Cities of Worship
It is in this one area particularly that we see most evidently the effects of the Fall. All men were created to worship and each seeks and longs for something that he/she may worship. Of course, originally that “something” was God, but the Fall has perverted our worship so that men now worship everything but God. Men will worship celebrities, sex, drugs, cars, jobs, money, self, and even recreation/comfort. We are prone to worship whatever, whenever. Romans 1 states this very plainly when the Apostle Paul explains the nature of sin:
Romans 1:18-25 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Our worship is contaminated by sin because we would not worship the true and living God. The city, as a place of worship, now harbors that sinful idolatry, and it has for centuries.
The earliest example of united worship against God is found in the scene now described as “The Tower of Babel.” The Bible records for us a scenario where men gather together to build a city which would bring them glory and honor (Gen. 11:4). As God looked on and saw their self-worship He was not only offended but concerned for man himself, and so God confused their language and spread them over the whole face of the earth in order that this deed would not continue. But of course God knew that man would find yet more ways to indulge in false worship.
Throughout the Wilderness period of Israel’s history there were key moments where either individuals or the nation as a whole pursued the worship of a false god. Few Bible-literate people can forget the story of the Golden Calf in the desert. And even after settling in the Promised Land Israel still finds a way to worship other gods. The portrayal of various kings throughout the history of Israel (as recorded in 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles) shows just how faithless these people were. Repeatedly they erected “high places,” which were altars for the worship of foreign gods. Living in the city did not end idolatry, infact Jesus points out to the woman of Samaria that the “where” of worship does not matter as much as the “whom” of worship (John 4).
Worship and the city go hand in hand. Wherever people congregate there is usually some form and fashion of worship happening. The Fall may have corrupted it but it has not been totally lost. We could quickly note that after the exodus from Egypt God established a mobile city with the Jews that was centered around His presence in one of the tents. And once Israel was established in the land the Temple began to be built and became the center of Jerusalem’s life and geography.
The key to the city’s being a place of worship is its ability to draw people together around a deity, an event, or a place. Tim Keller explains it this way:
Ancient cities were religious institutions. They were usually built around a ‘ziggurat’- the original skyscrapers! They were temples where a particular god was thought to ‘come down.’ The cities were seen to be the royal residence of the god, and the city was dedicated to him/her. The city was where the cultus for that god was centered, and where you went if you wanted to serve him or her. All of this was probably a twisted ‘memory trace’ of the original design of God, that the Edenic city, the new Jerusalem, would be the place where people would meet Him, where His temple/presence would be.[1]
Even today this is part of the nature of city life. People gather to worship various things in cities, depending on the city and the type of people. Some cities worship their sports teams or events, some their heritage, some their politicians (though this is increasingly rare in the Postmodern era), and some actually worship false gods (like Salt Lake City and its dense population of Mormonism).
While this fact of false worship is extremely troubling for the Christian it is a common grace that the desire for worship still resides in man and the Christian church can pick up on that desire to use it for God’s glory. The church, in other words, must be in the city if it is to play a part in reforming the worship of men in the city, but there is more on this below so I’d better not get ahead of myself
[1] Keller.
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