Restoring Joyful Worship

June 30, 2013 Background Scripture: Ezra 1:1 – 3:7 Lesson Passage: Ezra 3:1 – 7 Psalm 51 is David’s prayer to God after he committed a dreadful sin. It is a petition for God to restore unto him the joy of being saved. It seems obvious from the prayer that David experienced the absence of that joy. Note that David did not request to be saved again only that he may once again rejoice in the knowledge that he was one of the saved. In our lesson today, the nation of Israel had grievously sinned against God and was now scattered in the land of their captors. After repentance had taken place, God allowed many of them to return to Palestine—the land of promise. Zerubbabel led the first expedition of almost 50,000 persons back into Palestine where they repopulated many of the cities. During the years of captivity, many of them had continued to worship God. We can observe from the books of Daniel and Esther that the most devout of Israel continued to worship God in Babylon. However, the psalmist noted in Psalm 137 that rejoicing in the Lord in a strange or foreign land was all but impossible. So there is a biblical record that some of the people of Israel continued to worship God in captivity but without rejoicing as in days prior to their captivity. Just as a repentant David had prayed for the restoration of the joy of being saved, national Israel was now in need of the same thing. Also it should be noted that worship was originally established as a national event for Israel rather than individual devotions. Several times during the year all males of Israel were required to present themselves before the Lord en masse. Therefore, joyful worship for Israel would entail more than a few devout individuals praying several times a day while facing towards Jerusalem from a foreign country. Proper worship for Israel required all individuals to come together at the place God designated for them to gather. As the nation of Israel began to repopulate Palestine, their local leaders (especially Zerubbabel) saw the opportunity for them to restore national worship as before. In fact, this is the reason Cyrus king of Persia had offered the opportunity for them to return to their land. Cyrus had instructed them to return to Judah and build the house of the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem. He stated that God had directed him to do this. The historical record in the book of Ezra focuses on setting up the altar and rebuilding the temple which had been destroyed by the army of Babylon under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar. The steps taken by Israel to restore national worship were simple and according to the Law. The people gathered together at Jerusalem. Zerubbabel and the priests set up the altar and they offered sacrifices on it according to the Law. They went on to observe the annual feasts that were specified by the Law. The people gave offerings that were required to secure materials and labor for the construction of the temple. Although the nation was far from the glory days prior to their captivity, they had taken the necessary steps to begin the process of restoring joyful worship in Israel. Robert C. Hudson June 24, 2013

Worship in the New Creation

June 23, 2013 Background Scripture: Isaiah 65 Lesson Passage: Isaiah 65:17 – 25 If I could just do it all over again, things will be better the next time around. If only I could get another chance, I would approach life differently. How often have we had these thoughts and at times even verbalized them? Our physical existence in this world teaches us that there really are no second chances to do things over. We may have opportunities that allow us to handle new situations better but the old ones will forever be in the past—mishandled, messed up, or whatever the case may be. Here in this world, we are bound to live with the consequences of our past errors and sins. But the prophet Isaiah tells of another time and place where there is the opportunity to start all over again. Past sins and errors are remembered no more and life truly is better. The scope of Isaiah’s prophecy is enough to earn him the title of greatest of the writing prophets. Isaiah’s prophecy has a scope as broad as the entire written scriptures. In today’s lesson, we read in the book of Isaiah something that is found in only one other place in the bible, i.e., the book of Revelation. Over seven hundred years before John’s Patmos vision, Isaiah had prophetically seen the new heaven and the new earth. It is a remake of the original creation. It is there where sin has been banished and joy has replaced sorrow. Man’s labor will once again be fruitful and cause the ground to yield its fullness without thorns and thistles to make him weary. God will be in the midst of His creation ensuring continuous joy and fullness of life. God will remove the memory of the painful past that so often haunts us. Violence will not exist in the new creation—not even among the beasts of the field. The beasts of the field will be in harmony as they live and eat together without fear or contempt for one another. In such a state of society, God will do according to man’s heart because man will no longer have evil thoughts. Man will again reflect the image and likeness of his creator. Worship will not be scheduled or in a certain place. Man’s life will be to God’s glory. Man’s overflowing joy will radiate continuous worship of his heavenly Father. Isaiah’s vision of the living creatures showed them continuously worshiping and serving whereas Isaiah’s vision of man shows him living a sinless life of joy. Just as the living creatures worshiped the glory of God, man will reflect God’s glory as he was created to. Man’s life will be a continuous reflection of the glory of God. God’s very image and likeness will be seen in man even as it was before man’s sinful fall from grace. The skillful Potter would have reshaped the clay and removed all impurities from it. Now those earthen vessels will be without blemish. Spiritual maturity would no longer be a goal to aspire to but a life to live. Worship for man will not be identifiable apart from living. No one schedules his life. He just lives. Robert C. Hudson June 5, 2013

Worship with Meaning

June 16, 2013 Background Scripture: Isaiah 29 Lesson Passage: Isaiah 29:9 – 16 In today’s lesson, Isaiah warns the people that God will bring disaster against Jerusalem. Jerusalem was made the seat of Israel’s government and central point of their worship during King David’s reign. However, over the course of time, their worship had become empty rituals. They had a good track record as far as yearly observance of the festivals that were decreed by God. In other words, they were religious in terms of their observance of the sacred festivals. But their actions were not the result of true inner religious convictions. There was no true fear of God but only outward actions that they were taught to follow as a demonstration of reverence or fear of God. With their mouths they spoke the right words. But those words were not from their hearts but rather rehearsed and remembered and recalled on demand—from their heads. Their actions looked right and their speech sounded right but there was no connection between those actions and speech and their innermost thoughts and desires. What they were doing was merely “empty” worship. Now the warning had come from the prophet. Not only was their worship not acceptable to God, but now God was going to bring a devastation upon them to demonstrate His dissatisfaction with their actions and words. Israel’s security would be taken away and they would be left at the hands of their enemies round about them. Furthermore, when they seek God’s face, he would hide from them. There would be no word from the Lord through His prophets. The seers would have no vision of the future for they too would be spiritually blinded by the Lord. Israel had the Holy Writ but the learned would not be able to comprehend what was in it because God would seal off their ability to understand what they read. The unlearned were already in darkness concerning the writings and they would remain there not even capable of reading with or without understanding. God’s desire is for the hearts of men to show forth righteousness and yet they dared to worship Him without it. Lip service and empty actions are of no value to God. Trying to find out from others how to appease God would be fruitless because God would also be aware of their actions in spite of their attempt to hide it from Him. God would bring about a wonder among the people. They who were deaf would hear God’s word and they who were blind would see the works of their God. They who were marginalized in society would be brought to the front and center and they would be seen rejoicing in God. The generation who had brought about such devastation and shame would be further humbled when they see their offspring worshiping God in truth and in spirit. These things are not part of God’s original plan for His people but they would happen as a result of their actions. They were going through the motions of worship but God desired true worship. Their worship should be a reflection of their sincere devotion to God. God wants His people to worship with meaning. Robert C. Hudson June 4, 2013

Worship with Thanksgiving

June 9, 2013 Background Scripture: Isaiah 12 Lesson Passage: Isaiah 12 There is nothing that so adequately describes our emotional experiences like the words of a song. Whether it is a song of deep sorrow or one of extreme joy, we find relief and release of emotional energy through the verses of that song. A song can be like a medicine when we are hurting emotionally. And then again, a song can seem like an added reward or bonus in the midst of our rejoicing. Emotionally, we need songs to express our deepest emotional experiences. Isaiah Chapter 12 is a song of praise for deliverance. Some view the verses from the standpoint of them containing two psalms. Still others see all the verses as two parts of a single psalm. Whether the six verses of Chapter 12 are viewed as one psalm or two psalms, it is clear that these verses are intended for one purpose. That purpose is to praise God for deliverance. The first three verses describe God’s mercy and His grace. Isaiah alludes to God’s mercy when he speaks of God’s anger towards His people yet He spared them. God certainly had every reason to be upset with Israel because He had warned them so many times of impending doom as a result of their wayward living. God’s warnings seldom altered or slowed Israel’s actions. They continued to live contrary to the will of their covenant God. This was not a case of sinning out of ignorance but willful disobedience in the face of constant warnings by the prophets of God. God spared the children of Israel in spite of their sins. When Isaiah alluded to God’s grace, he declared that in spite of God’s anger towards His people, He still comforted them. Not only did Israel not receive the punishment she deserved, but God continued to bless her in spite of her actions against Him. These two actions of God on Israel’s behalf was enough to elicit trust that allowed the people of God to relinquish all fear and rely totally on the Lord for salvation. The salvation of the Lord is compared to the refreshing waters drawn from wells that bring forth joy. These verses are an expression of praise because of the goodness of God. The people had benefited from God’s goodness in spite of their unworthiness and therefore they celebrated their God in song. In the second half of this chapter, the people’s praise for God becomes their testimony to the nations around them. Isaiah calls for the goodness of God to be openly declared among those who are not a part of the covenant. The nation of Israel had no visible God yet the evidence of His presence in their midst was overwhelming enough to the people to brag about it to them who were outside of the covenant. Israel was called to celebrate the invisible God who is all wise and all powerful. Israel’s God is not another god in the midst of the many. He is the only true and living God. Often when praises come forth as a result of God’s goodness, it will lead into true worship from the hearts of God’s people. Worship is not a celebration of what God has done but a celebration of who God is. Sincere thanksgiving can easily become a prelude to true worship. In these six verses of song, Israel is called upon to offer thanksgiving and to worship their God. Robert C. Hudson May 29, 2013