David Ray
A social group once made the following announcement:
Next Saturday we’ll be honoring a special member. She’s a great wife, mother, friend, member of our group, etc. In honor of her, we’ll be having pizza for lunch followed by ice cream for dessert. Then we’re going to watch the big football game that everyone’s been looking forward to. And after that we’re going bowling! We hope everybody will have a good time.
Everybody seemed very excited about it…except the woman being honored. Her reaction to the announcement was: “I don’t like pizza, I’m lactose intolerant, I hate football, and bowling is boring! I appreciate that you say you want to honor me, but did anyone even think to ask me what I want to do? Are you sure these activities are really for me? Do I even need to be there for them?”
It doesn’t exactly seem fair, does it? This is the woman supposedly being honored; but does anyone actually care about her? How can it be said that they are really honoring her if they refuse to do the things she wants?
Obviously this scenario is contrived in order to make a point: do you think God might feel this way about what most people call “worship”? After all, unlike this woman, He told us what He wants (i.e., how to worship Him: the required actions and attitudes). And yet most people seemingly couldn’t care less! They add all sorts of things about which He was silent (i.e., things He obviously did not want) and subtract anything they don’t like! Can we not imagine God asking, “Do I even need to be here for this?”
Based on the following passages, we don’t need to imagine what He is saying:
Isaiah 1:13 – “Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.”
Colossians 2:23 – In reference to the “ordinances” which were “after the commandments and doctrines of men,” Paul said, “Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship…”
In Matthew 15:9 Jesus quotes Isaiah: “But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
Let’s study His word in order to find what He wants. Then let’s worship Him accordingly, in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). He is certainly worth it!
