THE IMPORTANCE OF THEOLOGICAL THEME ON ‘’ WORSHIP’’

AN
ASSIGNMENT

SUBMITTED TO: - MRS. GLORY S.

ON

THEOLOGY OF OLD TESTAMENT

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE

MASTER OF DIVINITY

SUBMITTED BY: - ROSHAN M.V

CLASS: - M-DIV 3RD 1-SEM
REG.NO:- 189/21
DATE:- 15/09/22

CENTRAL INDIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY ITARSI, MP.

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 OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION
1. The OT definition of worship
2. What is worship?
3. Significance of worship
4. The worship in the old testament
4.1 Worship before the time of Moses
4.2 Tabernacle worship
4.3 Synagogue worship
5. The historical & poetical worship in the OT
5.1 Origin of Yahweh-worship in Israel
5.2 The Exaltation of Jehovah
6. Moods and themes in worship
6.1 The lament
6.2 The confidence
6.3 The petition
7. Theology of Worship

CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY

ROSHAN M.V
M-DIV 3RD YEAR

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Introduction
In this paper we are going to see about Worship in the Old Testament theology. That
how much it was important in the ancient period and how the people were worshiping to
Lord, in this paper some of the very important points we are going to see which is very
important for the people to know about the Worship here some of the points are there like,
The worship in the Old Testament Worship before the time of Moses, Tabernacle Worship,
Synagogue worship The historical & poetical worship in the Old Testament Origin of
Yahweh-worship in Israel The Exaltation of Jehovah Moods and themes in worship The
lament The confidence The petition Theology of Worship this all are importance of for
theological worship. So let’s see here,
1. The Old Testament definition of worship
The English word worship comes from two Old English words: weorth, which means
“worth,” and scipe or ship, which means something like shape or quality. We can see the Old
English word -ship in modern words like friendship and sportsmanship that’s the quality of
being a friend, or the quality of being a good sport. So worth-ship is the quality of having
worth or of being worthy. When we worship, we are saying that God has worth, that he is
worthy. Worship means to declare worth, to attribute worth. Or to put it in biblical terms, we
praise God. We speak, or sing, about how good and powerful God is. Doing so is the purpose
for which we were called of God to be followers of Jesus: “You are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of
him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). A central part of a
Christian’s calling is to declare that God is worthy—that he is worth more than everything
else put together.
In the Bible there are two major kinds of words for worship. The first means to bow
down, to kneel, and to put one’s face down as an act of respect and submission. Our body
language is saying, I will do whatever you want me to. I am ready to listen to your
instructions and I am willing to obey. The other kind of biblical word means to serve.
Roughly half of the time these words are translated as worship, and the other half as serve. It
carries the idea of doing something for God making a sacrifice or carrying out his
instructions.1
2. What is worship?
Worship is a broad concept. It entails diverse meaning and connotation. The word
‘worship’ is a verb that comes from an old “Anglo-Saxon” word meaning “worth ship”;
Being worthy of honor; Honorable; worthiness. 1 Worship in general terms is looked at as
“devotion” to a deity or even just the practice of attending religious services. A feeling of
profound love and admiration or adoration. Someone can also be justified when they state
that worship is to venerate or revere something or someone. However, there are a number of
several terms or words used in scripture to refer to worship. Some of those words relate to
bowing down before (to prostate), kissing toward, showing reverence and awe for, serving
1
Michael Morrison, A survey of the bible ( Charlotte: Grace communion seminary,2006),12.

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and honoring the glory of, etc. as will be partly handled below. Worship in the New
Testament was primarily concerned with inward and spiritual experiences while worship in
the Old Testament was mainly concerned with ritual and form. Therefore, “Principles of
worship may be drawn from both the Old and the New Testament. . . . In the Old Testament,
God gave His people specific directions regarding the how, when, and wherefore of meeting
Him in worship”. 2 These directions contain principles that were not annulled for the
Christian church”. Therefore God defines for the church to ‘whom’ and ‘how’ to worship.
These proceeding’s can be found in scripture.2

3. Significance of worship
The Bible is God’s word revealed to mankind. It is infallible, coherent and sufficient.
In all its 66 books, it calls for worshipful expressions that honor God. Both the Old and New
Testament are explicit on men’s behavior in attitude, speech and actions; generally calling
men to venerate God and honor him in every aspect of their lives. Throughout the entire
world, from Generation to generation God has labored to make known to man his Holy
standard in order to offer salvation to those who truly worship him. Worship is the major
theme in redemptive history (Gen 1:27, Exodus 20, Deut 5, 6, Joshua 1:8, Nehemiah 8).
Worship is important because it is commanded. “…those who worship him must worship in
Spirit and in truth…” 10 the very first commandment given by God to those he chose to be
his people is that “…you shall not have any other gods besides me, you shall not curve idols
for yourselves or anything else…because I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God. It is clear
here that God cannot be reduced to mere objects or anything created by him on earth, in the
sky, waters or even beneath the earth. By his title “jealous”, God refuses to be rivaled in
honor and reverence. In the God’s new covenant.3

4. The worship in the Old Testament

4.1 CREATION:-In six days God created heaven and earth and all that is in them. He
prepared an environment for man and then on the sixth day took of the dust of the ground,
moulded it, put it to His lips and breathed into it and it became a living soul. Man was formed
as the crown of creation by God and for God’s glory. Worship was natural and perfect. Man’s
first full day on earth was a Sabbath. God rested that day from His labours and sanctified the
day. Even in paradise when man was perfect he needed one day in seven to be holy. The
Sabbath was made for man’s benefit and was to be spent in the public and private exercises
of worship..

4.2 CAIN AND ABEL: - Interestingly the first death of a human being was by the direct
hand of a man and not God .Why did Cain murder Abel? Both had appeared before God to
worship Him with sacrifices. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground. It was a thank offering
and no doubt of considerable value.

4.3 THE PATRIARCHS: - Abraham was called out of idolatry (Josh. 24:2). He set up altars
in the Promised Land and paid tithes to Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God. In

2
Koboi Emmanuel, worship a biblical perspective ( Uganda: published on researchget.net.,2020).,4
3
Koboi Emmanuel, worship a biblical perspective

4
obedience to God he practiced circumcision. God said of him, ‘For I know him, that he will
command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the
Lord’ (Gen. 18:19). Isaac meditated in the field in the evening (Gen. 24:63) which appears to
be secret worship.

4.4 MOSES: - Moses experience of the majesty of God at the burning bush had a profound
effect upon him for the rest of his life: ‘Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy
feet, for the place where on thou standest is holy ground’ (Exod. 3:5). Having reluctantly
agreed to return to Egypt to lead God’s people out, he had a shocking experience: ‘And it
came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him’ (Exod.
4:24). Moses had neglected to circumcise his son and only the swift action of his wife in
performing the operation saved his life. God is so holy that all His commandments must be
carefully observed.

4.5 TEMPLE: - King David wanted to build a temple for the Lord but was not allowed to
because he had shed so much blood. However he gathered much material for the work and
also received the plan from God: ‘All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in
writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern’ (1 Chron. 28:19). Nothing
significant was left to David or Solomon to decide. This is further emphasized in the days of
Hezekiah when with regard to the music used in temple worship: ‘He set the Levites in the
house of the Lord with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the
commandment of David, and of Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the
commandment of the Lord by his prophets’ (2 Chron. 29:25). All the temple music was
commanded by God.

4.6 PSALMS: - The book of Psalms is God’s hymnbook. Its contents, unlike any other book
of praise, are totally inspired by God. Because of this it is impossible to get better songs of
worship. These are the ones that God Himself has authored by His Spirit operating upon the
writers so that they will truly glorify Him. It is important to remember that there is essentially
only one church in the Old Testament and the New Testament, one way of salvation and one
Saviour. Christian experience is essentially the same. Old Testament believers had to be born
again and exercise faith in Christ to be saved. We all notice how, whatever experience we are
going through, we can find comforting and encouraging words in the Psalms. Much more
could be said on the subject of worship from the Psalms but space is limited. Note however
the command: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds
among the people.4

4.1 Worship before the time of Moses

If we survey the Bible, we will see a wide variety of methods that God’s people have
used to worship and express their devotion. A few chapters later, we read that Noah built an
altar after the Flood, and he sacrificed some animals.
Later, Abraham made sacrifices. He built an altar at Shechem, another at Bethel, then at
Hebron, and at Mount Moriah. As part of his worship, Abraham also prayed, circumcised and

4
William Macleod, Old Testament worship( Africa: Christian study library,2014).,1-4

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tithed. Isaac built an altar at Beersheba and he prayed. Jacob set up a stone pillar at Bethel
and poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it as some sort of worship. He built an
altar at Shechem, and one at Bethel. He vowed to tithe and he prayed. What conclusions can
we draw from this?
First, no one needed a priest. Everyone built their own altars, sacrificed their own animals
and did their own worship. The head of the household acted as the religious leader for the
family. We see that in the book of Job, too: Job made sacrifices on behalf of his children.
There was no special priesthood. Each person could worship without a priest.
Second, there aren’t many commands about the worship that the patriarchs did. God
sometimes told his people where to build an altar and what to offer, but for the most part, the
altars and offerings seem to have been initiated by the people. There’s no mention of special
times or special days or special seasons. There doesn’t seem to be any restriction on place,
either. The patriarchs stayed away from Baal worship, but other than that, they worshiped the
true God wherever and whenever and however they wanted.
Third, not much is said about method the people could pour out wine or oil, totally incinerate
an animal, or roast it and eat part of it. Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were not
limited by time, location or method. The key word is flexibility. The detailed rules that God
gave through Moses did not apply to the patriarchs. They were not restricted by rules about
special places, people, rituals and days.5

4.2 Tabernacle worship

The tabernacle was a holy place. Wherever it was, it marked off holy space. It was
somewhat holy in the outer court, more holy in the inner court, and extremely holy behind the
veil. The design of the tabernacle communicated something important about God: that he was
holy. You just can’t walk up on him every day. You had to be a very holy person on a very
holy day in order to walk into the Holy of Holies, and you had to go through special rituals in
order to do it. The tabernacle was a symbolic message about God.
The tabernacle pictured God’s holiness, but it also pictured that he was not some far-
off God. No he was in the camp of Israel. When the Israelites broke camp and the tabernacle
was dismantled, the Ark of the Covenant could be seen. People knew what it was, but when
the tabernacle was set up, it was hidden. Close, but not accessible. Although God was near,
he was also holy and off-limits, and people could come to him only by using proper channels.
For worship in ancient Israel, there were a holy people. The Levites were holy and assigned
to work with the tabernacle. There was priesthood between the people and God. For many
acts of worship, the priests had to perform the actions. There were also holy animals and
holy plants. Every firstborn animal was holy, dedicated to the Lord.6
4.3 Synagogue worship
5
Ibid.,
6
Michael Morrison, A survey of the bible,

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 Synagogue services typically began with praises and prayers. There were standard
prayers and benedictions, some of them used every week. The Scriptures would be read,
translated when necessary, and explained in some sort of sermon. We can see glimpses of this
in the New Testament, but the best description is in Nehemiah 8. Under the leadership of
Ezra, some of the Jews had come back to Jerusalem.
“Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion [today we
might call it a pulpit] Ezra opened the book [the Law of Moses]. All the people could see him
because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra
praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, ‘Amen!
Amen!’ Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground” (vv.
4-6). Have you ever seen that kind of response in a modern church service – people lifting
their hands, saying Amen, and bowing down? If it’s a genuine response to God, it is a good
response. They listened with great respect, with a willingness to obey. “The Levites…
instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the
Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could
understand what was being read” (vv. 7-8). Synagogue worship followed in this pattern, with
a focus on Scripture.7

5. The historical & poetical worship in the OT

Corporate worship fell into a weekly rhythm within a yearly calendar centered on historic
acts of God, rooted now in Christ. It involved ceremonial rites of commemoration, formation,
mission, and hope, again centered in Christ. Worship also involved the reading and
explanation of sacred texts, including eventually the New Testament. Prayer, spoken and
sung, found substance and pattern in the Psalms, read of course in light of Christ. Worship
took a form something like the traditional four-fold structure: the church gathered as the
baptized people of God, heard the Scriptures read and explained, celebrated the Lord's
Supper, and went out into the world as salt and light.8

6. Poetical worship in the Old Testament (Thanksgiving Psalms)

In some ways, a thanksgiving psalm is structured as a continuation or response to a

lament. The lament usually ends with a promise to praise God, and the thanksgiving psalm
fulfills that promise. Some of the common parts of a thanksgiving psalm parallel the
segments of a lament psalm. For example, a thanksgiving psalm typically includes a
summary of adverse circumstances and a report of God’s deliverance. The lament explains
the circumstances and contains a request for God to deliver. The thanksgiving psalm is an
expression of praise to God motivated by a particular experience of his grace. Psalm
30, Psalm 116 and Psalm 124 are good examples. This structural connection with lament
distinguishes thanksgiving psalms from psalms of praise.

Praise Psalms

7
Ibid.,
8
https://www.saugatuckcrc.org/a-brief-history-of-christian-worship( Accessed on 22/08/22,11:25)

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 Praise psalms (or hymns) celebrate the human experience of God’s goodness. As
opposed to thanksgiving psalms, which tend to offer praise to God for specific answers to
prayer, praise psalms are general expressions celebrating God’s attributes and his actions in
creation.
Praise psalms have a simple format: a call to praise, an expression of praise and a
concluding call to praise. Psalm 8 and 29 are good examples. Enthronement psalms and Zion
hymns are specific types of praise psalms. Enthronement psalms such as Psalm 47 celebrate
God as king of Israel and all creation. Zion hymns like Psalm 48 celebrate God’s choice of
Zion as his earthly dwelling place.

5.1 Origin of Yahweh-worship in Israel

The connection of Yahweh with Sinai, that we have already considered so fully,
suggests that he was the God of the people who dwelt at Sinai. Apparently he was worshiped
there long before the arrival of Israel. A priest of Median was stationed there, according to
Exod. 2: I6 and Exod. 3: I. The god whom he served can only have been Yahweh, whom a
unanimous and persistent tradition associates with Sinai. Horeb was already the “mountain of
God," according to Exod. 3: I, before Moses received there his revelation. In 3:I2 (E) Yahweh
says: "When thou hast brought forth the children of Israel out of Egypt, ye shall serve God
upon this mountain." This implies that Horeb is a sanctuary where the worship of Yahweh is
already established.
Yahweh says when Israel arrives at Sinai: "I have brought you to myself." Such
statements are inconsistent with the theory that Sinai first became a sanctuary of Yahweh in
consequence of the revelation of Moses; they show that it was already a holy place in pre-
Mosaic times. But, as we have seen, Israel did not worship Yahweh before the exodus, and
there is no tradition connecting it with Sinai before the time of Moses; consequently, Yahweh
must have been the God of the people inhabiting Mount Sinai before the arrival of Israel.9

5.2 The Exaltation of Jehovah

There was a time when Jehovah’s worship centered at Solomon’s temple on Mt.
Moriah in Jerusalem. That material temple, with its costly decorations of gold and fine needle
work, occupied an exalted position, more than 2,400 feet above the Mediterranean Sea. It was
therefore high above the temples of pagan capitals. Solomon’s temple or house of Jehovah
pictured the spiritual temple of Christ’s followers begun at Pentecost. Today this temple is
represented by a small number, a mere remnant, of Christian witnesses of Jehovah who are
taking the lead in the pure worship of Jehovah. Fulfillment of Bible prophecy shows that
Jehovah God and his Messenger of the covenant, Jesus Christ, came to this remnant for
judgment in time of testing 1914-1918. At that time a cleaning and refining work began, and
as a result these have since been worshiping in the apostolic way, as in olden days and
ancient years, to the pleasing of Jehovah God.(Mal. 3:1-4.) The facts also show that since
then the prophecy is being fulfilled that “the mountain of Jehovah’s house shall be

9
Lewis Bayles Paton,The Origin of Yahweh-Worship in Israel: II (Chicago: published by the Chicago
press,1906),117.

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established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations
shall flow unto it.10
6. Moods and themes in worship
Worship services can have very different moods and theme celebration at the
completion of a major building project, hopeful anticipation at the sending of a new
missionary team, mourning at the loss of a beloved member. The many different themes and
styles of the Psalms reflect the mood and emphasis of different worship settings in ancient
Israel. A study of the different types of psalms gives us a biblical guide for our different
occasions of worship.11
6.1 The lament
The type of psalm found most frequently in the Old Testament is the lament. That
may seem strange to us if we think of laments as mournful dirges-we usually want our
worship to be upbeat and positive. Part of the problem may be our misconception of the
biblical lament. The laments of the book of Psalms do express mourning and sorrow, and that
sorrow can be intense. But they rarely end in sorrow. The laments mourn over trouble; but
they go on to express confidence that God is able to deliver from trouble. Laments often end
with a note of confidence and praise for the deliverance that God will surely provide. Psalm
13 is a good example of the lament. Here the psalmist cries out to God, " He is in pain and
sorrow. Then, in verses 3-4, the writer asks for God's help and prays for deliverance. The
psalm ends, in verses 5-6, with an expression of confidence and trust in the Lord, who will
deal bountifully with the psalmist12
6.2 The confidence
The Psalms express confidence-that God's people will be delivered, that evil will be
defeated. Their confidence, however, is in the power of the Lord. It is never in the power of
the believing community as a worldly or political force. The community can be confident, but
only through the power of God. There is a lesson for the church here. We too can express
confidence that evil will be defeated, but certainly never because of our own power, or skill,
or cunning. As the church grows in its understanding of the power of politics and of the use
of the media, there is a great temptation to rely on our own abilities. A focus on the psalms of
confidence, such as Psalm 16 or Psalm 121, might help us to avoid that temptation.13
6.3 The petition

10
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/ (Accessed on 22/08/22.,10:53pm).,722.
11
Phillip McMilion, Worship in the Old Testament( Grand rapids: published on digital commons,1998).,3
12
Ibid.,4
13
Phillip McMilion, Worship in the Old Testament.,4

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 In our worship, and especially in our prayers, petition plays a major role. There are a
number of psalms of petition, such as Psalm 12 and Psalm 80. In those psalms, the writers
pray for deliverance or for protection from enemies, but it is interesting to notice what they
do not request. The psalmists ask for spiritual comfort, for deliverance from evil, but they do
not ask for God to give them material things. Perhaps that should give some insight into how
we should pray. It is normal and right for us to take our concerns and petitions to the Lord. At
the same time, however, we should balance those petitions with praise and thanksgiving.
When our prayers become primarily a series of requests for what we want God to do for us,
then perhaps they have lost a sense of balance. The use of the Psalms as our model might
help us recover the balance suggested by the Scriptures.14
7. Theology of Worship
Worship in the Bible appears in varied forms and types. Times and places are among
the major factors. Worship, especially of the corporate type, normally takes place according
to some sort of schedule and/or calendar. There were times and seasons established in the Old
Testament for worship, even though God is present with His people at anytime.15
In developing a theology of worship for today, hymns are also one of the essential
things to consider. It is one of the means to invoke the presence of God in the midst of His
people (2 Chronicles 5: 13 – 15). The Psalmist states that the Lord Inhabits in the praises of
Israel (Psalm 22: 3). The Hebrew word used for ‘praises’ in this context is ‘Tahillah’ which
means hymn. The word hymn was derived from the Greek word ‘hymnos’ which means a
song of praise. It is a lyric poem, reverently and devotionally conceived, which is designed to
be sung and which expresses the worshipper's attitude toward God. They are songs that
express a congregation's praise of God's greatness and majesty. Congregation to join in praise
(Psalm 33:1-3), a list of reasons to praise God (Psalm 33:4-19), and a concluding call to
praise or statement of trust (Psalm 33:20-22). It is noted that the song book of ancient Israel
as well as the early church, the book of Psalms is filled with exclamations of praise and
thanksgiving for who God is and what he has done.16

CONCLUSION

As we have seen the importance of worship in the Old Testament Theology, it is very
most important to know that how the worship was started and people were worshiping to
Lord. As from the beginning we see that what is worship and it tells us that Worship in

14
Ibid.,4
15
Peter white, Developing a theology of worship,( Stellenbosch: ResearchGate.net,2012).,12
16
Peter white, Developing a theology of worship., 15.

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general terms is looked at as “devotion” to a Deity or even just the practice of attending
religious services. So by understanding of this we moved to know about the worship in the
Old Testament that how the people were exalting Yahweh. And to know the deep way of
worship we must look back to the Old Testament because it gives us the clearance about the
‘’WORSHIP’’ from the beginning that how it was begin from there lot of people had a
theology about the worship as some of the theologians developed a theology of worship for
today, and said hymns are also one of the essential things to consider. It is one of the means
to invoke the presence of God in the midst of His people by this people get to know about the
worship.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bayles Paton Lewis The Origin of Yahweh-Worship in Israel: II, Chicago: published by the
Chicago press, 1906.
Emmanuel Koboi worship a biblical perspective Uganda: published on researchget.net.
Macleod William Old Testament worship Africa: Christian study library, 2014.
Morrison Michael A survey of the Bible Charlotte: Grace communion seminary, 2006.
Phillip McMillon Worship in the Old Testament Grand Rapids: published on digital
commons, 1998.
White Peter Developing a theology of worship Stellenbosch: published on researchget.net.

WE BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/ Accessed on 22/08/22.,10:53pm.

https://www.saugatuckcrc.org/a-brief-history-of-christian-worship Accessed on 22/08/22,
11:25)

11