Back to the Basics of Worship

Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off. (Nehemiah 12:43)

          Have you ever gotten in an argument that became so heated that you and your sparring partner forgot why you were arguing in the first place?

          Sometimes, I’m afraid, that’s what happens when we Christians engage in the so-called “worship wars.”

          Don’t get me wrong: you know I have firm, and hopefully biblical, convictions about the tone, tenor and form of worship. Much of what comprises “contemporary” worship is nothing more than fluff, in my opinion, and lacks a biblical basis for its form and content.

          That said, it’s easy to argue with other believers about correct worship … yet forget what worship is all about in the first place. So this morning, the Lord gives you and me a simple reminder of what worship is really about, based on the dedication of the rebuilt Jerusalem wall in Nehemiah 12.

          We’re going to examine the context of worship, the community of worshippers, the conduct of worship and the continuance of worship as Nehemiah describes that joyous occasion to us. In many ways, this scene might not resemble what you and I do on Sundays – perhaps because in all of our posturing and bickering with others we have lost our first love for Christ.

          But if you and I will meditate on what Jesus has done for us in redemption, we too will be moved to get back to basics: back to the joyful worship of God our Savior, which is the very heart f worship.

          First let us explore the context of worship: God’s people here praised Him for what He had done on their behalf.

          Verse 43 tells us that God made the people rejoice with great joy. That is, their worship wasn’t about a feeling or about self-expression; it was about bringing honor to the Lord for the gracious work He had done in and for His chosen people.

          You’ll recall from chapter 2 that Nehemiah, the governor of Judah, faced a daunting task in leading God’s people to rebuild the fallen wall of Jerusalem. Only a relative few had returned from exile in Babylon, and those who managed to return to Judah didn’t show much interest in rebuilding the wall of defense of God’s City that King Nebuchadnezzar had toppled. Not only were God’s people lazy – they were spiritually lazy.

          Yet the Spirit of God stirred Nehemiah, and then God’s people, to undertake and to complete the task of reconstruction. This rebuilding effort was nothing less than a revival, and the rebuilt wall provided defense for the Jews as well as symbolically drawing them closer to the Lord who loved them and was at work in and through them. God had done this mighty work: it was no mere “touch-up project!”

          And this was a reason to praise His Name.

          The Christian Sabbath provides a perfect occasion for you to stand back from the noise and fever pitch of everyday life and to contemplate the greatness and goodness of the Lord. In this season of Thanksgiving, spend time thinking of God’s glory and kindness revealed in creation: He not only created all things; He also feeds you and me delectably each day. Consider the fact that you are in His house worshipping Him this day: if you truly are here to exalt the triune God (as opposed to going through the motions of Churchianity), it’s because the God of life has called you from death to life in Jesus Christ His Son. You, like that wall of old, are a testimony to the gracious work and to the nearness of Almighty God.

          This is why you should praise His Name. Praising His character and work is the reason for, and the very heart, of worship.

          Note secondly the community of worshippers at the dedication of the wall: true worship involves all of God’s people.

          As with last week’s text, you and I observe here that various groups had a vital role to play in the dedication of the wall. The Levites and priests clearly served in important capacities; they were so critical to the worship of God that they were sought out from all their cities (the likely had settled in villages around Jerusalem). Some were skilled in music, and still today we need divinely gifted musicians to assist us in the composition and singing of hymns. Of course the priests and Levites were needed for mediation between God and sinful man, just as you and I today look to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, as the one Mediator between us and our Father in heaven. It is only through Jesus’ blood and intercession that you and I may approach God at all!

          In particular, though, note in verses 31-36 how the leaders of God’s people led by example in worshipping the Lord. They stood upon the wall that He had helped them reconstruct and publicly set the example of praising the Lord for His power and goodness. In the church today, we have plenty of folks – including teaching elders such as myself! – who claim to be leaders in the Body. They occupy the decision-making seats on sessions and in presbyteries. They teach Sunday School and exert influence on other believers.

          But when it comes to worshipping God as is His due, do your leaders lead by example?

          Verse 43 offers one more critical description of the service: unusually, the author mentions women and children as being part of the worshipping community. In other words, all of God’s people had a part in the praising of His Name! One cannot help but think that the resounding joy described at the end of verse 43 was enhanced mightily by the large company of believers praising the Name of God.

          It’s easy to assume that if the preacher is preaching and the choir is singing and the ushers are ushering, then we don’t need you on Sundays. The truth, however, is that worship that pleases God engages all of His people – including you.

          Third, mark the conduct of this service of worship: it was filled with reverent joy before the Lord.

          Before they could approach the Lord for the dedication, the priests and Levites and all the people had to be purified (verse 30). Now, we don’t know every aspect of what this purification involved; but it surely demanded the confession of sin and making the appointed sacrifices to cleanse God’s repentant people of their sin. They underwent purification based not only on their sinfulness but also on the holy character of God, whose holiness is beautiful (Psalm 29) and prevents Him from “beholding iniquity.” As Isaiah confessed his sinfulness when confronted with a vision of the Lord (and then was cleansed), so too must you and I approach the worship of God first by confessing our sinful failure to worship Him in all of life. Only through the purifying blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, may you and I come before God’s heavenly throne.

          This service of worship also was filled with reverent joy before the Lord. (The word “joy” actually appears five times in verse 43, underscoring the jubilant tenor of the service.) Nehemiah devotes special attention to the matter of music in worship, perhaps because music is a natural venue and form of expression in which to praise the Lord God. God’s people, this chapter intimates, best express their joy through hymns to Him.

          In all the singing and jubilation, however, Nehemiah never loses sight of the orderliness of the proceedings. There was a method to the processions and an itinerary of sorts as they made their way through the gates and into the house of God. So too must you and I do all things “decently and in order,” as St. Paul counsels us in the New Testament. Wildness does not indicate joy in the Lord, nor must heartfelt worship find “genuine” expression in unbridled conduct. Joy in the Lord – which is what we pray you have all the time! – is a matter of your heart before God, not a matter of rollicking music and of disjointed conduct in worship.

          Fourth, this chapter teaches us about the continuance of worship: God’s people realized that true worship involve daily commitment to live one’s life for the honor of the Lord.

          Verses 44 through 47 describe the people’s thanksgiving for their ministers: they demonstrated their gratitude for God’s gift of faithful ministers by offering their gifts daily. In turn, the Levites gave their appointed portions to the sons of Aaron.

          We also encounter the porters and singers fulfilling their appointed tasks every day – a further expression of worship in the day-to-day hum of life. Their work might not have garnered the attention or the massive crowds of the dedication of the wall, but it was vital worship of God nonetheless.

          In some ways, these verses might not appear to be very worship-oriented. After all, they deal with such (relatively) mundane issues as giving to the work of the church and doing one’s daily, assigned tasks.

          But in fact, this is the heart of worship: offering God our best, regardless of the setting.

          If you’ll read verse 30 again closely, you’ll notice that the priests also purified the wall of Jerusalem. Of course, those bricks and mortar didn’t have any sin; that wasn’t the point of their purification. When the priests purified the wall, they were setting apart for God’s use something as seemingly unexciting as bricks and mortar.

          If God thinks bricks and mortar are to be used in His worshipful service every day, what does He think about you: your time, your money, your energy?

          It’s a shame you and I even can speak of something called “worship wars.” Christians ought not be fighting about anything; but such is the extent of the wretched Fall.

          But by all means, stand for biblical truth when it comes to worship. In Christian charity, promote God-centered, reverent, orderly form and content in services of corporate worship. Hold to the Reformed way of doing things over against the spirit of rebelliousness and worldliness that is seeping into our services of worship in Christendom.

          In the process, though, don’t forget what worship is all about: all of you, His children, joyfully and reverently singing the praises of the One who has redeemed us – and living His praise every day.