Week of February 8

There is much about our current worship that is rushed and shallow. We need to enter our places of worship prepared in heart to encounter our holy God. We need to follow the labyrinth! Labyrinths have been used for centuries to aid worshipers with eliminating distractions in prayer and devotion and drawing closer to God. 

The psalmist provides us with a labyrinth of sorts to guide us to proper worship. The Lord said to Israel, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14), which was a great comfort to a pilgrim people. Psalm 15 reminds us today that we are still pilgrims who are seeking God’s presence and that there are specific worship admission requirements.

A casual examination of the psalm shows that it opens with a question and ends with a promise. This has led some Bible scholars to classify it as a wisdom psalm, while others view it in liturgical fashion (see EBC; Handbook). I believe it shows evidence of both and provides us with important instructions in pure worship. The pilgrims ask who can enter the Temple, and the priests answer them in the verses that follow with ten necessary moral qualifications (vv. 2-5b). In a narrow sense, it may be seen as instructing pilgrims in God’s requirements for them, yet if we take a broader view of the psalm, it may teach us what God expects of all who desire to live in His presence (EBC).

Meet God in His tabernacle (cf. John 1:14). It appears that the congregants are standing outside the gate of the Temple when they ask their question (15:1). They are seeking lodging, and they refer to the Temple as “your tent,” which suggests the Tabernacle. It had been God’s lodging place for the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings (see Exodus 40). To “dwell” suggests permanence and we may even state the question as “Who is empowered?” or “Whom do you allow?” (Handbook). Let’s turn the key on the Temple gate to see what is required of our contemporary worship.

Possess the right character. “Who” appears throughout the psalm, and one may be led to think that the psalmist is in search of this person’s identity. The kind of person who enjoys God’s fellowship is in view here. The priests respond with conditions that are both moral and spiritual, but not ritual and ceremonial. In other words, entrance into God’s presence really does depend upon who I am in my heart and not only what I appear to be outwardly. Notwithstanding the contemporary “accept me as I am” worship mantra, words and deeds are critically important when we describe “who” may enter God’s presence (2-5b).

Commit fully to follow God’s way. True worshipers must be “walking perfectly” and “practicing justice.” Note well the participial forms (habitual practice; EBC)! This person follows a straight path (Proverbs 3:6), by obeying the commands of God in everything (“blameless”). Next, the person “speaks truth from the heart,” meaning that he or she is sincere and reliable and trustworthy (Handbook). The true worshiper is also one who avoids slandering his neighbor. I get the idea of a whisperer in secret, or even a person who is a talebearer. How on earth could I wrong a comrade in this way and expect to present myself as right before God? If God counts a person as reprobate, the true worshiper will “despise in his eyes” the same person (v. 4). In other words, the person who seeks God’s presence does not associate with the wicked and vile. Even if it hurts, this worshiper will keep his or her word (v. 4c). He gives his word before God, then he keeps it! This person also will lend to another and refuses to take back more than he gave (v. 5a). Finally, the just worshiper will not take a bribe against an innocent person. In other words, he or she will not testify falsely at the trial of an innocent person (v. 5b).

I believe one of the most defeating forms of media are television commercials and social media posts that lead consumers to believe that extreme weight loss or Adonis-like body toning can occur in the matter of a few weeks. I clicked on an ad several weeks ago for a particular exercise workout. My social media accounts since then have been inundated with ads that beckon me to try a workout for thirty days with a guarantee that I will emerge sleek and muscular! Friends, “It ain’t gonna happen that way!” 

Here is a spiritual thought. The psalmist concludes by sharing that God’s true worshipers will always have a seat in God’s Temple (“sit firmly”)! The valid test for worship is not a quick spiritual exercise for an hour on Sundays; instead, it is proven daily in our lifestyles.

1. True worshipers worship the Lord with their entire beings. Note the qualities above and ask the Lord over the course of the coming months to give you instructions in areas where you are lacking.

2. Many of our churches today require little in the way of covenant commitment from worshipers. Everything from theater-styled seating, lighting and acoustics, and even refreshments ensure attendees will experience comfort for fear that they may not return. Ask yourself some serious questions about your place of worship: Who is the true audience in biblical worship? When was the last time I saw God in attendance? What has kept Him away?

3. For Families: We might help our children understand what true worship should be by borrowing an illustration from Søren Aabye Kierkegaard.

Ask your kids to bring their favorite stuffed animals to the living room floor, and ask them if they want to play church. Tell them there is a way lots of people worship every Sunday, and a way God wants us to worship.

Arrange the animals where several are the congregation, two or three are the pastor and musicians, and one is God. First, show them how many churches arrange worship, and ask if your church does it like this: The pastor and musicians are on stage as the actors, there are many people in the congregation, and God is behind the stage, whispering to the pastor and musicians/worship leaders. Ask your children, is this like going to the movies? Who is the audience? If the audience is the people in the congregation seats, then they are observing the actors on stage, like a movie audience.

Now show them what this devotional passage teaches us. God wants us to worship in this way (and re-set your animals as you speak): The pastor and the worship leaders are behind the scenes, whispering to the congregation, who is on stage, to worship God with pure hearts. Who is the audience? God! He is the only one. We should be worshiping God because He alone is worthy of our worship.

See if your children understand the difference between the two ways. Gently challenge your kids to make their hearts pure before God every day, and to worship God alone, all day, wherever they are.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock