth of Jesus inBethlehem. This is the first time it is found in the NewTestament. It gives us some important details of our theme –worship. So please read Matthew 2.1-12 carefully before welook at it together.
About the time Jesus was born of Mary in Bethlehemthere were Wise Men living in lands east of Israel. They werelearned men, called in our Bibles Magi or Wise Men. They werethe scholars or students of their day. Some of them studied thestars or the world sciences. Some were physicians, or priests ofreligious orders, or teachers of law. Their society probably hadbegun in the city of Babylon.
As some of these men were studying the stars one night,they made a very wonderful discovery – a new, special star wasrising over them. It was bright and beautiful – they had neverseen it before, nor had they ever seen one like it. They musthave been very excited as they talked together about it. Whatstar is this? Where did it come from? It was not on their starmaps or charts. Then one of them may have remembered an oldroll of Hebrew Scripture he had read earlier (we call it the Bookof Numbers – chapter 24.17). It had told about a Star rising outof Israel and a Ruler/King coming to them. Perhaps another of
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them thought about a very famous man named Daniel. He livedsome 500 years before them. He was the chief wise man ofBabylon province (Daniel 2.48). They might have had a copy ofhis papers (we call them the Book of Daniel). He wrote aboutthis same Ruler, Messiah or Anointed One, and told when Hewould appear (See Daniel 9.24-5).
We are not sure just how, but God did let these wise menknow that the King and Deliverer had been born to Israel. Sothey immediately packed their camels and started off followingthe star toward Jerusalem.
Our story in Matthew 2 begins as they arrived inJerusalem. They inquired as to where this Baby was, this Oneborn King of the Jews. They told how they knew about Him –they had seen His star back in their homeland. And theyexplained why they had come – to worship Him.
Here are some interesting lessons regarding worship.The One they were looking for was a very important person –the King. They knew about Him because of the sign-messagefrom heaven – the star. It tells us of His glory – He was fromheaven. The Ruler-aspect tells of His power or authority. He wasa great and important person who was worthy of honor. Theyknew He was so worthy that they must make the long, hard,costly journey to see Him and worship Him. (We cannot worshipsomeone we do not know. Worship means personal relationshipand direct contact). Worship includes giving honor and glory toHim. They presented expensive gifts to Him.
These wise men must have marveled greatly at this spe-cial star. (It is mentioned five times in our verses.) They knew itwas specially sent because of Who the special Person was – theycalled it “His Star”. Just think! God had arranged wonderful
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announcers of His birth: (1) a special star from heaven, and (2) aspecial company of angels, also from heaven, see Luke 2.13-15.
But now let’s quietly step into the house where theyoung child, Jesus was. Watch those wise men as they enter theroom. As soon as they saw Him, with His mother Mary – whatdid they do?
(1) They bowed down, knelt – in humility. There is noroom for pride in the presence of this great Person.
(2) They worshiped, paid reverence or homage to Himonly. (Not to His mother! She fades out of the picture.)
(3) They opened their treasure chests or bags, and emp-tied them.
(4) They offered to Him their gifts of great value – giftsfit for a King:
(a) Gold for the royal One. Psalm 72.15, goldfrom Sheba;
(b) Incense for the divine One. Isaiah 60.6,gold and incense;
(c) Myrrh for the suffering One. Psalm 45.8,myrrh, cassia, aloes.
Or, to put it in another way:
1. Gold speaks of His glory – Who He was and whereHe came from – the royal court of heaven!
2. Incense speaks of His fragrant life (of sweet odor)and holy character shown when He was on earth.
3.Myrrh (used for burial) speaks of the reason He cameto earth – it was to die a sacrificial death on the cross.
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is, these worshipers understood and appreciated something ofthe worth (worthiness) of this King. As they worshiped they pre-sented gifts to express their admiration and adoration of Who Hewas.
The very essence, or true nature, of genuine worship ishonoring Christ for who He is, and willingly giving to Him whatis of value to us. We gladly acknowledge He is worthy of ourvery best – our praises and our possessions. He is worthy of allwe are and have. To Him be the glory!
Life, life of love poured out, fragrant and holy!Life, amid rude thorns of earth, stainless and sweet!Life, whence God’s face of love, glorious but lowly,Shines forth to bow us, Lord, low at Your feet!
Grief, grief of love that drew hate’s every arrow!Grief that Your suffering heart only could meet!Grief, whence Your face of love, shining in sorrow,Draws us, adoring, Lord, low at Your feet!
Death, death of stricken love, wrath’s sea exploring!Death, Life’s mysterious death — Deep meeting deep!Death, whence Your bursting heart fills ours – outpouringAll, all in WORSHIP, Lord, low at Your feet!
(F. Allaben)
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ChristmasChorus ofWorship
Luke 1 and 2But there are other individuals mentioned relating to the
birth of Jesus. In Luke chapters 1 and 2 we read the story of Hisbirth and details of events closely related to it. It is interesting tonote how often joy is mentioned:
First, in Matthew 2.10 (already referred to in the previ-ous chapter), we read that the wise men rejoiced with very, verygreat joy. That is, they could hardly contain themselves, theywere bursting with joy.
2) In Luke 1.14 angel Gabriel says to Zechariah that hispromised son would be a joy and delight to him, and many peo-ple would rejoice and be glad. This was because John was goingto be the official forerunner or announcer of their long-promisedMessiah.
3) Luke 1.28, angel Gabriel's word of greeting to Marycan and should be translated rejoice, all joy as it is in otherplaces.
4) Luke 1.44, when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting thebaby inside her womb jumped with extreme joy (same word asin Luke 1.14).
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5) Luke 1.47, Mary sings, My spirit rejoices very muchin God my Savior
6) Luke 1.58, Elizabeth’s neighbors rejoiced with her(joy shared).
7) Luke 2.10, the angel announced the good news withgreat joy!
With all this in mind we do not need to be surprised tohear joyful songs of worship and praise which introduce, sur-round and end this joyful event – the birth of Jesus Christ ourSavior. Women, angels and men, singing solo or in groups allblend or combine their voices and hearts in worshipful songs ofpraise. Notice how beautifully their blended chords of harmonyexpress their worship to God:
MARY, Luke 1.46-55 praises, glorifies God.
ZECHARIAH, Luke 1.67-79, blesses God, that is,speaks well of Him.
ANGELS, Luke 2.13-14, praise, extol Him (that is, singpraises in honor of God). Note: Angels sang and shouted for joyat creation (Job 38.7; Psalm 148. 2-3); they sing here at Hisbirth; and will sing in future heaven (Revelation 5.11-12).
SHEPHERDS, Luke 2.20, walking back to their flockssinging as they went, glorifying God – that is, holding a highopinion or estimate of His majesty, which results in singingpraises. That is giving due honor to God.
SIMEON, Luke 2.28-32, Praising God by speaking wellof Him.
ANNA, Luke 2.37-38, was in the habit of worshipfullyserving God in the temple day and night. Just at the rightmoment she came upon Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus. She
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kept giving thanks to God, or burst into a song or hymn ofpraise. She kept on declaring His honor, celebrating His praises.
How beautifully all this must have sounded in heaven!We will not have space here to examine each of these moreclosely, but will only look at two of them, Mary and Zechariah.Read on!
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Mary’sSong of
WorshipLuke 1.46-555
We have already referred briefly to Mary’s song com-paring it to Hannah’s song in chapter 24 of this book. Pleaserefer back to that chapter, then read this portion of Luke 1.46-55.Now let us look at (or listen to) Mary’s song in more detail.
This is a great song of worship. She begins on a highnote of magnifying or exalting the Lord. (v.46). The word heremeans to hold in high honor, as in Acts 19.17; and to praise ordeclare or show His greatness, as in Acts 10.46; that is to showHis worthship, His worthiness. Here Mary is celebrating Hisgreatness, or great worth, as she stands in awe of her Lord, theMighty One. Mary is singing about One she knows in a personalrelationship. First let’s notice how she magnifies the Lord forwhat He has done for her:
He is God my Savior who has saved me, vs.47-48
He remembered me in my need, v.48
He has done great things for me, v.49
He has shown mercy, v.50
He has performed mighty deeds, v.51
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He has scattered the proud rulers, vs.51,52
He has lifted up the humble, v.52
He has filled the hungry, v.53
He has sent rich ones away empty, v.53Next notice how she honors, worships Him for who He is, forHis character:
He is: Her LORD, v.46
Her Savior, v.47
The Mighty One, v.49
The Holy One, v.49
Merciful One, vs.50,54
Victorious One, vs.51-52
Satisfying One, v.53
Helpful, Faithful, vs.54,55
Eternal One, forever, v.55
As Mary thinks carefully on these beautiful thoughtsabout her wonderful Lord, she can only burst forth in adoring,loving worship, glorifying, exalting Him and joyfully singingher warm thoughts about Him.
Now notice how her song is filled with Old Testamentscripture verses which she has personally enjoyed greatly. Thisis clearly shown by her opening words, my soul my spirit; it isvery personal, meaning I, myself, my very real self.
Luke 1 Old Testment
Vs.46-47, My soul, spirit praising the Lord 1 Samuel 2.1 Heart rejoices in the Lord
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Luke 1 (cont’d) Old Testament (cont’d)
In God my Savior Psalm 18.46 Exalt God my SaviorHabakkuk 3.18 Joyful in my Savior
V.48 He remembers my humble Psalm 138.6 Lord is high yetstate looks on the lowly
V.49 The Mighty One has 1 Samuel 2.2. No Rock like our Goddone great things for me Psalm 71.19 God ... done great
thingsHoly is His Name 1 Samuel 2.2. No one Holy like You
Psalm 111.9 Holy, awesome His Name
V.50 His mercy extends to Exodus 20.6 love to a thousandthose who fear Him from generations of those who generation to generation love Him and keep His com-
mandmentsPsalm 103.17 from eternity to eternity
the Lord loves those whofear Him
V.51 Mighty deeds or works Psalm 98.1 Lord ....marvelous thingsScattered the proud 2 Samuel 22.28 Lord’s eye on the
haughty to bring them low.
V.52 Brought down rulers from 1 Samuel 2.4 Warrior’s bows brokenthrones
Lifted up the humble 1 Samuel 2.6 raises up1 Samuel 2.7 exalts1 Samuel 2.8 raises from dust1 Samuel 2.8 lifts needy from ash heap
V.53 Filled hungry with good 1 Samuel 2.5 Hungry to hunger no things more
Psalm 107.9 He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things
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Luke 1 (cont’d) Old Testament (cont’d)
Sent rich away empty 1 Samuel 2.5 The rich made hungry1 Samuel 2.7 Lord sends poverty
and wealth
V.54 Mercifully helped Israel Psalm 98.3 He remembered His mercy and truth towards House of Israel.
Mary’s soul is joyfully singing her worshipful hymn ofcelebration. She uses many sweet musical notes borrowed fromthe Old Testament scripture. This is truly worshiping in spiritand in truth. See John 4.24.
True worship is both spirit-filled (full of the Holy Spirit)and scripture-filled (full of the Word of God). Mary’s song ofworship is both. Her worship is the overflow of her joyful heart,and the overflow of her love to her great God and Savior – JesusChrist (see Titus 2.13).
Her faith is here – Praising Him for promises as ifalready fulfilled.
Her joy, personal and sacred, is bubbling over, runningover. Psalm 23.5.
Her awe and reverence of His Holy Name.
Her humility remembers she does not deserve His greatblessing.
Her love is selfless, self-denying, love for Him.
She never claims nor desires any glory or honor for her-self. (In spite of this we regret that many so-called Christians tryto hold her in higher honor than her greater SON, Jesus, “who isGOD over all others, blessed forever” Romans 9.5 )
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For those of us who also know and love Jesus Christ asour Lord and Savior, may our whole heart, soul,and spirit joinwith Mary in rejoicing in Him Who is God our Savior!
Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven,
To His feet your tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who, like me, His praise should sing?
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Praise the Everlasting King!
(Henry F.Lyte)
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Zechariah’sSong
Luke 1. 68-779In Luke 1.5-25 we read the story of Priest Zechariah and
his wife, Elizabeth. They were a very godly couple, both descen-dants of Aaron, vs.5-6. But they were very old and did not haveany children. They had prayed for many years to have a son. Webegin at verse 8 by entering the temple in time to watchZechariah go into the Holy Place to burn holy incense before theLord. This was a very solemn time as the people gathered out-side praying.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and stood rightbeside Zechariah. What a surprise! Zechariah was filled withfear. He had never seen a glorious angel from heaven before.Neither had anyone else in Israel for at least 400 years (Daniel9). But quickly the angel (Gabriel) calmed his fears. Then hegave the promise that they would have a son! This good newswas too much for Zechariah at that moment. He just exclaimed,How can I know this will take place? It was all impossible forthem, an old man and woman. It seemed too good to be true.But Gabriel explained who he was – God’s personal messengersent direct from the throne room of heaven down to PriestZechariah. Then Gabriel told him that since he did not believeGod’s Word he would become unable to speak until the promisewas fulfilled.
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God did fulfill His promise (as He always does), andbaby John was born as promised. But meanwhile Zechariahmust spend the nine months waiting silently, unable to speak.However, in spite of his momentary lack of faith, Zechariah wasa godly man. After the baby was born they wanted to name thebaby at his circumcision. They asked the father and Zechariahwrote, His name is John. This was in obedience to the word ofthe angel.
We can be very sure Zechariah did not spend those ninemonths in idle, useless thoughts, groaning and complaining. Hewas a godly man who had lived his many years close to the Lordin temple service. He had known the Holy Scriptures sinceyouth. He must have spent long hours reading and studyingthem throughout his lifetime. Now in these nine months hisheart must have been rejoicing and thankful for the promisedgift of the Lord’s grace. (That is what the name John means).
We like to think that Zechariah had often meditated onPsalm 119 and had found the same experience as the writer ofthat Psalm. The theme of Psalm 119 is the Word of God. It ismentioned in every verse except one.
We read he meditated or thought carefully about God’sWord: found eight times:vs.15,23,27,48,78,97,99,148. And theresults of that are:
Delight, found seven times: vs.16,24,35,47,70,77,92.Joy and Rejoicing, found five times: vs.14 (twice),
74,111, 162. And the sum of it all is this: God’s Word is thetheme of –
Song, Singing, vs. 54 and 172.
We suggest the song Zechariah composed and sangexpresses the same idea. His song is full of many references andquotations to Old Testament scriptures (See chart at end of this
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chapter). His song is not only Spirit-filled and Scripture-filledbut also Son-filled. By that we mean Zechariah had received thepromise of a son (John). But this song is not really celebratingthat. He is not praising God for his son, John – there is only onebrief reference to John (v.76). But he refers many times to thecoming Messiah-Deliverer, Jesus the Son of GOD. HE is the oneZechariah is really occupied with in his song of worship. And itis the same One who draws the worshipful songs from our heartsas well!
For nine months Zechariah had now been meditating inthe Word of God, even though he could not express his thoughtswith his voice. When he could speak again (v.64) his very firstwords were praise to the Lord. In Matthew 12.34 our Lord Jesussaid that the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. And the bot-tled-up joy, thanksgiving and praise in Zechariah's heart burstforth like a flood in his beautiful song of worshipful praise to theLord.
But it was not a casual, random group of words. Not justsung in a rush with no preparation. Not just a hasty mixture oflast-minute thoughts. Bible scholars have long pointed out that itis carefully put together in beautiful poetic order. It is the resultof long meditation and careful planning. You will notice it ismade up of seven pairs of double expressions repeated in reverseor backward order. We may think of them as steps going up anddown to and from the altar of worship. or like the Psalms calledSongs of Degrees or Ascents, sung going up to the temple andback (Psalms 120-134). or like ascending musical notes that goup and down the octave musical scale or steps.
And we must notice that the topmost note of the musicalscale is the double reference to God’s Covenant Promise madeby solemn oath, and which the Lord faithfully and perfectly ful-filled.
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Also see how Zechariah and Elizabeth both relate close-ly to it. Zechariah’s name means remembered by Jehovah. Seev.72, Jehovah remembers His holy Covenant. Elizabeth’s(Elisheba) name means Mighty God of the Oath. See vs.72-73,the oath He swore to our father Abraham.
So both Zechariah and Elizabeth are closely related tothe Lord’s covenant-promise. And both were filled by the HolySpirit, 1.41-42; 1.67. And both were worshipers as they blessed,that is spoke well of the Lord, vs.42 and 68. So there is a sensein which we may think of this song as being a duet and not asolo. It is recorded as coming from the lips of Zechariah but wemay easily hear Elizabeth’s heart making sweet music alongwith Zechariah’s, at least in God’s ears.
Now let’s carefully consider this suggested outline oftheir song:
(7) vs.72-3 His Sacred Covenant = Solemn oath, v.73 (8) (6) vs.72-3 Fathers, ancestors = To Father Abraham, v.73 (9)(5) v.71 Saved us from enemies = Rescued us from enemies
vs.74-75 (10)(4) v.70 Promised through = John, prophet of (11)
Old Testament prophets Most High God. v.76(3) v.69 Salvation, = Saved through the (12)
Mighty Savior forgiveness of sins. v.77 (2) v.68 His people = His people, Israel v.77 (13)(1) v.68 He has come = Coming, dawning v.78-9
and redeemed sunrise, peace (14)
This song of worship should impress us with the impor-tance of careful preparation of heart before we come to the Lordto worship Him. It should help us see that worship is inspired bythe Spirit of God through meditation in the Word of God (seenext page chart). We will see in John 4 that true worship is inspirit and truth. It is illustrated in this song. One who meditates
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much in God’s Word led by the Spirit of God will overflow inadoring worship and wonder of God. See Psalm 45.1 – a heartbubbling up, overflowing in joyful song to the Lord.
Some Old Testament Scriptures quoted or referredto in Zechariah’s Song
(Note – we only give a few references as samples.Some verses have many Old Testament references).
Luke 1.68 Praised, blessed be Lord, Genesis 24.27He has come and redeemed His people Psalm 111.9.
v.69 He raised a Horn of Salvation 1 Samuel 2.10;2 Samuel 22.3
In house/lineage of His servant David Jeremiah 23.5. Psalm 132.11v.70 According to old prophets Daniel 9.24v.71. Salvation from enemies Psalm 106.10v.72. Show mercy to fathers Micah 7.20
Remember His Holy Covenant Psalm 105.8,9v.73. Oath He swore to father Abraham Genesis 22.16-18v.74. Rescue us from enemies’ hands Psalm 97.10
To serve/worship Him without fear Deuteronomy 10.20v.75. In holiness and righteousness Ezekiel 22.25.v.76. (John) to be prophet of Most High Isaiah 40.3
to go before and prepare the way Malachi 3.1v.77. Knowledge of salvation Jeremiah 31.34
through forgiveness of Sinsv.78. Tender mercy of our God Isaiah 63.9
Rising sun comes from heaven Malachi 4.2v.79. A great light to shine in darkness
and shadow of death Isaiah 9.2; 60.1-3. Psalm 107.14.
To guide into path of peace Psalm 23.4. Isaiah 9.6; 26.3.
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Lord, You keep him in Perfect Peace
Who meditates on You
When shadows come and darkness falls
You give us inward peace;
Oh You are the only perfect resting place,
You give us perfect peace;
You will keep him in Perfect Peace
Who meditates on You.
(Vivian A.Kretz, alt.)
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WorshipJohn 4.1-442
BackgroundPlease read John 4.1-42. In this very interesting story in
the life of our Lord Jesus we read about a woman of Samariawhom Jesus wanted to meet. He knew she would be coming tothe town well to draw water. And He knew she would be there atmid-day. So He arrived ahead of time, tired, hot and thirsty. Hisdisciples have gone to the town shops or market to buy food.Let’s move closer to the well as the woman arrives.
She is alone. All other women drew water in the cool ofthe day. But she was not welcome in their presence. She was asinful woman, outcast and not wanted. But Jesus has come allthis way just to meet her and talk with her. You remember Hecame to search for and rescue lost, sinful men and women, Luke19.10. And He knew she was a lost sinner who needed salvation.
As she arrives she sees a stranger sitting on the well.She is surprised and even more so as He asks her, Will youplease give Me a drink? She notices that He is a Jew – and Jewshad nothing to do with Samaritans, v.9.
The Samaritans were a mixed race, part Jewish and partGentile. (They were called half-breeds by the Jews.) And they
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had a mixed-up and false religion. (You can read about how thiscame to be in 2 Kings 17.29-41). So the Jews despised and hatedSamaritans. They would not eat with them nor even speak tothem. Certainly no proud Jewish man wanted to ever be seentalking to a Samaritan woman in public!
But Jesus was no ordinary Jewish man! We have justseen that He came into the world for this very purpose – to lookfor and save lost people. That is why He had come to Samaria.
ConversationBut now let’s listen to them talking to each other. He has
just asked her for a drink. She replies by asking Him a question.In fact she asks Him three questions, vs.9,11,12: How, where,and are?
The first part of their conversation is about water,springs of water, thirst and drinking (over 30 references), vs.6-15.
Then in vs.16-26 they talk about worship, in spirit andtruth, eight times. This is the reason we are looking at this story.Both Jews and Samaritans had “religion”. Many of the Jews hadfallen from true worship of the true God to merely outward for-mal religious meetings and services. They had left “spirit reali-ty” for pretend, empty religion. Jesus called them hypocrites,that is pretenders, making believe.
On the other hand the Samaritans had a completely con-fused, mixed-up, false religion. They had their own “home-made” kind of religion with a little truth from the Bible mixedwith a lot of falsehood. But it was not authorized by God.
They both had their special places of worship: the Jewshad their temple in Jerusalem; the Samaritans’ holy site was
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Mount Gerizim – right in view of the well where they were talk-ing. (However their temple had been destroyed over 100 yearsbefore this time. But they still held on to their false ideas). ButJesus knew that within a few years the Jewish temple would alsobe destroyed. So both “religions” had failed. Neither one couldbring forgiveness of sins, satisfaction nor peace of heart. Bothwere empty, wrong and useless.
Jesus knew the deep need of her heart and He directs herattention to it. Physical thirst could be satisfied by physicalwater, but only for a short time, v.13. Everyone who drinks fromthis physical, earthly water will get thirsty again and again. Thatis why she had been coming to draw water here for years – prob-ably all her life.
Then Jesus tells her about a different water He couldgive her and she would never get thirsty again, v.14. And, morethan that, it would be a fountain bubbling up with Eternal Life(Salvation). This was a gift and HE was the Source, the Giver ofit.
This poor, miserable woman had had a very unhappy,empty kind of life. She had no joy nor satisfaction and was brokenhearted. When she heard these words of Jesus the deepestlonging of her sad heart cried out. She said, as it were, That iswhat I want! Give this water to me – I’m so thirsty – I’m tiredof looking for satisfaction and never finding it!
But Jesus knew the cause of her miserable condition.And He must show it to her. So He told her to call her husbandand bring him back with her. Jesus is putting His finger on thesore problem – it was sin. In her case a sinful relationship with aman. There can be no true joy or satisfaction in any heart thathas sin in it.
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all about her past, v.18. And she gasps, “I see you are aProphet!” Then she brings up the question of religion, – hers orthe Jews, which is right? (Today she would be saying – Whichchurch is right? There are so many; or, My religion is just asgood as yours.) Jesus is simply saying, Neither religion can saveyou! You need to be saved from your sins. No religion orchurch can do that. You need a Savior.
Just a word to you, my dear reader. Are you trying tofind peace of heart in some religion? You will never find it untilyou come to Jesus, believing He died to take the punishment foryour sins. Why not put your faith in Him right now!
WorshipHer interest is aroused, her conscience is stirred, her
heart is enlightened. Now notice her questions : How – regard-ing the pattern of His approach, v.9
From where – is the power to provide salvation v.11 Are You greater – the position He had over Jacob v.12 Where must we worship – proper place to worship v.20 Could this be HE – regarding the person Himself –
Messiah, vs.25,29, Savior of the world, v.42.
Now notice her progress of understanding as to who He is:
1. v.9 – You are a Jew – despised by her2. vs.11,15 – Sir – term of respect used by servant to
master.
3. v.19 – A Prophet – (voice for God). They wereawaiting THE Prophet, Deuteronomy 18.15-18; John 1.21,24.
4. vs.25,26,29 – Messiah, Anointed One, Christ. I AM –(title of Jehovah) HE. You need not wait any longer nor look anyfurther because I AM HE!
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5. v.42 – Savior of the world – Not only of Jews but ofthe whole world!
So now it is no longer: What you worship. The patternof the Old Testament has been put away;
Nor Where you worship. The place (Deuteronomy12.5). Temples and tabernacles are gone;
But Whom you worship. The Person has replaced thepattern and place of Old Testament.
The Triune God is linked with worship; (1) The Father,v.23.
The how of worship – (2) in the Spirit, v.24
(3) through the Son, the I AM of Jehovah, v.25.
True worship is(1) in spirit, our spiritual response of heart, pouring out
our love to Him, a spiritual act on our part (as we have seenelsewhere).
(2) also it is in the Spirit, that is, in the power of theHoly Spirit.
So the Person of the Godhead-Trinity is the object ofour worship. And the chief passion of the Father is given here(v.23) – He is seeking, looking for, longing for – worshipers, asa hungry person longs for food or fruit (as in Matthew 21.18-19,) to be refreshed and satisfied. God so loved us He gave HisSon for us. Now, because He first loved us we should love Him, 1 John 4.19. As He looks for fruit from our hearts, notice thefirst fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.22 is love. Our worship isour love responding to His first love to us.
Our Lord has removed all barriers (walls separating usfrom God) and all differences between us –
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Differences of race and color of skin and languages, Differences of social standing, caste systems, rich and poor, Differences of religion, Jews, Gentiles or Samaritans, Differences of geographical locations or nationalities.
These are all put aside, see Ephesians 2.11-22.
Now every true believer in Christ has the great privilegeof freely coming directly into the very presence of our God toworship in spirit and truth.
This dear woman of Samaria had come with an emptyheart and empty jar. She met the Source of living, satisfyingwater for her spirit. She left with a full and overflowing heart,satisfied! She left behind the empty water jar of empty, lifelessreligion and she went forth rejoicing in her Savior and LordJesus Christ
I heard the voice of Jesus say, Behold I freely giveThe Living Water, thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink and live.I came to Jesus and I drank
Of His life-giving stream,My thirst was quenched, I’m Satisfied
And now I WORSHIP HIM!
(H.Bonar, alt)
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Worship in aStorm
Matthew 14.22-333Some religious people have the mistaken idea that they
must be in some special place (a church building, or cathedral,or synagogue) in order to be able to worship God. Or that it mustbe on a special day (Sunday or some holy day), or at some spe-cial set time. But in this story in Matthew 14 we find that thedisciples were not in any such place or time!
Jesus had just fed 5,000 men plus their families, and heused only five loaves and two fish. John 6.14-15 tells us thehappy crowds of people had wanted to make Jesus their kingright then and there. But Jesus knew that He must suffer and dieon the cross before He could reign on a throne. So He sent thecrowds away. Then He told His disciples to get into their littleboat and cross to the other side of the lake ahead of Him. ThenHe went up the hillside to pray. Night came, then midnight. Bythen a strong wind was driving the little boat about on thewaves: GREAT TROUBLE.
Then around three or four o’clock, in the darkest part ofthe night, Jesus came walking on the water toward them. Thedisciples did not know who it was. They were filled with terror,and screaming, It is a ghost! GREAT TERROR.
But Jesus calmed their hearts: Don’t be afraid, It is I (lit-
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erally He said, I AM, title of Deity, Exodus 3). They need not beafraid, He was near. Peter’s fear was gone at once. He called toHis Master, “Lord, if it is really You, order me to come out onthe water to You.” Jesus replied, “Come along.” So Peterwalked boldly on the water toward Jesus: GREAT TRUST.
But when He got his eyes off Jesus he began to sink.However Peter shot out an “arrow prayer”- Lord save me!Instantly Jesus grabbed Peter’s hand. Then together they walkedhand in hand and got into the boat. GREAT TRIUMPH. “Safeam I in the hollow of His hand!”
And the contrary, stormy wind stopped to perfect calm:GREAT CALM.
What an exciting experience for them all! From troubleto terror to trust and then triumph. From contrary wind to calm.But how did it all take place? It was all by the powerful Word oftheir powerful Master. Their hearts are filled with a deep wonderand awe.
Now comes the only possible natural, free response oftheir hearts:
WORSHIP. The whole group (not just Peter alone)crowded around Jesus and fell to their knees. They knelt to showHim deepest respect and honor. They had just witnessed Hisgreat power over the stormy weather and raging sea. They real-ized He was God Almighty clothed in human form. They fol-lowed the instruction of Psalm 45.11: HE is your Lord andMaster, so honor Him, reverence Him; bow down to Him doinghomage to Him –
Almighty God is He.Bow down before Him,
Love and adore Him.His Name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord.
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So they worshiped Him giving their great confessionand testimony:– Great Certainty surely, truly, indeed;– Great Confession Personal: You, Yourself, none else, our
Lord and MasterPositive: are, indeed, in real fact, with
out doubt Proper Title: the Son of God, truly God
Himself;– Great Celebration The object of their worship was theirgreat God. They at once showed respect to Him, gave honor toHim, glorified Him, as they fell on their knees in deep humilityand payed homage to Him.
This is the very substance of worship.
And should not we do the same whenever and whereverwe are reminded again of His greatness, His power, His lovingdeliverance. No matter whether we are on a mountaintop of joyor in the sea waves of trouble; no matter what day of the week oryear it may be – everytime we are reminded of who He is – TheSon of God – let us be quick to bow our hearts in deepest rever-ence and worship.
Son of God, in Adoration
Low we bow before Your face,
And with grateful hearts, Lord Jesus,
Sing the marvels of Your grace;
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
We worship You and You we praise!
(C.H.von Poseck)
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Worthship –Worthiness
Matthew 26When Jesus was born He was taken into the temple by
His parents. An old man named Simeon made this prophecyabout Him: This child will be a sign . . . so that the thoughts ofmany hearts will be revealed (Luke 2.34-35). Here in Matthew26 we find many people who are fulfilling that prophecy. Thethoughts of their hearts are revealed. And their thoughts centeron the person of our Lord Jesus.
First, consider the chief priests and elders of Israel, vs.3-4. What do they think about Jesus? What is He worth to them?They are plotting to kill Him. They are saying, in effect, He isworthy of death! v.66.
In verses 14-16 we watch Judas Iscariot betray and sellJesus. He is telling us Jesus is worth only the price of a slave tohim.
The large crowd come and arrest Him, v.47, and tie Himup and drag Him away, like a worthless criminal.
See the soldiers and others in verses 67 and 68 spittingon Him and hitting Him. By their acts they are saying He is onlyworthy of contempt and shame.
And then look at even His disciples, v.56. They all
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forsook Him and fled, as if to say, He is not worth standing upfor! And in verses 69-75 even Peter thinks the same way, as heopenly denies he ever knew Jesus!
How sad! His enemies and His closest friends joining inshowing their thoughts of the worth of Jesus – “We really don’tthink very highly of Him!”
BUT, wait a moment! Almost hidden among these sor-rowful stories, in verses 6-13 we find a beautiful contrast to allthe above. One woman shows the different thoughts of her heart.Let’s look more closely.
1.One Woman, compare Mary of Bethany in John 12.1-8. The response of her heart was love.
(1) Attitude of Love. Her love to Jesus tells us how muchHE was worth to her. She brought a very expensive gift to Him.It no doubt represented her life-savings. Expensive perfume likethat was usually kept for one of two important events in awoman’s life: either for marriage or for the anointing of her ownbody at death. In either case it was an act of self-denial to use iton the body of her Savior. She says in effect, Jesus is worthmore to me than my whole wealth; He means more to me thanmy highest life hopes (marriage). He is very worthy, of myALL!
(2) Act of Love. v.7. She not only brought it, she alsobroke it and gave it. She poured it out, holding nothing back.The reason? Look at verse 28. There our Lord speaks of howHis blood was to be poured out for her (and for us). The act ofHis love in pouring out His life-blood for us, is the cause of herpouring out her love in response to His greater love. We loveHim because He first loved us, 1 John 4.19.
(3) Act of Faith also. He had said He was going to die.
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She understood His words and believed them. So she acted onthem and anointed Him for burial.
So the response of one loving heart is told here so sim-ply but clearly. However there were others in that same room,with different thoughts:
2.Others, Disciples. All of them were with unlovinghearts. The disciples, led by Judas Iscariot, were angry, findingfault with Him: He is not worth that much!! It was the anger ofpride. Her love was exposing their own complete lack of love.And it was an act of criticism exposing their own false standardof values. Look at the word they use: waste, v.8. They thoughther act was just so much waste, trash, garbage thrown in thesewer! They considered it useless, of no value. Just like throw-ing paper money into the fire! Total loss. But it was not totalloss, but total love and devotion to Christ. Now hear His reply:
3. Jesus replies – (1) Command, a real rebuke. Leaveher alone; don’t bother her; stop finding fault with her.
(2) Commendation, or praise. Listen to His word: abeautiful act! It pleased Him greatly. It was a sweet smell, notonly to his physical nose or nostrils, but it was morally a sweetsmell to his heart. He considered it a good act and honorable. Itwas in entire contrast to the thoughts of the hearts of all the oth-ers. In short, Jesus highly valued how much she highly valuedHis love to her.
To Him: – her faith was beautiful, she believed what Hehad said.
– Her love was beautiful, it was entirely willing andgladly holding nothing back. She loved Him with all her heartand soul and mind and strength. And that really is what worshiptruly is.
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– Her action was beautiful. It was done with all herheart and to prepare His body for burial. A proof of her faith andlove. Love always shows itself in loving action.
3. Continual memory. The sweet smell filled the room.But it didn’t stop there. He must have carried it on His clothes toGethsemane, to the Judgment Hall, and to Calvary. And it evenreaches to us today, through the written word. And this specialact of worship has been repeated spiritually for 2,000 years – apermanent worship memorial whenever Christian believers par-take of the Lord’s supper.
Another writer has summed it up nicely: “Any act oftrue worship fills the courts of heaven with fragrance and is per-manently recorded in the Lord’s memory” (Wm.MacDonald).
And now, my dear reader-friend, let us ask ourselves thisquestion, How do I fit in here? Which side am I on? Am I onewho is quick to find fault with a fellow-believer when he or shetries to worship our Savior? Am I holding back from giving myALL to Him? Or do I gladly join in giving glory and honor toour wonderful Savior? What is He worth to me?
Jesus, You alone are worthyCeaseless praises to receive;For Your love and grace and goodnessRise over all our thoughts conceive.
With adoring hearts we renderHonor to Your precious Name,Overflowing with Your mercies,Far and wide YOUR WORTH proclaim.
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Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise the Savior!Saints, aloud your voices raise – Praise Him! Praise Him! – until in heavenPerfected we’ll sing His praise.
(Mrs. J.A.Trench)
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Paul theWorshiper
1 Timothy 1.12-117; 6.13-116We now turn to consider the great Apostle Paul as a
worshiper. He has been called the chief of the apostles. But hecalled himself the chief of sinners.
More space is given to Paul’s writings than to any otherNew Testament writer. And Paul wrote most of the lettersrecorded in the New Testament. Also much more space is givento his letters than to the history record of his life and activities(in the book of Acts). It is interesting to note in his writings howhe often seems to burst out with a doxology, sometimes almostin the middle of a statement of wonderful truth.
Doxology is, literally, a word of glory. It is alwaysaddressed to God, the Father, Son, or the whole Godhead-Trinity. In the New Testament it is like the use of Hallelujah(Praise the Lord) in the Old Testament. Doxology is the offeringof worship to God; it is giving glory and honor to Deity. It isusually brief but oh! so full of meaning.
Paul uses this means of worship almost twenty times inhis letters. We will look carefully at only a few of them.. But weurge our readers to look them all up and carefully consider themall. They are full of instruction for us. They are like Paul’s heart-
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beats of love to His Lord and Savior. Look carefully at some ofthem.
We turn first to his first letter to Timothy where we findtwo doxologies in the references listed at head of this chapter.Read them please. They are both in the same letter and are verysimilar, except the second one enlarges on the first. So we willconsider them together combined as one song of doxology ofworship to God.
But first we must think about who is writing this song.In chapter one Paul has given a clear, honest picture of his pastlife as a sinner (chapter 1.13):
– A blasphemer is one who insults God and lacks rever-ence for Him. Paul was filled with violent threats to murderChristians, Acts 9.1.
– A persecutor – arresting people and throwing theminto prison, Acts 22.4,19, both men and women, beating andputting to death, as he persecuted the church, Galatians 1.13;
– violent – even unto bloody death, Acts 8.1; 22.4,20.
Consider some of the words he used to describe himself:
In Acts 8.3 he ravaged (destroyed) the church. It is theword used about wild beasts mangling their prey. It is used inPsalm 80.13 of the wild boar who lays waste, ruins the vineyard.And Paul dragged the Christians, as men drag a fishnet full offish, John 21.8;
In Acts 9.21 he raised havoc, like destroying or sackinga city, or to lay it waste, as Galatians 1.13;
Acts 9.1 tells us he was breathing threatenings and mur-der – that is, he was living in the slaughter-house atmosphere of
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shedding blood, he was killing humans like animals. It was, asit were, his whole life goal;
Acts 22.19 – throwing them into prison with beatings.This word means to flay or strip off the skin by lashing, rippingand tearing it off;
1 Timothy 1.13 sums it all up: inflicting injury by vio-lence.
What an evil record! No wonder Paul calls himself thechief of sinners. He had really earned that title. But also it is nowonder Paul’s conscience was cut deeply when he heard thosewords from the glory of heaven, Saul, Saul, why are you doingall this (persecuting) to Me? (Acts 9.4). Saul fell to the groundand asked, Who are you, Lord? The answer came loud andclear, I am JESUS whom you are persecuting!
That day Saul, the chief sinner, became Saul/Paul thechief slave/servant to this Jesus. It was a great conversion-change – the miracle of great grace and mercy. The story is soimportant that it is told in detail three times in Acts. In chapternine the original history is recorded. Then it is told again inchapter 22 by Paul himself before a crowd of Jews, and in chap-ter 26 at his trial before King Agrippa. And this great changecame because of the Lord’s great mercy and grace. 1 Timothy1.13-16 tells us how he was shown mercy because of his igno-rance and unbelief, and how the Lord poured out on him abun-dant grace with faith and love.
In Luke 7.36-50 Jesus tells a story showing us an impor-tant truth:
Who is forgiven much will love much,
and who loves much will worship much.
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Paul the Worshiper
Here in 1 Timothy we see Paul as an example of thistruth. As he tells how wonderfully the Lord had saved him, heimmediately bursts out in this doxology of worship to hisSavior-God –
Now to the King of all ages of eternity,
the Blessed and Only Supreme Ruler, King of Kings and Lord of Lords
the Only One who has immortality, not subject to death
Who is Invisible and full of wisdom
The Only God with full wisdom (knowing all things)– to HIM be honor,and glory and eternal power.
Amen.
This grand doxology – song of worship, centers on thecharacter of God, Who He is. Notice some of His titles, and theOld Testament scriptures quoted:
The Sovereign One – King, Highest Ruler over all other beings.– King of eternity, Eternal King, Jeremiah 10.10.– King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Deuteronomy 10.17.
Psalm 136.2,3.
The Supreme One – Above all others, second to none.Isaiah 57.15 Psalm 113.5-6; 145.1,5
The Eternal One – No one was before Him. No one willever take His place. He existed before time began. Genesis21.33. Psalm 90.2.
The Deathless One – The only one not subject to death.Immortal in His own very existence. Angels were given immor-tality at their creation. Christian believers will receive immortalbodies at the resurrection or rapture.
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He is the Living God with Eternal Life. Psalm 36.9
The invisible One – He cannot be seen by human eyenor human reason. That is because He lives in such bright glory-light that no one can come near to look at Him (something likewhen we look at the sun, it blinds us. See Acts 9.3,8).
Psalm 76.4 – He is brilliant with glory.
Psalm 104.2 – He is clothed in light. Compare Matthew17.1-6, and compare the glory cloud in Exodus 40.34-5 and 2 Chronicles 5.13-14.
The only God – alone in majesty. He is the I AM.Isaiah 45.5,6,18, the Blessed One, the Triune Godhead.
The all-wise One – full of wisdom, all-knowing, Psalm147.5,.Isaiah 40.28.
As our hearts also are filled with this vision of our greatand wonderful God and Savior, we gladly join Paul in giving toHim –
All honor – the highest honors of heavenAll glory – the highest glory of heavenAll majesty and power – dominion – rule over all
Forever and Ever – He is worthy of it all.
Amen – So may it be!
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Paul BlessesGod
Ephesians 1.3-114Now we will look at another of Paul’s doxologies. But
first please read the verses listed above. As Paul writes this let-ter his mind is filled with many high and wonderful thoughts.They exceed the ability of our minds to fully understand truthssuch as the great wisdom and wealth of God; exceeding richesof His grace and of His glory; unsearchable riches of Christ;and, the love of God which passes knowledge. Paul’s heart is toofull to contain himself. He bursts forth in overflow of adoringlove and gratitude to such a wonderful God – Blessed be God,(v.3). That is the simplest and also the highest form of worship.
To bless God is to adore Him; to admit His excellency;to express highest gratitude; to render honor to Him; to magnifyHim as the source of all our blessings.
In Psalm 118.26 the prophetic Messiah coming in thename of the Lord is called Blessed, or the Blessed One. He is thesource of all blessing because He is the Blessed One himself.Therefore He is to be praised, blessed, saluted.
This is what Paul is doing in his Praise-Song beginningin Ephesians 1.3, Blessed be God! It means “He is the One whois worthy of blessing”, so it is a true expression of worship(worthship).
It is used by the high priest concerning Messiah/Christ,Son of the Blessed One, Mark 14.61. Zechariah the priest used itin Luke 1.68. Paul uses it five times in his letters, Romans 1.25;9.5; 2 Corinthians 1.3; 11.31; Ephesians 1.3.
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Paul Blesses God
It was a commonly used way the Jewish people gavepraise to the Lord in the Old Testament. In fact it is interesting tocompare this song of Paul with David’s Psalm 103. Notice just afew similar expressions:
See PSALM 103– EPHESIANS 1.3-14 –
Bless the Lord Blessed be Godbecause of all His benefits because of all spiritual bless-
ings of heaven, in ChristHe forgives He chose us to become sonsHe healsHe redeems He redeemsHe satisfied with good things He forgives and sealed usEnding with all in His kingdom Ending with all praising Himblessing/praising Him, vs.20,22 (Revelation 5.12,13; 7.12)
This great New Testament psalm/hymn in Ephesians 1 iswritten in some Bibles in poetry-hymn style. If we think of it inthat way we can note three stanzas, each having the samerefrain, as outlined below:
Paul’s Hymn Celebrating Blessings of the Triune God
Stanza One – Blessings of God the Father, vs.3-6.
Plan: Will of the Father
l) v.3, All Spiritual BlessingsMeasure – (as) v.4 – chosen in Him to holiness
2) v.5, Appointed ahead of time – adopted as sonsMeasure – according to His pleasure and will
Refrain, v.6 Purpose:To Praise of His Glory.
Stanza Two – Blessings of God the Son,vs.7-12.Provision: Work of the Son.
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l) v.7. Redemption,Pardon: Forgiveness – through Person – Beloved SonPrice: His precious blood.
Measure – according to riches of His grace, vs.7,8
2) v.9. Sacred secret of His will revealed – future inheritanceplanned before or ahead of time.
Measure – according to His good pleasure, purposed inChrist. v.10.
Refrain, v.12. To praise of His glory.
Stanza Three – Blessings of Holy Spirit,vs.13-14.
Proof: Work of Holy Spirit.
l) v.13. Marked with a seal, of ownership,
Pledge (like an engagement ring given to bride beforemarriage).
2) v.14. Earnest, deposit of guarantee inheritance to be kept safe-ly, until the coming of Christ (day of redemption).
Refrain, v.14 – To the praise of His glory.
So as we think and sing through the three stanzas of thissong of worship we join Paul in each refrain outburst, Praise theLord! If this had been written in the Old Testament Psalms itwould be, Hallelujah, which is Hebrew for Praise the Lord.Each refrain reflects the opening praise of verse 3:
All blessings be given to the Lord
to which every Christian believer sings the hearty AMEN and AMEN!
Blessed be God our God, Who gave for us His well-beloved Son,The Gift of Gifts, all other gifts in one; Blessed be God our God!
(H.Bonar)
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John theWorshiper
Revelation 1The book of Revelation introduces us to the glorified
Christ. It is the final book and “high mountain peak” of theentire Bible. It is The Revelation of JESUS CHRIST as the veryfirst verse tells us. (not “the Revelation of St.John the Divine” assome old translations of the Bible wrongly state!) But it tells usof the unveiling or the opening to view of the great glories ofour great God and Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. And it furtherreveals what response always follows a sight of His great glory:worship. So the Bible closes on the highest notes of worship inall its grand and glorious perfection.
Please read through Revelation chapter 1. As we gothrough this chapter together we will see how John responded tothe thrilling, heart-stirring experiences of seeing this vision ofthe glorified Christ. Remember, John is an old man now as hewrites these lines. The Lord Jesus has been exalted in heaven forover 50 years by this time. But John (who is called the Apostleof Love) still remembers his wonderful Lord and Savior and hisheart is filled with love for Him. He begins to write his greetingsto his fellow Christians in vs.4-5. But he hardly gets started writ-ing some of the wonderful names and titles of Christ when hebursts out in his first doxology (praise words to God). This is thefirst of seven such doxologies in Revelation.
So let us quietly listen to John (or, better yet, join him)as he sings or shouts out his worship to the Lord Jesus:
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Notice the theme or subject as he fixes our attention onour Lord –
v.4 – Grace, the favor of God (undeserved by us)
Peace, the resulting calm and wellness of being which weenjoy in grace;
Next – from Whom does it come? From all three Persons ofthe Godhead:
He who is, was and shall be, – God the Father, the EternalOne
The sevenfold Spirit, the Holy Spirit in fullness – the DivineOne
v.5 – Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness,– the Trustworthy One
The Firstborn from the dead, – the Victorious One
The Ruler of the kings of the earth – The Supreme OneWhat a grand truth – all three Persons of the Deity engaged inour well-being!! The very mention of this calls John to pour outfrom his heart this first doxology (Praise words to God):
To Him – a Great Person
Who loves us – a continuous, daily love – Great Love!
Has freed (washed) us from our sins – Great Deliverance!
By His own blood – Great Price
v.6 – Made us a Kingdom – under His royal rule – our positionin Christ
Priests to our God – relationship of worship – our privilegein Christ.
He has done so much for us! Our hearts must worship –our response to Christ:
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To Him – Salvation is from Him, worship is to Him
Be Glory – (this book, Revelation is full of glory – 16 refer-ences)
And Power, Dominion – (28 references in Revelation)
Forever and ever, to the endless ages of ages.
(Is your heart singing along with John by now? It should be!)
Now let us move down further in this chapter, to verses9-16. Here we find John gets his first sight of the GlorifiedChrist. Notice the:
Brilliant glory, bright light,
Seven shining gold lampstands (or Menoreh),
Shining gold breastplate,
His head and hair white like wool,
His eyes like blazing fire,
His feet like glowing bronze,
Seven bright stars,
His face, like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
All these are various views of the very bright glory of our Godand Savior Jesus Christ.
Vs.17-18 – Now notice John’s immediate response: When I sawHim I fell at His feet!
His right hand – speaks of power, authority,
His command – stop being fearful.
His Self-revealing:
I AM – title of Deity or Godhead through the whole Bible
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John the Worshiper
The First and the Last – The Eternal One
The Living One – Source of Eternal, Divine Life
I became dead – Why? It was for our sake He came to die
Now I am alive forever – Risen, gone up to and glorifiedin heaven.
No wonder John fell at His feet as though he were dead;he was –
Overcome by fear, reverence,Overpowered by glory, Overtaken by weakness.
Briefly let us notice important facts regarding worshipwhich we have already mentioned in previous chapters.Worship is always accompanied by the attitude of reverentialfear. It is always the result of any fresh vision or glimpse of ourblessed Lord. We are overcome by His greatness, glory andmajesty. We will always fall down before Him, bowing low inheart and mind if not in body. We will always take a low, hum-ble place at His feet. No boasting in His presence!
Yes, John’s words are – When I saw HIM I fell at Hisfeet!
Whenever we see Him we will surely do the same!
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Worship inHeaven
Revelation 4 & 5In chapter 4 we see John is caught up to heaven, to wit-
ness “the things which will take place” on earth after the presentage is ended. It will be the judgment of God on this wickedearth. John is caught up to heaven. This is a picture of theRapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4.13-18, 1 Corinthians15.51-53). What John sees and writes down for us is a scene ofglory. All is light, shining in various ways. Note how the wholepicture is filled with brilliant light, like: jasper (diamonds) flash-ing, v.3; a rainbow glowing like a heavenly circle of green lightaround the throne, v.4; dazzling white clothing,as white as snow,(compare the Lord Jesus in Matthew 17.2); crowns of shininggold, v.4; like flashes of lightning, blinding the natural eye, v.5;seven lamps blazing brightly, v.5; the sea of glass reflectingclear bright light, v.6.
In Psalm 29.9 we are told that “In His temple everyone(and everything) cries out glory!” It all reflects the glory of God.That is because He is the God of Glory, Psalm 29.3. And every-thing and everyone in His temple brings glory that is due to HisName. And that is just what they all do in heaven. This is calledworship. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness,Psalm 29.2. That is what John is here describing to us.Worshiping God is the chief activity of all heavenly beings.
So we find Revelation chapters 4 and 5 combine togeth-er to give us a little look at (1) what heaven is like – it is a place
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of glorious light, no night there, no clouds or darkness, no shad-ows or dimness; and (2) what the activity of heaven is – wor-shiping God.
In these two chapters we find seven references to the“worthship” (worthiness) of our Lord, in other words, HisWorth: Worship, chapters 4.10, and 5.14; Worthy, chap 4.11;5.9,12. The basic meaning of the word is to have weight, worthor value. So one who worships is recognizing and proclaimingthe supreme worth or value of God.
Let’s now look at all the groups of created intelligentbeings: (1) the living creatures or beings; (2) the twenty-fourelders; (3) the angels; (4) all created human beings – first thesaved, believing crowd in heaven, and then even the unbelievingdead in Sheol or Hades; and then (5) the great response of theuniverse!
1) Living creatures/beings: 4.6-9. These appear to be the high-est rank or order of all created intelligent beings. Perhaps a com-bination of Cherubim and Seraphim? See Genesis 3 and Isaiah6. They are attendants, guards of God’s throne. In Exodus 25.10-22 and elsewhere they are related to redemption. Ezekiel 41.15-20 related to His supreme reign as King (in the Millennium).
In any case they are leaders and examples to us of wor-ship as they continuously worship the Holy One and AllPowerful Eternal One, God:
Bowing down before the Lamb, 5.8With harps accompanying their song, 5.8With golden bowls of incense, – prayers and worship, 5.8Singing a new song of worship (of worthiness of the Lord)
giving to Him glory, honor and thanks.
Yes, worship is their chief and highest activity inheaven.
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2) The twenty-four Elders, 4.9-11 These appear to represent allthe redeemed believers of the Old and New Testament Church.They are on thrones, suggesting they have been judged andrewarded. Now they are glorified saints ruling with Christ andworshiping Him:
They bow down themselves before God,They worship Him,They humble themselves, throwing down their crowns at
His feet,They sing of His worth-ship.
You are worthy to receive Glory honor power
Because You created everything – by Your willYou hold everything together.
Worship is the chief activity of redeemed believers inheaven.
3) Angelic Hosts. 5.11-12. There must be very many millions ofthese mighty servants of God – too many to count! Here theyare seen joining the living beings and the twenty-four elderssinging with loud voices to the Lord God. They declare theLamb who was slain is worthy to receive this seven-fold bless-ing: (we quote from Bible teacher, William MacDonald, as fol-lows:)
Power – to One Who had laid aside His own power orauthority in order to become obedient to His Father.
Riches/Wealth – To One Who had left His riches in glory to become poor on our behalf.
Wisdom – To One Who linked Himself to the foolishness ofthe cross.
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Worship in Heaven
Strength – To One Who was crucified in weakness.
Honor – To One Who was dishonored, ridiculed on the cross.
Glory – To One Who died in shame and disgrace.
Blessing (PRAISE) – To One made a curse for us.
And Who is that Blessed One who has done all this forus? He is the Lamb of God who has taken away our sins. He isthe Worthy One!
4) Every human being in heaven – plus those on earth, who arebelievers in our Lord (already listed above) v.13. These alsomust number countless millions. They will all burst into a louderchorus of worshipful song, praising God and the Lamb.
Yes, all the Redeemed of all ages are singing this wor-shipful song. (NOTE: Here we must add another group but totallydifferent from the heavenly occupants. Philippians.2.10,11 tellsus that even the [unbelievers] inhabitants of the underworld[hell] will be forced to confess the worth-ship of Jesus Christour Lord. Every knee . . . under the earth shall bow and everytongue . . . in the underworld shall confess that Jesus Christ [TheLamb] is LORD to the glory of God the Father. There will notbe one intelligent created being, human or demonic, who willhold back honor and glory to God and His Son, Jesus Christ.)
5) The great response of the universe – all heaven and earth:
(1) It is universal– includes every created intelligent being;
(2) It is spontaneous – freely, gladly flowing from everyindividual heart;
(3) It is whole-hearted – no holding back or limits;
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(4) It is energetic – in the power of the Holy Spirit, all sinand weakness removed;
(5) It is endless, eternal – forever and ever to the endlessages of eternity.
The Grand Finale – The great Hallelujah Chorus of heaven forall eternity:
Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain
To receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
And honor and glory and praise!
To Him who sits upon the throne, And to the Lamb
Be praise and honor and glory and power
Forever and ever! Amen and Amen!
(Dear reader, my fellow-believer, are you looking for-ward to joining your voice with those who sing this in heaven?Then start singing it now!)
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In contrast to all we have been considering together inthe previous chapters, let us ask our readers a simple question.Do you feel a deep sense of how this kind of true worship islacking in your heart? And perhaps in your church fellowship?If you do then you are like many of us believers who are deeplysorry for such a condition of heart.
So let us ask other important questions. Why should thissad condition be? How has it come about? Why are we so slowto worship and praise our great God and Savior? Why is oursong of worship so often weak and without meaning? Why doesour love seem so cold, at best?
We believe it is because we have lost our vision of ourblessed Lord. We have lost sight of Who He really is, and ofwhat great things He has done for us. Do you remember whatwe learned about John in Revelation chapter 1? When he sawJesus in glory he instantly fell down before Him in humble wor-ship. And that is the way it is with all of God’s people throughthe whole Bible. So let’s state our problem today: – No vision ofHim results in – No worship to Him. It’s that simple.
So let us briefly review this whole book you have justfinished reading: We need to experience again these things:
1) A fresh vision of His glorious majesty – He is high and liftedup;
2) A spirit of reverence for His holiness – He is pure and perfect;
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3) A sense of awe of His greatness and power – it is beyondmeasure;
4) A joyful celebration of His goodness –- His great lovingkind-ness;
5) A fresh thrill at His love, grace and mercy – to me of all people!
6) A true heart-love for His person – His spotless character;
7) A complete submission to His authority, rule – He is supremeover all;
8) A total humility before His worth – we throw our crowns atHis feet
9) A pure joy, enjoyment of His beauty and loveliness – He is theOne Who is entirely lovely, beautiful, attractive, (Song ofSolomon 5.16)
These are some of the basic things which make up wor-ship. When any or all of them are missing or in low supply ourworship will be empty or weak. To correct or prevent such acondition, let us each learn to earnestly and often pray to ourLord: “O Lord, show Your Glory to me again. Cause my heart tofix attention on Yourself. Help my heart to respond, like theheavenly crowds do, with sincere worship to You, the all-worthyOne”.
The Lord will answer our prayer as we turn our heartattention on Him as we read and meditate in His Word, theBible. And as we see Him afresh in His Word we will again fallin love with Him, our wonderful, precious Lord and Savior.Then the outcome will be: truly, in spirit and in truth, we will
Worship God
Psalm 68.26, Praise, worship God in the great congregationof His people.
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When this passing world is done,When has sunk yon glorious sun,When I stand with Christ on high,Looking over life’s history:
Then, Lord, shall I fully know – Not till then – how much I owe.
When I stand before the throne, Dressed in beauty not my own; When I see YOU as You are,Love You with unsinning heart,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know – Not till then – how much I owe.
When the praise of heaven I hear, Loud as thunders to the ear,Loud as many waters’ noise, Sweet as harp’s melodious voice:
Then, Lord, shall I fully know – Not till then – how much I owe.
Chosen not for good in me;Wakened up from wrath to flee;Hidden in the Savior’s side;By the Spirit sanctified:
Teach me, Lord, on earth to showBy my loving WORSHIP, how much I owe!
(R.Murray McCheyne, alt.)
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CCoonncclluussiioonnThere are many other references to worship in the Bible.
We have not been able to include them in this book. They have
much good and valuable teaching in them. Here are some, to
name just a few:
– The tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament. The
fixtures, materials, sizes, etc. have many pictures of spiritual
truth.
– The priests, their garments, activities.
– The Levitical laws of offerings and sacrifices.
– Many songs of worship are in the Psalms and Songs of
Solomon.
– The other doxologies in the New Testament.
– Further glimpses into worship in heaven in
Revelation.
We would urge our readers to study more into this sub-
ject in their own Bible studies. As we do so it will enlarge the
capacity of our hearts to understand more clearly Who our
blessed Lord and God is. And how worthy He is to receive the
very best worship we can offer Him.
He is our Lord – WORSHIP HIM!
WORSHIP GOD!
Amen.
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