Worship Errors
Notes
Transcript
The Pilgrims set foot on American soil 400 years ago. December of 1620. Do you consider that a long time ago.
As Moses prepares Israel to enter the Promised Land, it will have been over 400 years since they were their own people in their own land. God wanted Moses to tell them what to expect, and what He expected of them.
The focal point of these verses is 16.20 which literally says justice, justice pursue or follow or aim at.
20 Pursue justice and justice alone, so that you will live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.
It would do us good to understand what this word would have meant to them:
Most of the time when this word is translated it is righteous, righteousness and then its also translated, honest, right, truthfully, accurate scales, and justice depending on the context of the passage.
God wanted His people to act right with one another.
In verse 18 he tells Israel that they are to set aside judges and officers from among God’s people.
Some people look at verses 19-20 and think it was the job of the judges to
Not pervert justice
Not show partiality (recognize the face)
Not take a bribe.
But the commands don’t say “they” as in the judges, it says “You” or has an understood “you.” In other words, every one of God’s people, including the judges they appointed, but not limited to them, were to make righteousness and justice a priority in their own lives. The next several chapters will show how that plays out in their society.
It is interesting that the passage we will concentrate on today doesn’t start with how to treat each other, but it starts with WORSHIP.
WHEN WE ARE RIGHT WITH GOD WE WILL BE RIGHT WITH EACH OTHER.
In a big part of chapter 17, it deals with how to handle cases where Israel, God’s people, are not worshipping as they should. But our focus will be on wrong ways to worship. I think we as the NT people of God have much to learn.
Shining or whining?
Many years ago, the church I served had a guest worship leader for a revival emphasis I won't call his name, but his initials are "Ray Jones."
Every night we printed a half-sheet with lyrics to the songs we would be singing. One night we were learning "Open the Eyes of My Heart." There was a misprint that replaced "shining in the light of Your Glory" with "WHINING in the light of Your Glory."
Which are you doing today?
Error #1: Mixed Devotion
Error #1: Mixed Devotion
21 “Do not set up an Asherah of any kind of wood next to the altar you will build for the Lord your God,
Mixed Devotion. I was a little hesitant to refer to this as error. It really is sin.
I think KJV says don’t plant a grove of trees next to the altar. This is not a prohibition about trees. It goes on to say “for an image”
An Asherah pole was an image of the Canaanite goddess of fertility, and they were erected in multiples thus the idea of a “grove”
And the sacred pillar, would have been her male counterpart.
It was not OK to set these idols up anywhere, but God drives home the point here that they were not to be set up along side the place where He was to be worshipped.
They were not replacing God, but adding other gods to the mix.
24 “No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.
The subtle allure of having two masters can tempt the Christian.
We chase many things (in this context money) that are not bad within themselves, but when they compete for our devotion to the Lord, they become idols.
This week alone, I have had multiple conversations with folks that admit they have wrongly ordered their devotion, and their worship to God has suffered.
Error#2: Substandard Devotion
Error#2: Substandard Devotion
1 “You must not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or sheep with a defect or any serious flaw, for that is detestable to the Lord your God.
God’s didn’t want the defective or left over animals as sacrifices, He required the very best. As a matter of fact, that’s why Jesus came to die. God gave us His very best.
King David was a man after God’s own heart. But he also sinned scandalously more than once. We all know the story of David and BethSheba, but there was another time.
David, in his arrogance and pride, took a census even though God didn’t want him too. The angel of the Lord began to exact judgment on the people of Israel because of what David had done.
David sought the Lord, and a prophet instructed him to go to a man’s threshing floor and offer a sacrifice. When David explained what he was supposed to do, the man who owned the threshing floor offered his own oxen and equipment to be used in the sacrifice. David mad this famous statement.
24 The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 20 ounces of silver.
I will not offer something that costs me nothing. Do you have that attitude when it comes to your walk with the Lord? Or do you give Him second best, leftovers?
A Sunday here, a Sunday there. A dollar here, a dollar there? A song (if you like it) every once in a while.
O, that God would move in our hearts to bring the kind of spiritual revival where we would gladly worship the Lord by offering all that we are to All He is.
1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.