Bible Reading Blog
“Worship God in His Way”
Categories: Congregational Bible ReadingBIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 12
Upon entering the land, Israel’s top priority was to eradicate objects and opportunities for idol worship. “Destroy all the places where the nations served their gods… tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire… chop down the carved images and destroy their name out of that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way” (Deuteronomy 12.2-4). It was to be intentional and total. The presence of other gods was an affront to YHWH and dangerous to the future of his people. “Take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? —that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods” (Deuteronomy 12.30-31)
There has always been a temptation for God’s people to assimilate and align with those around them. It can seem courteous and merciful because it is a method to engage others in meaningful ways. But God was not calling his people to be master marketers; he was calling them to holiness and obedience. Their conformity to the practices of the nations diluted the reality of God’s righteous ways. To maintain their special relationship with YHWH, they needed to worship him with intentional obedience—in his way. Unfortunately, Israel failed, and it proved devastating for them (Judges 2.11-15; Psalm 106.34-ff). If YHWH was not honored in his way as their God, they would not be protected as his people.
Every culture has its nuance that impacts the practice of faith and the logistics of worship. But these nuances do not supersede the fundamental premise of faithful practice: to worship God in his way. I’m not saying we should staunchly reject every culturally attractive practice. But we must be careful that it is not the deciding factor in our practice of faith or in our worship.
To maintain purity in our practice of faith, we must take the same steps God commanded Israel: We must actively eliminate the presence of other gods. In our lives we must not have sacred spaces that receive our best affection and attention. We must refuse apathy and anything that opposes the righteousness from God. Like Israel, it is not enough to put the gods in the closet or coexist with those who promote ungodly agendas. Sadly, many Christians today invite the ways of the world into their living rooms via cell phones, TV and other devices. We must appreciate that our mission and calling is not simply to live as God’s people, but to assault the forces of evil that wage war on us and others. We are soldiers, not civilians in our faith and we must be deliberate in our activity. As Paul would say, “we destroy arguments, and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10.5). Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against evil forces of darkness waging war for our mind and the minds of those around us (Ephesians 6.10-13). We are called to action. We must be vigilant and deliberate to destroy the influence of other gods in our lives and thus sanctify God with our lives.
