Guarding against paganism in worship requires specific action.

“You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations who you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way.” Deuteronomy 12.2-4

In ancient Israel there was to be only one religious cultus – one set of procedures and furnishings, and only authorized officials to lead Israel in worship. God is holy; He is not like other “gods”, which were worshiped according to the whims and “good ideas” of the pagan peoples. God’s people are holy, and they must worship God in ways altogether distinct from the practices of their pagan neighbors.

Thus God instructed Israel to destroy utterly every last facet, semblance, or reminder of pagan worship within the land He provided for them. By their pagan practices the various Canaanite peoples had polluted the land of promise. God determined that His people should purify the land by wholly removing every aspect, element, or component of the false worship of false gods, and by following only the holy and revealed practices He had given to Moses, beginning on Mt. Sinai.

High mountains and high places might seem like a neat idea – getting closer to God and being out in the beauty of His creation. But to worship God this way blended His holiness with pagan false gods, and so Israel was not to practice such worship. Having ornate statues and altars, using various images and incantations – these, too, may have had their appeal. But these were what pagan people did in seeking their false gods, and they must not be used in the worship of the holy God of Israel.

So far a couple of questions have emerged concerning how we make decisions governing the worship of God. First, Has God specifically commanded us to worship Him in this way? Whatever God commands, and all that God commands, must be part of our worship, or our worship will not be according to His expressed desire, we cannot expect Him to receive it, and we will not be renewed in His Covenant as we need to be.

Second, Of what should our worship of God consist? Nothing must be incorporated into the worship of God which originates in the worship pagan peoples give to their false gods – no matter how much in the way of “good feelings”, “enjoyment”, “pleasure”, or merely pragmatic outcomes such practices accomplish. All such pagan influences are to be eliminated from the worship of God as not pleasing to Him or according to His will.

For a fuller study of the pattern of worship revealed in Scripture, order the book, The Highest Thing, by T. M. Moore, from our online store. These studies and brief essays will help you to see how the pattern of sound worship, which began in the Law of God, comes to complete expression in the rest of Scripture. Pastors, we’re getting ready to start the next season of The Pastors’ Fellowship. Write to me today at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information about how you join in these online discussions. Our theme for the coming series is “The Worldview of God’s Law.” There is no charge for participation, but you must reserve a place for these monthly gatherings. Subscribe to Crosfigell, the devotional newsletter of The Fellowship of Ailbe.