For the Knowledge of God’s Glory – Abiding Principles from the Ceremonial Laws: The Forms and Elements of Worship (7)

For the Knowledge of God’s Glory

Abiding Principles from the Ceremonial Laws: The Forms and Elements of Worship (7)

The proof of sound worship is the presence of God’s glory throughout the world.

Then the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.” Numbers 14:2-23

We despise the Lord when we think we know better than He does how we ought to live our lives—including worship. We test the Lord when we try to influence Him to bless us in ways contrary to what He has revealed. In our worship of God, we test and despise Him if we ignore the teaching of His Word concerning the purposes of worship and the forms, elements, and pattern of worship He has declared He will accept. We will not know the blessings of God in our lives if we continue to approach worship as something first of all intended for our pleasure, rather than God’s.

For God’s great purpose in all things is to bring glory to Himself, that is, to manifest His presence to the whole world in unmistakable and convincing ways. As God showed His glory to Israel on the mountain and in the wilderness, thus persuading them to fear, love, and serve Him, so He would have the knowledge of His glory cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14), so that all the earth might know and acknowledge and worship the Lord, even if only in a feigned obedience (Pss. 66:3; 81:15, NASB).

God’s people are tasked with making His glory known. As we live in every aspect of our lives as the salt of the earth, we reveal the existence of God and invite consideration of His Covenant, and especially of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. This, in turn, opens the door for all people to enter God’s Kingdom, know Him in His glory, and begin to live for His glory as we do, a people sanctified unto the Lord, the salt of the earth.

Worship brings glory to God when we worship Him as He commands. It brings glory to Him in worship, and it brings glory to Him as a result of worship. And it is this glory of God which His people seek above all else, and why they worship Him according to the pattern He has revealed in His Word.

For a fuller study of the pattern of worship revealed in Scripture, order the book, The Highest Thing, by T. M. Moore, from our online store. These studies and brief essays will help you to see how the pattern of sound worship, which began in the Law of God, comes to complete expression in the rest of Scripture. Pastors, we’re getting ready to start the next season of The Pastors’ Fellowship. Write to me today at tmmoore@ailbe.org for information about how you join in these online discussions. Our theme for the coming series is “The Worldview of God’s Law.” There is no charge for participation, but you must reserve a place for these monthly gatherings. Subscribe to Crosfigell, the devotional newsletter of The Fellowship of Ailbe.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.