Forms of Worship
When it comes to honoring God, there are all sorts of different ideas about what that should look like. Even among those who claim to follow the Bible, there are many ways people seek to worship him. Some may be accustomed to liturgies and pipe organs, others topical sermons and electric guitar.
As many different styles as there are, there are opinions about how these styles are wrong. Liturgies, according to some, are so stuffy nobody could ever be expected to care overly much about God in a service like that. Drums in a worship band, say others, are a pagan influence that invites demons.
While the form of worship can be helpful to deliver an unspoken message about the attitude we should have about the spoken message, Jesus points out that his coming has put an end to the shadow that preceded him in the temple sacrifices.
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
John 4:23-24
What Jesus says here could be misunderstood to mean that, previously, the style of worship was more important to God than the substance. However, there are plenty of texts showing that God has always cared more about the intent than the particulars.
Right Style, Wrong Worship
In Amos 5, we find Israel following a God prescribed pattern of public worship while otherwise living unrepentant, idolatrous lives. God gives them no credit for following the ceremony when they don’t live like it matters. God declares their worship not only incomplete, but completely terrible.
“I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Amos 5:21-24
This isn’t the only prophet God sent with a message like this either. Throughout Israel’s history, he must send messages over and over again explaining how their time at the altar is meaningless until they actually mean it, which would be demonstrated by a change in the rest of their lives as well.
Wrong Style, Right Worship
The other side of this is also true. We don’t have to have the perfect worship format all figured out with all the best music, liturgy calendars, etc… in order to please him. While Hezekiah was ruling over Israel, he became aware of the fact Israel had not been keeping God’s commands and was convicted about ending the worship of Idols in their land.
To recommit Israel to God, in an act of corporate repentance, he calls all of Judah and Israel to a massive Passover festival. While they attempt to follow the commands of how the feast should be held, the logistics of such a massive assembly after having the temple system not followed for so long overwhelmed their preparations.
For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the Lord. For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
2 Chronicles 30:17-20
In this case, we see God blessing people who are seeking to honor him even though they haven’t got it all figured out.
What About Uzzah?
We have an account of Uzzah in 2 Samuel 6. Uzzah was one of the men who were sent to reclaim the Ark of the Covenant and bring it back to Jerusalem in the time of David. While moving it, an oxen (who is pulling the cart the Ark was being moved upon) trips and Uzzah seeks to catch it. God is so mad at him that he strikes him dead.
At first glance, this may seem to be good intentions being punished. However, the Kohathites had been instructed to carry the holy objects on poles on their shoulders. The entire situation Uzzah was attempting to correct would never have occurred in the first place if they had been treating the Ark with the level of reverence expected of the objects God prescribed for worshiping him in that time.
A ox drawn cart would be a perfectly acceptable way to move any number of things a king may sent his servants to collect. However, they weren’t just collecting something for King David. They were moving the Ark of God back to Jerusalem. They weren’t delivery men. They were people tasked by God, and should have taken that task seriously.
Worship In Truth
We should worship God and seek to do things his way rather than our own. However, we should never let a fear of not being prepared or good enough to worship God prevent us. We may not get it all right, but if our intention is to honor him and we are open to his correction in all that we do, he will accept any praise given that way.
Worship him with your whole heart, always seeking his ways instead of our own.
