This is the third and final blog in our Deeper(Worship) series, and in this series we’ve discussed a bunch of different topics that centered around worshipping God. We’ve learned that worship shouldn’t always happen on church days or nights like Sunday morning or Wednesday night. In week one we learned that true worship begins with repentance. We looked at Nehemiah 9:1-3 which says,
“Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3 They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God.”
We also learned that Worship involves sacrifice, Romans 12:1 tells us,
“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”
We finished up week one by learning that Worship is rooted in reverence and respect for God. Revelation 14:7 says, “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”
Then last week we asked two very important questions, 1) “What does Biblical worship look like? And 2) “How can I apply it to my goal of an everyday lifestyle of worship?”
We found that worship begins intentionally at the beginning of every day. For too long we have accepted that worship happens at a set time in a set location like a church. In fact church shouldn’t be more than a vitamin in your overall spiritual health.
John 4:23-24, Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, teaches us that it is now time for those who worship God in spirit and in truth to rise up. Worshiping God in spirit, wherever they are, and in truth, through Jesus Christ, our bridge to the Father.
Tonight we’re going to conclude our conversation by looking at biblical expressions of worship, then see how we can apply this topic to our own personal walk with, and worship of God.
Let’s start the conversation by looked at a pretty well known passage in 2 Samuel.
When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”
21 David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. 22 Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” 23 So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.
To set the stage of what is going on here is the Ark of the Covenant is being moved from the house of Abinadab to the City of David, now the following events will be their own series in Deeper and we don’t have time to go into all the details, but this Ark is where the presence of God rested among His people. This incredible Old Testament event sheds some very important light on what Biblical worship looks like. So we’re going to breakdown this passage,
1) Worship can be undignified
“How distinguished the king of Israel looked today”
David’s own wife criticized his worship, now the thing about David, he isn’t short on confidence, this is the man that God anointed to be King of Israel, over Michal’s own father. So he’s not exactly concerned what other people, even his own wife, thinks about his worship. Let’s highlight David’s own words in verse 22, “Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes!”
Many times we care way too much about what other people think, and too little about what God thinks. David is emphasizing that he only cares what God thinks, and that is how we should worship God.
2) Respecting God is paramount
Let’s back this story up a few verses and take a look at 2 Samuel 6:1-11,
“Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. 2 He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. 3 They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart 4 that carried the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. 5 David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.
6 But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. 7 Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.
8 David was angry because the Lord’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called today.
9 David was now afraid of the Lord, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the Lord back into my care?” 10 So David decided not to move the Ark of the Lord into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. 11 The Ark of the Lord remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.”
David thought this was going to be an easy win. He thought that he could move the Ark of the Covenant from Abinadab’s house to Jerusalem, bringing the presence of God into the City of David. But unfortunately he learned a tough lesson, that this was an act of worship and not some routine. Verse 9 tells us that David was now afraid of the Lord.
We’ve already touched on respect, the last two weeks, but this is just another important reminder that we are to respect God’s authority in our lives at all times.
Lastly, we learn that
3) Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is blessing.
12 Then King David was told, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. 13 After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. 15 So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.
Where there is worship, there is blessing.
Have you ever known someone who just brought with them a good spirit. I’ve known people that everything they touched seemed to turn to gold. They are positive, hardworking and fun loving people that make the atmosphere a better place. If I know people who are like that, then imagine how much more God is.
When we invite the presence of the Holy Spirit in through worship, we invite a good thing into our lives. I feel like sometimes we mistake God for being a judgmental administrator rather than a loving father. Let me encourage you, invite the father into your life, and your life will only get better.