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Hits: 1939

“This principle is seen in the infamous ‘Golden Calf Incident’ recorded in Exodus 35. False worship, like most sinful practices, begins small and grows by degrees. Lust grows into adultery, hatred grows into murder, covetousness grows into theft, and self-love grows into idolatry.

Few men have the boldness of Nebuchadnezzar to set up an image of [themselves] and command people to bow down to it, yet all fallen men share his desire to be ‘like God.’ Thus, the suggestions of Satan, and the natural inclinations of men, usually begin not with outright idol worship, but with the blending of human invention with the worship of the true God…Men can always find justifications for doing what they want to do. Yet whatever the justification may be, God’s response is still the same: ‘They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them.’” (Comin, 24-25).

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“Children's books popularly portrayed Noah’s ark with all of the animals two- by -two, but the Biblical record tells us that he has instructed to take every clean beast and bird by sevens “to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.” Why was it necessary for seven of each ‘clean animal’ to be taken aboard the ark in order to keep those species alive? How did Noah identify the clean animals? Exodus hadn't been written yet.

A greater number of clean animals was necessary precisely because these were the animals which God required to be offered in sacrifice. The fact that Noah immediately built an altar and offered burnt offerings to God upon exiting the ark shows us that this requirement was well known to him. God had provided instruction in how He was to be worshipped, and had ensured that Noah had all that he needed to comply.” (Comin, 12-13)

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Hits: 1963

“When God gave Moses instructions for the building of the tabernacle, where His glory would dwell among his people, again and again, we read the words ‘see to it that you make it according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.’ Every last detail, not only of the tabernacle, but also of the priestly garments, sacrificial offerings and holy festivals was painstakingly revealed to Moses. There was absolutely no room for innovation…

God has not changed. Nor, for that matter, has men. Christ came to fulfill the details of the ceremonial law, but His coming did not open the door for God's people to cast off His revealed will and come trampling into His courts in any way that they deem appropriate. God is still the sovereign Lord of all, including worship.” (Comin, 23)

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Hits: 1981

“Some would argue that what set Cain's sacrifice apart from Abel’s was not that it was bloodless, but merely that it was insincere- that Cain's heart was not right. If his heart had been in the right place God would have accepted his offering of the fruit of the ground just as He accepted Abel’s lamb. This approach to Cain and Abel's offering begins on rather shaky ground, with the presupposition that what makes worship acceptable or not acceptable to God is the sincerity of the worshipper. Could Cain have offered anything at all to God just as long as he was sincere in his heart? Why then did God reject Nadab and Abihu’s ‘strange fire’? Why did He not accept Uzzah’s sincere desire to steady the Ark?

God is concerned about the sincerity of the worshipper, to be sure. He is not honored by mere forms while the heart of the worshipper is disengaged or sunk in hypocrisy. Nevertheless, sincerity alone is not enough apart from obedience to God's commands…

Cain’s error, then, was far more serious than mere insincerity. His error was that he sought to draw near to God on the basis of the work of his own hands, rather than through substitutionary atonement. The murder of Abel further demonstrates the lengths to which sinful men will go in their rebellion against God. Better to kill the righteous than to submit to God on His terms. No wonder that worship is such a sensitive issue, for it strikes at the very heart of man's sinful nature.” (Comin, 11-12)

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Hits: 1992

“The final verses of Exodus 20 record a little-known commandment of God regarding the construction of altars to be used in the service of sacrifice. God specifically prohibited the use of any hewn stones, carved by the tools of men, in the construction of His altars, saying ‘if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it.’ God wanted only natural stones (those that were created by Him) to be used to the exclusion of any stones that were ‘creatively altered’ by men. The principle involved here is that man’s approach to God in worship is not to be ‘profaned’ by human innovation…

“One common objection…argues that the Scriptures teach that ‘all of life is worship’. According to this view there is no real distinction between the formal public gathering of the saints to worship God and the private individual activities of work and recreation, since the Bible states: ‘Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God’. (1 Cor.10:31).

This argument however fails to recognize the fact that God makes a clear distinction between the private exercise of creativity and the importing of such creativity into His prescribed worship. Exodus 20: 25 does not forbid stonecutting as a profession or as a recreational activity, but it clearly forbids the stonecutter from using his talents to ‘embellish’ the pure worship of God. Nor would it be proper to assume that the stone- cutter’s lawful activities outside of the worship were to be conducted without a conscious pursuit of God's glory. God makes a distinction between formal worship and informal devotion. In all of life man is free to use his creativity for the advancement of God's glory. In the ordinances of worship, however, the exercise of ‘creative license’ profanes God's altar.” (Comin, 20,22)

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Hits: 1997

“The account of Adam and Eve's sin may seem at first to have little to do with the theme of worship and yet its significance for our topic is foundational. The root sin involved in eating the forbidden fruit was a substitution of man's authority for God’s. Adam determined to live by his own rules rather than submitting to the ‘restraints’ of God's law, even though (as he learned the hard way) God’s commands were designed for his own good.

The effect of Adam’s sin upon his descendants is an inherent determination to rebel against God’s commands and follow our own desires instead. In worship, this corrupt inclination comes in the form of presuming to approach God according to our own ideas, whether by adding them to God's requirements, or simply replacing them.” (Comin, 8-9)

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Go alone appoints worship ordinances (Ex. 4: 21-26)

“Exodus 4:21-26…records the circumcision of Moses’ firstborn son by his wife Zipporah, after God’s anger was kindled towards Moses for his neglect. The fact that God actually ‘sought to kill Moses’ for failing to circumcise his son is puzzling to many readers. Yet this is not difficult to understand in light of what the Scriptures reveal with regard to the zeal that God has for His appointed worship and the ordinances connected with it.

From this account we learn: (1) That neglecting the ordinances of God is a sin which incurs His most fervent displeasure; (2) That we need to watch over our own hearts, lest our love for any relation prevail over our love to God and keep us from our duty of obedience; (3) That our zeal for God and His ordinances may be cooled if we are deprived of the society of the faithful; (4) That God’s anger is kindled against even His own people when they fail to observe what He has commanded; (5) That when God reveals to us what is lacking in our conformity to His commanded ordinances we must determine to amend it quickly, lest we incur greater judgment; (6) That putting away our sins is absolutely necessary to the removal of God’s judgments; and (7) That when we return to our duty in God’s ordinances, He will return to us in mercy.” (Comin, 18)

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“The book of Genesis records, among other things, the fall of man into sin and its consequent result of alienation between a perfectly Holy God and totally depraved creatures. Something must take place, therefore, in order to (1) turn the rebellious heart of fallen man back to his original desire to worship God, and (2) appease the wrath of God, lest fallen man, when he approaches God to worship, be consumed in His fiery wrath. Worship, then, according to Genesis may be defined as an approach to almighty God, on the basis of a substitutionary atonement, acknowledging His transcendent excellence and our utter unworthiness, in order to give Him the honor and devotion He alone deserves, as humble servants gladly subjecting themselves in reverence to their Creator.” (Comin, 8)

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Hits: 1973

“God's worship does not change from place to place. He commands men to worship him according to His revealed will wherever they find themselves.

Most Christians today think of worship in man- centered terms and therefore expect worship practices to reflect the variety of cultures, traditions, and tastes that exist among God’s people. Such thinking is backward and unscriptural. The Bible regards worship as a God- centered activity. God called Abram out of his father's land and culture to embrace a religion and worship that was transcendent and transcultural, because it did not center in man and his experience but in God and His revelation. Since God is One, His commands for worship are the same regardless of the background of the worshipper.

Allowing cultural or traditional considerations to dictate the elements of worship only serves to divide the church along man- centered lines. When God's people determine to worship Him only according to His revealed commands, rather than their own personal tastes, wherever they may find themselves geographically, the church will begin to experience the unity that God designed and intended.” (Comin, 14)