Worthless Worship (Isaiah 1)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+1
What is striking in the opening chapter of Isaiah is what God says about worship. He says some pretty harsh things about hating and despising the worship life of the people of God. He has no interest in the sacrifices, the incense, the observance of the festivals or even their prayers. It’s all a burden to Him, and He has no interest in it.
Wow. They must be doing something very wrong with worship to deserve this level of denunciation from the ostensible object of their worship.
What’s even stranger is that God designed the worship life of this people. They were doing things that God told them to do. And there is no indication here that God was upset because they were neglecting certain technical aspects of their worship life, or just doing things improperly.
What makes for good worship? What makes for worship that is acceptable to God? It’s easy to think in terms of doing it properly. Is my traditional worship proper and faithful enough? Is my contemporary worship heartfelt and engaging enough? Am I saying the right words, using the right rituals, performing them properly? Are the musicians good enough, the preaching orthodox and relevant enough, the congregation participating enough?
God doesn’t address any of that. And I’m not saying that these things don’t matter. But what God focuses on in this chapter is the life of the worshiper outside of worship. The Israelites are not seeking justice. They are not defending the oppressed, caring for the orphan and looking after the widow. In other words, they were not living as a community that cares for one another, and seeks to live in harmony with God’s will, which means looking after those most in need of help and support. God finds this detestable and evil. Such unrighteous living had infected their worship life and turned it into an abomination. Instead of being the faithful orthodox worshipers they imagined themselves to be, they had become hypocritical enemies of God.
We may be doing everything “right” in worship, and have it utterly rejected by God. That means it isn’t’ worship at all. I’m not talking about perfection, but rather repentance. In verse 18, God calls them to repentance and promises them His complete forgiveness. But repentance involves the earnest desire to change. In verse 19, He calls them to be “willing and obedient.” He definitely calls them to change their lives and follow Him.
How do we improve the worship life of our congregation from God’s perspective? It’s what happens the rest of the week.
So my prayer today is for my worship life. I pray that God would so lead me in my daily living that it all becomes worship of Him. I pray that the words of Romans 12:1 would be more and more manifest in my life, that it becomes a living sacrifice of praise to my God, as I become more and more His hands and feet in the way I serve, love and have compassion on those around me, especially those most in need.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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