Do you approach worship by asking what pleases you, or by seeking what God says pleases Him?
Key Verse:
“You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.” — Exodus 20:24 (NASB)
Background Context:
After the people witnessed the thunder, lightning, trumpet blast, and smoke surrounding Mount Sinai, God continued speaking through Moses. He had just demonstrated that He was holy and unlike anything Israel had encountered among the gods of Egypt. Now He began teaching His people how they were to approach Him in worship.
His instructions were strikingly simple. They were not to make gods of silver or gold, and their altar was to be made from earth or uncut stones. Israel was not to imitate the elaborate religious practices of the nations around them. The God who had redeemed them would determine how His people approached Him.
(Continued and expanded after scripture.)
22Then the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. 23‘You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves. 24‘You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. 25‘If you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it. 26‘And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed on it.’
Reflection on Exodus 20:22–26:
God begins by reminding Israel of something they had just experienced firsthand: “You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.” Their God was not an object fashioned by human hands. He had revealed Himself, spoken His own words, and demonstrated His power before them. Therefore, they were not to make gods of silver or gold alongside Him. The living God would not share His worship with something His people had created.
This reinforces what God had already taught in the second commandment. Israel was surrounded by nations that represented their gods through physical objects and approached them according to human traditions. God called His people to be set apart. They were not to borrow the world’s methods and simply attach His name to them. The One they worshiped was different from the gods of the nations, and their worship was to reflect that difference.
God’s instructions concerning the altar are equally revealing. An altar of earth hardly sounds impressive. Even if they used stone, they were commanded not to shape those stones with their tools. The altar was not intended to showcase human craftsmanship or draw attention to the person who built it. The focus of worship was to remain on God. Human achievement was not to compete for His glory.
There is an important principle here for us as well. We can easily become impressed with buildings, programs, music, personalities, traditions, or elaborate presentations. None of those things is necessarily wrong, but they must never become the focus of worship. Worship is not ultimately about what impresses us. It is about honoring the Lord according to what He has revealed in His Word. God determines what is holy and what pleases Him.
The final instruction concerning the altar steps reinforces this emphasis on holiness. God commanded that His people not expose themselves while ascending the altar. Even details that might seem insignificant to us mattered because they were approaching a holy God. Worship was not casual entertainment. The Lord desired His people to approach Him with reverence, purity, and respect.
Yet God’s instructions are not merely a list of restrictions. In the middle of the passage is a beautiful promise: “I will come to you and bless you.” The holy God desires fellowship with His people. He establishes the way they are to approach Him not because He wants to keep them distant, but because sinful humanity cannot determine for itself how to enter the presence of a holy God. God graciously provides the way.
That truth ultimately points us toward Yeshua. Under the covenant at Sinai, God provided sacrifices through which His people could approach Him. Those sacrifices anticipated the greater and final sacrifice of Messiah. Hebrews teaches that Yeshua offered Himself “once for all” (Hebrews 10:10), accomplishing what animal sacrifices could never permanently accomplish. We still do not approach God on our own terms; we approach Him through the way He Himself has provided—through Yeshua.
Exodus 20 therefore ends where it began: with God taking the initiative. He rescued Israel before giving them His commandments, revealed how His redeemed people should live, and then provided instructions for how they could approach Him. From beginning to end, the relationship rests upon God’s grace. Our response is to trust Him enough to worship and obey Him according to His Word rather than according to our own preferences.
Application:
- Examine whether your worship is shaped primarily by Scripture or by personal preference and cultural expectations.
- Keep God Himself at the center rather than allowing methods, traditions, personalities, or experiences to become the focus.
- Approach the Lord with both confidence and reverence, remembering His holiness.
- Thank God that He has not left us to invent our own way into His presence.
- Rejoice that through Yeshua, God has provided the way for us to draw near to Him.
Closing Prayer:
Father, thank You for revealing Yourself and showing me how You desire to be worshiped. Keep me from replacing Your instruction with my own preferences or allowing anything to take the attention that belongs to You alone. Teach me to approach You with humility, reverence, and gratitude. Most of all, thank You for providing the way for me to draw near through Yeshua and His finished sacrifice. May my worship honor You as You truly are rather than as I might prefer You to be. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.
May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.
John Golda
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