Psalm 29:2
“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name”
Psalm 29 ends with a gathering of worship. The psalm models worship for believers. It teaches us that the central function of a church’s worship is to give glory to God alone. This means that we confess the true fame of God. Plainly, the worship of the church is about God’s “fame” unmixed with another fame. What does it mean to mix the glory of men, materialism, culture, or identities with God’s glory? Scripture is very clear that any mixture of glory is false-worship (1 Kings 12-14).
Proper worship of God confesses that his substance alone is worthy and that nothing can complement such glory.
The first commandment given at Sinai (“You shall have no other gods before me”) informs Who we worship and how we worship. Our worship is not to be mixed with the glory of another. Thomas Vincent gave a very concise explanation of what is forbidden in the first commandment when he wrote, “The first commandment forbiddeth denying… the giving of worship and glory to any other which is due to him alone.” Idolatry is not just worshiping a false god made of wood, clay, or stone. It is also the use or promotion of any alternative object alongside our worship. If there is one lesson we can learn from Old Testament worship, it is of God’s jealousy for fame in the midst of his people (Ex 20:5).
If we are going to worship God and make him the famous One, there are a few biblical steps we can take… and you can start that this Sunday with God’s people!
Give Them God’s Truth
The church gathering is unique, because it is a time where all exterior life is set aside so that God’s people can drink afresh from the ministry of the Word through prayers, singing, teaching, and sacraments. Pastor or worship leader, what you deliver is the truth of the God of the Bible. The elements of the gathering must tell of Who he truly is. All else will fall short of what is due. So give them God alone, which is only possible in the light of the Word of the Lord (1 Sam 3:21, John 17:17, 2 Cor 4:4-6, 1 Peter 1:23-25). The truths of the Bible are sufficient content for what we pray, sing, preach, etc.
Watch for Exterior Identities
Pressures from the glories of men have been and are at work in churches all over the world. These exterior identities can easily mix with the worship of God’s people, because at some level they may be who we are in the mundane life. However, as we’ve learned, to mix the moment and ascribe glory to something else is idolatry. God will not give his glory to another (Is 42:8). So ask yourself, is that song about God our country? Is that sermon about God or my best life? Is that approach elevating people based on status, race, or nationality? The identity of the church is found in the Lord Jesus (Rom 12:5). We were called to proclaim the excellencies of God alone (1 Pet 2:9). God loves culture, he uses nations, he made all kinds of people! But those lesser glories are not the content, substance, or focus of worship — we worship in His fame and for his fame.
The Gospel Guards from False Security
When the gospel motivates and guides worship, we ascribe the glory due his name. The root cause of mixing lesser glories with the glory of God is a lack of dependency — and that is a gospel-matter. I do not mean that’s a sign of one’s salvation, though it can be. Rather, when we live out gospel dependency on the solid righteous Rock, which is Jesus, we are sure, steady, stable, and safe. And when our worship is mixed with other glories than His, we eventually find those things let us down and cannot satisfy. Theories, nations, strategies, culture, trends, and man’s wisdom are false saviors. When God’s people walk out the gospel, they have one thing to boast and glory in: Him alone. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”
As we plan, pray, and execute the worship of God with his people, fill the hour with Him. May God give us grace to do so!
