The Rule of Worship

Worship is God's first rule for his people (81:4–5). This rule is fitting because he rescued his people from slavery to sin. It is like Paul says in the New Testament. "You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:20). We should not "blow down to a foreign God" () but only to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's really the whole story of the Bible. To whom will you bow? To God or to something that you think is better than God, more worthy of your allegiance, better able to fulfil your plans for your life.
Psalm 81 distills this rule of worship in a single brief chapter. The people God had rescued from Egypt would not listen to God's voice or submit to him (81:11). Instead, they bowed down to foreign gods. What about you? Is worship the first rule in your life? Will you listen to God, "shout for joy to the God of Jacob" (81:1), and receive the promises he makes to true worshipers? To answer yes to these questions we should hear both God's word to Israel and God's word to us.