Exodus 20:22-26
~14 min read
💭 Consider this: What, exactly, is worship? What is often confused for worship?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 20:22-26. The children of Israel had received the law of God as in the Ten Commandments, with all His demands and requirements. They had heard and seen the awesome display of thunder, lightning, trumpet sound, and smoke. When they realised that they were expected to obey and keep all the Commandments at all times, they were terrified. Therefore, they pleaded with Moses to be their mediator, to represent them before God and to represent God before them, because they could not bear to hear His voice lest they die. From this point onwards, Moses would speak to the people on behalf of God and speak to God on behalf of them. In the following chapters, Moses would tell the people how to apply God's law to the different situations of life as their mediator, as the spokesperson for God.
The first thing God wanted Moses to tell the people was about worship. This is what we want to learn from this passage. The title of our message is "How God Wants Us to Worship Him". Our first point is: They Saw and They Believed.
I. They Saw, and They Believed
Let us begin with verse 22: "And the Lord said unto Moses, 'Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel: Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.'" Today, there are many critics who deny that the giving of the law on Mount Sinai was an actual biblical account. Some believe that it is not factual but fictional; it is just a story that the Israelites made up to explain where the law came from. Others believe that it was Moses who gave the law, and to add authority to Moses, they made up this story. Yet others believe that it is just a spiritual history and it is not meant to be taken in a literal sense.
People may deny the biblical account in the giving of the law, but for the children of Israel, who were eyewitnesses of this biblical account, there was no doubt that they had seen the visible signs and heard the voice of God. They saw, and they believed that it was God who gave them the law. That was why God reminded Moses to tell the people, "Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven." In other words, the law did not come from the earth; it did not come from Moses; it came from God himself.
Sometimes people tend to think that the children of Israel at that time were more privileged than us. By that, I mean, after all, they were eyewitnesses, they had seen the visible signs and heard God’s voice for themselves. In that sense, people say that they are more privileged than us. But that is not true. And the reason is this: You see, God's revelation is progressive, in that the Bible is being written progressively. The ultimate of God's progressive revelation is that revelation that is committed eventually to writing.
At first, God spoke through visions, through audible voices, but eventually, God's Word was put down into writing, and today, by the printed pages, the Bible. With the completion of the Bible, as in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, was written and the command not to add or subtract from the word of God, we have the full canon of holy scriptures. In other words, we have the completed form of God's revelation. We have a helicopter view of God's revelation in the Bible. And much more than that, we have the Holy Spirit, the one who inspired the scriptures. The Spirit confirmed in our hearts and minds that this is indeed the word of God.
That is how God communicates with us, by the Holy Spirit, speaking, teaching, and confirming the scriptures to us. That is why the Westminster Confession of Faith says, "Our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority of the Bible is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing testimony by and with the word in our hearts."
So when we accept the Ten Commandments and, for that matter, everything that is recorded in the Bible, we are simply taking God at His word. It is God Himself speaking to us. God has spoken to us as clearly as He had spoken to Israel on Mount Sinai. "Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven." There’s a saying: Seeing is believing. This was true for the Israelites. They had seen, and based on what they had seen, they believed. They believed, and they took God at His word that the law came from Him. But for God, people seeing is never just about believing; it is also about worship.
If the people truly believe, if you and I truly believe, then it must lead us to worship. This is our second point: They believed, and they worshipped.
II. They Believed, and They Worshipped
So here we see in verse 23, God gave them further instructions pertaining to worship: "Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold." The phrase "with me" can mean alongside me. God is omnipresent; we are always in His presence. God is a spirit; we are to worship Him in spirit and in truth. When we create an idol to represent God, who is omnipresent, we are doing it in His presence. In this sense, we are making an idol alongside God. God forbids.
Most people tend to glance through this verse, thinking that it is just a reiteration of the second commandment. But there's more to that. If you notice, the second commandment in verse four says, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." Obviously, both verse 4 and verse 23 are about the sin of idolatry. But the difference is that verse four focuses on what idols are supposed to represent.
In ancient times, most of the time, idols represented things up in the heavens or on the earth or under the sea. But here in verse 23, the emphasis is not on what idols represent but on how and what they were made of. Again, in ancient times, idols were made of precious metal like gold and silver. Some were made entirely out of gold or silver; others were overlaid with a thin layer of gold or silver covering the wooden structure. Either way, precious matter was used. Why? To draw attention. Because an idol was something for the people to look at, so it must be attractive. It must draw attention. It must have a visual appeal. What catches the eye is the colourful, shining precious metal.
Today, you and I may not be attracted to those idols made of gold and silver, no matter how colourful and shining they are. But isn't it true that we are attracted to so many other things? We spend all our time staring at the computer screen, watching movies, playing certain sports, indulging in entertainment or other activities, so much so that we are drawn away by them. We are attracted by them, and we cannot do without them. They have become the idols of our lives.
Because of all these idols in our lives, we find ourselves struggling to concentrate on spiritual things. We find it hard to devote ourselves to study God's word. We cannot find the appetite to commune with God in prayers. Even when we come to church, we would rather be entertained than to worship. So this command applies to us just as it did to the Israelites at that time. God says, do not make any idol to be alongside me. The children of Israel had just seen the awesome display of God's power. They had heard the voice of God from heaven, having experienced his power and glory. How could they try to represent him with anything, no matter how precious gold and silver were? They could not be compared with the real beauty and majesty of God.
Dear friend, is God real to you? Is there anything in your life that has drawn you away from him? It could be your jobs, your studies, your hobbies, your friends, or even your family. Those things and people may be precious and important to us, but in comparison with God, they cannot take his place. Nothing can ever take the place of God in our lives. We worship him and him alone. We do not misrepresent him, nor do we put anything alongside him. He must stand alone and be the absolute of our lives.
So we need to ask ourselves this question: Is God the absolute of our lives, or is there anything that we have placed alongside him?
III. They Worship According to God’s Instruction
Our third point is: They worship according to God's instruction. From verses 24 to 26, God gave specific instructions on how he should be worshipped. Worship is about God, and he alone has the right to determine how he should be worshipped. So we want to draw some spiritual lessons about how we should worship God as a church.
Allow me to read these three verses:
"An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon."
Firstly, why did God insist on having an altar made of earth and rough stone instead of crafted stone using tools? And why was it wrong to raise up the altar on steps?
The answer is that God did not want his people to worship like the pagans. Historians tell us that making altars out of square blocks, building steps like in the pyramids, and worshipping naked, those were common practices in ancient Mesopotamia. The Canaanites worshipped idols, and they did it on altars that were built with beautifully crafted stones placed on high so that everyone could see and admire. They also had ritual prostitution and indulged in indecent nakedness. God did not want his people to follow the way of the pagans, so he gave this command to build the altar simply out of earth and raw stone that he has created.
The point is also that they should not worship the creation but the Creator himself, and he wanted his people to worship him in purity, to be fully clothed. Later on, God would give instructions to his priests to wear linen undergarments to preserve their modesty.
True biblical worship is characterised by simplicity and purity. Today, many churches think about worship as something they want instead of what God wants. They spend a lot of time thinking of sophisticated ways to draw the people's attention, to change the style of worship to fit in with modern-day culture, to make the people feel good. And music has a big part to play. If the people like rock music, rap music, or jazz music, then bring them into the church and call them Christian rock, Christian rap, and Christian jazz. Basically, they are conforming the church to the pattern of the world.
In the same way, God told the Israelites not to worship like the Canaanites. He's also telling us not to pattern our worship after the values of this unbelieving, lost, and dying world. God did not want his people to build a fanciful altar but a simple altar. That teaches us that worship ought to be simple as well. What is required of us is to worship God in the ordinary spiritual activities like the singing of hymns and spiritual songs, prayers, celebrating the sacraments or baptism and the Lord's Supper, giving tithes and offerings, reading and hearing God's word.
Worship is not about showmanship. Worship is about God, and we want God to accept our worship.
When I was a young Christian, I once accidentally entered an auditorium in a large commercial building. At that time, the auditorium was used by a charismatic church, and I was told that they were rehearsing for the worship service the next day. Can you imagine rehearsing for the worship service? Why do they have to do that? Because to them, worship is about showmanship. It is about entertainment. It is about precision. That's why they have to rehearse. It is about the people; it is not about God.
I do not mean that we do not prepare or practice. We need to prepare and practice. If you are to play the piano, you have to practice so that you can play well. If you are singing in the choir, you have to practice with the rest so that all of you can sing together as a group. Otherwise, it will be disastrous.
But I am referring to worship as a showmanship, as a form of entertainment. So allow me to maybe give you a picture of a typical charismatic worship service. You know, sometimes in a charismatic worship service, the pastor, when he makes a particular statement at the right time, you will hear the rolling of the drums, or the band will start to play certain instruments. Or when he looks in a particular direction and then makes a very strong point, all of a sudden, you see people who stand up; some may even start to dance.
And then when the song is being sung at the crescendo, you see the dimming of lights, the heightening of lights, and then at the so-called apex of the worship service, there will be this explosive display of lights. The band will rock, people will jump up, they will dance, they will clap. All this is to arouse their emotions. For that to happen, it is about timing down to the point of precision. To them, worship is about showmanship. It is about entertainment. It is about the people and how they feel, not about God.
So I'm not against practicing, preparing, or even rehearsing per se. What I'm speaking about is worship which has become a form of entertainment. It has to do with the attitude of the heart, the motivation, the intention of the heart. Even when we practice, even when we prepare, even when we rehearse, we have to ask ourselves: Are we doing it to please men, or are we doing it to please God? God forbids us to follow the pattern of the world.
Another lesson we can learn from here is that when God commanded the altar to be built. It implies that there is a particular place God wants his people to come together, in a particular place, to worship him. It is a physical gathering, just like the way we come together as a body of believers to worship. Some people think that they can worship God anywhere, in their own homes, in their own rooms, and they refuse to attend the physical worship services. Of course, under circumstances when we are sick or like in the recent COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, it is understandable. But under normal circumstances, that should not be the case because God has ordained a specific gathering of his people in a physical place, and it is called the church.
Having said that, God went on to say, "In all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." In other words, God is not confined to one place. Remember, the children of Israel did not stay at Mount Sinai forever, as if that particular mountain was the only place on this earth to worship God. Most certainly not. Later on, they were commanded to construct the Tabernacle, and they moved from place to place, and today, the gospel has been preached throughout the world, churches are established, and God is worshipped all over the world. "In all places where I record my name" means wherever I cause my name to be honoured, wherever God's word is faithfully preached, and the worship is faithfully conducted, and the name of Jesus Christ is exalted. That is the church we want to worship.
If Bethel BP Church is such a church, then this is the place we want to come together to meet God and be blessed. And if for any other reasons, we have to go to another place, we will try to find another Bible-believing church where God's name will be honoured and glorified, and we will worship in that church.
The Israelites were commanded to build an altar. The primary purpose of an altar was to offer sacrifices. They were to offer sacrifices of burnt offerings and peace offerings. The burnt offering was a sacrifice of atonement, a payment for sins. Once the burnt offerings were offered, then the peace offerings could be offered too, to remind the people of their relationship with God. Anyone who approached the altar was coming into God's holy presence. But they were all sinners, and God hates sin. So before anyone could meet God, something had to be done. They had to offer sacrifices.
The one who really deserved to die was the sinner who offered the sacrifices. But instead, the sacrificial animal, the lamb, died in his place, and God accepted it as an atonement for his sins. Remember when Adam and Eve fell into sin, God clothed them with animal skins, which means an animal had to be killed or sacrificed. Ever since then, altars were built to offer animal sacrifices.
After the flood, when Noah set foot on dry land, the first thing he did was to make an altar and sacrifice to God. All the patriarchs built altars, and here, during Moses' time, the children of Israel were commanded to build an altar. All this was preparing the way for Jesus, the ultimate Lamb of God, to come into this world and offer himself as the atonement for sins once and for all, never to be repeated.
Today, anyone who comes to God, anyone who is a believer, he or she has accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the atonement for his or her sins. Today, you and I no longer need to make God an altar because the sacrifice has already been offered, the atonement has already been made, and it is all through Jesus Christ, his death, and the shedding of his precious blood on the cross of Calvary.
Today, if there is any sacrifice left for you and me to make, it is the sacrifice of living our lives for the glory of God. That is why the Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:1, which many of us are familiar with, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
Dear friend, have you heard the voice of God calling out to you through his word? Have you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation? If you have sinned and believed, it must lead you to the worship of God. Not just worshiping any way you want, but according to his instructions. True biblical worship is characterised by simplicity and purity in the beauty of holiness. It is not about showmanship; it is not about us; it is about him.
God wants us to be part of a church because he has ordained the church for the gathering of his people to worship him. But not just any church, a church where his word is faithfully preached, and the worship is faithfully conducted, and the name of Jesus Christ is exalted. A church where you and I can grow spiritually, a church where you and I can live our lives as living sacrifices to the glory of God.
May Bethel BP Church be such a church, and continue to be such a church to the glory of God for as long as our Lord Jesus would tarry in his return.
Let us pray, Our Father in heaven, we thank thee for enabling us to consider this portion of scriptures and how we are able to draw spiritual lessons on how we ought to worship thee. O Lord, as the Israelites had sinned and believed, and they who believe they worship, and they were supposed to worship thee according to thy instructions, the same principle applies to all of us who profess to be believers. We have sinned and heard thy word and how thou hast called out to us through the Bible, through the wonder-working of thy spirit, and we are saved. Our beliefs must lead us to worship, not just any worship, any way we want, but according to thy instructions. And thou hast ordained the church to be the place for thy people to worship, the physical gathering of the body of believers.
But not just any church, but a church where thou would record thy name, where thou wilt cause thy name to be honoured, where thy word is faithfully preached, the order of worship is faithfully conducted, and the name of Jesus Christ is exalted. Oh Lord, as a church, we beseech thee, teach us the biblical principles as thou hast taught us this night, and help us that we as a church will be the one that God's name will be exalted. And for as long as our Lord Jesus would tarry in his return, that thou would preserve our church to be such a church to the glory of thy precious name. We pray all this in Jesus' name, amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding to God’s InvitationResponding to God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
The Right Attitude Of GivingThe Right Attitude Of GivingExodus 25:1-8
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
