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Worship in Corinth

Monday, May 13th, 2013 | Author:

That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.  1 Corinthians 11:10 ESV

Because of the angels – Sometimes when you have half a conversation in a letter from another culture and another time, you can barely figure out what the argument was all about.  You have to piece it together like a jigsaw puzzle.  The problem with this particular jigsaw puzzle is that all the pieces are the same color.

Paul writes about head covering.  The very fact that he even broaches the subject tells us that something was happening in Corinth that raised the question about what men wear on their heads during worship.  Interestingly, this isn’t about written Torah commands.  As Paul says, it’s about traditions.  But traditions are extremely powerful and often guide our behavior despite what the Scriptures actually say.  So Paul provides some advice to this struggling assembly.  First, he sets the proper relationship between the parties.  Gilbert Bilezikian’s work makes it clear that “head” (kephale) in verse 3 is about origin, not authority.  Yeshua as Creator is the source (origin) of Man.  Man is the source (origin) of ishshah (woman – Genesis 2) and YHWH is the origin of Yeshua as Messiah (“This is my beloved Son”).  Once Paul establishes this relationship, he turns to its implications for worship.  According to Paul, if a man covers his head during worship, he disgraces his relationship to his own origin.  This may seem strange to us because we don’t think in terms of the symbolic nature of heads or head coverings.  But Paul does, and in Corinth this was apparently an important issue.  Bilezikian suggests that the imagery is like Adam standing before God in the Garden.  Uncovered.  Naked.  Transparent.  For Paul, covering the head (a symbol of a man’s dependence on his Creator) is like Adam’s fig leaves.  It becomes a sign of hidden agendas.  No, says Paul, stand naked before your Creator, that is, completely transparent.  Don’t put anything between you and Him that represents what happened in the Garden.

Then Paul tackles the question about women in worship.  If a woman uncovers her head, she makes herself like the one “whose head is shaved.”  Paul must have some particular cultural circumstance in mind since there is no Torah instruction about women shaving their heads.  Even the Talmud does not require this.  So the custom must have had something to do with Corinthian culture.  There are two cultural traditions that may have been in place in Corinth.  The first was the practice of shaving a woman’s head if she were caught in adultery.  The second was the practice of shaving the heads of temple prostitutes.  Obviously, either case would cast aspersions of the synagogue assembly in Corinth.  Imagine how difficult it would be for a Gentile convert from either circumstance to come into the Messianic fellowship of Corinth.  Paul simply says, “Cover your head,” and rather than single out those whose past was dishonorable by head covering, he suggests that all the women do the same.  Now no one call tell the difference.  Unity and equality prevail.

Paul provides further rationale about this issue with head covering in verses 7-10.  While most congregations emphasize the first half of verse 7, few recognize the implications of the second half.  The first half tells us that man is the glory of God.  Therefore he should not hide this symbolic relationship with a head covering.  Great!  Men hold this up as if it endorses their importance.  But consider the second half of the verse: “but the woman is the glory of man.”  The analogy goes like this:  God’s glory is man.  Man’s glory is woman.  So, who’s the final statement of full glory?  Woman, of course.  She incorporates all of Man’s glory which incorporates all of God’s glory.  No wonder she is the last of God’s creative acts, the pinnacle of His work.  She is the final, ultimate masterpiece.  In fact, the Greek conjunction, de, could be read “and she is the glory.”  The point is that this is not a comparison of relative worth.  It is a statement about order of creation and representation of God’s handiwork.  God’s glory shines through, step by step until the final design.

But just so we don’t jump to the feminist conclusion, Paul adds verse 8.  What is the proper relationship between these two glory-exhibiting creations?  Woman was created from man.  In keeping with the Genesis 2 account, Paul corrects any tendency to assert that woman is in a higher position because she is the final figure of glory.  No, says Paul, she might be last in the design effort but she is designed for the purpose of the ‘ezer kenegdo, the one who brings blessing to her man.  Hers is not the role of tyrant but rather of servant.  She is God’s glory-summary purposed to serve another (just like the way God acts, wouldn’t you say?).

Now we encounter a translation bias.  The NASB translates verse 9 as “woman for man’s sake,” but the Greek text says nothing like this.  ESV says “woman for man,” but that still isn’t right.  The preposition is dia, usually translated “through.”  Read as “through” it follows perfectly the Genesis 2 account.  Man was not created through woman (although obviously every man since is born through woman) but woman was created through man.

Finally we encounter our strange verse.  In the NASB, it begins with “therefore,” reminding us that what Paul says next is based on his prior argument.  And what is the prior argument about?  The argument is about what happens in public worship.  Because of this prior argument about order and decorum in public worship, “a woman ought to have authority on her head.”  Better read that again.  Did you notice that the gloss, “a symbol of” has been removed from this reading?  That’s right, it isn’t in the Greek text.  The Greek text says that a woman ought to have exousian epi kephales.  The NASB and ESV add the gloss “a symbol of.”   But Paul isn’t thinking about symbols.  Symbols were vehicles used to speak about worship.  In the Corinthian culture, a man is uncovered in order to honor God’s name in worship.  A woman covers in order not to dishonor God’s name in worship.  But when it comes to authority, that rests on a woman’s head.  And that is related to the angels.

What does Paul mean?  When authority rests on someone’s head it means that the person acts on her own.  She makes her own choices under her own power.  Exousia is the power to act free from external restraint.  It is the right of choice.  Angels freely choose to worship YHWH.  They continuously sing His praises, not because they are compelled to do so but because they desire to do so.  So a woman with exousia on her head may choose the same and is allowed to do so through (again, dia) the exemplar of the angels.  Women in worship may choose to celebrate His name, to honor Him and praise Him as they desire.  They are not bound to the restrictions of the Corinthian culture when it comes to public worship.

It takes some serious additions and cultural extractions to interpret this verse as an endorsement of male hierarchy.  It’s time to straighten out the glosses – because of the angels.

Topical Index:  angels, angelos, worship, women, authority, 1 Corinthians 11:10

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My Right to Worship

Wednesday, December 26th, 2012 | Author:

Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the hearts.  Proverbs 21:2  NASB

Right – “What is truth?” asked Pilate.  He might as well have asked, “What is correct?”  In his eyes, the truth and the cultural norms were relative.  He only echoed what Solomon said centuries before.  Everyone thinks he is right.

Something quite amazing happened in the Reformation.  The Protestants (those who protested) threw off the yoke of a dictatorial hierarchy.  They reacted against the hypocrisy and corruption of the Catholic Church and proclaimed themselves free from that oppression.  But on what basis did they make this bold move?  On the basis of the priesthood of the individual believer.  In other words, Protestantism adopted as one of its pillars of faith the idea that every man has the right to interpret Scripture for himself.  No longer the exclusive preview of the Church, each believer could now address Scripture as if it were an individual encounter with God.  The meaning of the text is the meaning for me!

This is merely a variation of Solomon’s insight, applied not to moral or immoral acts but to exegesis.  It has this further consequence: when we assert that each individual is the final arbiter of the meaning of the text, we essentially embrace the Greek view of human existence.  In the Greek view, men are individuals in the world.  Their ultimate purpose and worth is established by their uniqueness.  In this world, I am myself and myself alone.  My identity is not tied to any particular group, ethnicity or ancestry.  While my origins might be inextricably interwoven in the events of the past, who I really am is determined by my own distinctiveness.  It doesn’t take much insight to notice this element in our culture when it comes to sports, politics and economics.  But it takes a much deeper look to realize that the Reformation actually promoted this same singularity.  That fact that I can come to God on my own and according to my understanding is based on the view that at the very bottom I am separate from all others.

We are inclined to relegate this verse from Proverbs to moral considerations, but it has much greater implications.  Think about this:  the Hebraic view of worship is derived from the conviction that “cultic acts are the source of all life and prosperity for those who share the cult.  Therefore creative, purposeful preparation is necessary, on the part of God as well as the worshipper, to guarantee the success of the rite.”[1]  Let me explain.  If I am Hebraic in my thought and action, I do not worship God according to my interpretation of the relationship or the text.  I worship God according to His exact instructions.  Anything else is blasphemy and sin.  Why?  Because in order for me to participate in the cult (the normative worshipping group), I must follow the performance rituals God prescribes.  If I want to experience life and prosperity, God tells me what to do.  If I choose to do something else, I am essentially telling God that worship is whatever is right in my own eyes.  Unlike the view of Protestantism, the community under YHWH establishes the proper understanding of the text.  That means the authorized spokespersons (the priests and the prophets) instruct me in proper worship.  To vary from their instructions is to step outside the cult – and potentially forfeit the benefit for all.

It is difficult for us to imagine a culture so dedicated to specific instructions that any variation would be an abomination.  We are the product of 500 years of thinking that worship, like Scripture, falls within the rights of the individual.  But this kind of thinking is nowhere to be found in the Bible.  It is reactionary – and Greek.  And dangerous.

So, how much of what you do when you worship follows God’s exact instructions and how much of it has been formed by what was right in the eyes of men?

Topical Index:  right, yashar, level, Reformation, Protestant, worship

 

[1] Koch, kun, TDOT, Vol. VII, p. 96.

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Old Time Religion

Friday, December 07th, 2012 | Author:

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.  2 Timothy 1:3  ESV

As did my ancestors – Sometimes the smallest phrases require the greatest attention.  In this introduction to his letter to Timothy, Paul makes an almost parenthetical remark (to use an anachronism) that seems inconsequential to most of us.  But when we take a closer look, we discover just how radically different our idea of the believing community of the saints is from the implications of Paul’s throw-away phrase.

In Greek, the words are apo progonon (literally, “from parents”).  The idiom certainly implies Paul’s acknowledgement of his predecessors.  But look what he says about them.  They served the same God that he does.  “Well, of course,” you say.  “What’s so surprising about that?”  The surprise comes in the word latreuo (to serve).  In Hebrew, that verb is ‘avad.  And what does ‘avad mean?  To work, to serve and to worship.  In other words, Paul is equally saying that he worshipped in the same way as his ancestors.

What?  Does that mean Paul didn’t start a new assembly for “Christians”?  No, he didn’t.  Does that mean he continued to practice the rituals, sacrifices and customs of Judaism and the synagogue?  Yes, he did.  Does that mean that the way Paul worshipped was still defined by the culture and  history of Israel?  Yes, it does.  There is no indication in Scripture (New or Old Testaments) that the earliest believers in Yeshua as Messiah changed anything about their rites, rituals or practices when it came to worshipping YHWH.  In other words, the New Testament authors do not give us any basis for what we now call “the Church.”  Insofar as our rituals, rites and practices are different from those of first century Messianic synagogue believers, we have invented them after the end of the Apostolic era.  Paul asserts that he has not changed anything about how he worships.  That raises the significant question, “Why have we?”

Once again we are faced with conflicts of paradigms, cultures and histories.  Once again we will have to investigate that common question, “When did all of this start to change?”  Marianne Dacy provides some telling answers.  According to her work, from about the time of Ignatius, Marcion and Origen, the Gentile dominance within the Messianic community shifted the perspective from ancestral Judaism to Greek philosophy – and the process of syncretism began.  In other words, the principle reason that we do not find occurrences in our churches today that we read about in the book of Acts is that our churches today are no longer biblical representations of the way God wants to be worshipped.  Ouch!

Topical Index:  serve, latreuo, ‘avad, worship, church, synagogue, 2 Timothy 1:3, apo progonon, ancestors


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Worship-less Religion

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 | Author:

“And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner”  1 Peter 4:18  NASB

Godless man – Peter calls these people “godless” and “sinners.”  “Godless man” is the Greek word asebes.  It literally means, “without worship.”  This is a person who does not honor God’s authority or majesty and who actively pursues life without acknowledging God.  This word has nothing to do with going to church.  Worship is not a place.  It is a state of mind.  I can go to church every week and never worship even though I sing the hymns and say the prayers and pay my tithe.  Unless I have worship as an attitude of life, I will be a godless man.

What is an attitude of worship?  It is the attitude that life does not belong to me, it belongs to God.  He is the One Who is in charge of my existence.  So I need to fit into His plans instead of trying to get God to fit into my plans.  How many times have we approached situations by praying, “God, help me make my plans come to pass?”  Do you see that this is an attitude that begins with me at the center?  How different it is to pray, “God, help me act in ways that advance Your purpose.”  There is no better example of an attitude of worship than the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane – “Nevertheless, not my will but Yours be done.”

The godless man is the man who thinks that God helps those who help themselves.  The godless man is the man who thinks that being good is good enough.  The godless man is the man who thinks that love is given to those you like.  The godless man is that man who worries first about himself and his plans before he commits to a charitable act.  He might appear to be religious.  He might say the right words.  He might even claim to love God.  But the truth is in the behavior.  A man of God lives life with an attitude of awe, reverence and respect for God and all that God brings into his life.  Everything becomes a reminder of God’s grace.  It is the life of humility and surrender.

Much of our world is godless even in its religious proclamation.  The world preaches a religion of power to the people, power to the church, power to the project or the cause.  Wherever God is not the focus of our power, we brush against godless men.

As Rabbi Marc Angel wrote, “Religious piety without moral values is not religion at all.  It is pseudo-religion.  It looks like religion on the surface, but is deficient at its inner core . . . We constantly need to remind ourselves that Torah Judaism is a lofty moral framework for life, that it represents the loftiest ideals and noblest visions.  It is based on compassion, empathy, commitment to the dignity of each individual.  It teaches service to God and service to our fellow human beings.  Without full commitment to these Torah values, ‘religion’ becomes pseudo-religion.  Pseudo-religion is false and corrupt at its core, and ultimately undermines and shames true religion.

Each of us can find a way to strengthen the moral fiber of our people.  We can be sure that we ourselves conduct ourselves with proper manners, with proper values, with genuine concern for others.  We can raise our voices in protest of institutions, schools and ‘religious’ leaders who do not live up to Torah values.  We can join with other like-minded people to work for an intellectually vibrant, compassionate, inclusive and moral community, truly representative of Torah and its teachings.”[1]

Perhaps you can pray with me, “Father, forgive us for abusing the life you have given us by thinking it is our right to do what we please or even that You have given us the freedom to walk as we will.  Show us how to be godly in our attitudes toward life and all that life has to offer.”

Topical Index:  godless man, worship, 1 Peter 4:18, Marc Angel


[1] Marc D. Angel, http://www.jewishideas.org/minhamuvhar/religion-or-pseudo-religion

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True Religion

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012 | Author:

“But let the man who boasts, boast of this, that he understands and knows me.  For I am Yahweh who acts in steadfast loyalty, justice, and righteousness upon the earth; for in these things I delight – Yahweh’s word.” Jeremiah 9:24  J. A. Thompson translation.

Delight – How would you answer this question:  What are the minimal requirements of worship?  Jeremiah gives us an answer that probably does not match the list we would provide.  Furthermore, our idea of worship today actually seems to exclude some of the elements that God says (through Jeremiah) delight Him.

The Hebrew hafets covers “take delight in,” “be pleased with,” and “desire.”  It’s important to recognize that this word in God’s revelation to Jeremiah does not simply mean “to gladden God’s heart.”  Hafets includes the idea that this not only pleases God but is also what God desires.  As we would expect, there is an assumed obligation here.  In other words, while a larger range of behaviors might give God pleasure, these particular actions are what God truly desires of His people.  J. A. Thompson notes:

“True religion consists in acknowledging the complete sovereignty of God in life and allowing him to fill life with those qualities of steadfast faithfulness, justice, and righteousness which he possesses, in which he delights, and which he desires to find in his people.”[1]

What is worship?  It is whatever gladdens the heart of God.  And what gladdens the heart of God?  To act with steadfast loyalty (hesed), to do what is just (mishpat), and to bring righteousness (tsedaqah) to the earth.  Let’s amplify a bit.  To act with steadfast loyalty is to follow the instructions God gives for living as His people.  In a word – Torah.  Keeping Torah delights God.

To do what is just is to fulfill what the ruler requires, to make daily practices align with the wishes of the tribal chief, to exercise authority on behalf of the ruler of the people and the judge according to his guidance.  Modern paradigms suggest that justice is a matter of upholding the law, but this is not the case in the ancient Near East.  In Jeremiah’s culture, justice is determined by the actions of the ruler and to do what is just is to reflect those actions.  We might ask ourselves if our behaviors reflect the heart of God.  It would be quite simple to decide.  Look at Luke 4:18-19.  Yeshua tells us what it means to be aligned with God’s heart.  He tells us in actions anyone of us could do.  So, are you doing them?

Finally, righteousness is the action of preserving what matters most to God.  Here is the basis of biblical ethics and morality.  This is also the motivation behind grace, forgiveness and blessing.  A righteousness life delights God because it looks just like Him, no matter what the circumstances.

This summary from the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah calls us to examine our idea of religion and worship.  If these things are missing, what are we doing?  All the praise music, all the discipleship classes, all the tithes and offerings mean nothing without the critical elements that produce heavenly delight.  As the New Testament authors write, “worship” without the delight of the Lord is form without function, religion without the power of the Spirit.

Topical Index:  delight, hafets, hesed, mishpat, tsedaqah, Jeremiah 9:24, religion, worship


[1] J. A. Thompson, The Book of Jeremiah: NICOT, p. 321.

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Alien Righteousness

Thursday, August 11th, 2011 | Author:

For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Parazim, He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gibeon, to do His task, His unusual task, and to work His work, His extraordinary work.  Isaiah 28:21  NASB

To work His work – “As for me and my house.”  Joshua’s often-quoted declaration makes his commitment clear.  Perhaps it’s worth noting that it includes his entire house.  Joshua says that he and his family will serve the Lord.  The Hebrew verb is, of course, avad.  Joshua is going to work for God.  It doesn’t matter what the rest of the Israelites do.  He knows where he must labor.

Of course, avad also means worship.  Joshua’s family will not only work under the Lord’s banner, they will also worship Him – and no other.  Joshua’s work is godly worship.

And then we come to Isaiah.  YHWH Himself declares that He will avod avodato (work His work) but this time His work will be utterly alien.  It will not be what the people expect.  This time the work will be nokriya avodato (foreign work).  Joshua made a commitment to work/worship the Lord.  YHWH now makes a pledge to bring about the unimaginable – to bring about the destruction of Israel at the hands of its enemies.  How is this possible?  Hasn’t YHWH made an unbreakable vow with Israel?  Does He not exclaim, “Ephraim, how can I give you up?” (Hosea 11:8).

Once more we are confronted with a Near Eastern worldview.  What God does defines what is good.  There is no external standard that He too must meet.  He is the standard.  His actions are always good.  So when He turns Israel over to its enemies, He is doing what is good.  His work is self-glorification.  It is making His name hallowed.  It is foreign and alien from Israel’s perspective, but not from God’s.  His purposes are served.  He is worshipped.  When Joshua declared that he and his household would work/worship the Lord, he did not mean that he would ascribe to some ethical principle that would insure proper behavior and civility.  He did not mean that he would practice appropriate rituals and maintain holy attitudes.  He meant that he would do whatever YHWH asked of him because YHWH’s will was his only concern.  Centuries later God has to remind His people that His will is still their only concern.  When the people stood in front of Joshua and declared that they were witnesses to their commitment, they had no idea that one day their witness would involve such severe chastisement.  They could not have imagined that God would use their enemies to bring about His purposes.

But we should know.  We should not be surprised to discover the YHWH will avod avodato on us in the same way if necessary.  Work isn’t always wonderful from our point of view.  Sometimes it seems like a destructive force, tearing us into pieces.  We simply lack the perspective to see the whole.  God works the work of His purposes, and sometimes that means the work of destruction, the work that makes us wonder if God really cares about us.  Sometimes we forget that what He does is always good.  That’s when we need to remember Joshua and Isaiah – and then get on with what we are called to do next.

Topical Index:  work, worship, serve, avad, Joshua 24:15, Isaiah 28:21, Hosea 11:8

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Passion Fruit

Saturday, August 06th, 2011 | Author:

and there was not a man to till the ground  Genesis 2:5  (Hebrew World translation)

To till – There is no difference between sacred and secular.  Better read that again since nearly everything about our culture is based on separating sacred and secular.  We have church and state, spiritual and carnal, righteous and wicked and all the other dichotomies that break our world into segmented pieces.  So how can the cultures of the ancient Near East, including Israel, view the world without a line between sacred and secular?

The answer is simple:  God inhabits all.  God is sovereign over all.  God directs all.  As soon as I create the artificial boundary between the things of God and the rest of the world, I imply that God is restricted to His realm but I live in both.  This is the basis of idolatry.  There is no difference between sacred and secular.

But, there is a big difference between how I choose to respond to this unity.  The categories of righteous and wicked, obedient and disobedient, sacred and profane are real.  They come about because human beings have chosen to ignore that fact that there is no difference between sacred and secular.

Let’s look at one simple example.  Let’s consider what it means to work.  The Hebrew word is avad.  This verb also means “to serve, to develop, to cultivate, to perform some service and more specifically, to serve YHWH, to worship.”  Its opposite is shabat, to rest, to cease.  Avad is not the same as ‘atsav, to toil.  Avad is part of God intended function for Man just as shabat is part of God’s intention for Man.  Man without avad is less than human.  There is no “retirement” in the service of the Lord.  That dichotomy (work/retire) is another invention of a broken world.  In the originally created world, avad is what men do.

Notice the connection between avad and the source and object of avodah (the noun “work”).  Men are to work/serve the source of their being, the earth.  Men came from the earth.  They are ha-adam from the adamah.  Their role is to act as caretakers and stewards of their own source.  In the process of doing this, they serve the earth and worship the Lord.  God created Man to avad (cultivate) and shamar (care for) the earth.

But most of us aren’t farmers anymore.  Most of us are lucky if we have any dirt at all to care for.  So how are we to fulfill this God-designed role?  That answer is also easy:  put your passion into redemptive work.  Even the broken world retains remnants of the Garden.  Every man and woman is hard-wired to release their passion upon an unredeemed earth.  And when that passion is put into service for the King, it becomes a vital force for work/serve/ worship.  To do what I was born to do and to glorify the Father and bless others at the same time is the true meaning of work.  Anything less borders on ‘atsav.

Just remember, there is no difference between sacred and secular in the redeemed universe.  Putting your passion into service for YHWH does not mean you must take up a sacred profession.  Nor does it mean you must work in the church.  Anywhere the earth needs cultivation and care-taking is exactly where your passions are to be employed.  There are no boundaries preventing redemptive acts from infecting any part of the broken world.  There are only righteous means to accomplish redemptive ends.

Today is a good day to evaluate your “work.”  Is it avad or atsav?  Is it caretaking of the source of your being, a delight to God and a blessing to others?  Is it the domestication of your passion?  Think about that while you cut the lawn, do the ironing or peel potatoes.

Topical Index:  work, avad, ‘atsav, toil, passion, serve, worship, Genesis 2:5

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What Happened?

Thursday, December 30th, 2010 | Author:

But wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. James 3:17

Pure – Want peace in your life?  Want gentleness, mercy and integrity?  Want clear reason and satisfying production?  Then start with hagnos (Greek for pure).  Of course, it’s important to know what “pure” means.

Some synonyms help.  “Free from defilements, holy, unblemished, perfect” for starters.  When we investigate a bit more, we find that the Greek term is almost always the equivalent of the Hebrew kodesh, a basic term for purity within the religious sphere.  Procksch notes that this is distinct from the idea of ethics since it is grounded in the divine, not the human (TDNT, Vol. 1, p. 89).  The distinction is important.  When we read “pure” we naturally think of moral acts.  We imagine that James is exhorting us to ethical uprightness.  But that’s not the way the New Testament uses the term hagnos.  James is talking about ritual purity, about not being defiled before God in worship.  In other words, James is telling his readers that the first thing required for wisdom is personal and corporate acceptability before God, the ritual purity described in Leviticus.

Once we realize that James is following Jewish protocol and not speaking about ethical behavior, we see that Torah observance is the basis of wisdom from above.  Wisdom, that understanding and appreciation of the practical application of awe and reverence in life, begins with ritual compliance.  If I want to enter into fellowship with YHWH, I have to come to Him His way.  Hagnos is the New Testament equivalent of “clean.”  Everything depends on it.

Now for the “What happened?” question.  In the Greek text, hagnos is preceded by the Greek word men (the phrase is proton men hagne).  For some unknown reason, the NASB simply leaves out the translation of men.  The literal translation should be “first truly pure” where men emphasizes the perfect quality of ritual purity.  Both the Textus Receptus and the NA27th Edition of the Greek New Testament include men so there can hardly be a textual excuse for its omission.   Now that you know it’s there, you don’t have to exclude it.  The kind of purity James is declaring is the real stuff, the 100% genuine article kind.  Why would he need to mention this?  Perhaps James’ concern with proper behavior, the kind of behavior that does not leave someone “dead without works” requires first and foremost adherence to the proper form of worship.  If we can’t get that right, what chance do we have for peace and gentleness.  Our presence before the Lord is an offense from the beginning.  James writes to an audience of Jews and Gentiles who are now in fellowship together under Yeshua HaMashiach.  They need to be reminded that the form of worship hasn’t changed.  It’s still vitally important.  Life begins with worship and worship begins with being pure before Him.  Isn’t that still true today?

Topical Index:  pure, hagnos, men, ritual, worship, defilement, James 3:17

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Worship The King

Saturday, October 09th, 2010 | Author:

He has declared to you, O man, what is good. Micah 6:8

Declared – Context, context, context.  Far too often we lift a verse from its culture and history when we apply it to extraneous theological topics.  In this case, while it is certainly true that God does determine what is good, Micah is not talking about ethical issues.  He is declaring* something about worship.  Back up a few verses:

With what shall I come before YHWH and bow myself before God on high?  Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with one-year-old calves?  Will YHWH be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil?  Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?  He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does YHWH require of you . . .

What does YHWH require in order to worship Him?  Why, a stage band, of course!  And plenty of mood-setting music.  A sermon about salvation.  A time to shake hands with someone you don’t know.  A prayer for the community spoken by one person (usually another shorter sermon).  A reminder about the women’s rummage sale.  And coffee.  That’s worship!

“. . . to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” is Micah’s answer.  I wonder how much of our version of worship is designed to cover the lack of justice, the absence of mercy and the failure to walk in His ways.  Do you suppose that God is delighted with twenty-six choruses of “How Great Is Our God” sung by people who pad their expense accounts, refuse to forgive the neighbor who slighted them and ignore Sabbath?  Just sing a little louder.  Maybe that will help.

What would happen if no one came to the worship service (that’s an odd expression, isn’t it?) unless they really did justice (remember mishpat), loved mercy and walked humbly according to His instructions?  Maybe all the entertainment would no longer be necessary?  Maybe salvation sermons would be superfluous.  Maybe there would be no strangers in the crowd.  What do you think?

Micah implies something else about worship.  It isn’t confined to the sanctuary.  When do you practice justice, love mercy and walk in His ways?  Whenever you do, you are worshipping.  Maybe worship is a concomitant of righteous living.  Maybe worship happens when we make Him Lord wherever we are.  What do you think?

Topical Index:  worship, good, declare, Micah 6:8, nagad

*the Hebrew verb is nagad – to tell, to make known, to explain, to declare.

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , ,  | 21 Comments

Market Value

Saturday, September 18th, 2010 | Author:

But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for YHWH, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.” 1 Chronicles 21:24

Costs Me Nothing – Nancy Pearcey makes an astounding application of David’s principle.  She says, “The application to our own day is that we cannot ‘take for the Lord’ work done by another person.  Nor can we make an offering that ‘costs me nothing.’”[1] The Hebrew word is hinnam, a word that essentially means gratis.  David recognizes that true worship has a cost and that cost must be mine alone.  My offering means nothing to me or to God if I didn’t pay the price for it.

Let’s consider some practical circumstances where this biblical principle should be applied.  I remember going to church as a child.  My parents gave me money to put into the offering plate.  It wasn’t my money.  It didn’t come from my allowance.  It taught me that the offering I gave came from someone else’s effort.  While I am quite sure that my parents’ motivation was to demonstrate the need for tithing, the real lesson was that tithing didn’t cost me!

Some months ago someone notified me that a newspaper was using my work with someone else’s name attached to it.  Besides the fact that this is plagiarism, the offering this person made to his community was actually a sin.  It cost him nothing to take what I wrote and use it “for the Lord” as it if were his.  He needs to talk to David.

I often hear the objection, “You should give away everything you write.  After all, salvation was free.  Freely you have received, freely give.”  I think this misses the point.  My rescue was enormously expensive.  It required terrible sacrifices, from the first death to clothe my ancestors to the last death on the cross to bring me home.  I received the benefit without paying the death penalty, but that did not make it free.  Because my deliverance was so expensive, my offering should reflect that expense.  Nothing is free.  Even a gift must be purchased by someone.  Yom Kippur presses home this point.  It isn’t free.

Now a personal application.  In the last two years I have appealed to you for support.  God has been pressing me on this decision.  I realize that I should have left it in His hands.  I work for an audience of One and my offering to Him must come at cost to me if it is to be worthy.  My appeal attempted to defer that cost and make some of it your burden.  I repent for this lack of trust in the sovereignty of God.  Please forgive me.  If any one feels as if I have taken what was yours, I stand ready to return it to you.

David knew that worship must cost us.  That’s what makes it so wonderful.  What does not come from my effort or my assets has little value.  When I give what I earned, the sting is replaced by joy.  Both feelings are important to God.

Topical Index: cost, nothing, hinnam, gratis, 1 Chronicles 21:24, worship, sacrifice

[1] Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, p. 374.


Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , , ,  | 9 Comments
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