Forms of worship that are not worthy of God, especially worship offered without sincerity and obedience or that is contrary to the commands of God.
Examples of false worship
Worship conducted in disobedience to God
Leviticus 10:1–2 See also Numbers 3:2–4; 1 Samuel 15:1–23; 2 Kings 17:33
Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.
Worship and sacrifices offered by those who were not priests
1 Samuel 13:11–14 See also 2 Chronicles 26:19–20
“What have you done?” Samuel asked. And Saul replied, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me, and that you did not come at the appointed time and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will descend upon me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” “You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.”
Insincere worship
Isaiah 29:13 See also Matthew 15:8–9; Mark 7:6–7; Colossians 2:23
Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.
Worship lacking in due humility and reverence
Matthew 6:5 See also Luke 18:10–14
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.
Worship conducted in ignorance of God
John 4:22 See also Acts 17:22–23
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
Scripture vividly contrasts false worship with true worship
True worship involves the worshipper's heart, soul and mind
Deuteronomy 6:5 parallels Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27
True worship is costly
2 Samuel 24:24; Mark 12:41–44; Romans 12:1 True worship involves the whole of a person's life and not just formal acts of worship.
True worship is in the spirit
John 4:23–24 See also Isaiah 29:23; Philippians 3:3; 1 Timothy 2:9; Hebrews 12:28
But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.