"Allow me to ask you the reader a question: Where do you find the first occurrence of the word worship in the Bible? ......
The first time you find the word worship in Scriptures is in Genesis 22. It reads:
Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship." Gen 22:5 (author's emphasis)
Abraham was not going up yonder to sing a slow song with Isaac. He was going up there to put the most treasured possession in his life to death, simply because God asked him to do it! So as you can see, worship is a life of obedience. This explains why God passionately says to His own people who were singing songs to Him:
Away with your hymns of praise! They are only noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry. (Amos 5:23-24 NLT) "
- John Bevere, Drawing Near
