This is an excellent book I would encourage anyone, especially in the worship arts of a church, to read deeply.

The Foundations of Worship (Jack Hayford)

(Book Report)

In this book, Dr. Hayford sets out basic principles that are fundamental ‘doctrines’ of understanding why and how we as New Testament believers can participate in worship.

In the chapter, “The Meaning of Worship,” he shows that “everyone worships something,” whether it be their job, money, possessions or people (rock star idols). The word worship comes from the Old English word ‘worthscipe’ which means ‘to ascribe worth unto’. “The essential idea is that whatever it is that you value most highly or place the greatest worth upon is what you worship…Worship means you are determining values, you are deciding what you desire the most…Since worship determines your values and priorities it will consequently determine the outflow of your life. It will affect what you seek and where you seek it. That will, in turn, determine what you discover and what kind of fulfillment will be achieved in your life.” Hayford goes on, “We bring our heart into alignment with whatever we worship, and allow our heart to begin to mirror that which we worship…By setting your bowing and seeking, worship determines what you will discover.”

In the chapter, “The Call to Worship,” the example of Abraham is shown, “As it was with Abraham, so it is with us. If we answer God’s call to worship, there are certain things that will be required of us. The first is that we’ll be called to a new place in Him. The Lord said, ‘Go to Moriah, to the place where I will show you.’ God calls us to a new place in following Him, by responding to His call to worship Him.” Hayford shows, however, that God’s true nature, “is never to destroy what He created us to be, but to release in us what has always been His highest intention.

In the chapter, “The God We Worship”, Hayford shows the five key attributes of God as being: 1) Eternal (He embraces all time), 2) Almighty (He has no restrictions of power), 3) Omnipresent (He is everywhere), 4) Omniscient (He knows all things), 5) Holy (He can never be less than He is, and will never act out of character).”

In the chapter, “The Beauty of Worship,” the subject of God’s holiness is discussed, “The issue of God’s holiness is at the heart of this matter of beauty. The holiness of the Lord is the trait that means He is complete and cannot lose that completeness; so holiness is closely related to the similar sounding word ‘wholeness’…God’s holiness is never revealed as a point of intimidation. God doesn’t say, ‘Look how holy I am! Now bow and scrape.’ He says, ‘Come into the presence of My holiness.’”

In the chapter, “The Song of Worship,” Hayford asserts, “Faith in Jesus Christ has been called the singing faith. None of the world’s religions have the kind of song found among those who are alive in Jesus Christ…One can follow church music back through the great hymns of the past several centuries, to the baroque oratorios of Bach and Handel, to the modal music and Gregorian chants of the medieval church. In fact, this singing tradition goes back to the First Century Church; there are portions of Scripture that scholars believe were hymns of the Early Church.” Hayford shows that, “The Bible repeatedly and directly tells us that singing releases joy…There are 85 places in the Bible where we are directed to sing. In Psalm 47 alone, it commands us to sing five times. Psalm 150 says, ‘With the instruments, with the loud voices let a shout be raised to the Lord.’ Paul tells the Colossians that they should be ‘teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.’” After showing other well-known verses, Hayford summarizes by saying, “We are commanded to sing because: 1) It releases joy; 2) It refreshes and renews us even in times of pain; 3) It keeps us filled with the Spirit.”

He goes on to show that “singing breaks down walls and opens doors” (recounting Paul and Silas in the prison earthquake), that singing is a way to gain victory (recounting the story in II Chronicles 20 with King Jehoshaphat), and that song is creative, “In Job we are told that the original creative work of God was accompanied by the singing of the angelic hosts (Job 38-4-7)”

In the chapter, “The Sacrifices of Worship”, Hayford discusses the meanings of Hebrew words: Yadah and Todah which mean ‘to hold out the hands.’ “The word Todah also contains the implication that the stretching out of the hands was to be done with a congregation or as part of a choir of worshipers.” Hallal means to boast or rave with deep thanksgiving. Shebakh means to praise with a loud voice. Zawmar is translated ‘to praise with a musical instrument or with singing. Barak contains the idea of bowing or kneeling in homage to God.

In the chapter, “Worship’s Fellowship,” Hayford emphasizes the importance of coming together. “It involves a time, a place and a people. There is no way to escape these things. The Lord has always brought people to worship at a specific place and time, in space and with people…The Bible directs us to have a time set apart to worship…we have a need for regular times of concentrated worship with other believers…I Corinthians 16:2 says that the Early Church usually gathered on the first day of the week.” He also cites Hebrews 10:25.

Throughout the book, Hayford also covers the subjects of worship expressed in Communion, Giving Offerings, as well as the importance of ‘being filled with the Spirit’, stating, “The Bible says that the day the Church was born they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they worshiped Him…so the Church was born in a worship service.”

Conclusion: This book, written several years ago, was a good refresher of truths foundational to worship. I was impressed by the overall quality and scholarship of the material, which evidently has had a lasting influence. The material is a good resource for teaching and explaining some of these concepts to those in the Praise and Worship ministry who may be new to some of these concepts.

2013-11-22 LH