In Amos Chapter 5 vv. 21-24 a powerful declaration from God is given through His servant-shepherd-prophet, Amos.
The simple Shepherd writes,
[Thus says the Lord] "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen... BUT...let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
Now I don't know about you, but when I read that the Lord hates something and despises it, I begin to shudder inside. Why? Because instantly, I know that I am guilty. It may or may not surprise you, but I have committed this sin of omission before, and more than once. From this passage, it is clear that the Lord despises offerings and sacrifices that are given out of a hypocritical, impure, and hard heart.
God tells us (through Amos) that He will not even look upon these offerings that are brought before Him--He then even demands in vs. 23 that the noise be taken away from His presence! Yikes. I know I personally am guilty of singing to God with a disconnected, unconcerned, and ungrateful heart.
To some this passage might appear rather confusing. "Surely God desires the worship and praise of His people," you might think to yourself. Well yes, absolutely; I believe you are right in your thinking. Throughout Scripture it is evident that God is indeed pleased with the praise of His people. However, I believe we are dealing with an entirely different issue here.
If our worship is all for show, then what is the point of worshiping? If our lives are masquerades, then why even go on? If our faith is phony, then what kind of faith is it that we really possess in the first place? If we are neglecting to live in a worship-ful mindset and way, then how valid is our worship? Is it in vain? If we neglect to show justice, then we are neglecting the very commands of the God we are singing to. So often, we sing the songs and pray the prayers, but I dare to ask, are our hearts truly engaging with the God we're proclaiming to glorify? Or are our words and songs just but noise to the Lord Almighty? Noise that...He is asking to be taken away from Him, because it is coming from an impure and prideful heart.
Have we ourselves become the pharisees we so much despise in the New Testament? The Pharisees that we always roll our eyes at, as to say, we're better?
What does God want to see from us and in our lives?
I believe the answer lies in vs. 24...
"But let JUSTICE roll down like waters, and RIGHTEOUSNESS like an ever-flowing stream..."
I believe it is here--promoting and acting upon justice and righteousness, where our lives are truly reflecting God's glory, whilst bringing glory to Him.
As a worship leader, this hits home a lot for me. The amount of times I open my mouth to sing songs of praise to the Lord--and moreover; the amount of times I take the responsibility of encouraging OTHERS to open their mouths and sing...I need to stop and ask myself some serious questions; questions that you might consider asking yourself as well, if you're willing.
Have I been a man/woman of Justice this week? This day?
Have I promoted Justice wherever I could?
Have I been a person who does right in righteousness? Not for my own glory or reputation, but solely for God's? (ouch)
Has my faith been active or passive in all that I've done?
Am I living to please men, or am I living to please God? (Galatians 1:10)
These are just some of the questions I'm being challenged to ask. I pray you'll join me in asking them, and then eventually, honestly answering them for yourself.
I think the Apostle Paul summed it up best when he wrote,
"And whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 3:17)
If we stick to this, holding fast in our faith, checking our hearts all along the way, the offerings of worship we bring (whichever form they take on) will then no longer be depised by our Lord. He desires our hearts; not our lies, not our false fronts, and not our hypocritical tendencies--our hearts and our lives.
"With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? HE HAS TOLD YOU, O man, WHAT IS GOOD; and what does the LORD require of you BUT TO...DO JUSTICE...and to LOVE KINDNESS, and TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD?"
(Micah 6:8)
This leads me to think that maybe we need to re-think the way we worship? It is a lifestyle that we choose, just like any other lifestyle. I urge you, along with myself, to choose a lifestyle of worshiping Your Creator. He deserves all we have to give and more. I can assure you, He is completely worthy of you and I. Completely.
Therefore,
"Let us then [with confidence] draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
Bless you all.
No comments:
Post a Comment