Posted by John L. Rothra on under Devotional/Teaching | 
- Who is to worship?
- Who do we worship?
- How do we worship?
- Why do we worship?
- What should be included in a worship service?
These questions have been asked by Christians ever since the early days of the church. Often, it is clothed in debates of architecture, musical styles, and other less important things. Many books and classes have been taught promoting one idea over another. Rather than look at such outward things, let’s look at scripture. Psalm 47 answers these three questions for us while allowing the flexibility to incorporate personal or cultural tastes.
Let’s take these questions one at a time.
Who is to worship?
Verses 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9 all mention “all peoples” or “all nations.” Verse 9 states that all people who believe in God–all those who are saved–are adopted as God’s children. Those who are to worship are those who are saved. In other words, all Christians are to worship God. Eventually the whole earth, saved and unsaved, will call him Lord, but those who reject Christ will call him Lord not out of worship and love, but out of recognizing an undeniable fact. I will answer the question why Christians worship in a few moments.
Who do we worship?
Christians worship God and God alone. The psalmist states Christians “shout to God” (v. 1), that “the LORD Most High is to be feared” (v. 2), and we are to “sing praises to God… sing praises to the King” (v. 6). Also, God told us in Deut. 5:7, “You shall have no other gods before me.” God alone shall be worshipped. Not man, not money, not the pastor, not things, nothing but God.
How do we worship?
This is less about the procedures and more about the attitude. The psalmist mentions two attitudes: joy (v. 1) and fear (v. 2). Joy means seeking God’s will rather than our own. God is central in our worship and desires. We should seek to honor Him and Him alone. It also includes a sense of happiness and satisfaction. Worship, at times, calls for celebration. We should rest in God’s grace and celebrate our salvation given to us by Him.
Fear in the Hebrew sense incorporates both being afraid/dreading God’s judgment as well as honoring and recognizing his awesomeness. It’s a statement of terror (judgment) and respect. Sometimes, the Hebrew intends one or the other. In this psalm, I believe the author intends both. Fear God’s judgment, for His is king and ruler over all; respect his sovereignty, for He is the one who chooses us and provides for us.
Therefore, as Christians, we are to worship with both joy and fear.
Why do we worship?
The psalm mentions three primary reasons. First, because God is king over all peoples and places (vv. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9). There is no place on earth beyond His reign or reach. No person or place is outside His rule, judgment, or reach. Second, we are told God chooses us and our inheritance (vv. 3, 4, and 9). In other words, God wants us and provides for our needs. The inheritance in verse 4 refers to the promised land, which God gave to His chosen people to provide for all their needs. Third, we are told to worship God because He adopted us as His children (v. 9). As Christians, God saved us by His grace through faith, and not of our own works. Otherwise, if our works played a role in our salvation, we would have room to boast and brag about ourselves. But only God can boast, not man, because it is grace alone, through faith, that saves us (Ephesians 2:8-9).
What should be included in a worship service?
A variety of methods of worship are mentioned, including
- clapping hands (v. 1);
- shouting to God (v. 1);
- singing praises (vv. 6-7);
- using our minds (v. 7).
Clapping hands
Clapping includes more than just literal clapping. It refers to any physical motion, including dancing (David danced; 2 Samuel 6:14), raising hands, drama, or other physical motions. Those who forbid raising hands or clapping to a sing to praise God are stopping worship.
Shouting to God
Shouting means singing aloud. Many Christians attend church and either sing quietly or not at all. We are to sing aloud. God doesn’t hear as we hear. Man hears someone sing and decides of they are tone-deaf or on key. God listens to the heart. If you sing to God, say “amen,” or say “hallelujah” during the sermon to praise God, God finds it beautiful. Those who stop people from singing aloud because they don’t like how it sounds, then they are going against God. They are stopping someone from worshipping God as God said to worship Him.
Singing praises
Singing praises means singing songs. Some churches refuse to sing songs to God for various reasons. God wants us to sing. He wants us to sing about Him and to Him. God gave us music so we can use it to worship Him. Therefore, sing praises to God!
Using our minds
The phrase “using our minds” is not found in this psalm based on many English translations. Here’s how some popular translations render the last Hebrew word in verse 7.
- ESV, NASB, NIV, NLT – use “with a psalm” or “a skillful psalm;”
- NEB – uses “with all your heart;”
- KJV, NKJV, RV, LXX* – uses “with understanding” or “learning.”
According to The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament,1 the Hebrew word used here derives from words meaning “memory passage,” “wisdom song performed to music,” and “with insight.” Paul referenced this psalm when he said, “I will sing with the mind” (1 Cor. 14:15).
I am convinced Paul understood the Hebrew and accepted the LXX translation as valid. Therefore, based on scriptural understanding of scripture and HALOT, I believe this is not a call to sing a psalm, a skillful psalm, or with all our heart. Rather, this is a call to learn and sing scripture. We can do this in a worship service today by preaching the word. On our own, we can study and memorize scripture. We can sing various psalms.
Worshiping God means learning and preaching His word. Many preachers spend time developing sermons based on scripture. They decide to preach or speak on a topic and use scripture to support what they proclaim. I believe preachers should spend less time preaching sermons based on the Bible and start preaching from the Bible. If pastors want to see their congregations understand scripture better, then they should start preaching scripture. God’s word should be the text of the sermon, not the support for a sermon. We should never demote God’s word to second place behind any idea. Rather, the ideas should align with the authoritative teachings of scripture.
*LXX = Septuagint; Greek translation of the Hebrew text. The writers of the New Testament and Jesus often referred to the LXX when quoting from the Old Testament.
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1. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament by Ludwig Koehler And Walter Baumgartner. CD-ROM Edition. © 1994-2000 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Posted by John L. Rothra on August 15, 2006 under Devotional/Teaching |
Luke tells the story of two miracles and intertwines them as one longer story. I’ve thought about the specifics of the story, which are not the primary focus, but something interesting to consider, and have wondered about something. Jairus’ daughter is “about twelve years of age” and the sick woman suffered from a “flow of blood for twelve years.” I find the twelve years statements interesting.
Let me begin by making two statements. First, I cannot say the ideas I mention are factual, but only concepts I’d considered. Second, I do not believe the number twelve possesses any numerological value. In other words, it is not a sign or symbol of some hidden truth.
I remember this story being discussed in a class I took at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The professor stated that some commentators believe this woman suffered from a birth-related difficulty, possibly caused by a difficult birth or related to her menstrual cycle. Such a problem would be considered ceremonial unclean. It is interesting that, if it is related to giving birth, that she is in the same city with a sick child of a religious and politcal leader who is around the same age.
Is it possible she is the mother of Jairus’ daughter? If she is, upon giving birth twelve years prior, she suffers a difficulty which results in the child not being in perfect health and the mother suffering “a flow of blood” problem. Eventually, the daughter faces death caused by the sickness ailing her since birth. Because of his prominent position in the synagogue, Jairus cannot defile himself by touching an ‘unclean’ woman, even his wife. Therefore, he disassociates himself from her, yet they both live in the same area. Or maybe he doesn’t touch her, but they remain in the same house. Either way, he does not make himself ceremonial unclean and she lives in that uncleanliness. Now they come together and the woman, in faith, is healed by Christ and the daughter is restored by Christ, despite the lack of full faith of Jairus. Jesus heals the family and allows them to come together without fear of becoming (Jairus) or being (woman) unclean.
When I asked if it was possible this woman was the mother of Jairus’ daughter, the professor dismissed such an idea as not within the text and, hence, should be rejected. I propose, that the Bible does not say or imply she is the child’s mother, but it does not deny such. Therefore, it is not clear if they are related or not. The fact that Luke intertwines them (the only such case of intermixed miracles in scripture), the daughter’s age matches the duration of the woman’s illness, and they are in the same location, opens the door to this speculation.
What does this have to do with the point of the text? Not much, but it does make for an interesting idea. Also, it is possible the people would have known of any such relation and this could have had a greater impact on the audience at the time. But again, the point of this text is not the relation of the woman to Jairus and his daughter, but the faith of the woman and the faith of Jairus contrasted as Jesus reveals himself as a compassionate savior.
Posted by John L. Rothra on August 10, 2006 under Site Updates |
The website underwent a facelift recently. Additional color has been added in subtle ways, navigation has been made easier with a better navigation column, and more resources were added. Some functionality has improved, such as links within a page, which did not work in the previous design.
From here, the goal is to get the gospel to as many as possible. You can help by linking to us, spreading the word about this site, and sharing your faith with others.
Posted by John L. Rothra on August 1, 2006 under SEO, Site Updates |
John Rothra was recently interviewed by the owner of the site the 14th Colony.
John Rothra’s Interview
This site is an SEO (search engine optimization) site providing a collection of articles, resources, and information regarding this web-related field. Both the owner of the 14th Colony and John Rothra are members of SEO Refugee, a forum for SEO discussions.
