THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP (PART 17) - KING DAVID: TRUE WORSHIP REQUIRES REPENTENCE

We continue with the story of King David's sin and restoration. From last blog post (Part 16), how could King David respond in worship at the death of his child? The answer is found in David's writing.

David composed Psalms 32 and Psalm 51 in connection with this sin and repentance. In these two psalms, there is a clear and important six-step pattern of repentance that opened the door of David to enjoy true worship anew. It is difficult, if not impossible, for us to enjoy true worship today until we have gone through a similar process of repentance.

THE STEPS FOR REPENTANCE

A) Step 1 - Repentance Is Conviction

David wrote his confessed sin, "When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long" (Psalm 32:3). He was miserable when he tried to conceal his sin! Furthermore, he clearly sensed God's hand of conviction, pressing down on him and drying up the vitality of his life. "For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me: my vitality was turned into the drought of summer" (Psalm 32:4). Yet his awful condition was a blessing from a loving God. Fear of sin and its consequences is in fact a healthy fear. Far worse is the condition in which sin no longer bothers us. David understood that God "desires truth in the inward parts" and that, through His hand of conviction, "in the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom" (Psalm 51:6). Sin thwarts the truth, but God sent conviction brings wisdom.

B) Step 2 - Confession

"I acknowledged my sin to you," wrote David, "and my iniquity I have not hidden" (Psalm 32:5). Note that David confessed even though he realized that God already knew about his sin. By ending the cover-up, David was bringing himself into agreement with God. The same agreement is expressed in Psalm 51:3-4: "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight."Although it is true that he had hurt others, David keenly felt that his trangression was first against God. Confession to God, therefore, is required for true repentance to occur.

C) Step 3 - A Genuine Desire To Agree With God about The Sin

David recorded that "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord" (Psalm 32:5). He did not argue with God or put forth an excuse. He recognized that God had every right to "hide [His] face from my sins" (Psalm 51:9) and that it was His prerogative to "have mercy upon me" (Psalm 51:1a). Asking for mercy was recognition that it is God alone who helps the helpless. David longed to be forgiven(Psalm 51:1b), cleansed (Psalm 51:2), and healed (Psalm 51:8) by God. He yearned for restored fellowship with Him (Psalm 51:7-12)and to be delivered from his guilt and depression (Psalm 51:14). He acknowledged that God had broken him (Psalm 51:8), This work was necessary, however, before the Lord could "create in [him] a clean heart" and "renew a steadfast spirit within [him]" (Psalm 51:10). Clearly David desired to be in agreement with God!

D) Step 4 - Such Agreement Brings Assurance
After all, agreeing with God necessarily means knowing that He really can do what He says He can do. "Purge me ... and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7). David was sure that happiness comes from knowing that, for those who sincerely repent, God forgives sin and gives righteousness in its place. "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord foes not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit" (Psalm 32:1-2). Beyond simply stating a general principle, David declared his assurance that God had acted in his own case, that He "forgave the iniquity of [his] sin" (Psalm 32:5). David was secure in the knowledge that God was his "hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble" (Psalm 32:7). Only a forgiven sinner can hide in God, for the unrepentant seeks instead to hide from God!

E) Step 5 - For The Repentant Sinner Is Commitment
"For this cause [the cause of forgiveness] everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found" (Psalm 32:6). Godly people actively respond to God's chastening. David's response included not only prayer, but also sharing what he had learned with others."I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go" (Psalm 32:8), he declared, resolving to "teach transgressors Your ways. He affirmed that "then sinners shall be converted to You' (Psalm 51:13). Like David, the penitent sinner is committed to being used by God for His glory.

F) Step 6 - Worship Is In The Process Of Repentance

The forgiven sinner revels in the fact that God "shall surround me with songs of deliverance" (Psalm 32:7). Those whose transgressions have been covered declare with David, "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you righteous: and shout for joy, all you upright in heart" (Psalm 32:11).The king did, in fact, conclude the process of repentance is not expressed by simply going through the motions of worship. A broken and contrite sinner expresses himself in worship that comes from the heart

"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifice o God are a broken and contrite heart - these, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:15-17).

Notice that David's worship was the result of God's opening his lips. His songs and praises of worship came from submission to and communion with God - and that communion resulted from a repentant heart. Jesus Himself, when He ordained our observance of the Lord's Supper, commanded that prior to worship " a man [should] examine himself, and so ... eat of the bread, and drink of the cup" (1 Corinthians 11:28). Apart from god' breaking our hearts in repentance from sin, the religious traditions that we call "worship" fail the teat of true worship. Would that we would remember the words of the prophet Samuel:
"Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,as in obeying the voice of the Lord? behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22).
(an extract from True Worship - David Whitcomb & Mark Ward, Sr.)

#TrueWorship #Repentance #Confession #Sin #Commitment #Heart

THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP (PART 16) - KING DAVID: BOWING DOWN TO GOD'S SOVEREIGN WAYS

God's way does not always involve His answer to prayers. The reverse is often experienced. What should be our attitude in such circumstances?

In 2 Samuel chapter 12 we have the record of King David's sin in connection with Bathsheba. God sent the prophet Nathan to him with the message that the child would surely die. David had sinned, but he loved his son though the child was the fruit of his sin. He had a father's heart and he pleaded with God for his son's life. But God said, "Because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die" (verse 14 NIV). But David continued to seek the Lord and he sure knew 

how to pray. We see in verse 16 that he fasted and all night long he laid prostrate on the ground before God, but the child died! Anyone who has not learnt how to be subjected to God's way would have charged Him with harshness when his request was not granted. Many Christians have controversies with God when His ways conflict with their ways. Other might rebel or loose heart but not David. When the child died, his servants feared to break the news to him. They reasoned among themselves that if David was almost overwhelmed with anxiety when the child fell sick, his grief would be unbearable if he should learnt of his child death.

What actually happened?
 "Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, he put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and WORSHIPED. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food and he ate" (2 Samuel 12:20 NIV). 

What is worship? It Is bowing to the ways of God. It is not a dull kind of submission. It is not lapsing into hopelessness or passivity. It is a positive recognition of the sovereignty of God's ways.

It is often necessary for God to vindicate Himself in relation to us. It means that if we sin He has to justify Himself by making it clear to the angels, to the devil, to the world and to all His children that He has no part in our sin. He has to make it plain to the principalities and powers, to the world and to the church that He cannot be involved in our iniquity. When we are found guilty before Him, His governmental hand comes upon us and we are tried in fires of affliction. How do we react at such a time? Worshipers who know His ways will say: "If my affliction can vindicate Thy holiness, then I say, amen! If You can make known Your righteousness by my suffering, then I acknowledge that You do all things well and I gladly accept Your dealings upon me."

May God deliver us from our controversies with Him. When we meet with disappointments and frustrations we shall choose to worship Him if we see His ways.
(Watchman Nee - Twelve Basket Full - Vol 2)

Comment: I believe it was King David's act of true repentance (Psalm 51) and his acceptance of God's vindication (in bowing to His way - in worship) that we see God's blessing upon David's life. Later Solomon was born through the forgiven union of David & Bathsheba where God chose this unimaginable channel through which the Messiah was born as revealed in the Genealogy of Jesus Christ [Just like Rahab the harlot (Joshua 2); and Ruth the Moab's union with Boaz (Matthew 1:5-6)]. 
God is sovereign! His ways are higher that our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). We bow in worship to God's Sovereign ways and His will in our lives!

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS IS WORSHIP!

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Christmas is a time of joy and giving. Christians all over the world commemorate this occasion because "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ that whosoever believes shall not perish but have everlasting life" - John 3:16In our celebration, we proclaim the Good News with carols on the streets and we expressed God's love to the world with our gifts to the needy and the orphans. In the midst of all these activities, do you know that the spirit of Christmas is WORSHIP? All those who came to meet Jesus WORSHIPPED... 

The Wisemen
"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:2)"On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh "

(Matthew 2:11 - note: worship before gifts)
The Angels"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men..." (Luke 2:13)
The Shepherds"The shepherds returned, glorifying God for all the things they had heard and seen..." (Luke 2:20)
Simeon The Godly Man"... Simeon, who was a righteous and devout... Took Him in his arms and praised God..." (Luke 2:25-33)
The Prophetess Anna"... She gave thanks to God..." (Luke 2:36-38)
We must remember Jesus not as a baby, but as our One and only LORD and SAVIOR - the greatest gift God has given to men. He gave His life

for us. He suffered and died... His LOVE, His GRACE, His GLORY... The most precious gift men

have ever received - SALVATION! 

As we celebrate this year's Christmas, let us reserve the best gift for our Lord -WORSHIP. Right now join me in simple praise and worship from your heart and spirit... 

JESUS IS THE REASON for the season.

 CHRISTmas is all about CHRIST our SAVIOUR Who came to this world to save us (John 3:16) but the world has crossed & deleted the word CHRIST and replaced it with an "X" and called it Xmas

Blessed Christmas!

TPWC

#Christmas #Worship #Christ #Saviour #PrinceofPeace #TheWisemen #Angels #TheShepherds

THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP (PART 15) - JOB (BOWING DOWN TO GOD'S SOVEREIGN WAYS

We all know Job was a righteous man. God in the mystery of His ways permitted him to be deprived of everything he possessed though He Himself declared that "There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shun evil" (Job 1:8 NIV). 

How did Job react to the sudden calamities and disasters that stripped off all of his wealth and possessions? " At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:22-21). Job first's act was to worship God. In Job's case there was no question of God having to vindicate Himself because of sin in his life. It was purely a question of God acting as He deemed well. Though Job in a matter of hours had been stripped of all his possessions, he could instantly fall down and worship God. Here was a man so utterly subjected to God that he could unhesitatingly bow to all of God's ways. Where there is TRUE WORSHIP, there is no complaint. Whatever God's dealings with you maybe, whether they seem reasonable or unreasonable, they are invariably good (Roman 8:28). 

Job's initial response to the first wave of trials was to humble himself and worship. His livelihood (i.e his oxen and donkeys) had been destroyed. His transportation (i.e his camels) had been stolen. His body was covered with boils (his health). And His children (i.e his legacy) had been killed. All of these in one day! And Job's first reaction, after his initial shock and grief, was not anger, not questions, and not apostasy. IT WAS WORSHIP. He violated every psychologist's formula for the stages of grief.
How could Job do such a thing? He knew, deep down in his heart, two essential facts that most of us question from time to time:

(a) GOD IS SOVEREIGN
(b) GOD IS GOOD

Job could WORSHIP because whatever was happening, it was under the SOVEREIGN hand of a really GOOD GOD. He didn't know why bad things were happening, but he knew who watched over him. And despite circumstances, he knew that the One who watched over him is WORTHY!
When lives fall apart, we're inclined to accuse God of not living up to His end of the bargain. Job remembered that he was not in a bargaining position - never had been. All he had received from God was from His mercy. He knew that it was now gone had nothing to do with God's character. That 's why Job could said in verse 21 "Naked I came from my mother's womb,and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

When our trials weigh heavily upon us - even when crisis strikes - we must remember the unchanging, merciful God.

"COME LET US BOW DOWN IN WORSHIP, LET US KNEEL BEFORE THE LORD OUR MAKER." Psalm 95:6

THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP PART 14) - ELIEZER: BOWING TO GOD'S PROSPEROUS WAYS

In Genesis chapter 24 we read the story of Eliezer, Abraham's servant, who was given the responsibility to find a wife for His master's son, Issac. By this time, Abraham was about one hundred and forty years old. And though God had promised to make of his descendants a great nation, Abraham was becoming concerned. His son was now forty-two years old and had no wife or children. Abraham did indeed have faith in God's promise. But because he and Isaac lived among the Canaanites, Abraham was concerned that his son not take a wife from that pagan people. He realized that God's promised seed could not be pure if it came through a Canaanite woman, and so Abraham had to arrange for a wife to be brought from his own kindred back in Mesopotamia. (Genesis 24:2-4)

 1) GOD'S SERVANT FACED A CHALLENGE

Abraham was then living Canaan and to reach Mesopotamia involved crossing two rivers and a stretch of desert in between. The journey was nearly five hundred miles through solitary country with no roads or transportation services. It was a difficult task for Eliezer to travel to a distance strange land and to persuade a young woman to accept this offer of marriage.

But would Eliezer agree? As the chief servant in Abraham's household, Eliezer was next in line to be his master's heir if Isaac were to die without children. Even if Eliezer did agree outwardly, it could have been easy for him to fail in his task intentionally. However, praise the Lord that he was a righteous man who had always obeyed his master's will. Still, in agreeing to the journey he needed Abraham to clarify his instructions. Eliezer expressed his concerns to Abraham:

"Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?" But Abraham said to him, "Beware that you do not take my son back there. The Lord God ...swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I give this land,' He will send His angel before you ..." (Genesis 24:5-9)

The whole matter of Isaac's getting a bride and producing seed resolved around God's promise: He would give the land to Abraham's seed. The same truth applies today. All details of our lives as Christians must resolve around God's promises. We cannot leave the place where God wants us to be and still expect those promises to be fulfilled. These thing being true, as worshipers, we must make the daily decisions of our lives based on God's instructions and promised (OBEDIENCE).

2) GOD"S SERVANT PRAYED
But Eliezer was looking to God. He prayed, "O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See I am standing beside this spring, and the daughter of the town people are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says,'Drink, and I will water your camels too' - let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master." (Genesis 24:12-14). 
Notice also that in his prayer Eliezer considered God first, then his master Abraham whom he represented, and only then did he express his own petition.

3) GOD'S SERVANT WORSHIPED THE  PROSPEROUS WAYS OF GOD
Abraham's servant had not even finish praying when Rebekah arrived at the well, and in detail all his requests were transpired (imagine the time taken and amount of water needed to feed ten camels). But what if the girl was not of Abraham's family? So Eliezer asked about her connections. As soon as he was assured that Rebekah was a relative of Abraham, he "Bowed his head and worshiped the Lord." (Genesis 24:26)
Do you see the ways of God? if you request Him to do certain thing and begin to trust Him, and then things fall out as you asked, you will adore Him for His ways with you. What does it means to worship the ways of God? It is to render all glory to Him. When you are faced with some difficulty and He carried you through, do you just rejoice in the prosperity of your way? It was not with Eliezer, He did not even stop to talk to Rebekah, he straightaway worshiped. He did not feel embarrassed but instantly bowed his head and blessed the Lord.

There is a connection between glory and worship. To bring glory to the lord is to worship Him and it is our bowing before Him that is true worship. The proud in heart cannot worship Him because they will find it difficult to bow to Him. When their way is prosperous they attribute it to their own ability or to chance; they do not give glory to the Lord. To be a true worshiper is to offer without reservation all the thanksgiving, praise and worship to Him for everything we meet. At every turn Abraham's servant did so. When he went with Rebekah to her home and explained his mission and found Laban and Bethuel willing to let Rebekah go at once, again his instantaneous and spontaneous reaction was to adore the ways of God. "He bowed himself down to the ground before the Lord." (Genesis 24:52)

As worshipers, we must not only learn to recognize His works, but we must learn to acknowledge the way He works. Apart from worshiping Him for Who He is, we must learn to worship the ways of His working in our lives. If our hearts are set to be worshipers of God, He will give us more and more opportunity to worship Him.God will orders all our affairs so that we may bring Him the worship that He desires. At times He will make our way so prosperous that we have to acknowledge it is He alone Who did it, and all the glory goes to Him.

The humility that Eliezer had demonstrated in his prayers to God was manifested in his worship. And his response was simply to bow his head and prayerfully give God glory. And He did not rejoice first for his own sake; rather he rejoiced first in God's favor for Abraham  These attitudes are foundation to the ESSENCE OF TRUE WORSHIP.

THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP (PART 13): HANNAH - WORSHIP REQUIRES COMMITMENT

Hannah provides an Old Testament example of someone who manifested complete commitment in her worship. As the first book of Samuel opens, Hannah is carrying a great burden. She is unable to have children. This experience is a painful one for any woman, but it was especially difficult for Jewish women who felt obligated to continue the seed of Abraham. And Hannah faced individual circumstances that aggravated the problem. Her husband Elkanah had another wife, Peninnah, who had children (1 Samuel 1:2).

Peninnah was not a nice person to Hannah. The Scripture record that "her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable,  because the Lord has closed her womb ... therefore she wept and did not eat" (1 Samuel 1:6-7).  Yet Elkanah "loved her" (1 Samuel 1:5) and tried to compensate for her barrenness by giving Hannah extra provision.
The story of Hannah illustrates to us how God can bring good out of our difficult circumstances by using those circumstances to draw us into greater dependence on Him. Our greater commitment to God, in turn, leads us to more TRUE WORSHIP.

1) THE WORSHIPER MAKE A VOW

The way Hannah dealt with her problem illustrates the fact that she learned humility and commitment. Her "heart grieved" (1 Samuel 1:8) or, as we would say today, her heart was broken. Hannah was not merely a woman who was angry at her circumstances. Literally, the Hebrew word speaks of a heart that trembles out of uncertainty or fear. When Scripture says that Hannah "was in bitterness of soul" (1 Samuel 1:10), it means that she was in pained because of her heavy burdens. What did Hannah do? In the pain of her broken heart she vowed a vow to God.

"Then she made a vow and said,'O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life ...' " (1 Samuel 1:11).

Hannah willingly committed what she did not yet have to God's service. Put yourself in Hannah's situation. What if God did grant her request, as she fully believed He could? She was agreeing up front to surrender the very thing she requested and wanted so badly! No selfish person would be willing to make such a vow! Only through an unselfish heart can we, like Hannah, truly display God-honoring humility. If our worship and requests are not rooted in humility, they will be rooted in selfishness.
By her unselfish request, Hannah demonstrated her humble submission to God. This demonstration was reinforced by her subsequent actions. "And she said, 'Let your maidservant find favour in your sight.' So the woman went her way, and ate, and her face was no longer sad" (1 Samuel 1:18). Her vow was not impulsive, frenzied outburst that left Hannah emotionally drained, wondering what she had promised God in the heat of the moment. Hannah was satisfied to make her commitment and trust God. This point is critical. Although her circumstances had not changed, she was satisfied to let God handle the matter as He saw fit. The next day, with a confident spirit, she and Elkanah "rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord" (1 Samuel 1:9).
Like Hannah, we too can offer God TRUE WORSHIP when we lay everything at His feet and are satisfied to let Him do with it what He wants.

2) THE WORSHIPER KEEPS HER VOW
The Scriptures recorded that Elkanah and Hanah worshiped at the tabernacle before returning home from the annual sacrifice. They came into the presence of God, in the manner He prescribed for them, and they bowed in humble commitment. In this case, God granted Hannah's request and personally intervened in her circumstances. Upon return home, "Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her" (1 Samuel 1:9). Hannah conceived and bored a son, and called his name Samuel, saying' Because I have asked him from the Lord.' " (1 Samuel 1:20).

As soon as the child was weaned she brought him to the temple in Shiloh and presented him there with these words: "For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord." So they worshiped the Lord there." (1 Samuel 1:27-28). 
Let us note two phrases here: "The Lord has granted me ... I lent him to the Lord." The Lord gave her the child and she gave the child back to the Lord. The sum total of her request was for this child and when she had received all she had craved for, she gave ALL back to the Giver!
Hannah's offering can be truly written that she "WORSHIPED THE LORD." It is not the person who wants God's grace, but the person who wants God Himself, who can worship Him wholeheartedly! Hannah shows us what was supremely precious to her ... not the answer to prayer, not the grace given but God's way with her in the giving of His gift. God gave Samuel to her and she gave Samuel back to God; and as Samuel passed out of her hands into God's hands, WORSHIP emerged from her heart to God's heart.

THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP (PART 12): GIDEON - OBEDIENCE PRECEDES WORSHIP

It is possible for us to be so concerned about the acts of worship, that we run ahead of the necessary steps of God requires as He leads His people to True Worship. In a sense, True worship is not an act but rather a natural response to foregoing knowledge or experience. In other words, whereas God's people can run hither and yonder trying to discover genuine ways to worship God, He would rather they obediently follow Him throughout the week so that Sunday worship will be a natural expression of their relationship with Him.

We look into the Old Testament story of Gideon. God put a heavy burden on Gideon, though he lacked confidence about his ability to lead God's people. Since Gideon was weak in faith, he begged God to confirm His will by making a fleece wet or dry. God obliged and then instructed Gideon to fight a massive enemy army with only a handful of men. When Gideon was unsure, God told him to go to the enemy's camp in the middle of the night. Gideon OBEYED this seemingly strange requirement and, in so doing, learned an important lesson about God's power. His natural response was to fall down in WORSHIP and then rise and serve in CONFIDENCE!

OBEDIENCE BUILDS FAITH

Gideon was going through a very difficult time. As the Bible records in Judges 6, God had allowed the nation to suffer seven years of enemy occupation because Israel was in sin. The Israelite cried out, and God sent prophet to confirm His promise. Gideon was minding his own business, doing farm chores for his father, when "the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, 'The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor ... Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?' " (Judges 6:12-14)
We read of the progress of Gideon's faith through his obedience:
- He started out alone in faith protesting of his weakness but God assured Him (Judges 6:15-16)
- Then he began to asked God for a sign that it was God who was speaking to Him. God was gracious and gave Gideon a sign followed by a promise ("peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die." - Judges 6:17-24)
- Then Gideon obeyed God's further instruction to destroy Baal's altar. Although he received death threats God protected him (Judges 6:28-31)
- More importantly, "the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon." And the men of his town and tribe rallied to his cause, and messenger were sent to rally other tribes. (Judges 6:34)

Gideon was moving in the right direction. He obeyed God's command, then worshiped his Lord and was encouraged to start assembling an army. yet still lacking complete faith, he"put out the fleece" (Judges 6:36-40) so that God might give another confirming sign. God did so, and at the start of the events recorded in Judges 7. Gideon had amassed a host of twenty-two thousand soldiers. However God instructed Gideon to let the fainthearted go home and only ten thousand remain. But incredibly, God declared that "the people are still too many." So He proceeded to reduce the Israelite force to a mere three hundred men.  

FAITH BUILDS ENCOURAGEMENT
At this stage, Gideon had no army at all, but only a small band of soldiers. Yet that situation was precisely the place God wanted His people to be  - in complete dependence on Him. Gideon knew what he was supposed to do. God had given him clear instructions: "Arise, go down against the [enemy] camp, for I have delivered it into your hand." (Judges 7:9). If Gideon was afraid to scout the enemy alone, God had told him he could take his servant along. But that very night God commanded Gideon to go "down to the camp ... and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened  for the ensuring contest (Judges 7:10-11)
Gideon obeyed and his OBEDIENCE was no small matter since "the Midianites and Amalekites" were mighty and numerous. (Judges 7:12). The odds seemed overwhelming, but Gideon trusted God. To his surprise, in the enemy camp Gideon learned that his foes were apprehensive about him! One soldier even had a dream that, through his symbols, depicted the Midianites' destruction by the "sword of Gideon," the man who had God on his side (Judges 7:14). Like Gideon, we will not experience God's encouragement until we trust Him enough to obey Him. When Gideon heard of the fear among God's enemies, he bowed in humility before his Lord.
"And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped." (Judges 7:15)
The text uses a Hebrew word - SACHAH that speaks of a servant or slave's lowering himself before his master. Thus most depictions of worship in the Old Testament show worshipers bowing or prostrating themselves in humble recognition of God. That recognition was often gained as it was with Gideon, through OBEDIENCE. THE ESSENCE OF TRUE WORSHIP results when God allows His servants to see His mighty power and realize their own meager state.
Gideon could worship God truly because he had learned some important lessons from God. But in order to learn those lessons, he first had to obey God and trust Him. In the same way, when we are living or acting in OBEDIENCE, we learn to trust God more. As we grow in that trust, He reveals to us His great power. And in glimpsing that power, we fall prostrate before Him and worship. Does that pattern describe the kind of worship we have today? 

#Worship #True Worship #Obedience # Faith

THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP (PART 11): JACOB - TRUE WORSHIP EXPRESSES GREAT FAITH

By faith Jacob, when he was dying,

blessed each of the sons of Joseph, 

and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff

Hebrews 11:21

JACOB WORSHIPED GOD THROUGH FAITH, even with his last breath. His WORSHIP WAS TRUE and  CONSISTENT. When the New Testament writer to the Hebrews was inspired by God to write the chapter we call the "HALL OF FAITH," he penned just one verse to illustrate the FAITH of JACOB. Fittingly, he chose an example from the Patriarch's last days when JACOB by FAITH"blessed both the sons of Joseph; and WORSHIPED" (Hebrews 11:21).
Why was this action significant? Why did it demonstrate such FAITH that, alone among all the deeds of JACOB, this final action is cited by the writer to the Hebrews? Read on.

JACOB ACTED BY FAITH

Ironically, this honored member of the "HALL OF FAITH" bears a name that actually means "supplanter." The name of JACOB literally means "heel catcher," and it describes someone who will snatch you down by the heel if you are not alert. Sadly, JACOB spent most of his years living up to his name and practicing many deceptions. Yet the LORD later changed his name to ISRAEL (Genesis 32:28), which means "GOD PREVAILS." God made the name change after a long process that brought JACOB to a deep trust in Him.
Given the importance of JACOB's new name, it seems odd that the WORD of GOD, as conveyed by the writer to the Hebrews, would list JACOB in the "HALL OF FAITH" under his old name. Perhaps this name is a reminder of God's great work of sanctification in JACOB's life. Thus JACOB serves as an Old Testament example of the same sanctification God  wants us to experience today. We would do well, when we enter into WORSHIP, to remember how far God has brought us since the time we placed our trust in Him for salvation. Maybe JACOB was remembering the same thing as he lay dying; perhaps those thoughts were the cause of his WORSHIP.
Indeed, JACOB had much to think about as he recalled the 147 years of his life (Genesis 47:28). In his first fifty years, JACOB's life was characterized by sinful scheming. During the next eighty years he reaped the evil he had sown. No wonder, then, that when Pharaoh asked JACOB, "How old are you?" the patriarch replied, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years: few  and evil have been the days of the years of my life" (Genesis 47:8-9). At that time, seventeen years before his death, JACOB still had trouble remembering how God had forgiven and blessed him.
As a youth, JACOB deceived his father Isaac and sinned against his brother Esau by taking Esau's birthright. Because of his deed, JACOB was forced to leave his family and flee to a foreign land (Genesis 27:41-28:5). Yet even then, God was working to bring JACOB into a trusting relationship with Himself. Even as JACOB left home, the LORD provided guidance and encouragement through the counsel of his father Isaac. He blessed his son, urged him not to take a heathen wife, and advised JACOB where he should go (Genesis 28:1).
During JACOB's journey, God met him in a dream. The LORD not only confirmed the blessing Isaac had given, but made JACOB an unconditional promise that He will bring JACOB and his descendants back to the land. (Genesis 28:13-15).
JACOB did not throw himself on God's mercy when he heard this promise. But his response to the dream indicates that he was thinking seriously about his relationship with God. "Surely the LORD is in this place; and I did not know it," JACOB exclaimed when he awoke. He then piled some stones into an altar, poured oil upon it, and called the place BETHEL, which means "HOUSE OF GOD." Yet JACOB did not trust God completely to provide for His needs, and he continued to put God to test. (Read Genesis 28:20-22)
After JACOB arrived at his destination, God provided him a wife - although ironically, JACOB obtained two wives after enduring the trickery of his uncle (Genesis 29). In the years he lived with Laban, JACOB reaped the consequences of the actions he had sown earlier. . But he also received much blessing from God and learned of His care and mercy during a difficult time. Through difficult circumstances JACOB's FAITH in God grew. When at last he had to face Esau, the brother he had wronged, JACOB anticipated trouble and realized that he might be killed. Yet the night before their meeting, God came again to JACOB.
This time JACOB wrestled with God. In spite of an injured leg, JACOB hung on and said, "I will not let You go, unless You bless me" (Genesis 32:26). He longed for God's blessing more than anything, for he finally trusted God to provide . So the LORD said to him, "Your name shall no longer be called JACOB, but ISRAEL: for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed" (Genesis 32:28). When JACOB received the blessing he had requested, he gave God all the credit: "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Genesis 32:30).
God brought JACOB to the end of his rope once again when he was compelled in his old age to make a journey to Egypt. Just as JACOB had once tricked his own father, his own sons had deceived him into believing his favorite son Joseph was dead. Yet now, after many years of grief, his sons had changed their story. Joseph was alive, they said, and ruling Egypt! What? Such a thing was impossible! Yet JACOB learned to trust God even in this strangest of situation. When father and son were reunited, JACOB's first utterance was to credit the promise God had given to preserve his children.
"Then JACOB said to Joseph: 'God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession' " (Genesis 48:3-4).
Now at the end of his life, JACOB's trust in God was complete. As the writer to the Hebrews recalls and the Old Testament relates (Genesis 48:5-20), the patriarch gave a blessing to the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh. They, too were now included in the promise God had given first to Abraham and had confirmed in turn to Isaac and JACOB.
Why did the writer to the Hebrews view JACOB's blessing as so significant? Simply put, IT WAS BECAUSE JACOB ACTED BY FAITH. Consider his situation. Although he had  once lived in the Promised Land, JACOB had been a nomad there. Now his sons and their households were in Egypt, a long way from Canaan. Yet JACOB fully expected that God would someday give the Promised Land to his descendants. Fulfillment of God's promise would have seemed impossible; in fact, it would ultimately take centuries. But JACOB HAD FAITH. He trusted God. He was so certain God fulfill His promise  that he instructed his sons to make sure he would be buried in Canaan (Genesis 47:29-31, 49:29-32).
JACOB saw in advance something that others would see only in hindsight. And it was because of this faith that he could give his LORD TRUE WORSHIP, even with death closing upon him. Thus did the writer to the Hebrews say of JACOB and his forefathers, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them" (Hebrews 11:13).
(an extract from TRUE WORSHIP by David Whitcomb and Mark Ward, Sr.)