Today’s Reading, Judges 10-12
Focal Scripture: Judges 11:31 “whoever comes out the doors of my house to greet me when I return safely from the Ammonites will belong to the Lord, and I will offer that person as a burnt offering.”
Have you ever attempted to worship God, but done it ways that violate the scriptures? Sometimes in our zealousness we can pick up bad habits from others, when it comes to worship. I can personally attest to this as I grew up in another denomination before I became a Baptist. This denomination empathized feelings and emotions. It made much of the acts of the Holy Spirit but violated what the scriptures said should happen in those circumstances. When I questioned people in charge, as a 10-11 year old, I was told to mind my own business and not cause division. They were training me to worship in ways that were not scriptural and I could no longer attend a church that put their feelings above scripture.
In today’s reading we see what happens when people bring practices from other religions and try to worship the one true God. Jephthah was a great warrior and God was going to use him in a mighty way for the deliverance of the people. However, he learned some very bad worship traits from the people in the land. In his attempt to honor God he made a vow that he would burn alive the person who greeted him first after his victory. Unbeknownst to him that first person was his only child, his daughter. Thinking he was worshipping God faithfully he did what he said he would do to honor the Lord. He burned her alive, and she wanted it to happen.
First, let me say that this is not the worship the Lord wants or desires. This practice was picked up by evil people in the land who committed scarifies of living people. This valiant warrior tried to honor the Lord by evil and ungodly actions. Second, we need to acknowledge that the culture around us can have a bigger impact on us that we realize. Even when we think we are doing what is right for the Lord.
I challenge you today to examine how you worship the Lord. You might not be burning your children but you could be harming them in other ways. This is why you must examine how you worship the Lord as an individual and as a body of believers. The simplest way to check your motives is to ask yourself these two questions.
- Is my worship biblical?
- Does my worship point people to God?
We must remember that worship that puts the emphasis on an individual is not biblical worship. Everything that is done should be performed the magnify the Lord not the person performing the act of worship. If you have any doubt that the worship you are giving God is suspect it should be stopped immediately.
I am not trying to be harsh but far too often what we call worship is actually our attempt to make ourselves look good. Worship makes Jesus big and individuals small. Worship is about his presence not our skill. Worship should bring glory to Jesus and help us point others to the only one who matters.
Let us not be a people a people where we can be accused of worshipping the Lord in false ways.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Judges 13-15
