The History of Praise and Worship

Praise and worship. Two words that just seem to stick together. Why? How? When? Where? When did praise and worship become praise and worship....or has it always been?

Why don't we say Thanksgiving and Worship or Praise and Obedience or something like that? After all, isn't worship really obedience? I don't think there can any such thing as worship without obedience.

Maybe this article should be called The History of Obedience. If so, obedience doesn't have a much of an

appeal...is that because there is so much disobedience around? Like you, or me...do we really like that word: obedience. I know...we like the word if it convenient for us.

Okay Lord, ...uh...I'm not doing anything else....so...I guess I'll go visit the elderly. uh-oh.

Almost everyone I can think of knows the history of Adam and Eve, the garden of Eden, and the serpant. If you don't know this story it goes like this: God placed Adam on the earth to take care of it. God gave the earth to Adam (and Eve)...with the exception of one tree. This tree and only this tree was off limits.

Satan was able to get Adam to question the sincerity of God through the temptation brought to Eve. After reasoning the situation, both Adam and Eve decided that disobeying the Lords boundaries would be okay....until it happened.

The worship, fellowship and communion Adam and Eve had before eating the forbidden fruit was disrupted by an act of self reasoning 'disobedience'. Willfully choosing to act contrary to the desire of God...broke the worship connection....and, as far as I can tell, this worship connection had nothing to do with music.

However, If you would like to read a little about the history of music and the church history of Music in Christian Worship by Robert Hinchcliffe. You'll have to buy the download.

If we want a history of worship, we need to understand what worship is and where it comes from...and what it looks like.

The first mention of the word Worship can be found in Genesis 22:5. This is the account of Abraham's offering of Isaac. If you are familiar with the story....we're talking serious obedience here; serious worship! was music invovled? no. was obedience? yes.

The scriptures tell us that Noah did all that God commanded him to do. Read Genesis 6:22.

Our reverence for the Lord is measured by our obedience, not our brush strokes or vi-IV-V-I progressions.