Men’s HClass: Worship

What is your definition of Worship?

Worship. Expression of reverence and adoration of God.

Praise | Sacrifice

PRAISE:

The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words yâdâh יָדָה

YADAH

throw a stone, an arrow at or away

to revere or worship with extended hands; intensional by wringing the hands

praise | shoot

SACRIFICE:

The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words yâdâh יָדָה

give thanks be overtly Thankful

cast out

make confession

It must Cost you something

In the 1500 years from Abraham to the time of Ezra (c. 1900–450 BC) there were many great changes in how Israel worshipped

Abraham, the wandering nomad, built altars and offered sacrifice wherever God appeared to him.

Moses’ had a portable sanctuary for the Israelite tribes journeying through the wilderness.

Solomon built a lavish temple in Jerusalem which lasted more than three centuries until its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

When the Jews returned from exile they built a new temple which, though less splendid than its predecessor, at least until Herod the Great renovated it, has served as the center of Jewish worship to this day.

Though all the temple buildings were destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, the foundations remained, and by the western (wailing) wall the Jews still pray.

While the form of worship changed with times and situations, the heart and center of it Never Did.

God revealed himself to Abraham, promising that his children would inherit the land of Canaan.

Abraham demonstrated his faith through prayers and sacrifice. Throughout the biblical period listening to God’s Word, prayer, and sacrifice constituted the essence of worship.

Modern people tend to restrict worship to what happens in church on Sunday.

Ancient Israel had a much broader concept of worship, offering worship

In the home as well as in the temple several times a day, not merely on the sabbath and at great festivals.

Worship involved both the individual family and the whole nation.

In the world today, worship is often limited to weekly gatherings, but in ancient Israel, it was an everyday act.

Jesus spent time with His disciples teaching them at meals and during walks.

Their reverent discourse encouraged a culture of continuous worship and unveiled deeper relationships.

We should ask ourselves: How can we incorporate such continuous worship into our families and daily lives?

In the Home. The importance of constant meditation on the Laws of God is emphasized:

Deut 6:4-8 NLT 4 Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. 5 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

The Israelites wrote verses from the Law on the doorposts of their houses.

The Jewish custom of putting mezuzot (little boxes containing verses of the Law) on the door of the house is a survival of this OT law (v 9). Every garment had tassels at its corners to remind its wearer to obey the Law

Numbers 15:38–40

Worship is very traditional

Family Worship in the Temple. From time to time every family visited the temple in Jerusalem. Eight days after a baby boy was born he was circumcised to mark his membership in Israel. Then a month or two later the baby’s mother went to the temple to offer sacrifice

It was also dramatic. The worshiper brought the animal into the temple court. Standing there before the priest he placed one hand on its head, thereby identifying himself with the animal, and confessed his sin or explained the reason for offering the sacrifice. Then the worshiper killed the animal and cut it up for the priest to burn on the great bronze altar.

In ancient times, worshipers approached the altar with trembling hearts, bringing their sacrifices to the priest. They held the animal close, placing a hand on its head as if to say, 'This is for my sins.' The release of that life was a physical embodiment of their repentance, a significant moment where they understood that grace comes at a price —

That lamb did nothing to deserve this judgment

Neither did Jesus…

The shedding of innocent blood, was a precursor to the ultimate sacrifice made by Christ.

In every case the worshiper killed the animal from his own flock with his own hands. These sacrifices expressed in a vivid and tangible way the cost of sin and the worshiper’s responsibility.

The animal represented the worshiper, dying that he might live. As the worshiper killed the animal, he recalled that sin would have caused his own death, had God not provided an escape through animal sacrifice.

National Worship in the Temple. Three times a year all adult men went to the temple to celebrate the national festivals

Deut 16:16

The Festival of Unleavened Bread (AKA “Passover” - held in April)

The Festival of Harvest (AKA “Pentecost” Feast of Weeks held in May)

The Festival of Shelters (AKA Feast of Booths in October).

When possible the whole family accompanied the men. But if they lived a long way from Jerusalem, they would only go up for one of the festivals

These festivals were tremendous occasions. Hundreds of thousands of people mostly MEN would converge on Jerusalem.

They would stay with relatives or camp in tents outside the city.

The temple courts would be thronged with worshipers.

The temple choirs sang psalms appropriate for the festival, while the priests and Levites offered hundreds, and at Passover thousands, of animals in sacrifice.

Imagine the city of Jerusalem during one of the great festivals.

The streets are alive with the sounds of laughter and song.

Families travel for days, leaving behind their routines to converge in worship.

At night, the tents fill the hillside, while the air is rich with the smell of incense and roasted meat.

In the temple, priests are busy with sacrifices, and choirs of Levites sing praises to God, their voices echoing through the sacred space.

This is not just a historical event…

It’s a fresh reminder of our need for community and worship in our own lives.

More so than all of that… Worship was meant to prioritized, planned, and sacrificial

While God wants us to worship Him we cannot worship Him just any way we will. The One who made us to worship Him has decreed how we shall worship Him. He accepts only the worship which He Himself has decreed.

A. W. Tozer

Groups of worshipers carried away with emotion would break forth into dancing.

Those of more sober temperament were content to join in the singing, or simply pray quietly.

The point is… Worship was not something that some did and others didn’t do… EVERYONE Did IT

Participation in Worship was NOT OPTIONAL… It was Culture

New Living Translation Chapter 7

Luke 7:47

“If you cannot worship the Lord in the midst of your responsibilities on Monday, it is not very likely that you were worshiping on Sunday” A. W. Tozer

A. W. Tozer

“If you will not worship God seven days a week, you do not worship him on one day a week”

A. W. Tozer

New Living Translation Chapter 12

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

What did you think worship was before tonight? What can you offer to God as worship this week? What prevents you from being more expressive in your worship?