LEARNING TO WORSHIP (37 OF 52)
Scripture: Isaiah 1:1
This content is part of a series.
Learning to Worship (37 of 52)
Series: Discipleship Part Three
Christopher B. Harbin
Isaiah 1:1, 9-18
Over years of ministry in Mexico, Brazil, and the US, I have encountered people with grave concerns about appropriate forms of worship. Some have worried over names and titles we use for God; others with the version of the Bible we read; others point to music styles or rhythms as issues; still others worry whether it is acceptable to use written prayers, for a preacher to use notes, or to raise one's hands in church. The Bible is silent on those things. God does, however, have concerns about our worship. Can we move past our preoccupation with forms to hear God's concerns above our own?
We often associate Sodom and Gomorrah with homosexuality, but the Bible has a very different take on its critique of those cities. Isaiah mentions the cities but raises no concerns over sexuality. His concerns are with justice, fair treatment of the vulnerable, and very practical matters of meeting one another's needs. As with other prophets of ancient Israel, Isaiah's words concern Sodom's failure to offer hospitality to strangers, Sodom's violence against the powerless, Sodom's abuse of the unprotected and vulnerable. Justice and righteousness are about so much more than a Puritan preoccupation with sexuality. At heart, they concern how we treat one another.
Isaiah condemned Israel and Judah. Impending doom was descending as a result of abandoning Yahweh's design for the nation. For many, the only issue to worry about had been idolatry. The books of Kings and Samuel are very clear that idolatry was a problem in Israel and Judah. Judges holds no punches decrying Israel not following Yahweh as required. In response to Babylon's ascendancy and threat to Judah, many sought security through amplifying the worship of Yahweh through sacrifice, structured worship, prayers, and the like. Public acts of worship would have been called on as the answer to the nation's plight. Is ...
Series: Discipleship Part Three
Christopher B. Harbin
Isaiah 1:1, 9-18
Over years of ministry in Mexico, Brazil, and the US, I have encountered people with grave concerns about appropriate forms of worship. Some have worried over names and titles we use for God; others with the version of the Bible we read; others point to music styles or rhythms as issues; still others worry whether it is acceptable to use written prayers, for a preacher to use notes, or to raise one's hands in church. The Bible is silent on those things. God does, however, have concerns about our worship. Can we move past our preoccupation with forms to hear God's concerns above our own?
We often associate Sodom and Gomorrah with homosexuality, but the Bible has a very different take on its critique of those cities. Isaiah mentions the cities but raises no concerns over sexuality. His concerns are with justice, fair treatment of the vulnerable, and very practical matters of meeting one another's needs. As with other prophets of ancient Israel, Isaiah's words concern Sodom's failure to offer hospitality to strangers, Sodom's violence against the powerless, Sodom's abuse of the unprotected and vulnerable. Justice and righteousness are about so much more than a Puritan preoccupation with sexuality. At heart, they concern how we treat one another.
Isaiah condemned Israel and Judah. Impending doom was descending as a result of abandoning Yahweh's design for the nation. For many, the only issue to worry about had been idolatry. The books of Kings and Samuel are very clear that idolatry was a problem in Israel and Judah. Judges holds no punches decrying Israel not following Yahweh as required. In response to Babylon's ascendancy and threat to Judah, many sought security through amplifying the worship of Yahweh through sacrifice, structured worship, prayers, and the like. Public acts of worship would have been called on as the answer to the nation's plight. Is ...
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