Did you know that not all worship of Almighty God is automatically acceptable to God? As Christians, many of us believe the truth that the Bible is the Holy Spirit inspired and God breathed Word of Almighty God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Most of us understand that worshiping false gods (what Scripture calls idolatry) is wrong.
In fact, it is so entirely wrong that if people do not turn away from it, the New Testament Scriptures overtly say that such people will go to hell. He rejects all forms of idolatry. From the OT and NT, that concept does not change (1 Cor. 5:11; 6:9;10:7; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1; Eph 5:5; Rev 21:8; 22:15). Remember, those are even New Testament and not Old Testament Scriptures.
With so much at stake as peoples eternal lives, it seems to me that we should use HIS definition of idolatry and not our own preferences to define that term, because it IS a life-and-death issue (Matthew 5:17-20; 6:13-14, 7:21-23).
So now we know that the worship of anything else other than Almighty God who made heaven and Earth is called idolatry. It is expressly forbidden, and if people engage in and do not turn away from such practices, they will in fact go to hell. That is the truth. No legitimate Christian, nor pastor, nor teacher of God's Word can rightly claim or teach otherwise. Lord Almighty God, save us, cleanse us, and deliver us from all evil which in Your righteousness, You would be required to judge or condemn, amen.
With so much at stake as peoples' eternal lives and their relationships with God, it becomes absolutely critical and imperative that we define idolatry in the same manner that Almighty God defines that term, since so much depends on how God judges it. His definition is the only one that counts. I think I'm relatively safe in saying that if you ask the majority of modern Christians what idolatry is, they will say to you something to the effect of:
Idolatry is worshiping anything in nature or creation. Or, idolatry is any time you take wood, stone, clay, or mental, then you make some form of a statue to represent God or a god. Then you bow down, worship, and to make offerings to it.
According to most Christians, that would be the only definition of idolatry. Many of us believe that as long as we avoid overt idolatry, then no matter what we choose to do in worship, as long as we do it sincerely and in Christ's name, then we are safe and God accepts and even honors whatever we choose to do in worship. That's certainly the general consensus, but is that true? Certainly the above description fits the definition of overt idolatry but is that the complete definition as God and His Word defines the term? I sincerely believe that a careful examination of the Scriptures will surprise you.
Of course, the heart and character of a person must be sincere, but Scripture is also clear that what we offer and how we offer it to God also matters greatly. In this particular blog entry, we will focus on worship and sacrifices which God rejected.
Examples of Worship Which God Rejected
A. Cain's worship. Genesis 4 reveals the instance when Cain and Abel brought sacrifices to God. Cain "brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord" (4:3) and Abel "brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof" (4:4). Abel offered his sacrifice "by faith" (Heb. 11:4) and "the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering" (Gen. 4:4). One can only do something "by faith" when he has a revelation from God and obeys the revelation communicated to him (Rom. 10: 17). Hence, Abel's worship was accepted because he offered his worship according to the pattern God revealed to him. Cain's worship was rejected by God.
Notice that centuries before the law was given, people knew how to respect what God expected. Notice also that God rejected not only Cain's offering, but in the space of that time, He had no "respect" for Cain either. Cain was rejected because his heart was not right. The offering was rejected because it was not right either.
What's critical to understand is that in order for worship to be accepted both the worshiper, and the gift he brings must be correct and appropriate before the Lord. Please do not missed that point. Other Scriptures will attest to this. In order for worship to be accepted both the heart intent and the deed done must be correct before God.
B. Remember the Israelites: who gave YHWH's name to an idol (Exodus 32:1-10). The Israelites had adapted pagan worship practices which they had learned while in slavery for 400 years in Egypt. They took those practices and they copied them. They fashioned a golden calf, they made an idol. They gave it the name of YHWH and declared a feast unto the LORD, YHWH.
What's interesting is that even though they put God's name on it, and declared what they were doing to be a festival to YHWH, God was not pleased by it. He did not honor it. He did not accept it as appropriate worship, unto Him, even though it was done in His name. In fact, if you would read further, you would discover that God was ready to destroy the entire population and start over with Moses because of what they did. Moses acted as a foreshadowing of Messiah, and the whole population of Israel was not destroyed. Nonetheless, 3000 people died that day.
God is serious about being obeyed, and sincerity does not trump obedience. If He did not like it in 1440 BC, when the Israelites took pagan Egyptian practices, put God's name on it and called it a festival for Him, then what possible Biblical basis could we have to even remotely believe that we can take the name of Babylonian and Greco-Roman fertility and sex gods and goddesses, along with the specific feast days and even some of the traditions of those pagan festivals, what makes us think we can put the name of Jesus Christ over the top of it and somehow make that acceptable worship to the LORD? God doesn't change. If He was repulsed by a particular modus operandi in 1440 BC, He is not going to suddenly like it when we apply the same misguided principle, merely because we do it in Jesus Christ's name. If I managed to poke a hornet's nest and escape unscathed, does this naturally mean that poking a hornet's nest with a stick is suddenly a wise and prudent thing to do?
C. Remember Nadab and Abihu: The Lord revealed that the priest was to take fire from the altar of burnt offering to light the incense on the altar of incense (Lev. 16:11-14).
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord (Lev. 10:1-2).
Keep in mind, these sons of Aaron were not worshiping false gods. They were worshiping the real and True God. They merely offered their worship in a way that was clearly different than what God instructed. What was the result? The result was still death. Though these men offered worship, their worship was not accepted because it was not according to the pattern revealed from God. Tinkering with divine worship is serious business, as shown by God's immediately striking down these men with death.
D. Remember Uzzah: (2 Samuel 6:1-11). This man was very sincere. He thought he was rendering service to God. He thought he was protecting the Ark of the covenant from being desecrated by preventing it from touching the ground. That was his purpose when he reached out and touched the Ark of the Covenant. Did Uzzah's sincerity of purpose save him? No it didn't. Why not? Well, because God is serious about being obeyed. According to the Believer's Study Bible:
"The Law strictly prohibited any Israelite’s contact with the ark of God (cf. Ex. 25:14; Num. 4:5, 15, 20). Uzzah was not unaware of that command, nor of the Philistine experience with the ark (1 Sam. 5:1–6:18), nor of that of the men of Beth Shemesh who looked into the ark (1 Sam. 6:19, 20). Uzzah’s error was disobedience to the Law of God, based upon an inadequate view of the holiness of God. Actually,the ark was not being transferred in compliance with the divine command (cf. 1 Chr. 15:12–15). Thus, all the ingredients for this tragedy were present from the start."[1]
E. Remember Saul, The First King of Israel: King Saul offered a burnt sacrifice to God and God fired him as King of Israel, from that point on he fell into more and more sin, which later killed him (1 Samuel 13:5-14; cf. 1 Samuel 15:22).
F. Remember King Uzziah: He try to worship by performing a priestly function. He burned incense to God and God made him a leper (2 Chronicles. 26:16-21).
G. Remember the Worshipers in Malachi's Generation: It is disheartening to think that, within 100 years of the return of the first Jews from Babylon, their worship had already become vain, but that was the case. What Almighty God had to say about it is typical of everything else the Scriptures say about vain worship. The thing they were calling worship was worse than no worship at all. YHWH rebuked them in the strongest possible terms: "'Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,' says the Lord of hosts, 'nor will I accept an offering from your hands'" (Malachi. 1:10,11). Whatever else their sacrifices and ceremonies might have been good for, they weren't any good for pleasing the Lord -- He did not accept them.
Always remember and do not forget that in six of these seven examples, these people were not worshiping false gods. They were worshiping the real and true God, but they were doing it in a manner that was not acceptable to the Lord.
Even in the New Testament, Scripture says, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4, NASB95) So, if we are making good and proper use of the good brains that God gave us, then we will learn from the bad examples in Scripture, we will carefully heed and pay attention to the warning from them, and we will not repeat the kinds of errors that brought His judgment. Conversely, we will diligently study the Scriptures, we will learn from the good examples we see in Scriptures, we will imitate those, and be blessed in what we do. That is what a wise person does (James 1:19-27).
Well, that was the Old Testament. Does the same principle carry forward in the New Testament. Of course it does, because God does not change:
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall." Matthew 7:21-27 (NASB)If everybody's worship and acts of service were automatically accepted just because they were done in Christ's name, then why would Jesus specifically say what He said? Think about it.
Minister Gary Henry (wordpoints.com) writes:
“Today, we urgently need to understand the link between worship and the way we live. The NT is clear -- our worship is rendered vain if we do things like these and refuse to repent:
Speak with an unbridled tongue - Jas. 1:26.
Turn a deaf ear to the pleas of the disadvantaged - Jas. 1:27.
Indulge in secret immorality - 1 Tim. 2:8.
Live lives of bitterness, hostility, and enmity - Mt. 5:23,24.
Mistreat our wives - 1 Pt. 3:7.”
Lord God Almighty, graciously turn our hearts away from evil and toward what is good, blessed, pleasing and delightful to You, so that when we gather together, You will be pleased to be in our midst, so that you will be delighted to accept our worship and pleased to hear our praises, and graciously disposed toward our petitions, since we are desperately dependent upon You and can do nothing worthwhile apart from you. Have mercy upon us O LORD. Amen.
[1] Believer's Study Bible. 1997 (electronic ed.) (2 Sa 6:7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
