Worship – Prioritizing Obedience
Prioritizing Obedience in Worship: Lessons from Nehemiah
In the book of Nehemiah, we find powerful lessons about what true worship looks like. After rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, the people of Israel turned their attention to something even more important—restoring proper worship of God. Their journey reveals that authentic worship isn’t just about singing songs or attending services; it’s fundamentally about obedience to God.
What Does True Worship Look Like According to the Bible?
True worship commits to God. True worship seeks to be faithful to God. And most importantly, true worship obeys God. In Nehemiah chapters 9 and 10, we see the Israelites making a formal agreement to walk anew in their relationship with God by obeying His Word. They even put an official seal on this document with 84 signatures from their leaders.
This teaches us that the kind of worship God desires from His people prioritizes obedience. It’s not enough to simply show up—God wants our hearts and our actions to align with His commands.
Who Is Called to Obey God?
In Nehemiah 9:38-10:27, we see who joined in this commitment to obey God:
- Political and civil leaders (Nehemiah and others)
- Spiritual leaders (priests and Levites)
- Tribal leaders and heads of families
- The rest of the community—men, women, and children who had understanding
The picture painted here is clear: obedience is expected from all of God’s people. Not just leaders, not just the especially spiritual, but everyone. From the oldest to the youngest, all who understand are called to commit to walking in God’s ways.
When we take obedience seriously as a church, we’re calling all members to be people who walk in commitment to the Lord. As the text shows us, God wants leaders and laity, young and old, to be resolved to:
- Be who God has called us to be in Christ
- Do what God wants us to do according to His kingdom purposes
- Make the name of Jesus great
- Serve others in love
Why Must We Separate from the World?
In Nehemiah 10:28, we read about “all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the land to the law of God.” This separation was crucial to their commitment to obey.
Prioritizing obedience in worship means we must separate from the world. This doesn’t mean physical isolation or withdrawing from society. Rather, it means distinguishing ourselves from the world’s values, morals, beliefs, and ways that are contrary to God.
The New Testament reinforces this principle:
- “Walk no longer as the Gentiles also walk” (Ephesians 4:11)
- “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11)
- “Do not be conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2)
- “Do not love the world or the things in the world” (1 John 2:15)
- “Friendship with the world is hostility towards God” (James 4:4)
Christians who are going to be obedient must “march to the beat of a different drum.” When the world says “follow your heart,” we follow God’s Word. When the world promotes casual sex, drunkenness, or crude speech, we stand on God’s standards. When the world says there are many ways to God, we proclaim Jesus as the only way, truth, and life.
How Do We Submit to God’s Word?
The Israelites took on “a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law” (Nehemiah 10:29). They committed to obey God’s Word in two important ways:
1. Seriously Obey God’s Word
They understood that disobedience would invite divine discipline. They recognized the principle that obedience brings blessing, while disobedience brings judgment. God wants us to take seriously our walk of obedience to His Word.
2. Completely Obey God’s Word
They committed to “keep and observe ALL the commandments of God” (Nehemiah 10:29). They weren’t selective in their obedience but committed to follow everything God commanded.
In the following verses (10:30-39), they made specific commitments:
- Not intermarrying with people of false religions
- Keeping the Sabbath holy
- Letting the land rest every seventh year
- Canceling debts as prescribed
- Contributing financially to the temple
- Bringing firstfruits and tithes to support God’s house and leaders
They were determined not to neglect any part of God’s law. Unlike the Burger King slogan “Have it your way,” they recognized that God’s Word is fixed. We don’t get to pick and choose which parts to obey.
Life Application
The worship God desires is one that prioritizes obedience—understanding truth in a way that affects our hearts and transforms how we think, talk, and live. Here are some questions to consider:
- Is there an area of God’s Word where you’re currently not obeying? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal this to you, then acknowledge it to God and commit to obedience.
- Are you taking God’s Word seriously in all aspects of your life? Or have you “educated yourself beyond your obedience”—knowing but not doing?
- What specific step of obedience is God calling you to take today? Perhaps it’s:
- Joining a church where you can grow as a believer
- Following through with believer’s baptism
- Repenting of a specific sin area
- Trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior for the first time
Remember, Jesus deserves the kind of obedience that does whatever, whenever, wherever, however, for whoever He commands. Our worship is incomplete if we’re disregarding who He’s called us to be and what He’s called us to do.
Will you commit today to worshiping God through obedience? Will you ask Him to help you in the areas where you struggle? True worship begins with obedience, and obedience begins with surrendering your life fully to Christ.