They Rose Up to Play

Exodus 32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

INTRODUCTORY THOUGHTS

When true worship gets blended together with amusement, it yields varying types of worldliness and idolatry. In Exodus chapter 32, the children of Israel observed a “feast to the LORD” at the same time that they “rose up to play.” As men begin to grow increasingly cold and indifferent toward the Lord and His ways, they will seek ever more imaginative ways to make spiritual worship appeal to the flesh. This is often accomplished by uniting pleasure and worship. In an effort to keep people interested in the worship of God, churches add comedic relief, drama, carnal music, and a host of other worldly amusements. In doing so, the worship of God gets corrupted and becomes nothing more than idolatry or false worship.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

(For children):Read Romans 10:17. Lost people see preaching the word of God as foolishness (1 Corinthians l:18, 21). Unfortunately, even Christians have become dull of hearing and want to be entertained from the pulpits (Hebrews 5:11-12). Oh, that we had the heart for God like the people in Nehemiah’s time (Nehemiah 8:1-3, 8; Nehemiah 9:3).

(For everyone):Do you judge the worship of God by the amount of amusement or the extent of the entertainment received? If so, do you think this pleases God?

(For everyone):Do you think the saints of old required amusement in order to worship God? Do you think those who were martyred for the faith would find modern worship to be idolatrous?

PRAYER THOUGHTS

Ask God to give you a heart for Him.

Ask the Lord to show you that amusement is not worship.

SONG

Brethren, We Have Met to Worship

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