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Acceptable Worship Assemblies
Nehemiah 8:1-12
"Now all the people gathered together as one man in the
open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe
to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded Israel . . ."
THE IMPORTANCE OF ASSEMBLING
What would you hear if you could listen to the sounds at your neighbors house on
Sunday morning? Would it be the sound of boats being prepared for a day of
fishing at the lake? Would it be the sound of golf clubs being thrown into the
trunk of the car in anticipation of an early morning round of golf? Or would it
just be the snoring of those who enjoy sleeping late on the weekend? In a some
houses you might hear the scurrying about of families preparing to "go to
church."
It is important to Christians that they regularly assemble with other Christians
to study and to worship God . By my count, those who are members of the
congregation where I attend have attended nearly 120 services already this year.
Such an emphasis on assembling is well placed. The inspired writer of Hebrews
said in Heb. 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together as the
manner of some is . . . "
True Christians believe that it is important, not just that they assembly
frequently to worship God, however, but that they do so in the way that He
prescribed. Otherwise, all those practically hundreds of sermons, prayers,
songs, etc. will be of no value. Jesus said of some of the people of His day,
"In vain they do worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men"
(Matt. 15:9). Amos 5:21-23 records a time when God totally rejected the worship
of Israel saying, "I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savior your
sacred assemblies."
Men take many approaches today to make worship services "successful."
Well-designed church buildings provide a worshipful atmosphere, choirs and great
organs deliver uplifting music, and preachers present short and positive
sermons. Such misplaced efforts often focus on how worship can be made more
interesting and enjoyable to the participant rather than to making it more
acceptable to God. Most often the problem with worship is not with the worship
environment but rather with the hearts and attitudes of the worshippers.
How do we ensure that our worship is not "vain" and that it is not rejected by
God? One way is find an example of worship in the Bible that pleased God and to
emulate the attitudes that those worshippers had. Such an example occurred when
the remnant of Jews returned to Canaan from Babylonian captivity and, under the
leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra, rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem.
This worship was recorded in Neh. 8. Let's examine this passage and see what we
can learn about acceptable worship services.
ZEAL FOR THE ASSEMBLY
Verse 1 says that "all the people gathered together as one man." We can learn
several things from this wording. The primary implication is that all the people
that could attended this assembly. It wasn't that just the few who felt like it
attended while the others stayed home. Compare this situation with that of many
assemblies of
local churches. On Sunday morning, most members attend, on Sunday night somewhat
less, and only a fraction of the total membership is present on Wednesday night.
The excellent attendance of this assembly is seen to be even more notable when
we understand that the people attended because they wanted to, and not because
they were ordered to. Verse one says that "they told Ezra the scribe to bring
the book of the Law of Moses." They requested this service, not Ezra. In many
congregations today, preachers and elders must continually plead with members to
get them to attend the services of the church. The attitude of many members is
reflected by questions such as, "Do I really have to attend every assembly?" "Do
I have to attend on Wednesday night?" Some of them sound like those of Malichi's
day whose response to worship was, "Oh, what a weariness!" (Mal. 1:13). In
contrast, David said, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the
house of the Lord" (Psm. 122:1). When we have the kind of attitude toward
worship that David did, we will attend every assembly that we can.
THEY WERE UNITED IN PURPOSE
The fact that those in Neh. 8 "gathered as one man" also indicates that they
were united in purpose. Division among brethren makes acceptable worship
difficult or impossible. Paul pleaded with the Christians at Corinth that "you
all speak the same thing, and that there be no division among you" (1 Cor.
1:10). The psalmist David said, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity."
THEY WERE ATTENTIVE
Some Christians seem to be as committed to attending the assemblies as those of
Nehemiah's day were yet when they get to those services, they don't seem to be
all that interested in what is going on. They daydream during the prayers, cut
their nails during the songs, and write notes to others during the sermon. This
is not the kind of attitude and behavior that we see in Neh. 8. Verse 3 says,
"The ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law." This is not
surprising in view of the obvious importance that they assigned to this
assembly. Paying attention will be easier when we realize that it is the very
word of God that is under consideration (1 Thes. 2:13) and that it has the power
to save our souls (Rom. 1:16). It will also help to remember who it is that we
have come together to worship "the King of Kings and Lord of Lords" (Rev.
19:16).
THEY HAD MADE PREPARATION
Notice that the service of Neh. 8 was not just a spur of the moment event. The
people had determined in advance to have this service and then made careful
preparation for it. This is indicated by the fact that they had built a special
platform for Ezra to stand on as he read the law (see verse 4). If our services
are to be as successful as this one was, we also will need to make preparations.
That might include going to bed at a reasonable hour the night before, doing our
Bible class lesson as assigned, and leaving home in time to be at the place of
meeting on time. Teachers, preachers, song leaders, and others having a part in
leading the worship activities have a responsibility prepare themselves to
effectively carry out their responsibilities.
THEY WERE REVERENT
An important characteristic of the worshippers in Neh. 8 was their reverent
attitude. When the Book was read, they all stood up (verse 5). Later they "bowed
their heads and worshipped God with their faces to the ground" (verse 6). The
position of their bodies presents a good indication of the attitude of their
hearts. They understood that they were worshipping the almighty King of the
universe and the one who is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory. If our
worship is to be acceptable, it must be offered in the same reverent manner. God
told Moses, "By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before
all the people I must be glorified" (Lev. 10:3). The inspired writer of Hebrews
wrote, "Let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence
and godly fear"
(Heb. 12:28).
THEY WERE ACTIVELY INVOLVED
Some who attend church assemblies see their role as being quite passive. It is
as though they come to watch worshipping done instead of to do it themselves.
They sit there waiting for things to happen to them; to be taught, to hear
beautiful singing, to be mentally stimulated. But note that the word "worship"
is a verb denoting action. It is something that each worshipper does. The
worshippers of Neh. 8 certainly understood that. When the Law was read they
stood up (verse 5). They responded with "amen" to Ezra's words of praise to God
(verse 6) and as we noted above, they bowed their faces to the ground and
worshipped. They were actively involved in the worship service. There is a
lesson here for modern worshippers. Each one should join in the song service
(Col. 3:16), listen carefully to the public prayers so that a sincere "amen" can
be given (1 Cor. 14:14-16), consider carefully the teaching and preaching (Acts
17:11; 1 Thes. 2:13) and partake thoughtfully of the Lord's Supper (1 Cor.
11:23-29).
WHAT WAS THE RESULT OF THEIR ASSEMBLY AND
WORSHIP?
We have seen that the assembly of the worshippers in Neh. 8 was characterized by
zeal, unity, attentiveness, preparation, reverence, and active participation.
But
what, if anything, was the result of their assembly? Was it just a brief
emotional experience with no lasting impact? Was it just few hours spent in
doing their
religious duty after which they returned the business as usual? Not at all.
THEY LEARNED GOD'S WILL
One result of this service was that the people came to better understand the
will of God for their lives. Ezra and those assisting him "read distinctly from
the book, in
the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the
reading" (verse 8). Then all the people rejoiced greatly "because they
understood the words that were declared unto them" (verse 12). Some modern
assemblies concentrate, not on the word of God, but on social problems,
politics, or a variety of other subjects. Consequently, those attending are
unlikely to experience the learning that characterized the assembly of Neh. 8.
THEY OBEYED WHAT THEY LEARNED
While learning is an inevitable result of acceptable assemblies, it is not
enough. James exhorts his readers to "be doers of the word and not hearers only"
(Jam. 1:22).
We see such an obedient attitude modeled by those of Nehemiah's day. When their
study revealed that there was a certain feast that they had not been observing
correctly, they immediately repented and obeyed what they had learned (Neh.
8:13-17). On a later occasion, when they came to understand that the law
prohibited them from association with Ammorites or Moabites, they again obeyed
without question or delay (Neh. 13:1-3). The lesson for us is clear. Truly
successful worship services result in worshippers being taught God's word and in
obedience to that teaching.
IN CONCLUSION . . .
Worship is an important part of God's plan for Christians but if not offered
correctly, it will be in vain. We learn from the example of Neh. 8 that
acceptable worship
involves unity, zeal, attentiveness, preparation, reverence, and involvement.
Assemblies for worship and Bible study should result in an increased knowledge
of
God's will and a determination to obey that will to the best of our ability.
What about your worship; do you have the attitudes discussed above? Are you
continuing to learn more about God will for your life? Are you willing to obey
without question what you learn to be right?
By James E. Law
From Expository Files 1.11; November, 1994
