Everyone assumes that he understands what worship is and how it should be conducted. We will investigate, here, Davidic Worship in contrast to other modes of worship.
Object of Worship
John recorded a vision of all of creation entering worship in some future age (Revelation 5:13). Worship will be directed “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb”. True Davidic (Messianic) worship then is directed to two distinct beings. One is the Lamb who is also described as the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah and the Root of David. This One we would understand to be the Messiah. He is obviously glorified, yet, with specific human characteristics. The second object of worship is the Holy One, Himself. John makes no effort to describe Him. He only refers to Him as “One sitting on the Throne”.
Peter describes Davidic worship by declaring that as believers “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (I Peter 2:5). In Messiah we are afforded the capacity by the Holy Spirit to offer special spiritual sacrifices which are uniquely acceptable to God. No one else can present such offering of praise and worship.
Hashem (The Name)
The most profound declaration of the Name of God was revealed to Moses at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 3:14). God declared His Name to be “Hayah Ashar Hayah“. This phrase is based on the future tense of the state of being verb “Hayah” and is best translated as “I Will Be What I Will Be”. It is unfortunate that most Bibles have this expression translated as “I Am That I Am”. This adequately describes God’s sovereignty but misses something more important to us. Beyond God’s absolute sovereignty, the Name declares that we can never fully define who God is. In spite of man’s thirst to define God, this name declares boldly that He remains beyond human comprehension and definition.
There are many other names given in the Scriptures that help us understand the nature and purposes of God. Among these names are the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, El Shaddai and, of course, the Father of Messiah Jesus.
The Name of the Messiah
The Bible gives us specifically the name of the Messiah. The angel Gabriel declared that His name would be called Yehoshua [or Yeshua] (Luke 1:31). When this name is translated from Hebrew to Greek and, in turn, to English we arrive at the name of Jesus that most are familiar with. The name literally means “The God of Israel is my Healing” or simply “Salvation”. Other names of the Messiah include the Lamb of God, the Word of God, Lord and the Head of the Church.
Progression of Davidic Worship
Davidic worship can be accomplished only as the Messiah is manifested in His body (the local church) through the Holy Spirit. It cannot be accomplished directly by an individual or by any general assembly of human beings. Therefore, the first step in Davidic worship is an assembly of true believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit and have been called together to form a local body of believers under authority. The second step is for the individuals of the body to humble themselves by acknowledging that they, as human beings, are unworthy and incapable of Davidic worship. Then, as the body praises the Messiah, He fills them with His presence. He is manifested through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Finally, as the Messiah is manifested through the Holy Spirit, praise and worship begin to be manifested to the Holy One. Actually, the Messiah in us is worshipping the Holy One. He alone is worthy.
In Davidic Worship, the name of the Holy One and the name of the Lamb are clearly praised and glorified. In fact, if a man of Israel should enter a worship service, he should easily and clearly discern that the Holy One of Israel is being worshipped. In fact, the only difference between the worship of Israel and Davidic worship is that on the one hand, God’s elect nation is praising and worshipping the Holy One. On the other hand, Davidic worship entails the Messiah, Himself, worshipping the Holy One. The object of ultimate worship is the same.
Summary
There are a multitude of modes of methods of worship today. Some include majestic yet dead liturgies. Some involve repetition of prayers and creeds. Some involve militant, boisterous songs. Some even include Jewish elements and symbolism (Kippa and Talit) in their liturgy. However, true Davidic worship involves the mystical union of Messiah Jesus with a body of believers. Beyond a simple union, the Messiah is actively manifested through the body and openly praises and worships the Holy One of Israel through them. Every local congregation of true believers have this incredible potential. Unfortunately, few realize it. Is there a need for a revitalization of worship in your local congregation? Don’t miss the opportunity for the ultimate honor that a human can experience — offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus the Messiah.
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