“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.’ And when they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.” 2 Chronicles 20:21-22 Here is another example of how worship paves the way for victory! The worshipers went out before the army, they led the way. And it was when they began singing and praising that God began to work by setting ambushes for their enemy. I think we underestimate the importance of worship in spiritual battle. It isn’t all about shouting and grunting and wielding a sword (although that’s important, too). True worship, singing and praising God, sets things in motion that we can only imagine! So, today, maybe I (and we) need to sing and praise YHWH more, and in so doing, step out before the army, leading the way for God to work on our behalf. It’s not just a pretty song.
Job 1:20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. This verse struck me. God had just given ha-satan power over all that Job possessed, and ha-satan had (gleefully, I imagine) gone out and destroyed everything (he came to steal, kill, and destroy…). After Job received the news that his fields were ruined, his sheep were burned up, his camels were stolen, and his children were dead, he didn’t yell at God or ask why. He displays customary mourning (tearing his robe and shaving his head) and then he does something strange. He worships. I would have fallen to the ground and cried. He fell to the ground and worshiped. Wow. He says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Would I truly be able to say this if YHWH took away everything I had in one disastrous day? The only thing Job was left with was a few servants, his home, and his wife. Yet he worshiped. I pray that I will worship through the moments that are most difficult.
Psalm 13:6 I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me. I have always loved this verse because it tells of how songs often come from the overflow of our bounty. However this verse is hiding something (actually, it’s only hidden in English). The part where is says “He has dealt bountifully with me” actually consists of one word, gamal, repeated. Repetition is always important, especially in Hebrew where it’s used for emphasis. So David’s not just saying, “Hey God, I’m singing because you’ve done a lot for me.” He’s saying that God has done a ton, doubly bountiful, above and beyond regular gifting. It’s one of those moments where he is utterly overwhelmed with everything good God has done and how he’s been blessed. Interestingly, it comes at the end of this psalm where David cries out to God, asking Him how long He will hide from him. He talks about his desperate need for God’s counsel so that his enemies don’t overcome him. He cries out for God to enlighten his eyes, to shed light on his situation. Without God’s wisdom, his decisions could be deadly. He remembers at the end that he has trusted God’s love and faithfulness, and reminds himself that, just as God has been faithful to rescue him in the past, so He will be his “yeshuw-ah” (salvation) again. Ending by remembering the bountiful blessings, made doubly so by the repetition of the bounty, purposefully removes his mind from the fear and frustration where he started. So, what’s the point? Well, there are several things: First, it’s okay to ask God questions. Who better to ask, anyway? Even if I’m upset, seeking His face for guidance is the critical first step. Acknowledge that without His input and His guidance, I’m as good as dead. Praise Him! Even before I see an answer, remembering all the ways He has bountifully blessed, bountifully blessed (!) me is reason to rejoice in Him. Making this choice to remember and praise Him for what He’s done in the past, is a conscious choice I make to dwell on His faithfulness instead of my fear. And no matter what the circumstances, don’t forget to remember: His past faithfulness in answering prayers and in my life. His past faithfulness in showing up at the moment of greatest need with reinforcements (don’t you love how the word for salvation is “yeshuw-ah” – we pronounce is yeshua… Yeshua… Jesus…). When our hour was darkest and we were in greatest need, our reinforcement, salvation arrived, and we are not overcome after all. I told someone the other day that worship (praise and worship) is like prayer. It runs the gamut of emotions from anger and fear to joy and exultation. Like David’s psalms, it’s a human expression of love and conversation. Worship comes in many flavors – standing, sitting, kneeling, prostrate on the ground, dancing with jubilation… and all of these are ways we pray, too. Our songs rise to Him as an expression of our hearts most deeply felt needs and aches. How many times does a song express the deepest pain or the uncontainable joy of our hearts? Songs, like prayer, break down our walls and break our hearts before God, and we pour out our longings, tears, gratefulness, love before Him. It’s intimate conversation from the depths of our hearts straight to the heart of God. Yes, even when we ask, How long will you forget me O LORD? Yet, He is holy. He is faithful. He has dealt bountifully, dealt BOUNTIFULLY (!) with me!
Psalm 22:23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! Halal is the word used for praise. It’s used 76 times in Psalms, as well as being used in other places throughout the Bible. It’s where we get the word Hallelujah. But I think that when we hear the word Hallelujah we think about singing, maybe even lifting our hands if we’re feeling especially ornery. But halal means more than that. The Hebrew dictionary on the Blue Letter Bible website gives all these definitions. 1) to shine a) (Qal) to shine (fig. of God’s favour) b) (Hiphil) to flash forth light 2) to praise, boast, be boastful a) (Qal) 1) to be boastful 2) boastful ones, boasters (participle) b) (Piel) 1) to praise 2) to boast, make a boast c) (Pual) 1) to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise d) (Hithpael) to boast, glory, make one’s boast e) (Poel) to make a fool of, make into a fool f) (Hithpoel) to act madly, act like a madman [1] See those last few? To make a fool of, to act like a madman, to boast… Those are part of halal, too. Hallelujah, at least in part, is a boastful glorying in Yaweh, even to the point where people think we’re being foolish or acting crazy (it doesn’t mean to actually be crazy and do stupid stuff). When David danced in the streets as he returned the Ark of the Covenant to Israel, that was halal. We’re much more conservative, or maybe we’re just worried about what people will think of us… This next website (a Messianic Jewish site) makes a very clear distinction between praise and worship, pointing out that in Torah, worship is about service: We can see praise and thanksgiving as an expression for exaltation through word, song, and different types of instruments, including the human body. Worship, on the other hand, has to do with an inner attitude of respect and reverence, which is expressed through a specific outward action. While praise and thanksgiving are expressed vocally, and often loudly, worship is something that finds outlet in a physical expression, which comes from an inner attitude of fear and respect. [2] So, perhaps it would be better to clearly distinguish between the act of praising God, like we do in a church service, and the act of worshiping God through acts of service. These acts could be expressed as bowing before God, remembering the sacrifice of Yeshua that allows us to be right before God so we can come into His presence, giving offerings, and serving at the Temple (I’m thinking that maybe serving within the church might count since we don’t have a Temple today?). I’d imagine that helping those in need would also be considered worship, as it is in keeping with the Torah, which is also worship (obedience is an act of worship as it acknowledges Him as being the ruler of my life – I think this is said more specifically somewhere – your spiritual act of worship…). So the subject is deeper than suspected, but perhaps more meaningful that I make it. [1] “Blue Letter Bible – Lexicon: Halal.” Blue Letter Bible – Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June 2010. <http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H1984&t=NKJV>. [2] Blad, Ketriel, PhD. “Chapter 6: The Hebrew Concept of Worship.” Messianic Torah. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June 2010. <www.messianictorah.org/en/pdf/Chapter6.pdf>. [3] Picture credit: http://www.journeyfellowshipchurch.com/Websites/journeyfellowshipchurch/Images/worship%282%29.jpg
After reading a post by Skip Moen yesterday about worship, I’m hunting for the way that God asked the Israelites to worship Him. It seems like a trivial point, but often God punishes/chastises Israel for worshiping Him in the same manner that other nations worshiped idols. In fact many of His commands, including some of the dietary ones, seem to purposefully remove Israel from these practices (for example, don’t eat meat with blood in it – blood was considered the life of an animal, so many pagan rituals involved consuming the “life force” of the animal). Here’s some of what I’ve found out: The word shehhah is a common Hebrew word meaning to prostrate oneself before another in respect. There is no Hebrew word meaning worship in the sense that we are used to using it in our culture today. From an Hebraic perspective worship, or shehhah is the act of getting down on ones knees and placing the face down on the ground before another worthy of respect. [1] Here’s a video by the same guy as wrote the above: And more about words: Paul uses the related Greek word leitourgia (i.e. translated service)… Thus, the term latreia and its cognates are directly associated with both service & sacrifice when directed toward God. It might have been better if the translators had chosen the words ‘serve’, ‘service’ and ‘minister’ instead of worship. Other terms are translated as worship including the Greek word proskyneo13 and its Hebrew equivalent shachac.14 Both of these terms refer to a posture of submission and thus an acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty. Obeisance requires an attitude of reverential fear. The terms that communicate attitudes of service, submission & reverence (i.e. which are translated ‘worship’) do not indicate how such attitudes ought to be shown. We must rely on context to specify ways that God expects us to worship Him. When we examine the behavior of worshippers what do we see? Worship may be personal or corporate. It took place at and apart from the temple, however, God doesn’t intend that worship be connected with place but with the heart attitude (Jn.4:20ff spirit & truth). It requires unity between believers (Mt.5:23f; Luke 10:25ff). Another term often associated with worship is thusia meaning sacrifice. Interestingly, in the cases where this term is used in the epistles it is usually in reference to self-sacrifice in the service of others. [2] I’m out of time… so more later. [1] Benner, Jeff A.. “Ancient Hebrew Word Meanings: Worship-Shehhah.” Ancient Hebrew Research Center – Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 June 2010. <http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/27_worship.html>. [2] Campbell, Lee, PhD.. “What is Worship in the Bible?.” Xenos Christian Fellowship, Columbus OH. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 June 2010. <http://www.xenos.org/essays/worship.htm>.
Psalm 77:14 You are the God of miracles and wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. You might think, because this verse is out of context that this Psalm is a song of praise. Part of it is, but just prior to this verse Asaph, the writer, is crying out to God because his prayers are unanswered and he is in distress. Interesting, isn’t it? He cries out to God and asks Him if His promises will fail forever, but within a few verses he switches focus from his frustration and questioning to remembering God’s might and power and all the things He’s done in the past. I say it all the time – Worship is the way out. It’s from one of my favorite books (In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day). But here’s another example of worship in the middle of trouble. I don’t know what Asaph’s issue was or how it was resolved. I do know that even in His frustration and trouble He looked to God’s might and remembered the amazing things God had done in the past. So, maybe, in application, I need to focus on God’s might and faithfulness, remembering all the awesome things He’s done in the past. Even if my situation doesn’t resolve itself immediately (and we don’t know what happened in Asaph’s case – at least I don’t know – do you?), my eyes are on God and I can have hope for the future, whatever that may be.
Psalm 24: 3-4 Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. Wow, this is a tall order. There are a lot of days (okay, most days) when I feel like I’m totally unworthy to be in God’s presence. I make the same mistakes over and over and over and over again. I have trouble forgiving people for what they’ve done to me or those I love. I am afraid for the future. I am angry with my situation. I am a mess. I am SO not holy. David Loveless addressed this in our church service a couple weeks ago when he spoke about spending time with God. I tend to view God’s ability to forgive on my own ability to forgive. And I base God’s ability to forget sin on my ability to forget sin. Obviously, there’s a flaw here. I am imperfect and am not blessed with the ability to forget on command. I usually forget the things I want to remember and remember the things I want to forget. But God’s not like that. He says that when He forgives He forgets our sin. He can’t see it and He doesn’t replay it. So every time we have to go back and ask for forgiveness He doesn’t ask, “Look, didn’t you just do this same thing yesterday? What’s wrong with you?” Instead, He simply forgives us because He’s forgotten the last time we did it and asked for forgiveness. He forgets, even when we can’t. That to me is mind boggling. Because I can’t do it, it’s hard to fathom and to grasp that God does that. I can keep track of each time I stop trusting God and freak out about situations. But after forgiving me, God erases the board (and He’s got a great eraser – doesn’t leave marks or traces) and there’s nothing to add to anymore. That is awesome. It’s the only way I can ever be allowed into His presence. If He remembered all the sins I did, I’d never be as white as snow. It’d be a dingy gray. Jesus is like Tide with Stain Release (or whatever works best). Once I ask God’s forgiveness, the stain’s gone and I’m clean again. I’m wearable. I’m usable. I can finally stand in front of Him and worship Him. I like that!