Someone once told me that praise and worship is my thing. Yes, I love digging in scripture and listening to biblically true messages and sermons, but there is something to be said about my time in worship. I kept hearing God telling me a few different things last year and one of them was RELEASE YOUR WORSHIP. If you missed that post, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read what God’s been saying to me. Perhaps as you read Time to Shine, you’ll find God saying something similar to you, too.
As I’ve been reading through scriptures that mention worship, talk about worship, or even scriptures that allude to worship, I wanted to find out about the first time it’s recorded in scripture. Strong’s Hebrew 7812 is shâchâh (pronounced shaw-khaw). It means to depress, to prostrate in homage to royalty or God, to bow down, crouch, humbly beseech, to show deferential respect, do reverence, make to stoop, with the last definition as to worship. While the word šāḥâ (transliteration) is first mentioned in Genesis 18:1-3, it is not used to communicate worship, but instead of Abraham bowing before the Lord. The word is first translated as worship a few chapters later.
Before we go there and a little beyond – Genesis 12 is the first record of communication between Abram and God. God makes a promise to him about being made a great nation. Later, in Genesis 15, Abram and Sarai are promised a son. Abram believed God and that’s what made him righteous (or in right standing with God), but they decided to help Him along with getting a baby. Isn’t that just like us? We seem to have this idea in our head that God needs our methods to get His results.
I can’t help but cringe when I read about Sarai giving her maidservant, Hagar, to her husband so that they could conceive that way. Sarai didn’t receive the vision from the Lord that’s recorded in scripture; we’re left to assume that Abram told her about it. She probably saw and related more with the physical realm – she and her hubby were old. Just think of the grief, shame, and desperation she must have been feeling. I’m sure she had times of doubting that she was the mother of the promised child… that strikes to the core of every woman who has wanted children and felt denied the experience. So after years of waiting on the promised son, they decided to move God along by bringing in Hagar.
Oh, the heartache that could have been avoided if they had just let God do what He promised He would do. Women – this is a big generalization, I know it, so grant me a bit of grace – women tend to have more catty bones in their bodies than even cats. We tend to be jealous more easily, we compare ourselves with fictional characters and unhealthy standards (and find that we’re lacking in almost every way), and we’re much more emotional than our male counterparts. Most of the time. What were they thinking bringing another woman in? Hagar conceives, there’s jealousy and spite running rampant, and I’m sure it wasn’t a pleasant place to be. I wouldn’t want the constant reminder of another woman being with my husband – I wouldn’t want the constant reminder of my actions because I doubted God.
In Genesis 17, the Lord comes to Abram again. God renames him, Abraham (Sarah, too), and makes a covenant with him. Then the Lord appears to Abraham, manifested as three men. This is when he bowed (shâchâh) and requested that They not pass him by. During the visit, the Lord promises a son again. The Lord tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son by that same time the next year. Then Sarah, who is hearing this conversation, laughs and thinks to herself of how old she and her husband are and that they don’t even have that pleasure anymore (Abraham was 99 and Sarah was 90). How are they to conceive if they’re not doing (or can’t seem to do) what they need to in order to conceive? The Lord didn’t let the laugh and doubt go by unnoticed. The Lord asked why she laughed and doubted, she denied it, and He corrected her.
After the exchange between the Lord and Sarah, He got up and looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:13-16). Can you imagine how scary it would be to doubt God and then lie to Him and then see that He was going to completely level the neighbors? And Abraham was included in the discussion about what God was planning for Sodom and Gomorrah – he pleaded for mercy to be shown to the righteous who dwelled there. But let’s get back to Sarah…
Maybe Sarah just needed to feel appreciated. Sometimes love tanks can be depleted without our even noticing. We (I’m generalizing again) might get upset that we’re not complimented as much or as regularly by our spouse. Most of us tend to focus on the negative anyway, so when there’s no positive feedback, it’s just reinforced negative (that’s more for women, I think). Sarah was probably really needing a compliment, and her husband delivers – just not in the traditional way. Before she conceived, they travelled into the land, Gerar, that belonged to king Abimelech (Genesis 20). Abraham instructed Sarah to act as his sister and he as her brother.
Why would anyone need to lie about a relationship here? Probably because, even in her ripe old age, Sarah was gorgeous. He had done this same song and dance in Egypt with the Pharoah there (Genesis 12:10-20). Some might say that Abraham was a coward and that’s why he lied – he didn’t want trouble from the king, so here… take my sister and do what you will with her. On one hand, he’s complimenting her by saying without saying that she’s quite the looker. On the other hand, he’s an absolute coward and had neglected to remember what God had told him.
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” Genesis 15:1 NASB
As you go on from this moment of reading an overview of Abraham, whether you’re reading this in the morning or right before bed, I hope that you’ll take notice of God’s constant, unwavering affection for Abraham. Was he special? Eh, that’s up for debate in my opinion. He was considered righteous because he believed God to be who He claimed to be and believed that God would do what He promised He would do. Abraham was placed in right standing with God all because he believed – but he didn’t do that perfectly. Even then, God desired to show grace.
Abraham is someone I find fascinating because God singled him out. The fact that one of my favorite times spent with God is in worship and it was first mentioned with Abraham is just downright cool to me. For my understanding, if we’re walking in the Spirit, every act is a form of worship: music aside, my thoughts, actions, and words are either worshiping God, or someone else. I’m excited to dig deeper and learn more. After reading this overview and from what you’ve heard and learned before, what are your favorite thoughts on Abraham? What about Sarah and Hagar? Be sure to join me next week as we take a closer look at a portion of Abraham’s life.
Abel brought his “minchah” (offering) before the Lord. Our offerings should always be accompanied by worship.
Noah presented “awlaw” (to ascend) after the flood. When we ascend into God’s presence we will be driven to our knees in worship by his holiness just like Isaiah.
Thanks for reminding me of the importance of worship.