Why worship?

Why The Hebrews Worshiped

            The rituals of a particular people seem to reveal what they believe about their gods, and what their responsibilities are in light of that belief.  Hebrew ritual is particularly well documented.  The lyrics for much of their worship music still is preserved[1], and gives a living glimpse into some of the various motivations and methods of their worship.  In the Psalms we see processionals, liturgical responses, songs and prayers.  Because Christianity is the fulfillment of the Jewish anticipation of a Messiah, Hebrew worship provides a natural foundation for the consideration of the essentials of Christian worship.  I will briefly review four motivations for Jewish worship: covenant obligation; appropriate response; obedience to the command to praise; and, finally, the purpose of human existence.

 

Covenant Obligation

            A primary theme in Jewish worship focuses on the concept of covenant.  A covenant is “a political format for maintaining relationships without the use of force,”[2] and provides a structure for the Hebrew wherein God and Man can relate to one another.  In a covenant, one party is dominant and the other is subordinate.  Major Old Testament covenants included Noahic (Gen 9:18-17), Abrahamic (Gen 15:9-21; Gen 17), Sinaitic (Exod 19-24) and Davidic (2 Sam 7:5-16).

            Throughout Hebrew history, the covenant between God and the Israelites is the dominant reference point.  Covenants outlined how both God and the Jews would live out their relationship with each other.  The allegiance to the covenant was a good indicator of the spiritual condition of the nation.  For example: “All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful, for those who keep the demands of his covenant”  (Ps 27:10).  Covenant keeping was a major part of the relationship between God and the Jews.

 

The Appropriate Response

            Covenant obligation was not the sole motivation for worship amongst the ancient Hebrews.  When a finite creature realizes he has been created by the Infinite, he becomes keenly aware that allegiance and homage are demanded in response; it is only appropriate.  Similarly, a People who have experienced mercy in the form of forgiveness or deliverance realize that the Giver of mercy deserves their gratitude; it is seemly.  Author C. S. Lewis likens it to the sense in which a work of Art demands or deserves our attention.  In the “Art” metaphor, Lewis alleges that appreciation is the correct and expected response, and adds “if we do not admire we shall be stupid, insensible, and great losers; we shall have missed something.”[3] 

 

            The Hebrews expressed the expected response of the Creation to the Creator.

The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it,

                        the world, and all who live in it;

            for he founded it upon the seas

                        and established it upon the waters.  (Psalm 24:1)

In other words, everything belongs to God because everything was made by God.  It is self-evident that the creature should pay homage to the Creator, and seems ample motivation for worship.

 

            The Hebrews expressed the expected response of the Finite to the Infinite.

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

            his greatness no one can fathom.  (Ps 145:3)

An attitude of humbled amazement surfaces throughout the Psalms.  The Psalm writers frequently become caught up in the greatness of God, and often will list the deeds or attributes of God that best illustrate the reason for their feelings of awe.  Tozer, describes this as the fear of God, and uses phrases like astonished reverence, breathless adoration, awesome fascination, lofty admiration of the attributes of God and something of the breathless silence that we know when God is.[4]  Worship, in this context, resembles a reflex or a spontaneous expression of the heart.  It is not conjured up, but simply bubbles over.

 

            The Hebrews expressed the expected response of the Forgiven to the Forgiver.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits

Who forgives all your sins, and heals your diseases.  (Ps 103:2-3)

With these words the Psalmist shows both his awareness of personal sin and God’s willingness to forgive.  The praise of the forgiven reflects the spirit of a drowning person who has been thrown a life preserver, or a parched person who has received a long drink of cool water.  Deep gratitude is instantly and naturally expressed.

 

            The Hebrews expressed the expected response of the Delivered to the Deliverer.

 

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,

            And rescues them.  (Ps 34:7)

 

Deliverance was a concept the Jews understood well.  The festival of Passover reenacts Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, and the festival of Purim recalls Esther’s courage in helping to deliver the Jews from Xerxes’ edict (Esth 9:31-32).  Persecution was a fact of life for the “chosen” people.  Remembrance of God’s deliverance turned their hearts toward the Deliverer.

 

God Requires It

            A third motivation of Hebrew worship flows from the command of God.  Not only is worship expected of a covenant participant, and appropriate from the recipient of mercies beyond measure, but also God commands worship.  Three such commands come quickly to mind:

“You shall have no other gods before Me . . . for I, the LORD your God,            
                 am a jealous God” (Ex. 20:3-4). 

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your             soul and with all your might: (Deut. 6:5)    

“Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him” (Psalm 45:11).

 

 

A Central Purpose of Human Existence

            Finally, Scripture teaches that worship is a central purpose of human existence.  Psalm 89 describes the practiced worshiper as one who experiences God’s presence constantly.

            Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,

                        Who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.

            They rejoice in your name all day long;

                        They exult in your righteousness. (Ps 89:15-16)

The Psalter describes those as “blessed” who are continually praising God. The urge to praise seems to be programmed into creation, and it appears that Mankind is not exempt from this desire.  The closing command of the Psalter gives particular insight into the purpose of life, commanding everything that has breath, or being, to give praise to God (Ps 150)!

 

 

Why Christians Worship

 

            Compared to the parent Hebrew religion, Christianity is given little scriptural instruction for worship.  Some attribute this to the fact that early Christians were Jewish and already knew how to worship, while others recognize Christianity as more of a relationship than a religion, and, therefore, harder to dictate exact requirements.  Author and preacher A.W. Tozer proposed that when God created humans in his image, he gave them the capability to appreciate and admire his attributes.[5]  Still, the capacity to worship does not explain the Christian’s motivation to worship. 

Regarding Christian worship, author and pastor Don Saliers observes that two crucial themes of thanksgiving and doxology emerge from religious practice.[6]  Tozer, too, notices two kinds of love for God: thanksgiving for his acts, and amazement at his person.  He complains, though, that most worshipers rarely get beyond gratitude.[7]  Christians, then, worship in response to God’s mercies (Rom 12:1), and in appreciation of his attributes (Rom 11:33-36).  As the Eucharistic prayers states: ‘It is our duty and delight to offer you thanks and praise!’ ”[8]

            Tozer further maintained that worship is the “normal employment”[9] of human beings.  Yet, there has been a movement in the United States to convert the Sunday service into a primarily evangelistic gathering.  Whereas, historically, Christians gathered for fellowship and worship and scattered for evangelism, some Church Growth models encourage churches to gather on Sunday for evangelism, and perhaps again for a mid-week worship event.  According to Dr. Ronald Allen, however, the worship of God is the priority and ultimate end of his redemptive work.[10]  Though important, Peterson agrees that evangelism is not the primary purpose of the gathering, based on 1 Corinthians 14.[11]  Still, some worry whether evangelism will somehow get lost if the Church focuses primarily on worship.  Tozer would counter that “practically every great deed done in the church of Christ all the way back to the apostle Paul was done by people blazing with the radiant worship of their God.”[12]  Allen also agrees that corporate worship fuels evangelism.[13]  Service, including evangelism, is the natural byproduct of worship.

There are three general types of worship the Christian should practice.  First, the follower of Christ should develop the habit of personal worship.  Christians are the temple of God, and God’s very Spirit dwells in them (1 Cor 3:16).  Various terms are used for this junction of creature and Creator: the “secret place” (Ps 27:5), the “inmost place” (Ps 51) and the “inner being” (Eph 3:16).  It is here, at the intersection of time and eternity, that mortals are privileged to commune with The Divine.  A wonderful by-product of personal worship is penned by the Apostle Paul: “that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:17-19).  The notion that mere mortals can have both knowledge of, and experience with, the Living God is unfathomable, but true!

            Second, Christians should practice corporate worship.  The Apostle Peter addresses Christ-followers in cooperative terms like “people,” “priesthood” and “nation.”  Why?  Peter continues “That you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pt 2:9).  Some may question the need for the corporate gathering, in lieu of the practice of personal worship, but both are important, and both are Biblical.  Jesus said “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matt 18:20).  It is not that Christ manifests himself differently to the individual than He does to the gathering, for He does not change.  It is “we” who change; “me” has become “we.”  In corporate worship, gathered Christians reflect the very nature of the Triune God, simultaneously singular and plural, and experience God corporately through both the presence of The Holy Spirit, and through one another.  There is also a dual audience in corporate worship, reflected in Paul’s writings to the Ephesians: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5:19-20).  We sing to God and to one another.

            Finally, the Disciple of Christ should engage in a lifestyle of worship.  This means that Christ-followers demonstrate their love, and thereby their worship, through their obedience to God.  Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me” (Jn 14:21).  This is why, when tempted by Satan to trade gods, Jesus replied, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matt 4:10).  The Apostle Paul’s teaching on worship urged Christians to consider the mercies they had received, and to worship by offering themselves as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1).  Scripture does not demand perfection; we all know that living sacrifices tend to crawl off the altar.  The daily life of a worshiper, however, is fueled by God’s mercies to live a life that is pleasing to God.