What do you think of when you hear the word worship? Many of us think of music—and sigh. The “worship wars,” rumored to have ended, still rage in many congregations. Members still fight over musical “turf,” glaring at one another over their gun sights—contemporary versus traditional, live accompaniment versus CD, dancing versus standing. Not only do musical issues distract from genuine worship, such conflicts create an unmelodic disharmony in the body of Christ.

Music is an important element of worship. It certainly is biblical. When God’s people left Egypt, songs and instruments went with them (cf. Exodus 15). By the time of King David, singers and musicians played a vital role in the praise of God. Please note the last word of the last sentence. Isn’t it ironic that, in the heat of debate over worship, the object of worship is often forgotten?

Worship is for and about the living God. Forms and styles aren’t nearly as important as the knowledge of the presence of God. David learned that lesson at some cost. Having taken the stronghold of Zion from the Jebusites, the king decided to bring the ark of the covenant from the village of Kiriath Jearim. Forgetting the history of this mysterious box, he allowed it to be transported by oxcart to Jerusalem. Along the way, David discovered the box was more than a mere symbol. When the oxen stumbled, a man named Uzzah reached out to steady the rocking ark—and fell dead on the spot. “David was afraid of God that day . . .” (1 Chronicles 13:12). I’m sure he was!

THE TERROR OF WORSHIP
First Chronicles 15 begins, then, with the terror of worship. David knew that only the Levites were to carry the ark. They were to carry the ark on their shoulders, using poles, not haul it like a crate on a cart. No one was to touch the holy box. To do so was to die. The point is not that the box itself was special, but that Yahweh, Lord of all creation, was. He had given instructions. They had been neglected; more to the point, God himself had been neglected. Death was the result.

How often do we “touch the ark”? Have we turned the terror into trivial pursuit, making worship about what we want—gratifying musical tastes, preaching (or wanting to hear) sermons that entertain, lightly partaking of the body and blood of Christ? Do we regard the brethren with whom we disagree with contempt, forgetting they too are holy to the Lord (Hebrews 10:10)?

For discussion:
Uzzah died for profaning the ark. What might we be doing in/with worship to compare?

Lynn Anderson asks, “Can you imagine how long it took to work up the nerve to attempt another ark-moving party?” But once it was done right, God’s people were able to “sing joyful songs” (15:16). They’d taken God seriously and now they could celebrate. Thus, 1 Chronicles 15 now turns from the terror to the joy of worship. David could forget about death and start dancing.

THE JOY OF WORSHIP
Naturally, music plays a big part in the celebration. Throughout the Psalms, music and praise go together. Psalm 98 is one of many examples. Our text mention harps, lyres, cymbals, horns, and trumpets. The music was loud. To modern ears it probably would sound strange. Yet no one can doubt the sincerity of the worshipers or the purity of praise God accepted. It might’ve sounded like mere noise to us. But, no matter what it sounded like, these people had gotten right with God and so they got worship right. Together they celebrated Yahweh and, since nobody fell dead this time, we can assume he was pleased!

Some are upset with the music in their church. It’s too loud or too soft. It’s too fast or too slow, too stodgy or too hip. They buzz like angry bees against their musicians. They take no joy in God and so find none in church.

Be careful! The question isn’t, “Am I being served?”; instead, it’s,  “Is God pleased with my worship?” If I point my spiritual gun at my brother, who’s been made acceptable by the blood of Christ, the gun is spinning in my fist; the barrel is turning on me! It’s dangerous to treat the holy, whether things or people, with contempt!

For discussion:
Why do I come to church?

Do I prepare for Sunday worship? When, how?

Why should we consider our Christian brothers and sisters holy? (Cf. Hebrews 10:10; Colossians 1:2; 1 Peter 2:9.)

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* All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version, unless otherwise indicated.