Great is the Mystery Godliness Part 13
The Behavior of Belief Philippians 3:3 Part 2
Worship God in the Spirit: This is the first “mark” of the New Covenant circumcision! Godliness is God-ward-ness, living unto God, and Worship is it’s continual evidence!
John 4:19-24 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.”
Worship: In O.T. #7812 “shaw-khaw” “A primary root; to depress (push down), to prostrate in homage to royalty–to God. Translated “worship” 90x, “bow” 31x, “bow down” 18x. Shawkhaw portrays the act of bowing down in homage by an inferior before a superior.”
In N.T. #4352 “proskuneo” (from #4314 and #2965)=to kiss like a dog kissing his masters hand. To fawn or crouch before. To prostrate oneself in homage. Pros=towards, kuneo=kiss. Translated worship 60x” From the New Strongs Dictionary of Biblical Words.
The mere definitions of the “worship” words should indicate that our contemporary concept of “worship” is faulty. Consider the O.T. context of worship. The object of worship was God, and He is the same Eternally. He does not change!
Genesis 22:5 This is the first occasion of the word “worship” in Scripture. Abraham is speaking to his servants upon taking up Isaac, his son of promise, to Mount Moriah for a sacrifice. “Abide here, ....and I and the lad will go yonder and WORSHIP, and come again to you.” Abraham’s obedience to God’s seemingly impossible and contradictory command, Abraham call’s worship. His act of obedient worship evidences the foundational element of worship–Obedience. I Samuel 15:22, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” This obedient worship becomes the eternal testimony to salvation by faith! (James 2:21)
Exodus 24:1-2 God said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, You and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and WORSHIP from afar. And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near.” This is before the golden calf incident, even here showing the need for a mediator in the worship of the Most High God! As the law later teaches, only the high priest could “enter in” to the “room of Presence” and that once a year and not without fear!
Exodus 34:14 After the golden calf manifests the inherent idolatry in the hearts of the people, the breaking of the first tablet of commandment, and after the glorious revelation to Moses of the Name of God Who is Mercy (34:5-7), God gives Moses His “battle plan” on taking Canaan for His people. Israel is to “destroy their (Canaanites) altars, break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images.” (34:13) “for you shall WORSHIP no other god, for the LORD, Whose Name is JEALOUS, is a Jealous God.” Foundational to worship is the first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other God’s before me” and why, because the God Who is Love is a Jealous God. His very nature requires exclusive worship because all other “suitors”, those that would be gods, those that would steal our affections, are imposters and would lead to certain death and destruction!
Deuteronomy 4
Vs 1-6 Observing God’s commands, His Word, has great reward (vs1), and their wisdom and understanding evidenced by Israel’s obedience was to be their testimony to their God before the nations. (See Isaiah 43:10-14a)
Vs 7 Remember Exodus 24:1, the Worship was from afar? But here, in comparison to the nations of the earth, “What great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?
Vs 9 The history & events of their deliverance and blessing must be before them continually, “lest they depart from their heart all the days of your life.” The motivations to obedient worship, the reminders, were external! The internal, the heart, was dependant upon the external–that is the feasts, the observances, the reminders of parents to children, the remembrance stones. (Deut 27, Joshua 4:1-7)
4:12-19 In Moses warning against idolatry, we have this key concept, (vs 12) “You heard the sound of words, but saw no form: you only heard a voice.” (Vs 15) “Take heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to your at Horeb out of the midst of the fire.”
I must state here and incredible contrast with the New Covenant presentation of God to His people. The Word spoken is Jesus (Heb. 1:1-3), the exact image of the invisible God. He is manifested in the flesh, “For in Him dwells all the FULLNESS OF THE GODHEAD IN BODILY FORM.” (Colossians 1:19, 2:9)
4:20 Here is God’s rightful claim to their devoted worship and obedience, “but the LORD has taken you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, His inheritance, as you are to this day.” If this was true then, how much more true of us, the adopted children of God!!! Worship in the O.T. was to be ignited by “reminders” of redemption. (II Kings 17:35-39; I Chron. 16:23-36)
4:23-24 Here again, Moses reminds the people that they are to flee idolatry because, “the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a Jealous God.” And lest we think God has changed in our day, the writer of the Hebrews reminds us, “therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom....let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)
4:25-31 Moses speaks of Israel’s idolatry as inevitable! He prophesies God’s chastening use of exile from His promised land, but ends with this wonderful promise, “But from there (in the midst of their sin and its punishment) you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul When you are in distress and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice, for the LORD your God is a merciful God, He will not forsake you.....”
4:39 This is the starting point and continual context of all worship: “Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on earth beneath, THERE IS NO OTHER.”
“Our Father which are in Heaven, Hallowed by Your Name. Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is the New Covenant equivalent! This is to be the consideration of our hearts–all the time!
Our God is the same! He is still the Jealous God!!! The worship imperative is the same! In the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit is the difference! Worshiping God IN THE SPIRIT. This will be our next consideration.
The Behavior of Belief Philippians 3:3 Part 2
Worship God in the Spirit: This is the first “mark” of the New Covenant circumcision! Godliness is God-ward-ness, living unto God, and Worship is it’s continual evidence!
John 4:19-24 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.”
Worship: In O.T. #7812 “shaw-khaw” “A primary root; to depress (push down), to prostrate in homage to royalty–to God. Translated “worship” 90x, “bow” 31x, “bow down” 18x. Shawkhaw portrays the act of bowing down in homage by an inferior before a superior.”
In N.T. #4352 “proskuneo” (from #4314 and #2965)=to kiss like a dog kissing his masters hand. To fawn or crouch before. To prostrate oneself in homage. Pros=towards, kuneo=kiss. Translated worship 60x” From the New Strongs Dictionary of Biblical Words.
The mere definitions of the “worship” words should indicate that our contemporary concept of “worship” is faulty. Consider the O.T. context of worship. The object of worship was God, and He is the same Eternally. He does not change!
Genesis 22:5 This is the first occasion of the word “worship” in Scripture. Abraham is speaking to his servants upon taking up Isaac, his son of promise, to Mount Moriah for a sacrifice. “Abide here, ....and I and the lad will go yonder and WORSHIP, and come again to you.” Abraham’s obedience to God’s seemingly impossible and contradictory command, Abraham call’s worship. His act of obedient worship evidences the foundational element of worship–Obedience. I Samuel 15:22, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” This obedient worship becomes the eternal testimony to salvation by faith! (James 2:21)
Exodus 24:1-2 God said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, You and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and WORSHIP from afar. And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near.” This is before the golden calf incident, even here showing the need for a mediator in the worship of the Most High God! As the law later teaches, only the high priest could “enter in” to the “room of Presence” and that once a year and not without fear!
Exodus 34:14 After the golden calf manifests the inherent idolatry in the hearts of the people, the breaking of the first tablet of commandment, and after the glorious revelation to Moses of the Name of God Who is Mercy (34:5-7), God gives Moses His “battle plan” on taking Canaan for His people. Israel is to “destroy their (Canaanites) altars, break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images.” (34:13) “for you shall WORSHIP no other god, for the LORD, Whose Name is JEALOUS, is a Jealous God.” Foundational to worship is the first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other God’s before me” and why, because the God Who is Love is a Jealous God. His very nature requires exclusive worship because all other “suitors”, those that would be gods, those that would steal our affections, are imposters and would lead to certain death and destruction!
Deuteronomy 4
Vs 1-6 Observing God’s commands, His Word, has great reward (vs1), and their wisdom and understanding evidenced by Israel’s obedience was to be their testimony to their God before the nations. (See Isaiah 43:10-14a)
Vs 7 Remember Exodus 24:1, the Worship was from afar? But here, in comparison to the nations of the earth, “What great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?
Vs 9 The history & events of their deliverance and blessing must be before them continually, “lest they depart from their heart all the days of your life.” The motivations to obedient worship, the reminders, were external! The internal, the heart, was dependant upon the external–that is the feasts, the observances, the reminders of parents to children, the remembrance stones. (Deut 27, Joshua 4:1-7)
4:12-19 In Moses warning against idolatry, we have this key concept, (vs 12) “You heard the sound of words, but saw no form: you only heard a voice.” (Vs 15) “Take heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to your at Horeb out of the midst of the fire.”
I must state here and incredible contrast with the New Covenant presentation of God to His people. The Word spoken is Jesus (Heb. 1:1-3), the exact image of the invisible God. He is manifested in the flesh, “For in Him dwells all the FULLNESS OF THE GODHEAD IN BODILY FORM.” (Colossians 1:19, 2:9)
4:20 Here is God’s rightful claim to their devoted worship and obedience, “but the LORD has taken you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, His inheritance, as you are to this day.” If this was true then, how much more true of us, the adopted children of God!!! Worship in the O.T. was to be ignited by “reminders” of redemption. (II Kings 17:35-39; I Chron. 16:23-36)
4:23-24 Here again, Moses reminds the people that they are to flee idolatry because, “the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a Jealous God.” And lest we think God has changed in our day, the writer of the Hebrews reminds us, “therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom....let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)
4:25-31 Moses speaks of Israel’s idolatry as inevitable! He prophesies God’s chastening use of exile from His promised land, but ends with this wonderful promise, “But from there (in the midst of their sin and its punishment) you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul When you are in distress and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice, for the LORD your God is a merciful God, He will not forsake you.....”
4:39 This is the starting point and continual context of all worship: “Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on earth beneath, THERE IS NO OTHER.”
“Our Father which are in Heaven, Hallowed by Your Name. Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is the New Covenant equivalent! This is to be the consideration of our hearts–all the time!
Our God is the same! He is still the Jealous God!!! The worship imperative is the same! In the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit is the difference! Worshiping God IN THE SPIRIT. This will be our next consideration.