As we begin a new year, let's not get caught up in legalism, ceremony, and ritual with our worship. Let's remember that God is not impressed or pleased with our Sunday routines, but with our sincere reverence. Our Lord doesn't like us to "go thru the motions" but to worship in spirit and in truth. Let's be sure we are going to church and worshiping Him for the right reasons with a genuine love and adoration, seeking to serve and obey Him alone.
The following worship profile is from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House Publishers. It is a very informative study Bible, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about biblical worship.
Jeremiah was a prophet from Anathoth in Benjamin---a "political outsider." As such, he had a difficult task: to persuade the Jerusalem elite to repent of their sins and agree to the unpatriotic act of submitting to Babylon. It is no wonder Jeremiah begged off this task, saying, "I can't speak for you! I'm too young!" (Jer. 1:6).
Yet, this outsider from Anathoth carried out the risky business of calling king and priest alike to repent of the false trust they had placed in heartless ceremony and human alliances. Jeremiah persistently reminded God's people that covenant faithfulness entailed more than observing mere rituals. Worshipful response involved holy living on a daily basis. In the end, Jeremiah's message went unheeded, and Jerusalem was destroyed. But this was not the end of Jeremiah's ministry. He then began to speak of God's plan to restore his people.
Jeremiah the Worshiper
Jeremiah reminds us that true worship cannot thrive in an atmosphere of complacency. Christians today, like God's people in the past, need to be wary of placing their faith in religious rituals and customs. People who carelessly assume that God is honored by what they do rather than who they are deceive themselves and open the door to failure and disappointment. Jeremiah anticipated the life of New Testament worshipers, who would hear the Word and receive the Spirit. Today God's law is written on our heart through his Spirit. Jeremiah reminds us that worship should extend beyond a Sabbath ritual response and permeate the routine of our daily life.
Learning from Jeremiah
Legalism stifles true worship. It takes many forms: entering into worship out of mere habit; worshiping to please people rather than God; fulfilling duties to avoid guilty feelings; separating worship from obedience to God's Word. No matter what form it takes, legalism is not a second-best substitute; it is false worship. Yet God remains willing to forgive if we are willing to turn from sin. As Jeremiah remarks, "The Lord Almighty has not forsaken Israel and Judah. He is still their God, even though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel" (Jer. 51:5).
Following the Example
Jeremiah predicted calamity would come to Jerusalem if the people did not repent. And it happened as he said: Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. In Lamentations, Jeremiah's other writing, he mourns over the desolate city. Yet he speaks, too, of the Lord's compassion and mercy. The book affirms that God's anger has limits, but that his love and compassion are limitless. "Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day" (Lam. 3:23). Spend some devotional time reading the eloquent message of this small book.