#45 On the Nature of God: Why worship God?

Little children quickly learn the key word ‘Why?’ Perhaps they learn that word as a delaying tactic to prolong the time before they have to do some task. Perhaps they learn that they can argue or complain when they hear the parent give a reason as to why they must do something. However, after several oral discussions of ‘Why?’ and the reason they need to comply, some parents will stop explaining and simply say. “Because I said so.” That often is unsatisfactory to the child until they learn that the parent is simply saying, “I am the adult and I have the right to order you to do something!”

Some people are like that with God. They ask ‘Why should we worship?’ The simple answer is that God is God and deserves our obedience and worship.

The Children of Israel in the Old Testament often had a problem of worshipping God and fell into worshipping idols. For example, when the ten northern tribes broke away from the rulership of the house of David, their new king, Jeraboam, made golden calves, 1 Kings 12:28-29:

“the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.”

Jeraboam was saying ‘why go to Jerusalem? You can worship an idol here.’ Apparently, most of the people agreed with him and forsook the worship of God in Jerusalem.

Although they seldom seemed to ask, God had given an excellent reason in the 10 commandments as to why they should respect and worship Him, Exodus 20:1-2:

“And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

God had accomplished what no one thought was possible—He had freed them from slavery.

The situation with the Children of Israel being freed of Egyptian captivity is parallel to us today. God had brought Israel out of the horrible slavery of Egypt. For this tremendous blessing, they owed Him obedience and worship. Mankind today is steeped in sin. The Apostle Paul made that situation clear in Romans 3:23-25:

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”

God gave His Son on the cross that we might have a way to wash our sins away and have a home in heaven, John 3:16-18:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

By sending His Son to die, God has now made it possible for us to get forgiveness of sins.

Today no one deserves the marvelous grace of God and salvation. Peter makes it clear as to how this grace can be obtained by sinful men, Acts 2:38-41:

“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized,”

So, God, due to His love for His creation, has provided salvation to the believing and obedient. It is His nature.

The lesson is obvious to us. We should obey and worship God because He deserves it for what He has done for us.

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