The Awesome Story of Worship

In the first family, God was looking for true worshipers.  Between Cain and Abel, he found only one.  “The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering.  Cain became furious...” (Gen. 4:4-5).  Driven by religious jealousy, Cain murdered his brother.  Welcome to the Story of Worship. After the flood, the Story continues with Noah’s offering.  It was the pleasing aroma of Noah’s offering (Gen. 8:20) that stirred God to extend a covenant of protection over mankind’s future. In the account of Abraham’s willing offering of Isaac, where the word “worship” is first found in the Bible (Gen. 22:5), we see how God tests worshipers to see if there is anything we place above our devotion to him.  Years later, when Abraham’s descendants had become a great multitude living in Egypt as slaves, God gave Moses the message that would eventually deliver them from slavery:  “Let my people go so that they may worship Me” (Ex. 8:1).  God was looking for worshipers. When Moses was given the 10 Commandments for the new nation of Israel, the issue of true worship was written into their law -  “No other gods…” and “no idols.”  Nothing before God - the same issue Abraham faced with Isaac - became the primary organizing principle for this new community. At Sinai (Ex. 19:3-6; 20:18-21), God wanted to ordain every Israelite as a priest, which is simply a worshiper who ministers before God.  But because of fear, they drew back from God’s presence.  God’s pursuit of a nation of worshipers was frustrated. Later, Eli, Israel’s high priest, failed the same worship test Abraham has passed.  “You have honored your sons more than Me” (1 Sam. 2:29).  His privileged position was lost and given to another. David and Solomon saw what could happen when a nation is built around the honor of God.  Under their reign, worship and prayer was brought before God 24/7 for years.  God was finding worshipers.  David wrote:  “Let the peoples praise You, God; let all the peoples praise You.  Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. ” (Ps. 67:5-6).  And truly, that is what happened as Israel experienced her Golden Years of favor and prominence. But the great king Solomon didn’t finish well as a worshiper.  Though he had built a glorious Temple for God’s praise, and though he had written hundreds of songs (1 Kings 4:32) and even books in the Bible, his later days were filled with darkness and idolatry.  “At that time, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the detestable idol of Moab, and for Milcom, the detestable idol of the Ammonites…” (1 Kings 11:7). Specifically because of Solomon’s “worship failure,” (1 Kings 11:11-13) Israel was divided into two nations and lost her international prominence and power.  Likewise it was a worship failure that led to Israel’s being conquered by Assyria, and Judah being led into captivity by Babylon (2 Chron. 7:19-22). When the captivity was over, God miraculously put it in Cyrus’ heart to let Israel return to the land for the purpose of restoring worship (Ezra 6:3).  God was still looking for worshipers. Worship surrounded the birth of Jesus – the angels sang the Gloria, the wise men presented extravagant gifts to newborn King.  Jesus won the Samaritan woman to the kingdom with a message of his father’s search for worshipers (Jn. 4:23).  He rebuked religionists for placing traditions above God himself and for worshiping with words only (Mt. 15:6-9).  He made clear that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and physical strength.  And since worship is simply the expression of our love for God, he’s telling us that the kind of worshiper he looking for is a wholehearted one – and that nothing is more important! His atoning death and resurrection created a new community, the church, which Peter said was for the purpose of offering “sacrifices acceptable to God” (1 Pet. 2:5) and declaring praise (verse 9).  The apostle Paul explained that he preached the gospel as a priestly duty to produce greater worship -  so “that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable” (Rom. 15:16). In the end, an angel is sent from the throne of God with the eternal gospel calling the whole world to true worship (Rev. 14:6-7).  And even though a jealous God-imposter, the beast, temporarily convinces the unredeemed world to worship him (Rev. 13:8), his scam is short-lived.  Ultimately all the nations will come and worship before him (Rev. 15:4). And now it’s your turn to join in the Story and become a worshiper like Abel, Abraham, David and Paul.  For God is still looking for worshipers… in your neighborhood… in your church… in your home....and in you!