Sabbath School Lesson for August 3-9, 2019
Overview
How worship affects ministry, as seen in the light of…
- idolatry and oppression of the poor–what they have done to our worship (Sunday)
- why we worship God the Creator in the first place (Monday)
- who are the oppressors–it might surprise you (Tuesday)
- how is ministry a part of worship (Wednesday)
- seeing how mercy and faithfulness impact and define our worship (Thursday)
Introduction
Worshiping the Creator involves much more than keeping the Sabbath on the seventh day. God was weary of the forms of worship observed by the Israelites that were void of any heartfelt experience with God. Nor did they include compassionate acts of mercy during the rest of the week.
Not only did the prophets convey God’s displeasure at their half-hearted attempts to worship Him, but Jesus, the Messiah, also pointed out that their faulty, insincere rituals did nothing to improve their relationship with each other or with God. Which is what worship is all about.
True worship is living our life in a way that shows others that God cares and seeks to make all our lives better. This can only be done through service to those who need it most. For the neediest people are the ones God especially watches out for, and should be the very ones we most try to reach with God’s mercy and compassion.
Memory Text: ” ‘Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?’ “ Isaiah 58:6, 7 NKJV
Comparing these merciful acts to fasting is a profound way to identify what is lacking in our worship today. When we hypocritically observe the rites of religion without passionate acts of kindness to others in need, we are are making a mockery of worship that will only separate us from the One we worship.
Sunday: Idolatry and Oppression
How sad it must have made God to see His people turn again and again to worshiping the idols of the nations that surrounded them. And yet, He seems to be every bit as concerned with the acts of oppression that followed their idol worship.
The false gods they were following were the source of extreme cruelty and hatred toward those most vulnerable in society. People were not treated well in lands were paganism was prevalent.
And that cruelty was of utmost concern to their heavenly Father. So much so that God several times called for pagan tribes, who had become totally depraved, to be destroyed. It was the only merciful solution for those tribes where horrific humanitarian crises were taking place.
People today should take caution in the kinds of idols they serve. We have been blinded by materialism and greed; these are man-made idols in a very real sense of the word. And we have seen, all too often, the paths of iniquity that become easy to follow, when we allow our possessions to possess us.
Discussion Questions:
Read Isaiah 42:8 and Psalm 115:1. For what reasons should God be given the glory? To what or who else do we try to give glory, and why?
Read Psalm 115:4-7, Jeremiah 10:3-5, and Ephesians 6:12. Although idols in and of themselves have no power, why should we not underestimate the power of Satan, who uses these idols for his own worship?
Read 2 Corinthians 3:18. Why do we become like the Person we worship? And what should this say about what we behold and what we worship?
Monday: A Reason to Worship
Basically, God should be worshiped for what He has done in the past for His people and what He has done in our individual lives. Almost all of us can see the hand of God, as events have unfolded in our past. His miraculous interventions are evidence of the God He is. This was certainly true for the Hebrews, who were brought out of slavery in Egypt, cared for in the desert wilderness, and brought at last to the land of promise.
God should also be worshiped simply for His attributes. His mercy, justice, righteousness, and countless other shining qualities provide us with us with ample reasons to worship Him as our Creator, Redeemer, and Friend. Recognizing Him for who He is now should be just as important as recognizing His acts of kindness in the past.
As if this weren’t enough, we have the promises of God to give us a glorious future with Him in heaven. Many inspirational songs of praise have centered on our heavenly home and the joys that abound there. We can safely worship God for what He will do for us throughout eternity.
Discussion Questions:
Read Deuteronomy 10:21, 22. What events in your past have given you cause to praise and worship God?
Read Isaiah 5:16. What do you especially appreciate about God’s character? How does who He is affect your present relationship with Him and with others?
Read Isaiah 60:18. What features of heaven inspire you to worship and praise God?
Tuesday: Religious Oppressors
It’s not only important for us to see who are oppressed around us, but also to identify who is doing the oppressing. And the most discomforting discovery is when we realize that by not helping others we are are also responsible for their oppression.
The hypocrisy of worshiping God without living a life of service for others is particularly distasteful to God. The meticulous following of religious rituals does not impress Him, when it is not accompanied by active ministry that demonstrates God’s love. In fact, He totally ignores our religiosity as worthless. See Isaiah 1:15.
Micah clearly states what God expects of His followers: that they value justice, love mercy, and exhibit humility in their walk with God (Micah 6:8). When the character of God not only resides in the heart, but is lived out in tangible ways that benefit others, we can expect God’s full attention when we pray. Otherwise, we grow more and more distant from His presence.
Discussion Questions:
Read Isaiah 1:11 and Matthew 15:8, 9. For what reasons does God disregard our worship?
Read Amos 5:21-24 and Psalm 51:16, 17. What kind of worship does God value?
Read Matthew 7:15, 16. Although we shouldn’t judge people by their fruits, what can fruits tell us about a person, or even about ourselves?
Wednesday: A Way to Worship
It’s clear that not ministering to others makes our worship of little value in the eyes of God. But, Isaiah 58 presents the idea that ministering to others is actually a form of worship.
If worship is all about pleasing the One we worship, then there is a distinct link between helping our fellowman and worshiping the Creator of that man, at least according to the words of Isaiah 58:6, 7–our Memory Text.
Jesus has shown us what true worship encompasses. His ministry did not stop at the door of the synagogue or temple, even on Sabbath days. He entered those places of worship with eyes wide open to the needs of others, with a desire to help them, even when it would bring criticism from those who frowned on such activity as breaking the Sabbath.
We, too, can safely engage in helpful ministries on any day of the week, and still observe the sacredness of the Sabbath hours. God is glorified at our humble attempts to relief the suffering of others. It is perhaps the sweetest testament of our relationship with Him, and therefore enhances our worship in ways no other form of worship can achieve.
Any time we uplift God through tangible service, we are offering Him true worship. Entering into some type of community service, even on the Sabbath, is a very real way to feel closer to the caring God we desire to please.
Discussion Questions:
Read Isaiah 58:3, 4. What made the fasting of some so distasteful to God? What is it in our character that ruins our worship to God? How does this apply to other forms and rites of religion?
Read Isaiah 58:6, 7 and Matthew 25:40. Why is God so pleased when we help those in need? How and why is God able to identify so closely with those who suffer on this earth?
Read Isaiah 58:10, 11. How is our soul given to someone when we offer them food? Can performing acts of service also become ritualized and void of any real meaning to those we serve? How do we prevent this from happening?
Thursday: Mercy and Faithfulness
Most of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were his harshest critics, their cries of opposition eventually led to the effort to have Him crucified. But Jesus had firm denunciations of their actions as well, and His sharpest rebukes are found in Matthew 23.
In this chapter, Jesus not only accuses the scribes and Pharisees of neglecting the poor, but of placing even heavier burdens on them through their tough, man-made requirements for keeping the law.
Just as Micah 6:8 identified
- justice,
- mercy, and
- humbly walking with God as pleasing to Him,
Jesus maintains the same by proclaiming
- justice,
- mercy, and
- faithfulness
just as important as their returning tithe, or any other form of worship they so meticulously observed.
Notice, He never suggested that their basic forms of religion were not important, but they should not be done to the exclusion of taking care of others…
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the other undone.” Matthew 23:23 NKJV
Discussion Questions:
Read Matthew 9:13 and Hosea 6:6. What should be the natural result of our worship? And why is this so important to God?
Read Mark 12:38-40. What leads to the false worship that looks so good on the outside? Why is this kind of worship so dangerous–both to the one practicing it, and the one observing? What is the only way to avoid it?
Read Matthew 23:23 and Micah 6:8. How were the Israelites in the Old Testament shown God’s mercy and justice? How were they shown it again when Jesus spoke these words?
Final Thoughts
Just as God’s character is a perfect blend of mercy and justice (more than two thousand verses in the Bible focus on these attributes), our worship of God must blend both orthodoxy and orthopraxy–in other words, our belief must match our practice.
Isaiah 58 firmly describes the kind of worship that not only consists of correct beliefs, but of correct practice. And Jesus confirms the importance of practice in Matthew 25 when He describes how two classes of people will fare in the final judgment, those who believe and those who actually practice what they believe.
As a Protestant, orthopraxy may not even be in your vocabulary, with our emphasis on the fact that salvation is based on faith, not works. But as someone has said: “The passion of orthodoxy must be wedded to the compassion of orthopraxy.”
When our actions fully match our words, God will be pleased with our service. For that service will be a form of worship to Him, a testament of our heartfelt beliefs.
Next Week’s Lesson: Jesus and Those in Need
To read the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly or see more resources for its study, go to https://www.absg.adventist.org/
Other Outlook blogposts by Teresa Thompson, are at http://outlookmag.org/author/teresathompson/
