Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 8:25-32. The next devotion, God willing, will be November 4, 2013.

“25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we will sacrifice to the Lord our God what is an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not then stone us? 27 We must go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He commands us.” 28 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Make supplication for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you, and I shall make supplication to the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”

³⁰ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the Lord.  ³¹ The Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people; not one remained.  ³² But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.”  Exodus 8:25-32.

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We should not worship God only based on how others want us to worship God. We should not even worship God only based on how we ourselves want to worship God. In a nutshell, we “must” worship God “as He commands us” according to Scripture. Verse 27.

“9 Worship the Lord in holy attire;

Tremble before Him, all the earth.

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;

Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved;

He will judge the peoples with equity.” Psalm 96:9-10.

In the “About me” tag of my Reformed Doctrine web site, I disclose that I attended a wide variety of churches. However, I have come to the conclusion over a long time through a study of Reformed Doctrine, sometimes kicking and screaming against it, that first of all, our worship services should not be just about what suits our taste and preference, but our worship services should be, so to speak, what suits God’s taste and preference (or in the language of today’s Scripture “as He commands us”). Second, God is Holy and Almighty and deserves more of a reverential worship service, more of a worship service where we worship in “holy attire” and are more properly in awe of God. Third, God is perfect and deserves more of a perfect worship service, whatever that may be.

So, what does that worship service “look like” that suits God’s taste and preference, that is more reverential, and that is more perfect?

Although I have not read the book, With Reverence and Awe: Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship by D. J. Hart and John R. Muether, I came across the following review of this book by Professor Robert D. Decker of the Protestant Reformed Churches which gives us some things to think about worship.

“… Not only in the sphere of what may be called “broadly evangelical churches,” but also among Presbyterian and Reformed denominations the contemporary church is plagued by “worship wars.” We hear of contemporary worship, seeker-sensitive worship services. There is a wide variety of worship styles among the churches. There’s even blended worship, which is an attempt to combine the new worship styles with the old, traditional worship. How did we get to this point, the authors ask? We are where we are because of a couple of false assumptions. One is that traditional worship is too somber and sober, too unemotional. We need to experience the joy of salvation in our worship. Another false assumption is that we need to attract the unconverted. Our worship must not make them feel uncomfortable.

The authors contend we need to get back to the basics of Reformed worship. We must begin with theology, because good theology must produce good worship. Defective theology yields inferior and inappropriate forms of worship. This is why the Westminster divines began with a Directory of the Public Worship of God!

Good theology is biblical theology, and biblical theology begins, continues, and ends with the sovereignty of God. Our worship, if it be biblical, will of necessity be theocentric. Proper worship will be in harmony with the sound doctrines of God’s Word, e.g., man’s total depravity and God’s sovereign and particular grace. Never will our worship be separated from the sound doctrine of God’s Word. It’s in this context that the authors make a point that ought to give the Reformed believer who leans in the direction of “seeker-sensitive worship” pause.

Ironically, however, there is a sense in which what we propose in this study is profoundly seeker-sensitive. We do not mean that we hope to please any browsers who might step into our sanctuaries on Sunday morning. Rather the seeker we intend to please is the one whom Scripture describes as the seeker of acceptable worship. In his conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus says that those who worship God in spirit and truth are the kind of worshiper “the Father seeks.”

John 4:23

This is the seeker-sensitivity that the Bible requires and that Reformed worship has traditionally pursued (p. 21).

The authors correctly point out that the church is eccleesia, i.e., called out. The church, as church, is called out of the world, separated from the world by God. Also and especially in her worship the church is separate from the world and in the fellowship of God. The world out of which the church is called into God’s fellowship is the world of unbelief and sin. As called out, the church is to be holy and, therefore, the church is against the world, antithetical to the world!

This truth has three implications for the church’s worship: 1) The wisdom and ways of the gospel will appear foolish to those who are enemies of God. 2) The contrast between the church and the world will be most obvious when the church is at worship. 3) True worship will be odd, and even weird, to the watching world (pp. 33, 34).

For this reason, the authors contend, the church must be unapologetic in her worship and must not cater to those bound to ridicule her ways as foolish (p. 34).

Christians cannot expect unbelievers to be comfortable in services of worship that are alien to the ways of the world. “User friendly” or “seeker-sensitive” worship is not an option for the people of God. In fact, worship that demonstrates the separateness of the church is what Machen called “merciful unkindness” because it testifies to the world of the hope that is within us. If the world mocks us, so be it. True worship is for the church, not for the world (p. 35).

The worship of the church is inseparably related to the purpose of the church. The purpose of the church is not:

1. to right the wrongs of society (nineteenth century liberalism’s “social gospel”).

2. the “Church Growth” movement, i.e., to grow in numbers by means of up-tempo music, choruses, dramatic skits, liturgical dance, etc.

3. merely to win converts.

The purpose of the church is to nurture disciples of Christ. Hence, worship involves preaching and sacraments. And the church must believe that God will indeed save “them that believe” by these means!

Further, the church is saved in order to worship God in the way of glorifying Him and enjoying Him. This is evident, the authors assert, from the marks of the church: pure preaching, proper observance of the sacraments, and exercise of discipline (Belgic Confession, Art. 29). These marks constitute proper worship. Also the third, inasmuch as preaching is the chief key of the kingdom of heaven (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 84).

In the fourth chapter of the book the authors bemoan the fact that American Protestants no longer observe the Sabbath. This chapter is a must read. We, too, must “take heed lest we fall” regarding God’s holy day. It is fulfilled in Christ. The Sabbath is the Lord’s Day and is to be devoted to spiritual rest: the public worship of God, morning and evening!

In their defense of the “regulative principle,” the authors affirm that this principle is taught in the Westminster Standards, in the Heidelberg Catechism, and in the Belgic Confession. Calvin, too, held this principle. Hence, the regulative principle is not a Puritan invention. The authors present a fine defense of the regulative principle against its critics (cf. pp. 81-84).

The book stresses that worship is for the praise of God by His people. This praise of God takes place by the means of grace: preaching, sacraments, and prayer. By these means God enables His people to worship Him and receive in their worship His blessings as they grow in sanctification. All of this takes place corporately, in the communion of the saints in the church, and never apart from the church (cf. pp. 131-144).

In the tenth chapter the authors make a distinction between the “elements, circumstances, and forms” of worship. The elements that are commanded by God, from which we may not subtract and to which we may not add, are: reading and preaching the Word, sacraments, prayer, song, and collection. How often we sing is circumstance determined by the session/consistory. What we sing, psalms or hymns, is a form.

While in their discussion of “Song in Worship” (chapter 11) there is sharp, biblical criticism of “contemporary music,” as well as a bemoaning of the loss of Psalm singing and an advocating of frequent Psalm singing, the authors come short of advocating exclusive psalmody and of prohibiting choirs and special music.

There is an error on page 110, where the reference “Ephesians 4:12” ought to be Ephesians 4:11-12. The authors, however, are to be commended for their careful working with Scripture and the Presbyterian and Reformed confessions. The book is well documented, and its value is enhanced by a general index, a scripture index, and an index of the confessions.

Again, this is a good book. This reviewer has added it to the Select Bibliography of his class in Homiletics/Liturgics, and it will be required reading for his students in that class.”