“They were to take part in the joyous occasion with their songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps, and lyres.” (Nehemiah 12:27, NLT)

The dedication of the Jerusalem wall was a time of worship, singing and rejoicing. Two praise bands consisting of Levites and priests sang loudly with musical instruments while they marched in two different directions on top of the wall. This was quite a spectacle and announced to everyone that they had completed the wall with the help of the LORD. This worship service glorified God, enlightened their neighbors, and frustrated their enemies. It seems that both praise bands started at the Valley Gate on the western wall. Ezra led the first group that proceeded southward toward the Dung Gate. Nehemiah led the second group that proceeded northward toward the Tower of the Ovens. After marching around the wall, both groups met at the temple area where the service climaxed with sacrifices offered to the LORD.

There are private worship services that are intimate for believers to draw near to God. But then there are public worship services that proclaim the praises of God to those outside the church. Each August we have our Worship in the Park where we conduct a service in the hearing of apartment dwellers, greenbelt runners, picnickers, and transients who often join us for lunch. When we go down to the river to baptize, then rafters hear us singing worship songs on the riverbank. This is intentionally a very public service because we are not ashamed of the gospel, and we are proud of our God. We seek to glorify the name of Jesus, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Such a worship service edifies the saints, enlightens our neighbors, and exasperates our enemy, the devil.

One thing we should always keep in mind in any worship service is that It is not to bless us but to bless God. The word “worship” means to “bow down”. We come to enthrone God and to lay down our own desires. We don’t come to rate the worship team or to make sure they play our favorite song but to empty ourselves and minister to the LORD through thanksgiving and the sacrifice of praise. We come to magnify the holy name of our God. We come not merely to sing songs but to worship the LORD in spirit and in truth, for these are the worshipers whom the Father seeks (John 4:23).

I am thankful for our worship teams, because I believe that they are not seeking to be performers but to sincerely worship God from the heart. We aim for authenticity in our worship whether we have an entire praise band or a single person with a guitar. Honestly, before a service I love to see people with their Bibles open or heads bowed in a spirit of prayer, preparing their hearts to worship God. In Nehemiah 12:30 we see that the priests and Levites first purified themselves, and then they purified the people before they began worshiping the LORD. I think it would be a good idea for us to quietly humble ourselves in the presence of the LORD, and even confess our sins before opening our mouths to sing. Then our worship will be filled with the spontaneous joy and blessedness of knowing that our sins are forgiven! But you don’t have to wait until Sunday; you can do this today!