Question 2:  Is God Pleased With Just Any Worship?

Because of the king’s leadership, the people of the northern kingdom of Israel had broken faith with Yahweh and He was displeased with their worship.  Often in the Old Testament, God says that the worship of the people displeased Him. Some of the reasons for this were:  the people gave old, sick, or lame animals as sacrifices…  or they were worshiping Yahweh while also worshiping other gods… or their gifts were given begrudgingly and with a wicked attitude.

We might say, “What’s the big deal?  Why can’t God be pleased with whatever ways I want to show my devotion to Him? Why does He have to be so fussy about how we worship?”  In his book The Five Love Languages, Dr. Gary Chapman writes that a person expresses love for their spouse in ways that are meaningful to them, but which may not be meaningful to their mate.  If I express my love for my wife by bringing her gifts, but she really needs me to help her wash the dishes and take out the trash, then I’ve failed to show her love in a way she responds to.  If she expresses to me that she needs help with these chores and I meet that need for her, then she feels loved.  If I ignore that request and bring her a flower instead, then the gesture might mean a lot to me but it has left her feeling unheard, unappreciated, and unloved.

In a similar way, we human beings do not have the authority to establish what is proper in showing our love for God.  He decides the proper ways that His people should show their love for Him.  He has laid out His expectations for us in the Bible.  For Israel, that meant a rigorous system of purity laws and sacrifices which showed God that they valued Him above all other things.  For Christians, Jesus has mandated that we worship God “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).  In other words, God has not commanded that we sit in ornate pews or buildings, or that we sing particular songs, or that we put some money in an offering plate. He commands that we approach Him in devotion and love, and that we give Him the best of ourselves in response. If we are begrudgingly enduring the time we gather with other believers and giving God the absolute least of ourselves, then we cannot say we are worshiping in spirit. And if we worship in a way other than what His Word tells us is appropriate, then we are not worshiping in truth.  So God has shown us what is pleasing to Him, and we should worship with excitement in our hearts and in the way He has told us to.

Other Christians might worship in ways that are not to my preference.  Their music might be different, their clothing might be different, their preaching style might be different, or their version of the Bible might be different; but as long as they are worshiping within the parameters of Scripture, then I am not free to judge their worship as wrong or false. If they are worshiping in spirit and in truth, then God is pleased and I should celebrate their faithfulness to honor God – even if I worship differently than they do. However, if a church or denomination or individual steps outside of what is Scriptural, then other believers must be careful to stand on the truth of what is biblical and not be influenced by what is popular or appealing. God is not interested in the latest fad. He is interested in His children faithfully bringing the best of themselves to Him by the means He has provided in Scripture.