The Prophetic Telegraph - No.8
Worship
The Biblical
Foundations and Divine Orders of Worship
June 1987
Rom.15:4 "Whatsoever
things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we, through
patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." 1
Cor.10:11. "All these things happened to them as types, and
they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages is
come."
These quotations from the
writings of the Apostle Paul set the seal upon the value of the Old Testament
for ALL CHRISTIANS. We cannot do without it. Indeed, we cannot properly
evaluate the N.T. without recourse to the O.T. And in no area of study is this
more obvious than in the subject of WORSHIP. All the manifold instructions in
the Pentateuch about the Tabernacle relate to worship of one kind or another.
And even though our Saviour has 'completed' much of this legislation by His
death on the cross, (i.e. those areas relating to blood sacrifice) we are still
left with much to learn from the symbolism. In this article we shall draw from
Moses' writings to establish the principles of divine worship.
Let us start with Exodus
20:24-26, just after the giving of the 10 commandments. "An
altar of earth shall you make unto me, and shall sacrifice thereon your burnt
offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen: in all places
where I record my name, I will come unto you and bless you. And if you will
make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone, for if you
lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it. Neither shall you go up by
steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not discovered thereon."
How important is this
symbolism. Notice that the Lord said It was HIS altar, not ours.
"If you will build ME an altar." "You shall not go up by steps
to MY altar." Burnt offerings were praise offerings, and
peace offerings were thanksgiving offerings. Neither of them were sin
offerings. Hence they represented aspects of worship. The 'sweet smelling
savours' would rise acceptably to the Lord when performed according to His
instructions (in Lev. 1 & 3).
In this passage we are
shown two laws. We may call them the 'laws of the altar', and we need to understand what God
was saying by these laws. But first of all, let us be sure that we understand
what the 'altar' is. Many churches still have an altar. In point of fact, this
is now quite unnecessary. The altar in the O.T. was the PLACE where sacrificial
worship was offered. Wherever the children of God meet together for worship, is
now the equivalent of the altar. What then are these 'laws of the altar'?
1. NO HUMAN
WORKMANSHIP WAS ALLOWED. No tools were to be used in fashioning the stones. Only those rocks
which could be found lying around were allowed in the building of the altar.
Why was this? Because those who looked at the altar had to be conscious of GOD
ALONE, and not the workmanship and the beautification of man. In the true
worship of God, we may only take those things which belong to the Lord for the
offering up of acceptable praise. Our eyes should not be aware of man's work,
but of God's mercy and goodness.
Distractions abound in many
places of Christian worship. There is often much for the eye to see that
plainly points to the workmanship of man. Church buildings are often
constructed to give the appearance of ecclesiastical beauty. On entry, one may
pause to wonder at the time, patience, and extraordinary skills of the
craftsmen. But in respect of worship, it is disallowed by this first law. God
says that it is 'polluted'. This is a strong word, and we may be offended by
it, especially if we have an ' eye for beauty' in the great cathedrals of the
world. But the DIVINE ORDERS are far more important than human evaluation. Does
a blind man offer less praise to God in a cathedral than one who sees man's
splendour? Clearly the Bible favours the blind man's worship MORE than that of
the one who sees, for he is not distracted by man's workmanship. To disobey the
law, and beautify our churches, is classed as POLLUTION. Polluted worship,
rather than being a 'sweet smelling savour,' is more in the nature of a stink.
We should not be doing it.
What then should a church
building be like? Clearly we are not advocating that which is UGLY. This would
be just as much of a distraction. The natural stones that were gathered for the
altar were primarily FUNCTIONAL in their purpose. The eye was focussed upon its
USE. Hence a church building should be FUNCTIONAL, of simple design, and
restful interior decoration. Seating, a table, and a lectern, are the basic
necessities.
So much for the eyes; what
about the ears? All Christian worship includes the singing of hymns and
choruses. Paul said in Eph.5:18 "psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."
Notice how Paul complies exactly with the spirit of this first law of the
altar. He says that the singing should be FROM THE HEART, and it should be
DIRECTED TOWARDS THE LORD. This should cause us to ask ourselves just how much
of our own worship is FROM THE MOUTH, and directed TOWARDS THE CONGREGATION!
And in these innovative days, we are surrounded by musical instruments by the
score, coupled to electronic gadgetry, together with choirs and soloists for
the enjoyment of the congregation. We should stop and ask ourselves whether we
do these things for the glory of God, and if so, does it comply with the first
'law of the altar' .God will not accept man's workmanship in worship.
Let no one say that we
decry the singing of praises to God, even with the use of instruments, but
rather that we shall have a season of heart searching first to discover our
real MOTIVES for all that we do, and determine whether or not it complies with
God's laws. Worship is not for SELF-GRATIFICATION but for DIVINE
SATISFACTION. We dare not do things our own way. In the flesh we
cannot please God, and we cannot know what pleases God. Only by the revelation
of the Holy Spirit can we truly discern what pleases God. And the Holy Spirit
reveals the mind of God to us through the Holy Bible.
What then constitutes
worship? First of all, the words of our hymns must be addressed TO God, and not
ABOUT God. Quite the majority of Christian hymns and choruses are hymns
of fellowship, and we are at liberty to sing them and enjoy them
ourselves. But few are aware of this fact. Pastors and leaders should instruct
their flocks to differentiate between fellowship hymns and worship
hymns. At a suitable juncture in a service it might be announced,
"Brethren, we have enjoyed singing our songs of fellowship. Now it is time
for us to focus our attention entirely on the Lord Himself in corporate
worship. The words of the next hymn are addressed to God Himself. Let us sing
them reverently, with all due gravity, and from the heart, bearing in mind the
great privilege we have in being able to approach the Throne of God through our
Lord Jesus Christ. Let us remember the words of the Psalmist who said, 'Worship
the Lord in the beauty of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth' and
'Come let us worship and bow down and kneel before the Lord our Maker.'"
(Psalm 29:2, 96:6, and 95:6)
2. STEPS TO THE
ALTAR ARE FORBIDDEN. This law is quite distinct from the first law. The man who ascends
steps to an altar is said to 'expose his nakedness'. What does
this mean? It is a Hebrew expression describing the fallen condition of man
born in Adam. So then, the first law reveals that which 'pollutes the
divine' and the second law reveals that which 'exposes the
human'.
In the passage quoted from Exodus
20, we read the words, "I will come unto you and bless
you". Herein is the key. The Lord comes down to us. We cannot
in any sense rise to meet him. We do not possess any latent righteousness,
whereby we can ascend towards the Lord to meet Him at some point midway.
Always, and at all times, we must seek the divine condescension of God's
presence. To use a modern expression, man must always stay 'at grass roots
level'. The Lord Jesus then promises that where two or three are thus gathered
in His name, He will be in the midst.
In Lev.1 & 3, where the
regulations concerning the burnt offering and peace offering are given, after
the sacrificial animal is slain, the priest took the blood and dashed it upon
the altar, 'to make atonement' for the offerer. Only then could he be
considered 'suitably attired' to bring gifts of praise and thanksgiving to the
Lord. Symbolically, this means that today none of us can approach the Lord and
bring Him praise and thanksgiving, unless we first of all accept the cleansing
of the precious blood of Christ. In practice, this means that believers should
come together for worship, and first of all gather around His table to break
bread and drink wine in thankful remembrance of
(As an aside here, the
MANNER in which we break bread should comply with the first law of the altar.
There is no place for sung eucharists, special anthems, and long prayers. It is
most improper to do more than the Lord did Himself at the last supper. Our
purpose is not to make a 'service' out of the act of remembrance, but simply to
say "Thank you" to the Lord Jesus. Our Lord gave thanks, broke the
bread, stated its significance, and passed it round to share. Likewise with the
cup. Afterwards they sang a hymn. Anything additional is superfluous, and
pollutes our worship.)
Consider the building of
steps to an altar. Did we not have the most impious example of all time in the
We do not say that worship
has to be cold and clinical, and lacking in emotion. That is not the point. We
are saying that we should be careful to assess the ORIGIN of what happens in
worship. Is the 'beautiful feeling' or the 'deeply moving experience' a result
of the work of God's Holy Spirit in the meeting, or is it merely a human
sentiment resulting from what the eye sees and ear hears? If we fail to
distinguish between these two, we shall be evermore perpetuating a false
attitude of worship before God. Once we have distinguished between the FLESH
and the SPIRIT, we then have the duty to act in accordance with this knowledge,
and teach others likewise. But know this - it will not be a popular teaching,
for the flesh of man craves satisfaction.
In addition to these two
'laws of the altar' the Bible has other words of instruction for us about
worship. Let us cast our net wider.
When Jesus was speaking to
the woman at the well in
What does this mean in
practice? Consider an ordinary radio set. It is designed to receive radio
signals, invisible signals, through the air. By its very nature, through
construction, it can ONLY receive information this way. It will not receive
speech, nor listen to records, nor will it work if attached to the telephone.
It can only receive radio waves. This may be a poor illustration, but perhaps
it will help in measure. Jesus said that GOD IS SPIRIT. By His very nature, His
'intrinsic substance', He is SPIRIT. Hence he can only receive worship IN THE
SPIRIT. No worship that proceeds from the fleshly Adamic nature of man can
reach Him. Like the radio set, it will just not react at all. If we were but to
appreciate this important truth, we should save ourselves so much human wasted
energy, by trying to organise services of worship of our own design. On another
occasion Jesus amplified this truth when He said, "It is the Spirit that
quickens (i.e., enlivens); THE FLESH PROFITS NOTHING." (John 6:63)
We must not fall into the
trap of thinking that SPIRITUAL WORSHIP belongs exclusively to the N.T. era. In
the O.T. days, all worship had to be spiritual as well. The regulations for
worship found in Leviticus were given by a SPIRITUAL GOD for a redeemed people,
and their obedience to His 'laws of worship' would constitute SPIRITUAL
worship. We have said it before and must say it again - if we do things IN
GOD'S WAY, according to His revealed will, then it is acceptable in His sight,
but if we try to render to God that which comes from our own design and making,
He cannot accept it.
This is by no means a new
truth. But we believe that in our days it has become a LOST truth. Let us see
what John Calvin, the reformer, had to say about it.
"God shows
that He would have His people contented with the one rule that He prescribes
without the admixture of any of their own imaginations; and again, He denounces
the vanity of whatever men invent for themselves, and however pleasing any
human scheme may appear to them, He still repudiates and condemns it. And this
is still more clearly expressed in the last word, when He says that men 'go a
whoring' whenever they are governed by their own counsels. This declaration is
deserving of our especial observation, for whilst they have much
self-satisfaction who worship God according to their own will, and whilst they
account their zeal to be very good and very right, they do nothing else but
pollute themselves by spiritual adultery. For what by the world is considered
to be the holiest devotion, God with His own mouth pronounces to be fornication."
(Commentary on
the Book of Numbers, at
In Paul's writings in the
N.T., he clearly shows that he understood this principle, and to the
Philippians said, "We are the circumcision, who worship God in
the spirit - - and have no confidence in the flesh." (3:3)
So exacting was the Lord in
O.T. days, that if any member of the priesthood should misrepresent Him before
the people, he was liable to the death sentence. Nadab and Abihu were cases in point.
They offered 'strange fire' (Lev.1O:1) and the Lord slew them. Likewise, no
priest was allowed on duty if he had been imbibing alcohol (Lev.10:9). It may
loosen men's tongues and remove natural reserve, (things which might seem
acceptable in the sight of man) but in the sight of God it relates to the
emancipation of the 'flesh' alone and is therefore disallowed.
How important it is for us
to wait for the 'divine fire' of God's Holy Spirit to fall upon us in worship,
rather than to manufacture a counterfeit atmosphere by the activities of the
flesh. It is not always easy to distinguish between these things, but 0 how
necessary it is for us to learn. Christians should always be striving to become
spiritual rather than fleshly, and with the help of the Holy Spirit this is
eminently possible. But it does mean that we should desire this end result, and
cooperate with the Lord to get where He would have us to be. Remember Nadab and
Abihu. God has not changed since their day. What does He think of our worship
today? We must pause and consider.
In Exodus 30:9 God said to
Moses, "Aaron must not offer strange incense."
In verse 34 we find the exact formula for making the Holy Incense, and it was
forbidden for anyone other than the Priests to make it. Here again we are
presented with two laws, and they are the laws of the incense, representing the
laws of prayer in worship. The Psalmist said (141:2) "Let my
prayer be set forth as incense." And in Rev.8:3 the angel was
seen to be offering the prayers of all saints upon the altar before the throne,
with much incense.
Assembly prayer is an
integral part of worship. It must conform to God's laws, otherwise it is merely
a work of the flesh and 'profits nothing'. Many prayers are said in churches;
many words are used; many things are asked of God, but of all these there are
but few that conform to His laws. Let us pause again, and see the wisdom
revealed in Ecclesiastes 5:1-2. "Guard your steps when you go
to the House of God; to draw near to listen is better than to offer the
sacrifice of fools; for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash
with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for
God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few."
No further comment is needed. These words speak eloquently for themselves.
We said earlier that there
is no longer any special place where God's name rests. Jesus told the woman at
the well that things were on the point of changing in respect of this. The same
can be said of the priesthood. These days we have no further need of a
priesthood, for as Peter declared (1 P.2:5) "You are a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ." Every believer therefore has a priestly ministry of
prayer. He should therefore learn the 'ingredients' of prayer, even as the
Levites had to learn the formula for the incense. Only then can their prayers
be effectual before God. 'Strange prayer', like 'strange
incense' and 'strange fire ' are an abomination to the
Lord. Let no one say, 'O, it does not matter. God knows all our weaknesses. He
will accept anything we say." Truly God is very merciful to our weaknesses
and our ignorance, but expects us to learn as we grow in faith. That which may
be overlooked in private prayer by a merciful God will not be treated so
lightly when uttered in the assembly, because in the assembly there are people
of all spiritual ages, there to learn. Those who constantly air their
spirituality in great flowing speeches before the throne of grace do despite to
the very Spirit who seeks entrance in the assembly.
The O.T. laws of prayer do
not allow us any liberties. Sloppy attitudes, lack of gravity, foolish talking
and jesting, all these encourage unwarranted familiarity with a holy God. The
fear (i.e. true reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Let us
remember that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.
(Heb.10:31) May all our worship become spiritual, and conform to God's laws.
For truly God seeks our praise, our thanksgiving, and our prayer. Truly does
the Father seek such to worship Him, in spirit and in truth. Shall we not learn
to delight in those things that God delights in, and with Paul, have ' no
confidence in the flesh'?
In this article we have set
forth certain principles, and not elaborated on them a great deal. This has
been our purpose. Too many words cause us to become tired. Once the point of
God's worship laws is appreciated, the sincere believer will waste no time in
finding out how they apply to his or her life. And then the Holy Spirit will
delight in making known the greater riches of God in the meeting place. These
notes are not intended to create a new legalism, or bind God's children in
knots. Rather are they intended to open up a little understood area of the
Christian life.