September 07, 2007 Isaiah 29:13-14

09/07/2007

Isaiah 29: 13-14

The Lord Says:
        “These people come near to me with their mouth
                And honor me with their lips,
                But their hearts are far from me.
        Their worship of me
                Is made up only of rules taught by men.
        Therefore once more I will astound these people
                With wonder upon wonder;
        The wisdom of the wise will perish,
                The intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

Isaiah makes this statement as if he were talking directly to us today. There are actually two ideas here that I want to bring out.

First: what does it mean to “come near [Him] with our mouth”, but our “Hearts are far from [Him]”?

We can go to church, sing all the songs, stand when we are supposed to, sit when we are supposed to, and shake everyone’s hand, but if we never worship with our hearts, then we have never worshiped at all. Our worship needs to be an act of the heart. This does not mean we don’t need to go to church—we need to be with other Christians and we need the experience of preaching and Bible study to enrich our walk with God. Corporate worship is just as important as individual worship.

Secondly: today, just as in the centuries before Jesus, the “rules” of worship were fouling the true concept of worship. Certain religious figures will say “do this” or “do that” or “this is the only way to worship God.” And so many of these “rules” involve the body and the voice but never engage the heart.

Some say you must be a member of this church only, or you must pray a certain way, or your music must be like this. Some churches have complex rituals that supposedly bring you closer to God.

In the end, what we have are people pretending to be “wise” or “intelligent”; those who have degrees or other credentials declaring their scholarship. But sometimes these very people become so caught up in the act of worship that they forget about the intent of worship. God says that this “wisdom” and “intelligence” will be proven to be nothing because ultimately, worship is astoundingly simple. It is as easy as praying, singing, or even sitting in silence and meditating on Him. The key is that worship is an act of the heart.

Terms of Usage: This devotional may be copied or forwarded for personal use without permission, but must include the author, publisher, web link, and copyright notice. Use in another published work must obtain permission first.

[ Previous ] [ Up ] [ Next ]