Measured Worship:

How God measures our worship services

The purpose of this paper is to establish that the God of Scripture has set forth at least three yardsticks in which he measures our worship practices. The first is the priestly yardstick recorded in the levitical liturgy describing the presentation of tithes (Deuteronomy 26:1-15). The second is the prophetic yardstick proclaimed by the prophet Amos in his critique of Israel’s worship (5:21-24, et al). The third is the messianic yardstick that’s based upon Christ’s personal mission statement (Luke 4:16-21; Matthew 7:21-23).

The Hebrew verb rendered worship in the English Old Testament is shachah, defined in the lexicons as to bow down in obeisance or homage before God, an idol, or anyone in authority. The Greek verb rendered worship in the English New Testament is proskuneo, defined in the lexicons as to bow down in obeisance or homage before God, an idol or anyone in authority.

Readers may wonder why verbs that mean bowing down in obeisance are regularly rendered worship in the English Bible. William Tyndale, the first scholar to translate Hebrew and Greek Scriptures into English, explained in his Prologue to the Book of Exodus that he used the Middle English verb worship in the sense of his day as bowing down in obeisance or homage.

The priestly yardstick that God uses to measure worship

One of the priest’s roles was to set apart the people’s tithes (Deut. 26:1-15). Tithing was an act of worship, expressing submission to the Lord. It also extended compassion to the poor, the widow, the stranger, etc.

Here’s how Moses taught tithing and worshiping:

The priest said to the tithers: (8) ‘So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. (9) ‘He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, “a land flowing with milk and honey”

The people responded with these words:(10) ‘ Behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O LORD, have given me.’

The priests instructed the tithers to make their obeisance: Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God.

The priest enthusiastically encouraged the tithers: (11) “So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the LORD your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you. . . . .

The priest prompted them to designate their tithes: (13) “then you shall say before the LORD your God: ‘I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me.” (Deut. 26: 8-13).

Biblical worship reached up to God and down to the poor and needy. Worship in Scripture was not restricted to the adulation of God. It also addressed the social needs of poverty, hunger, loneliness, and the like.

The prophetic yardstick God uses to measure worship

The prophet Amos also pictured how God measured worship. In fact, he stated that the manner of their worship defined their relationship with God.

First, Amos acknowledged the Israelites loved worship (Amos 4:4f)

Bring your sacrifices every morning, Your tithes every three days. Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, Proclaim and announce the freewill offerings; For this you love, . .!” Says the Lord GOD.

Second, Amos admonished them for exploiting the poor.

Thus says the LORD: They sell the righteous for silver, And the poor for a pair of sandals. (7) They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, And pervert the way of the humble. A man and his father go in to the same girl, to defile My holy name. (Amos 2:6f: see also 4:1; 5:11-12; 8:6)

Third, Amos explained why God stubbornly rejected their worship

“I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. (24) But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream. (Amos 5:21-25; See also 6:5; 8:10)

God rejected worship by his people when they looked up to Heaven while at the same time they looked away from the poor, the fatherless, widows and the impoverished, specifically covered under God’s Covenant.

The messianic yardstick God uses to measure worship

Our Lord’s statement during worship in the synagogue at Nazareth is a most revealing insight into worship. It also embraces his mission to the poor, the broken, the captives, the blind and oppressed. It forever identifies Christ, and thus the church, with the priestly and prophetic concepts of worship.

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” (Luke 4:18f)

Worship in priestly, prophetic, and messianic postures, engage and empower us as God’s worship leaders to respond to the plight of the poor and oppressed as our conscious obeisance to the living God.

Conclusions and Observations

The priestly, prophetic and messianic approaches to worship maintain that the living God requires far more than crafted lyrics, seamless services and musical concerts. The Word implicitly demands that God’s worshipers integrate the plight of the poor and oppressed into their contemporary lyrics, and, thereby harness their energies into such outreaches as the plight of the unborn and infirm, cries of the hungry, devastation of the diseased, etc.

Here’s an example of lyrics expressing God’s grace and justice written by Brenton Brown and Tom Slater by Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire). The lyrics are appropriately titled, “Let My Life Be Like A Love Song”

Lord the love you give, you give so gen’rously,
You were my sacrifice, You gave your life for me.
And now I want to give just as I received,
To live a life that shines Your love for those in need.

So let justice roll like an endless stream,
Flowing through my life to the poor and weak,
Let the things I do and words I speak,
Reveal the awesome love You have shown to me.

Our Lord Jesus dedicated his ministry to serve the poor, the broken, the captives, the blind and the oppressed. He incarnated in himself the priestly and prophetic visions that worship and justice are wedded in the kingdom of Heaven. The vital question for us at this time is–Will evangelicals measure their worship practices against the testimonies of Moses, the ancient priests and prophets, and the Son of God? Will they obediently combine spirited vertical jubilation with serious horizontal justice, incorporating righteousness into their traditional and contemporary worship practices?

“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9f).

John Hubley, Mindheart Foundation, November 2007. All rights reserved.