Is the God You Worship Like You?

Introduction

Draw upon Leviticus 10:1-3 and Genesis 4 about Nadab and Abihu and Cain and Abel, specifically the unacceptably of Cain’s sacrifice.

Background

The lack of idols is another facet of the uniqueness of Yahweh worship and biblical monotheism. All other nations had their idols and believed their gods dwelt within these idols: OT Scholar Michael Heiser writes this in his book Unseen Realm: “What ancient idol worshippers believed was that the objects they made were inhabited by their gods. This is why they performed ceremonies to “open the mouth” of the statue. The mouth (and nostrils) had to be ritually opened for the spirit of the deity to move in and occupy, a notion inspired by the idea that one needs to breathe to live. The idol first had to be animated with the very real spiritual presence of the deity. Once that was done, the entity was localized for worship and bargaining.”[1] The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary which Dr. Heiser draws from states: “The presence of the deity in the statue was then maintained through offerings and the proper care of the statue.... The daily care given to the statue reflects the belief that the statue was alive and thus needed the same attention and sustenance that any living individual would require.”[2] Isaiah and Jeremiah mock these things (Is 44:14-17, Jer 10:8).

The Glory of the LORD

According to the Lexham Survey of Theology: “God’s glory is the manifestation of the perfection of all of his attributes. The doctrine of the glory of God emphasizes his greatness and transcendence, his splendor and holiness.”[3] The LORD is an absolutely glorious God. His glory is incomparable. Paul tells us He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16). The LORD Himself declares none can see my face and live. This reality was known in the time of the patriarchs when Hagar marvelled at seeing the Lord and remaining alive (Gen 16:13). Scripture testifies to the matchless glory of our God. 1 Kgs 8:11 states the priests couldn’t stand to minister because of the glory of the LORD which filled the temple. Ex 40:35 indicates even Moses couldn’t enter the tabernacle when the LORD’s glory descended. Is 42:8 makes clear Yahweh will give His glory to no other. Ps 19:1 declares the heavens testify to the glory of God. Ps 104:1 makes clear is is clothed in splendor and majesty. Ps 113:4 places God’s glory above everything else in creation. In the wilderness, right before He condemns the current generation to the wilderness, the LORD declares the whole earth will be filled with His glory (Num. 14:21). In Habakkuk 2:14 the prophet declares the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. The glory of God is important. It is most magnified in Christ (John 1:14; Heb. 1:3).

The Wrong and Right Worship of the LORD

The LORD has an absolute right to determine how He is to be worshipped. To worship the LORD in any other way is sinful and dismissive of His glory and holiness. This is the negative side of this commandment. As the Westminster Larger Catechism states, partially: “The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counselling, commanding, using, and any wise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself...”[4] Because the LORD is who He is, far above, beyond, and outside of creation, He cannot properly be represented by anything in creation. Years later Moses makes the point that Yahweh did not reveal a form to them when he revealed himself to them (Deut. 4:12;15-19). Paul will makes this same point when speaking at Mars Hill, arguing the LORD does not dwell in temples nor requires human service (Acts 17:24-25). Therefore taking such actions debase His glory and misrepresents His being, nature, and character. Worse still, to make an idol is to attempt to reduce Him to a being that can be controlled, manipulated, and subjected to the will of the creature. It makes God like us which He isn’t and inevitably leads to creature worship. Yet it doesn’t stop here. There is more to improper worship. It includes false religions and religious worship, believing in superstition, and failing to render and / or opposing proper worship.[5] What does making an idol and serving it and / or false worship look like today? Here are a couple of examples:

Creating a ‘god’ made in our image, a false god. This ‘god’ is usually only a god of love and not wrath or justice, biblically defined. He or she wouldn’t send anyone to hell.

Worshiping a god without an objective law and / or assuming a right to decide which of his words are acceptable or good today and which should be disregarded.

Worshiping a god who accepts the worship of all religions and allows us to pick and choose our way to him. I will add the nonsense of ‘spiritual but not religious’ mantra.

Worshiping a god who agree with us on all issues. This god needs our permission to be relevant and we owe them no honor. This god can be manipulated by us by way of prayer, offerings, works, or threats.

Most importantly, this god doesn’t demand holiness of us. We are not asked to sacrifice anything to please him. It is all about our happiness.

Denying or attempting to deny the people of God the ability to worship the LORD as commanded in scripture. It can be seen in defaming the ordinances of the LORD, such as offering skittles and apple juice for the Lord’s Supper.

I could go on but you get the point. It certainly is easy for offer wrong worship. The question then becomes what is the right way to worship the LORD?

Christ answered this question for us when speaking to the Samaritan woman. In speaking about proper worship Christ declares God is Spirit and true worship is done in Spirit and Truth (John 4:22-24). What does this mean for us?

True worship is Spirit enabled: The Holy Spirit is working in us to bring about worship from our spirits - Rom. 8:14-17

True worship is heart driven: It isn’t a mere intellectual exercise but the loving response to the loving acts of the LORD toward us - Matt 22:37, James 1:22

True worship is truth directed: It is done in accordance with God’s revealed will as provided in scripture - Eph. 5:18-19, Matt 28:18-20, 1 Cor 11:23-26

True worship is upward focused: It’s only object is the creator of the universe - Col. 3:1-4

The Jealously of the LORD

The LORD God of Israel will not tolerate divided loyalty. Yahweh is perfectly committed to His people, entering into an exclusive relationship with them and providing Israel alone with His law. He rightful expects and demands the undivided loyalty of His people and will accept nothing less. It is not any different than a husband or wife demanding the absolute fidelity of their spouse. What rightly belongs to my wife is to be given to no other woman. A violation of our covenant would entitle her to seek redress. In the words of one commentator: “Though we naturally view jealousy in terms of human relationships where it presents itself in many sinful guises, it is fundamentally something good. Whereas envy is a desire for what is not one’s own, jealousy focuses on what one has a right to, and is an intense preoccupation to take action to guard and keep inviolate a relationship. It debases a relationship between two parties if what intrudes into and threatens its integrity is treated as of little consequence. When God says to Israel that he is jealous of the relationship that the covenant has brought into existence, he means that he is committed to maintaining it and dealing with all that threatens its integrity—because the threat is essentially one against himself and his rights in the matter.”[6] In our case the text states this redress extends to multiple generations. What does that mean?

First we must look at a few other passage of scripture. The issue of family judgment is dealt with in Deut. 24:16, Joshua 7:24-26 and Ezekiel 18:1-4;20. We see in these scriptures that the LORD’s judgment is dependent upon the actions of individual sinners. How often do children repeat what they see the parents do, for good or for evil? Those who break the covenant with Yahweh will receive his judgment for doing so.

The Great Love of the LORD

The penalty for violating this command is great. The Love of God is just as great. Notice how the LORD offers lovingkindness to thousands whereas judgment is reserved for the third and fourth generations. That is one heck of a contrast and reflects the LORD’s desire for His people. Those who are faithful to the LORD, giving their love only to Him shall experience His great love and glorious lovingkindness. This love of the LORD is pure, free from any and all malice and violence. It is love that provides good to its recipients and is free from any containment. It is perfect, possessing His nature and character. It can’t be stolen and doesn’t grow tired. It reflects the God who gives it. Yahweh has done so much for His people and wants to pour out his rich blessings upon them. He has the right to receive their whole hearts in return.

Bibliography

1. Heiser, M. S. (2015). The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (First Edition, pp. 35–36). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

2. Curtis, E. M. (1992). Idol, Idolatry. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 3, pgs. 377-8). New York: Doubleday.

3. Haykin, M. A. G. (2018). God’s Glory. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

4. Westminster Assembly. (1851). The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition (pp. 255–256). Philadelphia: William S. Young

5. Adapted from Westminster Assembly. (1851). The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition (pp. 255–260). Philadelphia: William S. Young

6 . Mackay, J. L. (2001). Exodus (p. 345). Fearn, Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor.