Inadvertent Snare

It says in Judges 8:27 – "Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house" God had given an extraordinary and absolutely unexpected victory to the Israelites over their oppressors through Gideon. As a memorial of his gratefulness towards the Lord, Gideon made an ephod and placed it in his home town, Ophrah. But God's Word the Bible tells us that instead, it became a snare for Gideon and his family.

From the proceeding verses (22-26) we see that Gideon had no intentions of taking any leadership role amongst the Israelites. He wanted to give all the honor and glory to God for this marvelous victory. From the spoils of this war he wanted to set up a memorial to glorify God, that too from the voluntary portions given by the people. Gideon had no intentions of using any idol or representations of pagan gods as a memorial; rather, he wanted to do this through an ephod. An ephod was a part of the unique dress worn by the priests in the service of God's Tabernacle (Exodus 28:4-8) and it was also used to find God’s will (1 Samuel 30:7-8). Thus we see that Gideon had no intention of going contrary to God in any manner in his desire to set up a memorial honoring God. His only mistake was that although he wanted to do this to honor and glorify God, but he did it according to his own wisdom, understanding, and desire, without asking God about it and without receiving any instructions about it from God; he went ahead and did whatever seemed right and good to him according to his own understanding and desire.

We see subsequently in, verses 33, 34 that after some time, after Gideon had passed away, the Israelites turned away from God and started following pagan gods again. It seems from verse 27 even while Gideon was alive, they started venerating the memorial set up by Gideon, using it as one of the objects of worship amongst others they had adopted from the gentile deities; because of which “It became a snare to Gideon and to his house.”

This example shows that Satan, without our knowing about it or realizing it, can use our good and God honoring intentions to entice people away from God and make them fall into false worship, which can then become a cause for stumbling, and falling into sin, instead of being a blessing. Whatever is necessary and required for worshiping and honoring God, God has already got it recorded along with the necessary instructions in His Word. Whatever else is there besides that which God has had recorded, is not from God; it is not in God’s will, and no matter how reverently it may be believed in and observed, it is, in Lord Jesus’s own words a “vain worship” (Matthew 15:9), i.e. an inconsequential and fruitless worship, or even an act of “iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23). Therefore it is essential for Christian Believers to not rely upon their own wisdom and understanding and act on assumptions in things related to God, more so in things related to worshiping and glorifying God, but to first seek God's will and only then act accordingly (1 Thessalonians 5:21); lest something we do today, creates problems for our children and subsequent generations. All that is required to honor and glorify God, has already been given to us by Him in His Word. To please God, we only need to learn His Word and obey it (1 Samuel 15:22), instead of devising our own assumed ways and methods of worshiping and glorifying God, and creating problems for ourselves and others, as happened through Gideon's ephod.

Worshiping and Glorifying God - Part 10: Impediments to Worship – Not knowing God:

Impediments to Worship – Not knowing God (i):

   We have seen that to worship God is to give God the glory, reverence, awe, honor, exaltation, praise, thanks etc. that He is worthy of and rightfully deserves (Psalms 96:8). Just as unless we know about a person we can neither speak about any of his qualities, nor exalt or glorify him before others; similarly unless we know the attributes, qualities, works, capabilities, stature, power, wisdom etc. of God we cannot glorify and worship Him. Just as the more closely and personally we know the person, the better we are able to speak about him, similarly the closer and more personally and experientially we know God, the better we will be able to worship and glorify Him. To know about a person is not the same as actually knowing a person, though in either case we can speak about that person to some extent atleast. But worshiping God in truth can only be when we actually know Him.

   I recall an incidence that occurred quite some time back with me; I was having a conversation with one of my close friends, and in that conversation the name of a then important and very high ranking national leader came up. Without breaking the conversation, taking that leader’s first-name very casually, my friend remarked, “Oh him! I know him very well”; then, continuing on in the same breath, he looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes and a mischievous smile on his face and added, “but whether or not he knows me is a different story altogether!”

   The fact of the matter is that my friend knew only about that leader, but did not know him in the sense of having a personal and close relationship with him. Although he could have narrated many things and could have talked at length about that person, but this was no proof that my friend and that leader had a close personal relationship and knew each other well. The same situation exists with many of us regarding our relationship with God. We know about God, we can speak up many things about Him by virtue of our intellectual knowledge about Him, but the only thing that matters is do we have a close and personal relationship with God; have we experienced Him first-hand? Is it not that most of the times we only know about Him, and not actually know Him personal and close? Is it not true that for most, their relationship with God is perfunctory, casual, superficial and mechanical so as to fulfill some ‘religious’ requirements, practices and rituals?

   Even the Born Again children of God – how well do they actually and experientially know their heavenly Father; know His desires for them; know of the expectations He has from them; know His will and assigned work for them; know His Word that He has given to guide and teach them His ways? Is it any wonder then that even Born Again Believers find it very hard to open their mouths and worship God or even utter a few words of thanks for Him publicly? 

(To be continued…)

Worshiping and Glorifying God - Part 4: The Imperativeness of Worship

The Imperativeness of Worship

In His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, the Lord Jesus said something of paramount importance – something that is often quoted and referred to, but also not taken and understood the way it ought to be: “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4:23).

While this verse is often interpreted and taught as teaching to pray and God seeking those who pray; but what the Lord actually said is that God is seeking is worshipers, not ‘pray-ers’.

The Greek Word translated as worship here is ‘proskuneo (pros-kï-ne'-ō) which means, to crouch or fawn toward (face down), while expressing homage (i.e. with a servile kiss or display of humble adoration), or to fall prostrate (face down) in adoration or homage’. Similarly, the Greek word translated as worshiper is ‘proskunetes (pros-kï-nee-tees') which means an adorer.’ Whereas the Greek word translated as pray, or to pray, or praying is ‘proseuchomai (pros-ev'-cho-mai) meaning to pray to God, i.e. supplicate’.

There is no dearth of people who pray to God; even non-Christians and non-Believers or those only interested in getting something form God or having themselves extricated from a situation do so, and God listens to all of them. But He is not looking for people who pray i.e. ask for from Him; He is looking for worshipers i.e. those who will prostate themselves before Him in humble submission with an attitude of utmost adoration or respect for Him and glorify Him.

From this verse we also see that true worship is “in spirit and in truth” i.e. neither external nor contrived or a pretense, but is heartfelt therefore flows out from within, and is directed to God the Father – a practical enactment of the first and great commandment of the Lord: “Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38).

Our loving and caring Heavenly Father has an abundance of ‘pray-ers’ calling out to Him, but His heart yearns for worshipers and their worship in spirit and truth – and for a very good reason, as we will see subsequently. As a child of God it is imperative that we rise up to our Heavenly Father’s expectations of us and grow up to be a worshiper instead of just remaining a ‘pray-er’?

Worshiping and Glorifying God - Part 3: Ways to Worship

Ways to Worship

We have seen that being thankful in all things and all circumstances is a way of worshiping and glorifying God; and is much more beneficial for our growth as a child of God than prayer alone. We saw from an excerpt from Christy Bower’s Book and experience, how taking deliberate steps to cultivating a habit of becoming thankful to God not only healed him of his chronic depression, but also changed his attitude towards God and experiencing the fullness of God’s love like never before. Continuing to look into worshiping and glorifying God – besides being thankful to Him in and for everything, how else can we do so?

One of the initial teachings of the Lord Jesus to His disciples, as recorded in the Sermon on the Mount, is: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). This provides us another way to worship and glorify God – through our works. When we let our lives be a living witness for God, when through our deeds, attitude and behavior the people of the world are moved to glorify God; we worship God. Through the Apostle Peter, the Holy Spirit records another aspect to this worship: “having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12); i.e. irrespective of the attitude and response from the people of the world, we have to maintain an honorable conduct, our good works and because of this our continual living witness despite adverse circumstances, those who are critical and deprecating of us now will eventually glorify God.

We worship God and make even others glorify Him by letting the light of our Christian Faith shine before the world instead of hiding or suppressing it; by demonstrating our Faith through works that bring glory to God.

Worshiping and Glorifying God - Part 2: Transformation through Worship

Transformation through Worship

Today I came across an excerpt, a perfect follow-up to illustrate the power of worship, written about and circulated yesterday. There is a challenge to be taken; read on and see if you are up to taking that challenge. The excerpt is:

“As I walked with God, I began to grow in my relationship with Him, but I continued to battle chronic depression. A wise Christian woman urged me to begin keeping a Gratitude Journal. She encouraged me to keep a notebook by my bed and to record three things for which I was thankful before turning out the lights. She said that by dwelling on positive things before bedtime, I would sleep better. She challenged me to do this for 90 days, suggesting that it would give me a more positive outlook on life.

I took the challenge. At first I recorded obvious and generic things such as being thankful for friends and family. Then I began to pay closer attention to things throughout the day, and I discovered many things for which I could be thankful: a compliment from someone that lifted my spirits or a thunderstorm that reminded me of God’s awesome power. The exercise forced me to become observant. It increased my awareness of the small ways in which God expresses His love towards us every day.

I maintained the journal for only 3 months, but it changed my outlook for ever. I began to look for and find God’s overtures of love toward me in a multitude of ways. Taking notice of small things opened my eyes to bigger things God was doing in my life. I began to feel grateful that He had healed me from chronic depression, and I marveled at how He had changed my attitude toward Him from one of desperate defiance, like a hurt animal, to one of quiet acceptance and eager anticipation. Or, to put it a different way, I went from being desperate for a drop of God’s love to swimming in the ocean of God’s love. Finally, I was floating with total confidence in God’s love rather than fighting it like a drowning person.”

- An excerpt from Christy Bower’s book “Best Friends With God” taken from Our Daily Bread 2016 Annual Edition.

The challenge: Will you start and maintain your Gratitude Journal for 3 months and then share how it has helped you?

Worshiping and Glorifying God - Part 1: The Need for Worship

The Need for Worship

Psalm 107:8 - "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!"

We pray to God; we ask for various things in prayer for ourselves and for others, we may even pray that God make us useful/ more useful for Him - though how many actually and/or sincerely ask God for this in their prayers is a matter for serious personal introspection for us all.

But much more beneficial than praying to God is worshiping Him; and one way to worship Him is by thanking Him - for all things, as Paul says in Philippians 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

To be thankful to God, in and for, even adverse or inexplicable or difficult circumstances and experiences is a sign of firm faith in God; faith that He will only allow in our i.e. His children's lives, that which is for our benefit and is good for us. Hence if we have faith in Him and His ways for us, we will thank Him for everything, always, no matter what.

Those who do not thank and glorify i.e. worship God are in grave danger of falling prey to Satan: Romans 1:21 "because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." The rest of Romans 1 details the consequences of this futility and of the darkening of hearts.

Dear ones, make worshiping God and being thankful to Him in and for everything in your life a regular habit; an integral part of your daily routine, doing it as often as you can - working, walking, sitting, travelling. Develop an attitude of continually thanking and glorifying God. It will bring God's peace, God's blessings and God's security; and will help you grow as a child of God much better and much more than prayer alone.