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ASCRIBE: A BIBLE STUDY ON THE TOPIC OF WORSHIP

What is worship?

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto is name. Psalm 96:8

Whole hearted response to God.

Engagement with God on His terms where only He makes it possible.

Worship is our innermost being responding with praise for all that God is, through our attitudes, actions, thoughts, and words, based on the truth of God as He has revealed Himself.

Worship is all that we are, reacting rightly to all that He is.

Do you currently have a definition for this word?

BASIC CONCEPTS OF GLORY To trace the story of God as the Bible presents it, we need a grasp of three related ideas which define the story: (1) His glory (2) the name of God (3) worship.

Glory References: Psalm 86:9, Phil. 3:3 Definition: (1) The Hebrew word for glory is a word meaning weight, sub- stance, and at the same time, brilliance or radiant beauty. To glorify someone is to recognize their intrinsic worth and beauty, and to speak of that feature in a public way. (2) The idea of “glory” describes honor that can be given or awarded. When someone is exalted or made great, they are, to some ex- tent, in a biblical sense, glorified.

What does John 5:44 teach us about glory?

The Name of God Throughout the larger story, the biblical authors use the idea of the “name of God” as a key idea. To distinguish the functions of reference, revelation and reputation, it may help to sort out the usages with three easy-to-remember categories: name-tag, window and fame name.

Name-tag First, there are the names themselves used to designate God in the Bible. God is never anonymous in His story. Let’s name some of them?

Window name These are the names in which we get a “window” into the nature of God. It helps us better understand who He is and how He cares for us. The “Lord is my Shepherd” is a good example. What do we learn from this name?

Fame name “God’s name” most often refers to the idea of His public renown. The function is God’s reputation. God’s name is His global namesake. It is the open memory, based on historical incidents, which establishes a reputation worthy of future trust.

The Hebrew people were not only to treasure this story, but they were also to tell it. Unlike the way of many religions, God’s revelation was never to be a secret affair for a few people. Isaiah calls Israel to make known His deeds among the peoples, so that the nations are steadily reminded that “His name is exalted” (Isa 12:4).

What is one of the stories we know about God from the Old Testament? Tell it and what we should learn about God from it!

Worship Why does God want to be known with such precision? God wants to be more than globally famous—He wants to be truly worshiped.

God Reveals Glory to Receive Glory Psalm 96 shows these two directions of glory. (1) The first direction of His glory is toward the world. He shows His glory to people throughout the earth. He reveals who He is and what He has done in order to bring about the second direction of glory. (2) We give Him glory in loving worship. God reveals glory to all nations in order that He might receive glory from people through worship.

Psalm 96 What we are to do? 1 O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For what reason? 4 For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. To what cause? 7 Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. 8 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. How do we go about this? 9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. 10 Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously. 11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. 12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice 13 Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth. Have you got a glimpse of this? Let’s read Revelation 5:1-14. Why has God bought such undesirable humans at such an extravagant cost? It cost Him the blood of His Son! Furthermore, why has He purchased some from every single ethnicity? Before we are concerned about being missionaries or even disciple-makers we must be worshippers.

Psalm 148 1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. 3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created. 6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: 8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word: 9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: 10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: 11 Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: 12 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. 14 He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord.

The Story of His Glory The Bible is basically a story about God. When we turn to the Bible as a self-help book, we end up bored or frustrated with what seems to be a rambling collection of stories. What if the Bible is more about God than it is about us? How thrilling to discover that every element of scripture—the reports of events, the verses of distilled wisdom, the lyrical prophecies—converge in one central saga of one worthy Person.

Adam & Eve So much can be learned about our God in Genesis 3:9-24. Let’s read it together and discuss what are somethings we learn about God and His nature. What information does this give us about the purpose in which God created us? We see his concern about a break in the relationship. We see God o er a way of atonement. We see God prevent Adam from eternal separation. Does this seem to contradict what we learn about our role in the Universe in Ephesians 3:9-12 or create a conflict?

Tower of Babel What is the major conflict there? What phrase is significant in Genesis 11:4?

Abraham What does Abraham do in Genesis 12:7-8? His household may have been the only worshipers at that altar, but God was explicitly worshiped by name and in a public way. Abraham would be blessed to be a blessing. Look at the story of Genesis 14:14-24 Why do you think it was significant that he did not receive the honor/glory from the king of Sodom. What will it allow Him to do throughout his life? Abraham’s obedience in worship. Would God find in Abraham an obedient, desire to worship God (Genesis 22:12)? God’s strategic choice in the location of the nation of Israel (Ezekiel 5:5). 1. Because of the deserts to the east, all the viable trading routes passed through Israel’s territory. 2. The nation of Israel was given an invasion-prone placement. 3. This significantly increased the interaction of Israel with the surrounding peoples. Traders were, in e ect, the bearers of news throughout the ancient world, so the fortunes of Israel, for good or for ill, would quickly be told everywhere.

The Exodus The key passage is Exodus 9:13-16 in which Moses gives a mandate to Pharaoh, with a bold word about His purposes: Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, Take note that God never said, “Let My people go!” That’s just half the sentence, without the purpose. Take care to hear the entire cry of salvation: “Let my people go, that they may worship Me!” (Ex 8:1, 20, 9:1, 13, 10:3)

During the Captivity The Babylonian Captivity proves that God is able to continue to accomplish His purpose even while judging His people. 1. God judged His people because they were being wicked and the nations were watching (Ezekiel 5:6-17; Amos 3:2) – just like today (1 John 5:16). 2. God not only judges His people: He must regain the testimony that was lost by them against His name as they sinned while the world watched. a. Ezekiel 20:9, 14, 22, 44 b. Ezekiel 28:25; 36:21-23 c. Ezekiel 38:10-16, 17, 23; 39:2, 6-7, 13, 21, 23, 25, and 27 3. God gets glory in the process of judging His erring people (Isaiah 5:13-16). 4. Some of the people repented along the way to captivity bringing glory to God in the sight of their captors (Ezekiel 12:14-16). 5. But even in exile, faithful people brought Him glory. a. the three young men (Daniel 3:28-29) b. Daniel’s life and testimony connected four different heathen kings and their people (note the testimonies of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius found in Daniel 4:32, 34; and 6:26-27). c. Esther and Mordecai were major influences on 127 nations under Persian rule. d. Nehemiah influenced peoples and leaders in both Babylon and Israel.

People do not know of our God’s greatness 1. Pharaoh Exodus 5:2 2. Goliath 1 Samuel 17:45-46 3. Nebuchadnezzar Daniel 3:15

God’s wants to be known and worshipped. God revealed His agenda regarding His own name as it applied to His purpose with Pharoah’s life. Exodus 9:16 Did it work? Did God accomplish His goal of global fame through the deliverance of His people from Egypt? Any examples? God is jealous for His own glory (Isaiah 42:8)

What do we learn about what Moses believes God values from his prayer? (Exodus 33:18, 19]

Case Example: Life of Solomon Did the report of God’s name go out to the world? Did foreigners ever come to the house of the Lord and learn of the fear of the Lord? Did God answer Solomon’s prayer? The best answer to these questions is “Yes” as well as “No.” Look at 1 Kings 10. Who came to visit Solomon and why? What happened? Who comes in v. 24? What was the purpose of the Temple (I Kings 8:60)?

The Glory of God in Christ Christ is the crescendo of the story of God’s glory. At the end of all things, He will have bought and brought people from every tribe and tongue to worship the Father. It’s no surprise then, that all of history of marching towards this day! Jesus summed up His ministry in terms of bringing global glory to His Father. John 17:4,6

BIBLIOGRAPHY Terry, John Mark, Ebbie C. Smith, and Justice Anderson. Missiology: An Introduction to the Foundations, History, and Strategies of World Missions. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998. Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. Mission in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations. Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012. Winter, Ralph D. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: a Reader. William Carey Library, 2009. Wallstrom, Timothy C. The Creation of a Student Movement to Evangelize the World: a History and Analysis of the Early Stages of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions. William Carey International University Press, 1980.