And Worship?

Worship

Worship is a vital part of the life of every Christian, and should be central to practicing faith. In order to examine how the Old Testament speaks to the contemporary Christian in terms of worship, it is vital that a definition of worship be provided in light of the different ways that the term has come to be used. Erikson suggests that worship unlike “edification” concentrates solely on God and not self.[7] Although this is absolutely true, it is a bit of a general understanding, Grudem seems to put it into a more manageable definition. He says, “worship is…a direct expression of our ultimate purpose for living, ‘to glorify God and fully to enjoy him forever.”[8] So, if worship means to “glorify God and fully enjoy him forever,” what does the Old Testament have to offer contemporary Christianity?

The Old Testament offers contemporary Christianity authentic worship. But before authentic worship is discussed, it is imperative that light be shed on understanding Old Testament worship in its original form as it was intended to be understood. One of the primary forms by which worship is displayed in the Old Testament is in the form of Psalms. The Psalms are not always the first book to be read by Christians, nor are they the easiest to be understood. However, when the Psalms are read as they were intended to be, they have much to offer the contemporary Christian in worship. Far to often, when people read the Psalms they may be looking for something that it simply will not provide.

Yancey even admits that when he first began to explore the Psalms he found himself bored, disinterested, and extremely motivated to move onto something else. Many who are seeking to make sense of the Psalms attempt to study the Psalms systematically. They may seek to appreciate the “poetic craftsmanship” that is used in Hebrew poetry, they may even learn to recognize the different kinds of Psalms. [9] But even though they can learn all about how the Psalms were written, if they miss why the Psalms were written then they surely miss what the Old Testament has to offer the contemporary Christian in the realm of worship.

The Psalms were not written to be read as dissertations on the finer points of theology or “pronouncements from on high, delivered with full apostolic authority, on matters of faith and practice.”[10] Instead they are personal prayers, and utterances from a variety of people from kings to servants, and noticeable names to the anonymous. The Psalmist is rarely concerned with doctrine, but universally committed to expressing the desires of their inner most being. The Psalms are “poetry, and poetry’s function is not to explain but to offer images and stories that resonate with our lives.”[11] Yancey goes on to suggest that the Psalms are to be read like one “reading over someone’s shoulder.”[12] The Psalms illustrate godly worship, while the New Testament provides the “how-to’s” of godly worship.

Please allow me to follow the above paragraph by saying that just because the author of this essay does not suggest that the Psalms are assertions of the theological, does not mean that I do not understand them to be fully inspired and completely inerrant, within their original autographs. Quite the contrary, because the Psalms are the utterances of those who are passionately pursuing a relationship with the living God and Creator of the Universe, they are capable of speaking more truth about the human condition than some of the most profound theological works available. This type of truth, confession, and raw honesty is only capable by the leading or prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Now on to how the Old Testament leads to a more authentic practice of worship. Unfortunately, many Christians believe that to be a Christian means that you are “happy” all the time because after all “the joy of the Lord is my strength.”[13] This misconception of life has inevitably spilled over into the culture at large. Should you turn your television on to watch the Simpsons you would discover by and large how the public views conservative evangelicals in the family of the Flanders who are portrayed as a family who spends their time sitting around the campfire singing “cumbaya,” and is never grievous even in the face of tragedy. To put it bluntly, there is much more to life than living a lie of happiness when we are dieing inside because of the circumstances that we find ourselves in.

According to the definition provided, worship is living life in a manner that is glorifying to God, and enjoying Him forever. This definition is about the realistic, not the idealistic. Reality is, that the world is not as it should be, as a result there is pain and suffering underneath the “wings of God” sometimes.[14] To illustrate this further, the Psalms are inundated with full poems devoted to people crying out to God…”why?” This is real, raw, authentic worship. Knowing that somehow in the middle of the lowest points of life God has not abandoned us, and somehow knowing that redemption awaits us on the other side. Enjoying God inherently involves taking advantage of the relationship that God has entered into with us, this simply means that God is available for our use. What Christians end up forgetting is that God delights in being our Savior. So, the Old Testament illustrates to the contemporary Christian what authentic worship looks like, and how it should operate within life. This illustration is only available through the Old Testament, and can not be understood apart from it.