Worship

Qualifications For a Place of Worship - Deuteronomy 12:1 – 12:32 (commentary)

While sacrificial offerings were to be made in a specific place the butchering and eating of meat for regular sustenance could be done anywhere (vv. 15-28). The only restriction (except for unclean foods) was the prohibition on eating blood. This rule was stressed in verse 15 and repeated ...

It is not Where You Worship But How - John 4:16 – 4:26 (commentary)

Jesus told the woman to go and to return to him with her husband (v. 16). As Jesus was a man, it would have been inappropriate for him to give the woman anything of value without her husband ...

Ministry in the Synagogues - Matthew 4:18 – 4:25 (commentary)

The Sea of Galilee is an oval shaped body of water approximately eight miles wide and thirteen miles long. Historians tell us that in the first century some 240 boats regularly fished in its waters. It was here that Jesus publicly called His first two disciples Peter and An …

The Clothes For The High Priest - Exodus 28:1 – 28:43 (commentary)

God was teaching his people how to worship Him. He explained how He needed someone to oversee the operations of the tabernacle and to help the people maintain their relationship with God. These men could only be members of the tribe of Levi. This chapter has to do with the clothe …

What is True Worship? - Revelation 5:8 – 5:14 (commentary)

What is Worship? Worship isn’t about a style of music. It is more than singing songs. It transcends actions and words. Worship comes from confession of who God is and the attitudes of our hearts concerning Him. It is about the excitement of knowing the promises of God’s word and the end of ...

Paul’s Journey to Troas - Acts 20:1 – 20:12 (commentary)

After the riot in Ephesus, Paul gathered the disciples to say farewell and to encourage them (v. 1). He then departed for Macedonia. It’s likely that this was when he evangelized the province of Illyricum, on the Adriatic Sea across from Italy (Rom. 15:19). From Macedonia, Paul traveled ...

When, Where, How & How Long to Worship - Acts 20:7 – 20:12 (commentary)

I find a very interesting story in today’s passage. After Paul arrived in Troas he met with believers on Sunday to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and after that he spoke to them until midnight because he was leaving the next morning (v.7). It was only gradually that Sunday to …

144,000 during the Tribulation - Revelation 14:1 – 14:8 (commentary)

The beginning of chapter 14 refers to the preservation of the 144,000 during the Tribulation. Moving into chapters 14 and 15 we see various details of what is happening in heaven and on the earth just before the bowl judgements in chapter 16...

Words of Comfort - Revelation 22:7 – 22:16 (commentary)

One of the prominent themes of Revelation is stated "Behold, I come quickly” (v. 7). Also, a special blessing is promised to those who keep the sayings of this book. John is overwhelmed by all he has witnessed and heard and so he bows down to worship the angel who revealed all of this ...

What is True Worship - Psalms 92:1 – 92:15 (commentary)

We do not know for sure what inspired this psalm, however it seems to have been used in the temple after the Babylonian captivity as a special song for the Sabbath. The question: “Is it possible that a godly person can rejoice in the destruction of the wicked? Sh …

What is Included in True Worship? - Psalms 95:1 – 95:11 (commentary)

What do you think of when you think of worship? John 4:23 tells us that God is seeking people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. During my life time I have had the privilege of traveling and ministering in almost 50 countries and many of the states in the United S …

Many People Play Church - Psalms 96:1 – 96:13 (commentary)

This psalm begins with singing as it calls us to joyful worship because all glory belongs to the Lord (vv. 1-6). It continues with an emphasis of giving (vv. 7-9). This includes the giving of glory, wealth and worship. Then it ends with the fact that all governments belong to Him …

Praise Him For His Kindness - Psalms 135:1 – 135:12 (commentary)

The theme of Psalm 135 is worship. Our worship should be inspired by the fact of who God is and our position in Him (vv. 1-2). Just the mere thought of His name should inspire us to praise Him. Even a little child can praise Him, and it will bring as much delight to the heart of God as a mature ...

The laws concerning offerings. - Numbers 28:1 – 28:31 (commentary)

From the beginning, the secret to Israel’s blessing was that when they had a good relationship with the Lord, it was characterized by faith and obedience. The pagan nations around them could invent their own forms of worship, but Israel had to bring the right sacrifices at the ri …

The feast of tabernacles - Numbers 29:1 – 29:40 (commentary)

Types of offerings continued:Feast of Trumpets - first day of the 7th month - 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 lambs, 1 goat (vv. 1-6).Day of Atonement - 10th day of 7th month - 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 lambs, 1 goat (vv. 7- 11).Feast of Booths - 15th to 22nd days of 7th month - priest offered over 200 s …

The Elements of Worship - I Thessalonians 5:23 – 5:28 (commentary)

Paul prayed that the God of peace will keep them from profane things, make them pure and consecrated to God and completely blameless at the coming of Christ (vv 23-24). He also requested that the Christians pray for him (v. 25). After the worship services are over, the Chri …

The Day of the Lord - Amos 5:16 – 5:27 (commentary)

Failure to honor the dead was considered horrible in Israel, so loud wailing was common at funerals. Paid mourners, usually women, cried and mourned loudly. Amos said there would be so many funerals that there would be a shortage of professional mourners, so farmers would be ca …

The Nations Worship the King - Zechariah 14:12 – 14:21 (commentary)

Zechariah describes the destruction of Israel’s enemies which is the second phase of the invasion of Jerusalem by the Gentile armies (vv. 12-15). In this phase the Gentile armies will be destroyed. Then the survivors from all the nations will worship annually in Jerusalem. Mill …

The Philistines And The Ark - I Samuel 5:1 – 5:12 (commentary)

The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod, which was located about thirty miles west of Jerusalem (v. 1). When the Philistines captured the ark, they thought they had something good in their hands. They took it into the house of Dagon, which was …

The Ark Returned to Israel - I Samuel 6:1 – 6:21 (commentary)

The Philistines had a big problem on their hands with the ark of the covenant in their possession (v. 1). Having the ark was like having a hot potato. They called on the priests and the fortunetellers for their advice as to what they should do with it. The advice they received …

Israel’s Wicked Leaders - Ezekiel 22:23 – 22:31 (commentary)

In this passage we see who is being judged (vv. 23-31). The priests were supposed to keep God’s worship pure and teach the people right living. But the worship of God had become commonplace to them, they ignored the Sabbath, and they refused to teach the people (v. 26). T …

The Manner of Worship - Ezekiel 46:1 – 46:24 (commentary)

After speaking of selected feasts in Israel’s religious year, Ezekiel provided information on the daily aspects of Israel’s worship. He gave regulations for the Sabbath and New Moon sacrifices (vv. 1-10) and for the conduct and offerings of the people in the temple (vv. 1 …

The Day of the Lord - Isaiah 2:6 – 2:22 (commentary)

The phrase “replenished from the east” meant that they had become filled with the pagan influences from Assyria and Babylon to the east (vv. 6-7). The people were following practices of the Assyrian empire. Under the reign of evil kings, idol worship flourished in …

Worshiping Other gods is Forbidden - Deuteronomy 4:11 – 4:20 (commentary)

Moses wanted to make sure that the people did not forget all they had seen God do, so He urged parents to teach their children about God’s great miracles. While the mountain burned with fire the Lord spoke out of the midst of the fire (vv. 11-12). The nations around Israel worshiped many ...

A Hymn of Thanksgiving - I Chronicles 16:30 – 16:43 (commentary)

This passage is a hymn of thanksgiving compiled from passages of several psalms. David must have taken parts from his earlier poetry and woven them together with this hymn. He says: ...

The Reign of Manasseh - I Chronicles 6:1 – 6:81 (commentary)

1. The sons of Levi (vv. 1-30). This list clearly defines the priests and Levites line of descent. It has been said that the genealogy of Levi is given more amply and completely here than in any other place ...

The People Refuse to Worship The Lord - Jeremiah 44:15 – 44:30 (commentary)

Jews from both Northern and Southern Egypt listened to what the Lord had to say through Jeremiah (v. 15). The men knew that their wives burned incense to other gods.  It was an act of open defiance, when they shouted, “We don’t care what you say or what God says. …