Martin Luther wrote: Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of son was given to man that he would proclaim the Word of God through music. Today the idea of worship has been reduced in most religious settings to primarily singing and music, but also raising the hands, dancing, and spiritual ecstasy. We even give the title “worship leader” to someone who sings.
As a result, many well-meaning people think they are worshiping God, but are ignorantly engaged in false worship which God rejects, as we fantasize about pleasing God while actually working to please our own senses.
As Christians, our concepts of spiritual things come from the Bible, not our culture, traditions, what seems appropriate, or what feels right to us. This simple truth requires us to examine God’s direction about worship that pleases and honors Him.

I. God’s Service (Judg 7:7-8). God assured Gideon again that He would give the victory over the Midianites. He would win the victory through Gideon’s tiny army of 300 untrained soldiers. God would do the work through these men, which is the very definition of a spiritual gift. When God works by spiritual gifting, He always receives the glory because He’s the One doing the work!
Interestingly, much of Gideon’s service to the Lord was done at night (Judg 6:27, 40; 7:9, 19). It’s as if God deprived Gideon of physical sight of his circumstances to re-emphasize He was at work. Gideon couldn’t serve the Lord by what he saw or felt; he had to walk by faith in God, not by his sight (2 Cor 5:7).



II. God’s Voice (Judg 7:9-14). At night, Gideon sat at the edge of the Midianite camp. By God’s sovereign design he heard an enemy soldier describe a dream in which a small piece of barley bread destroyed their own camp. Barley was the poor man’s grain. God providentially arranged for both soldiers to talk in Gideon’s presence at the perfect time and place.
In the Old Testament, God sometimes spoke to the saved and unsaved by dreams (Gen 20:3; 8.10-Gen.28.12" class="scriptRef">28:10-12; 31:24; 37:5; 40:5, 8; 41:1; Dan 2:1 28-29). This was one of many ways He revealed His will to mankind. But Scripture warns that dreams can be deceptive (Jer 23:32; Zech 10:2). Today, we have God’s prefect revealed Word, the Bible, which is the only true test of God’s will.

III. God’s Worship (Judg 7:15). Gideon finally responded as he should have when the Lord first appeared: he worshiped (Gen 18:2; 19.1" class="scriptRef">19:1; 22:5; 23:7; Deut 5:9; 8:19; Judg 2:12, 17, 19). This Hebrew word, Shachah means to bow to the ground humbly before a superior, and it’s first used of Abraham’s response at finding favor in the sight of his heavenly guests (Gen 18:2).
Jesus refined our understanding of worship in John 4:23-26. While the religious world emphasizes being “seeker sensitive”, Jesus said it’s the Father who is actively seeking people to worship Him, and His worship must be in spirit and in truth. While the Samaritan woman was worried about the “place” of worship, Jesus directed her to the “how” of worship.
Spiritual worship comes from within a person, from his spirit. It is sincere and God-directed, rather than merely outward or spirited, and is the endowment of the saved alone. The Pharisees were professionals at outward worship, with their lips, but inwardly they were decayed and dead (Mt 15:7-9; 23:25-26).
Worship must also be founded in truth; truth of who God is and what’s He’s done. Truth is revealed in the written Word of God. A wrong view of God, His works, and His worship cannot produce truthful worship no matter how sincere the worshiper may be. False views of God produce only false worship.
Worship reveals humility, submission, dependence, and service. Worship, then, is an awe-filled surrender to the will of God in service, praising Him for who He is and what He does, acknowledging His right to command us, and our responsibility to obey.