“God is not the Author of Confusion” (Ready to Worship S6E9)

In this season of Ready to Worship, we have been examining the God is statements of the Bible. We have been operating on the premise that the better we come to know God, the better that we can worship Him. In the remaining podcasts of this season we are going to shift our focus just a little. Having noticed the God is statements of the Bible, we are going to now notice some of the God is not statements of the Bible. Although stated in a negative form, these statements reveal God’s nature as clearly as their positive counterparts. In this lesson, we are going to notice that God is not the author of confusion.

To the saints at Corinth, Paul wrote, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33). As you likely know, there was confusion in the worship at Corinth. To correct this error, Paul pointed the saints to the nature of God. He made clear that this confusion was from man and not from God. God is not the author of confusion. He is the author of peace. He is a God of order.  If we are going to worship God acceptably, then our worship has to be characterized by order. A little later in this same chapter, Paul wrote, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40). As you likely know, the word “worship” appears for the first time in the Bible in connection with the worship of Abraham. We read, “And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you” (Gen. 22:5). One of the things that characterized the worship on this occasion was order. Please notice what Moses records in the ninth verse, “And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood” (Gen. 22:9). As you know, there is an art to building a good fire. The wood has to be laid in order. The same is true of building a good fire in worship.  To make clear that the order that characterized Abraham’s worship was not an isolated case, consider what is said concerning worship in the book of Leviticus. We read, “And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord” (Lev. 1:7-9).

As we get ready to worship this week, let’s keep in mind that God is not the author of confusion. He is a God of order. To worship Him acceptably, we must worship Him decently and in order.