by Unacceptable worship comes in various ways — worshiping false gods or worshiping the true God in false ways. Today’s believers have come to think they have liberty to worship God as they “feel,” simply because of God’s grace. Nonetheless, God gave His people rules to follow, and He had severe consequences when they were violated and worshiped Him in false ways.
Unacceptable worship began in the first chapters of the Bible (Genesis 4:1-16). Cain’s worship, as best as he may have tried, wasn’t accepted by God. God said of Cain’s worship, “his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12). Whereas, the Apostle Paul called Abel’s worship excellent, saying, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11:4). Furthermore, men who brought unacceptable worship into God’s Holy presence were compared to Cain in the book of Jude. Jude 1:4 describes these wicked men before comparing their worship to Cain’s worship in Jude 1:11, saying, “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain.”
Unacceptable worship is also seen when Israel praised God with an idol, the golden calf in Exodus 32. While Moses was on the mountain with God, Israel created a golden calf as a representation of their God. They went to the right person, Aaron the High Priest, and they used the right materials, gold. However, Aaron created a false god to worship and brought it into God’s House. By 32:24, the people were singing strange worship music, and by 32:25 they were dressed in strange ways in their worship. Sounds familiar to today’s worship. Nonetheless, the consequences were deadly for Israel, God severely judged their ways.
Unacceptable worship is then seen with Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1-3. The sons of Aaron learned from daddy’s golden calf. They were worship leaders. Their job was to lead God’s people into sanctification. However, they worshiped with incense at the altar but in their own way, not as God commanded. Today, believers think they can come flippantly into the presence of a Holy God clothed with the unholiness of the world. Nonetheless, since they didn’t use God’s fire, God judged by sending His fire from Heaven to devour them.
Does this strike fear in us and our worship before a holy God? It should! God requires nothing less in us then He did for Israel. We are to be no less sanctified and holy as we approach God in worship — holy implements, holy music, holy dress, etc.
