WORSHIP IS THE PRIORITY — PSALM 95
Base Text: Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7
"Come, let us make a joyful noise to Jehovah; let us sing with joy to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with praise; let us acclaim him with songs. For Jehovah is a great God, and a great King over all gods. [...] Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before Jehovah our Maker. For he is our God; we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand." (Psalms 95:1-7)
INTRODUCTION
The Chicago Tribune newspaper published the story of Maria, a woman from New Mexico who, while preparing tortillas one morning, saw the face of Jesus burned on one of them. Instead of eating it, she framed it, set up an altar, and began showing it to her neighbors. In two days, more than 8,000 people made a pilgrimage to her house to worship a burnt tortilla.
Does it sound absurd? Maybe. But it reveals a profound truth that the Bible has always confirmed:
Human beings were created to worship. The question is not if you will worship, but who will you worship?
The apostle Paul confirms this in Romans 1:25 — humanity always exchanges God's truth for a lie, worshiping and serving the creature before the Creator. If we do not worship the true God, we will worship something else: money, fame, work, idols, burnt tortillas.
That is why Psalm 95 urgently calls us today: Come, let us worship. It is not optional. It's the priority.
1. The Human Being Was Created To Worship
Before making us builders, intellectuals, artists or parents, God made us worshippers.
Isaiah 43:7 — "All who are called by my name; for my glory I have created them, formed them, and made them."
Revelation 4:11 confirms — "Lord, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created."
We were created by Him and for Him. Worship is not an additional religious activity. It is the original purpose of the human being.
The problem with modern man is not that he does not worship. The problem is that he loves what he shouldn't:
- The stadium filled with 80,000 people shouting the name of a footballer
- The concert where thousands raise their hands towards a pop star
- The daily hours dedicated to social networks, work, entertainment
- The 8,000 who made a pilgrimage to see a burnt tortilla
"And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image to corruptible man, and to birds, and to four-footed animals, and to creeping things." (Romans 1:23)
Worship is the original design. Ignoring it doesn't eliminate it — it just redirects it toward the wrong thing.
2. What Does It Mean to Worship According to the Bible?
The word "worship" is used so much that it has lost meaning. The Bible has very precise words:
In Hebrew: חָוָה (ḥāwāh)
It means to prostrate, bow deeply, to declare absolute allegiance to a deity. It's not just a warm feeling or an exciting song. It is a physical, emotional and spiritual posture that declares: "You are the Sovereign. I surrender completely to You."
In the ancient world, it was the gesture that a vassal made before the conquering king: I prostrate, I recognize your authority, I depend on you.
In Greek: προσκυνέω (proskuneō)
It means kissing the hand raised upward, prostrating in reverence, paying homage. Paul uses this root in Romans 12:1 when he says "I beseech you" — it is that same posture of surrender.
The four verbs of worship in Psalms 95
Psalm 95 gives us four imperial commands that describe complete and total worship:
| Verb (English) | Hebrew | Transliteration | Deep meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let us acclaim (v.1) | רָנַן | rānān | Shout for joy; vibrant and public singing |
| Let's sing (v.1) | רוּעַ | rûaʿ | Noisy signal like trumpet; public call |
| Let us worship (v.6) | שָׁחָה | šāḥāh | Bow deeply; active humiliation |
| Let us prostrate ourselves (v.6) | כָּרַע | kāraʿ | Kneel; total surrender before the King |
Four verbs. Four dimensions. Worship with the whole being.
It's not a smiley face emoji in an Instagram story. It is the posture of the soul before the King of the universe.
3. Worshiping God is the First Priority
Matthew 6:33 — "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
The adverb says it all: firstly. First. Before breakfast, before work, before family, before business, before social networks.
But is this real or just a nice phrase? Scripture supports this strongly:
The mathematics of the Bible
- Genesis 1 describes the entire creation of the universe — heavens, earth, seas, life — in exactly 31 verses.
- The book of Exodus dedicates 7 entire chapters and more than 243 verses just to the design of the Tabernacle, a place built exclusively to worship God.
What does this say? That God spent more space in Scripture teaching us how to worship Him than explaining to us how everything that exists was created.
Worship is not secondary to God. It is the structural priority of the entire Bible.
The design of the Israel camp
When God instructed the layout of the Israelite camp in the wilderness (Numbers 2:2), the instruction was clear: all the Israelites were to camp "around the tabernacle".
The center of community life was not the leader's palace, nor the market, nor the battlefield. It was the place of worship. Everything revolved around the presence of God.
What is at the center of your life today?
4. The Fire That Must Never Go Out
In the Tabernacle, the altar of burnt offering occupied the most prominent place. The sacrifice was called עֹלָה (olah) — literally "what goes up, what ascends". It was the offering that went up to God in fragrant smoke. Everything ascended towards Him.
And on this altar, God gave an extraordinary instruction:
"The fire of the altar will be lit on it; it will not be quenched. Every morning the priest will light wood on it... The fire will burn continually on the altar; it will not be quenched." (Leviticus 6:12-13)
Three times in two verses: it will not be quenched. It won't go out. It will not turn off.
It couldn't be turned off at night. Not in winter. Not in the desert. Not when the priest was tired. Not when there was a crisis in the camp. The fire had to burn always.
And incense was so sacred that Exodus 30:34-36 declared it exclusive to God:
"You shall not make another according to its composition; it will be a sacred thing for you to Jehovah."
No one else could use that formula. No one else could replicate that scent. The glory belongs to Him alone.
The message for us is direct: worship of God is not like a faucet that turns on and off depending on the mood. It's not something you turn on only on Sundays and turn off on Monday. It is a fire that must burn continuously.
When was the last time the fire of your adoration truly burned?
5. We are the Aroma of Christ
Paul concludes this entire theology of worship with two powerful images:
"Therefore, I beseech you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1)
The Greek expression λογικὴν λατρείαν (logikēn latreian) — translated as "rational worship" — means worship of the whole being, thoughtful, deliberate, total worship. Not a moment of emotion. A life presented before God as an offering.
"Presenting the body" was the same act of the priest who placed the sacrifice on the altar. Paul is saying: you are the priest AND you are the sacrifice.
And then in 2 Corinthians 2:15:
"For to God we are a sweet aroma of Christ in those who are saved, and in those who are lost."
Like the incense of the Tabernacle that rose fragrant before the presence of God, we are the aroma of Christ. Our worshiping life ascends before the Father as a pleasant fragrance.
When we worship, we are not doing God a favor. We are fulfilling the purpose for which we were created before the foundation of the world.
CONCLUSION
The world will always have people who worship burnt tortillas, clay idols, money, work, fame or anything else. Human beings were designed to worship, and if they do not worship the true God, they will worship any substitute.
But we have the revelation of Psalms 95:
"Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before Jehovah our Maker. For he is our God."
Worship is:
- ✅ The original design of the human being (Isaiah 43:7)
- ✅ The first priority of Scripture (243 verses vs 31 of Genesis)
- ✅ The center of biblical community life (Tabernacle in the center of the camp)
- ✅ The fire that must never be put out (Leviticus 6:12-13)
- ✅ The aroma that rises pleasing before God (2 Corinthians 2:15)
The question is not whether you will worship. The question is: Who will you worship today?
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
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What things have you worshiped without realizing it? (work, social networks, entertainment, money, personal image)
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When was the last time you worshiped God with all your heart, not just with your lips?
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What does it mean to you to “present your body as a living sacrifice” today? What does that look like in your daily life?
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If the fire of the Tabernacle was never to go out, what have you allowed to happen to the fire of your worship? Does it still burn?
🎥 See the Full Preaching
Watch on YouTube: Worship is the Priority — Psalms 95 | Pastor Josué Angarita
Outline by Pastor Josue Angarita — MMM Portal Campestre Church, Giron, Santander, Colombia.
💡 Keep learning: To continue growing in your faith, explore our [Deep Bible Studies] section with more thematic teachings.