I canât help but notice that most everyoneâs concept of worship, including my own, mirrors our personal experience and preferences. But what about God? What does God think about worship? We assume that if the worship feels right to us, it must feel right to God, which is presumptuous. How do we know for sure how God feels about our particular brand of worship? Does God have a favorite style of music? Is the style of music even important to God?
Fortunately, God has revealed in his Word how he desires to be worshiped, and, surprisingly, it has little if anything to do with music. Exodus 1â15 presents the story of God rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. This epic drama culminated in a meeting between God and his chosen people at Mount Sinai, during which God prescribed how he desires to be worshiped. In this chapter we will explore the foundational principles of corporate worship gleaned from Israelâs encounter with God atop Mount Sinai and assess how to apply those principles to modern worship.
SINAI SCHOOL OF WORSHIP
We assume that if the worship feels right to us, it must feel right to God, which is presumptuous.
As recorded in Exodus 3, Moses was tending sheep at Mount Sinai when God spoke to him through a burning bush and revealed his plan to rescue Israel from slavery. God promised Moses that after delivering his people he would bring them to the very spot where Moses was standing, specifically so they could worship God (Exodus 3:12; 7:16).
Fast forward several years to the same location. God has led Israel out of Egypt and directed them to Mount Sinai, just as he promised (Exodus 19â32). Freed from the shackles of slavery, the people were now free to worship. But before they could do so, God established his covenant with them and offered instructions concerning how he wants to be worshiped. After all, Israel had been entrenched in a pagan society for over four hundred years; judging from their actions in the desert, they no longer consistently reflected the piety of their faith tradition. For example, their constant complaining throughout their sojourn demonstrated a blatant lack of trust in God, especially in light of all the miracles he performed to rescue them. The moaning and griping were pervasive; Scripture notes the frequency with which the entire community grumbled against Moses and Aaron (Exodus 16:2, 8; 17:2-4, 7). The most disgruntled among them longed for the comforts of Egypt even if it meant returning to slavery (Exodus 14:11-12; 16:3), which discloses an ignorance of their true identity. They were a nation destined for greatness, who, according to the Abrahamic covenant, would eventually bless all the peoples of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-5; 17:1-8).
The Exodus account contains no indication that the people worshiped together during their six-week sojourn to Sinai. Except for a brief praise song they sang on the shores of the Red Sea (Exodus 15), the narrative mentions no regular worship observances. Apparently, gathered worship did not play a vital role in the ongoing life of the community. The Israelites had been subjected to the prevailing Egyptian culture for so long they had formed an incomplete concept of God, lost their identity as Godâs chosen, covenant people, and had no established routine for gathered worship.
At Mount Sinai, God was now calling these former slaves to be his treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6). In other words God was inviting them to be his specially chosen people and to partner with him in his global mission to redeem his fallen creation. God brought Israel to Sinai for what Samuel Balentine portrays as a sabbath experienceâa furlough that began during the seventh week of the exodus, which lasted for eleven months (Numbers 10:11), and afforded the Israelites an extended time of deliberation to reflect on the implications of their covenant relationship with God. Because the concept of covenant plays a vital role in worship theology, a brief analysis of a typical Old Testament covenant is in order.
Covenants in antiquity. In the ancient world a covenant was a treaty or agreement between two parties; typically one party was superior to the other. For example, a powerful king, nation, or tribe would enter into an official agreement with a weaker one. The stronger ruler was often referred to as âlord,â the weaker one as âservant.â The terms of the covenant bound the lord to protect the servant who in turn pledged unwavering allegiance to the lord, which meant going to war against the lordâs enemies as well as paying tribute to his authority. Alliances formed by a covenant, therefore, were politically and socially motivated.
A covenant transaction adhered to a standard protocol that began with a brief narrative chronicling the participantsâ shared history. Terms of the agreement were then spelled out, the benefits, obligations, and responsibilities for both parties were clearly indicated. Punitive measures for treaty violations were also detailed. A physical sign, such as a scar, was often used to seal the agreement, and the lesser king or nation would be given a new name indicating that they were now owned, in a sense, by their new leader. Finally, the covenant was captured and preserved in a document that served to remind both parties of their pact.
Covenants in antiquity were typically ratified in a special ceremony that incorporated some type of blood sacrifice. Participants were either sprinkled with the blood of a sacrificial animal or they would walk between pieces of the animal that had been cut up for the occasion, a ritual that communicated âMay the gods cut me to pieces, should I violate the terms of this treaty.â Covenant partners sometimes shared a meal to ratify the pact. Although God also entered into covenants with Noah (Genesis 9:1-17), Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3; 15; 17:1-22), and David (2 Samuel 7:11-16), it was the agreement God initiated with Moses that profoundly influenced Israelâs approach to worship.
Sinai worship service. The ratification of the Mosaic covenant, recorded in Exodus 24, occurred in the context of a worship service. God, always the initiator in the human-divine relationship, summoned Moses so the Lord and he could meet before Moses met with the people (Exodus 24:1). Then Moses called the Israelites together and, following Godâs previous orders (Exodus 21â23), began to share with them all the words that God spoke to him atop Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:3). What the text summarizes in one verse comprises four chapters of the book of Exodus (20â23). In what must have been a lengthy sermon, Moses taught the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and presented the terms of Israelâs covenant agreement with God, known subsequently as the Book of the Covenant (Exodus 20:22â23:33). Interestingly, the Book of the Covenant begins and ends with explicit instructions about worship: Exodus 20:22-26 calls for Godâs faithful to offer sacrifices on an altar; Exodus 23:10-12 commands them to observe weekly Sabbath. This passage also includes three festivals that God instructed them to observe annuallyâPassover, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering (Exodus 23:14-19). Upon hearing Godâs instructions the congregation responded by vowing to obey Godâs laws (Exodus 24:3). The Sinai sermon, therefore, was substantive, was received as the word of God for his people, and elicited a response from them as well.
When Moses finished delivering Godâs word, he built an altar and offered sacrifices, both of which were activities God previously instructed him to do (Exodus 24:4-5). As part of the sacrificial ritual, Moses sprinkled the people with blood from the sacrificial oxen (Exodus 24:8), which, following ancient custom, bound covenant partners together in mutual loyalty. Therefore, Israelâs ritual of animal sacrifice, the centerpiece of Old Testament worship, was inaugurated at Mount Sinai as an expression of their loyalty and commitment to God. The ceremony climaxed with Moses leading Israelâs seventy elders up Mount Sinai to commune with God as God had earlier prescribed (Exodus 24:1, 9-11). Atop Sinai, Israelâs leaders âsaw God, and they ate and drankâ (Exodus 24:11). They encountered God and shared a meal in his presence. Though Israel emerged from slavery as a ragtag tribe without a cogent religious identity and with no compelling vision for worship, they left Sinai for the Promised Land as what Balentine characterizes as both a covenant community as well as a worshiping community. Indeed, God had perso...