by Last week we saw the suffix “-ship” in words like friendship showing the quality of being a friend. The word “worship” is the quality of being “worthy.” When we worship God, we say He is worthy. Our approach in worship should reflect this. We do not live in the day of the Temple, with rule upon rule on how to approach the holiness of God. We live in the day of grace where our approach is accepted of God through Christ (John 14:6; Hebrews 4:14-16). Though we do not have rule upon rule, we are commanded to come holy before His throne (James 4:8). This is neglected today in what I would call “casual-ship.” When we look at churches today, we don’t see many coming in a manner that says God is worth, but that a casual approach is worthy.
Before the Church, before the Temple and before the Law, we learn how appalled God is when we approach Him in causal-ship. Moses approached God casually in Exodus 3:1-6 and God demanded reverence, “put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” This doesn’t tell us to worship barefooted, but as Peter said, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). Peter taught that we’re called to be different then the world, “a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
When God demanded reverence in worship, what did Moses do? He “hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.” Moses learned that a laid-back attitude isn’t a right attitude toward God, and it’s no different for us today! We find no place in the Bible where God’s people were casual toward Him! We find no place where the unsaved were comfortable in their sin before a holy God!
Moses was fearful before the Lord. He knew who and what he was as a man, and Who and What God was as Almighty God — a consuming Fire yet never consumed, the perpetual I AM THAT I AM, the Creator of the heavens and of earth. God was and still is the thrice holy, all consuming, all powerful, everywhere present, all knowing God! Moses was humbled by this in worship before God.
May our approach in worship be as Moses’, exemplified by 1 Peter 5:6-11.
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:6-11)
