RESTORING LAWFUL CHURCH WORSHIP
"III. Church In The Wilderness: Worship"

abbreviations: "OT" = Old Testament; "NT" = New Testament.

translations: ABP=Apostolic Bible Polyglot; BBE=1965 Bible In Basic English; all others, KJV

This series is on restoring the church of the Bible in our century in answer to the assertion that we should restore the church of the whole Bible, not just the NT church.

Missed the first section? Click on:

LAWFUL CHURCH WORSHIP, I: TERMS

When God had spoken to Moses from the burning bush in the mountain of God (Sinai), He told him, "... when you have taken the children of Israel out of Egypt, you will give worshipⁱ to God on this mountain" (Exodus 3:12b, BBE). This article is about that worship and whether we should or could restore in the twenty-first century that worship while being acceptable to God. The NT requires us to present ourselves to God in an acceptable way (Romans 12:1).

VOCABULARY REVIEW. For all purpose assemblying, two Greek words are used in the Jewish Greek Bible (LXX): synagogue and ekklesia. "And let all the congregation (Grk.: synagogue^G4864 ) hold an assembly (Grk: ekklesia^G1577.1 "church" in NT) at the door of the tent (tabernacle) of the testimony!" (Leviticus 8:3, ABP). For example, ekklesia is used also for secular assemblying in the NT, Acts 19:32, 39, 41). For an assembly to purposely worship, the expression "holy convocation" is what is used in the OT.

PRIVATE OR ASSEMBLY WORSHIP?

It is interesting to me that in a rabbinic online article entitled, "Who Invented the Synagogue?", the answer given is, "there is no mention of the Synagogue in the 'Written Torah' (i.e., the Five Books of Moses). The institution of the synagogue is of later, Rabbinic origin. ... From Moses’ times until the restoration of the Second Temple, we fulfilled the obligation to pray daily by composing our own prayers, and praying privately."ⁱⁱ He adds that the synagogue is however binding now because of the injunction given in Deuteronomy 17:8-11 to obey the later rabbis.ⁱⁱⁱ

This Jewish rabbi's basic reply appears to be incorrect: our text from the Jewish Greek LXX calls the congregation of Israel "synagogue"; e.g., Leviticus 8:3 above. Oddly, this Greek word synagogue is currently used by the Jewish societies in English, German, French and most Romance languages.^iv In addition, Jesus would not agree with the rabbi's view of Deuteronomy 17 for He condemned this same idea with the first century Pharisee rabbis taking it upon themselves to add their "traditions" to the Torah (Law); e.g., Matthew 15:2 and Mark 7:3,4.

Not only is public assembly mentioned in the Torah for the "church in the wilderness", it is commanded. It is to include all the men, women, children, and resident foreigners (Deuteronomy 31:12).^v

^{HOLY CONVOCATIONS}

"Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings" (Leviticus 23:3).

Not all the assemblies of the church (ekklesia) in the wilderness was for worship. For example, at the rock, the Lord told Moses to take the rod and "call an assembly (ekklesia) of the congregation (synagogue)" when they thirsted for water (Numbers 20:7, 8).

Ancient Israel's congregation (Grk., synagogue) was commanded to assemble (ekklesia) (Leviticus 8:3) before the tabernacle. Holy convocations were required sacred assemblying for worship. This English word convocation means "assembly called together for a meeting." Its Greek equivalent is κλητός^G2822.^vi If we drop the prefix (ex, ek) from ekklesia we have simply the root klesia meaning "called." It is still similar to synagogue and "church" (i.e., ekklesia) but with "holy" specified. The assembly is "summoned" in holiness to worship God who is holy. Holiness meant that all had to have been purified to approach God. It was in connection with God's tabernacle.

In the NT this word klesia is used eleven times for inviting; for examples, "many be called " (examples: Matthew 20:16; 22:14; Romans 1:1, 6, 7; 1 Corinthians 1:1, 2, 24) and holiness is sometimes supplied; e.g., in Corinthians "to be saints".

SEVENTH DAY ASSEMBLIES. Holy convocations were commanded for every seventh day (Leviticus 23:3).

FEAST SABBATHS. But the holy convocations were held on more than just every seventh day sabbath. The people were commanded to hold holy convocations during other named sabbaths during annual feasts.

WORSHIP ASSEMBLIES DURING FEASTS. Holy Convocations were designated holy "rest" days on certain days of the annual feasts (fifteen verses^vii announced in the Law): the Passover and Unleavened Bread^viii (two convocations), the Pentecost and Feast of Weeks^ix (two convocations, one on the first day of the week) ^xi, the feast of Trumpets (first day of the month assembly)^x, and the feast of Tabernacles^xii . The great fast, the annual day of atonement, was also to be observed as "a holy convocation"^xiii.

These feasts were to be observed as holy rest days with no manual labor but with required assembly. I find this interesting since people usually talk about sabbaths as if no assembly was involved and as if they were only on the seventh day of the week. When we consider the authorized feasts the people were required to "rest" more than just once a week. These worship assemblies were required.

WHAT WAS DONE IN THE CHURCH WORSHIP?^xiv

REHEARSAL AND READING. The Hebrew word^xv for "convocations" (miqra^H4744) helps us to know what was to be done during these worship assemblies. Besides meaning "summoned", the Hebrew word meant "rehearsal." "Rehearsal" in this regard is defined as "the act of practicing in preparation for an event."^xvi It is also translated as "reading"^xvii (per Strong's Dictionary of Hebrew Words). These were commanded holy assemblies then the Law would be read and rehearsed.^xviii

An illustration for us might be the reading of the Law of God to the assembly, next to the Temple area, in Nehemiah 8:8 when Judah returned from captivity. The Law was read "distinctly, and giving the sense, and causing to understand".

MUSIC DURING HOLY . We know that Moses taught odes, songs or chants, at the ekklesia (Deuteronomy 31:30) and Moses authored the prayer of Psalm 90:1.^xix Nothing is said about musical instruments in the assemblies in the wilderness. Only Aaronic qualified priests blast their silver trumpets over burnt offerings and peace offerings in the tabernacle (Number 10:10).^xx "And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations" (Leviticus 23:24).

RESTORING CONVOCATIONS OF THE SABBATHS.

1. It is impossible to restore the worship assemblies geographically at the mountain of God. No one knows where Mount Horeb is or was. Some say, in the Sinai peninsular somewhere; others say in Saudi Arabia beyond Aqabar. Even if we knew where, which of the peaks is the right one?

2. We cannot acceptably restore the tabernacle services before which the convocations assembled. To restore Levitical worship is to deny Jesus as our high priest. For that whole system of tabernacle offerings served as a "shadow of heavenly things" (Hebrews 8:5). "The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing..." (9:8). It was "a figure for the time then present" (9:9), but a figure of something better in the future. "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Hebrews 9:11, 12). So whereas God was pleased to use such "weak and beggarly elements" to help His wilderness church (as children under age -- Galatians 4) it has nothing to do with us.

3. What about the holy sabbaths? We are told not to examine anyone in respect of sabbaths and holy days. "Let no man therefore judge* you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days [plural]: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ" (Colossians 2:16, 17). * "Let no man judge you" is grammatically "forbidding the habit of passing judgment in such matters."^xxi

4. Without the only authorized Levitical Priesthood, we have no authority to offer burnt offerings and blast silver trumpets.

5. Meanwhile, the assemblies themselves did not use musical instruments in the convocations.

Next: CAN WE MAKE UP OUR OWN WORSHIP PATTERN?

Did the church in the wilderness devise their own worship to Elohim (God) and were they acceptable to God for it?

-Gaylon West

THROW OUT THE LIFELINE website.