Some things that look like worship are not worship, and some things that don’t seem to be worshipful truly are. Throughout Biblical history, people have found ways to miss the point of worship. Cain’s offering was rejected. The Israelites at Mt. Sinai created a golden calf. The sons of Aaron presented strange fire. The sons of Eli extorted worshipers. By the time Jesus arrived, temple worship had become a money-making venture instead of a house of prayer for all nations.
The temptation at this point is to wag fingers and find fault with today’s worship landscape. But that is not the purpose for today, nor something that needs to be done. We are not called to tear down, but to build up. People will always find ways to miss the mark of worship. How can we avoid making that mistake?
There are three scripture passages to guide us. Three that remind us that having a lifestyle of worship is more important than the form, methods, means, and performance of worship.
Old King Saul made a big mistake. He confused his role and made sacrifices that God did not want. The prophet Samuel’s rebuke of Saul gives us an important reminder. “Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22, CSB) What was Saul’s sin? God told him to destroy everything in their fight with an enemy, but Saul kept the animals and sought to offer a tithe of them to the Lord. Saul made worship a cover for disobedience. The highest worship is listening to God and walking in obedience.
In that same thread, Jesus reminded us of something important concerning worship in the Sermon on the Mount. “So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23–24, CSB) In the same way that Saul tried to cover sin with worship, we try to cover relationship issues with worship. It is more important to God that we seek forgiveness from others than worship.
Both of these examples point to the deeper problem. When we worship to appease God, to cover our sin, or to coerce God to do something, it isn’t worship. And that leads us to our third scripture. “What should I bring before the Lord when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the offspring of my body for my own sin? Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:6–8, CSB)
Having a lifestyle of worship is not playing/listening to a worship music playlist every waking moment. A worship lifestyle is not going to church to make up for our sinful choices the previous week. A lifestyle of worship is not performative at all, regardless of whether the form is traditional or modern. Having a lifestyle of worship means living for God in all things. As a song from Keith Green says, “To obey is better than sacrifice, I don’t need your money, I want your life.”
When we walk humbly with God, we listen to what He says. We love others, forgive, share the good news, encourage others in the faith, and turn from sin. Faithfulness isn’t a burden but a love. And we go beyond feelings and wishes and act justly towards others even when they don’t deserve it or could never repay it. Some things that look like worship are not worship at all. Some things that don’t look like worship are the highest expressions of worship in Spirit and Truth. May our lives be a love song for Jesus.
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