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Commentary on "Worship in Genesis: Two Classes of Worshipers"
Day 4: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 - Two Lines of Worshipers
Overview
With Genesis 6:1-8 as the theme text, the focus for today is on the progressive moral decay of the anti-diluvium world. Only Enoch and Noah (Gen. 5:21-24; 6:9) were said to have ‘walked with God’.
When the Lord saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Then the Lord said, “I will wipe off from the face of the earth mankind, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.” Noah, however, found favor in the sight of the Lord. (Gen 6:5-8 HCSB)
Observations
The lesson begins well enough by identifying two types of worshipers which are referred to as “two lines of worshipers” in the lesson title. Then it declares that “the two classes of worshiper began to merge” by citing Gen. 6:1-4. Yet, when you turn to this text you will find no mention of worship of any kind. What you do see is that God declares that “they are corrupt”.
In our commentary for today we will take the position that there are at least three lines of worshipers.
1. Faith based worship by those God declares righteous
The lesson does make a valid point in pointing to Abel as illustrating what real worship and real faith is.
By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain ⌊did⌋. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith. (Heb 11:4 HCSB)
Here we see that Abel’s offering is called ‘a better sacrifice’. Abel not only had a faith in things unseen, his was most certainly a faith in God for things not well understood, if at all. This is something for each of us to consider when we attempt to understand God’s word before we are willing to simply trust and obey what God says.
2. A stiff-necked people
There are many examples in scripture that could be used to illustrate the second line of worshipers. This early event in the national life of Israel should serve our purpose:
The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them; they have made for themselves an image of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, ‘Israel, this is your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’” The Lord also said to Moses: “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. Now leave Me alone, so that My anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” (Ex 32:7-10 HCSB)
This is open and defiant ‘in your face’ rebellion against God in spite of all the goodness God has bestowed upon them. And, there is no pretence of directing their worship to God.
3. Pharisees and all others who worship according to man-made ‘religion’
As He was speaking, a Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and reclined at the table. When the Pharisee saw this, he was amazed that He did not first perform the ritual washing before dinner. But the Lord said to him: “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and evil. Fools! Didn’t He who made the outside make the inside too? But give from what is within to the poor, and then everything is clean for you. But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass justice and love for God. These things you should have done without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves; the people who walk over them don’t know it.” (Luke 11:37-44 HCSB)
When you are more concerned with outward appearances and your own works than the condition of your heart you are a Pharisee. When a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior and you insist they must stop their smoking habit before they can be baptized, you are ignoring that they have already been sealed into the kingdom of God by the inward baptism of the Holy Spirit, then you are a Pharisee. If you think the food you eat pollutes the temple of the Holy Spirit, you are without biblical support and nothing more than a Pharisee promoting a form of man-centered false righteousness.
Summary
- Stiff-necked people are all those who openly defy God, Acts 7:51. This certainly would describe Cain who murdered his brother.
- When Pharisees and all others those who practice man-made religion in the pious pretence of coming before God in their self-made righteousness, Jesus responds to them by saying; “I never knew you”, Matt. 7:21-24. Perhaps closely related to this could be those for whom Jesus has this to say; “I am going to vomit you out of My mouth”, Rev 3:14-21.
- Those that have ‘the faith of Abel’ worship with the same faith in God Abraham had and is the subject of tomorrow’s lesson.
Copyright 2011 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised June 26, 2011. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
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