When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD coming into the camp, their shout of joy was so loud it made the ground shake! [1 Samuel 4.5]
Wow! What a powerful passage of scripture, right? Not so fast...
Even though Israel got all emotional about the Ark of the Covenant, God wasn't having anything to do with it. The only thing Israel's emotion did was rally the Philistines to fight harder and soundly defeat them.
Worship of God without relationship with Him is useless. We see in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading that worship without relationship worked against Israel.
It should furthermore be noted that worship of God is not the same as relationship with God. As Israel demonstrated, it is possible to have grand and glorious worship and emotion about God entirely void of relationship with Him.
This should scare the hell out of the modern Church for its passionate and emotional worship sessions that are, in the end, void of power. But, unfortunately, like Hophni and Phinehas in all their hellishness, the Church today joins in acclaimed "spirit-filled" meetings that are nothing more than emotionalism; without one documentable miracle of God's power (let alone, widespread victories).
Too much? The proof is in the results. God's power is not abstract any more than the faith He requires of us. Jesus proved that God's power is real and that faith actually changes things!
God's power, not our praise, changes us and our circumstances. That does not however preempt celebration from those who are in genuine relationship with God though. This distinction is seen in today's OYCB reading and in Hophni and Phinehas in particular - they participated in the party - and they died.
There is no denying that there is power in praise! However! Without relationship with God, the power in our praise may work against us and not for us! Let that soak in.
Father, help us focus on our relationship with You!
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