In his book, The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren writes: Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship. He goes on to say: Work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of His presence. This is fundamentally wrong; he confounds service with worship. It is true that service brings pleasure to God, and that it shouldn’t be about us; it should be about the One we serve—all good points that the author makes. However, this doesn’t transform service into worship. This may be best illustrated in the relationship between husband and wife. As time passes in the marriage the fresh character of first love may fade. Sadly, the adoration that flowed so naturally at the first—“I love you”, “You look so beautiful”—may dry up. It isn’t that affection is gone, but rather, it is expressed by the things done. Perhaps the wife will remark: “You no longer say: I love you”. Does the response: “Oh, but I pay the mortgage, I mow the lawns”, or perhaps even, “I vacuum the house, I wash the dishes” meet her need? Although these activities may truly please the wife, they will not satisfy her heart. Likewise, in our spiritual relationship, as the heart’s affections cool, worship gives way to service—but instead of recognizing it, Christendom has justified itself and has redefined service as worship. We see it in some modern translations: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Rom. 12:1 ESV). The final word, translated worship, is properly divine service and is always translated so in the King James. “Verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary ... the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God” (Heb. 9:1, 6). I believe we can see this substitution of works for worship in John’s address to the first of the seven churches, Ephesus: “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: ... Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Rev. 2:2, 4).
The book of Numbers, which gives us the service of the Levites in the house of God, follows the book of Leviticus in which we find the ordinances of priestly activity. The priest’s role under the law was more excellent than that of the Levite; the priest drew near to God. “Thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death” (Num. 3:10). In contrast, the Levites were given to Aaron and his sons to serve them: “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle” (Num. 3:6-7). It is right and proper that we come into the presence of God first and then go out in service. Service which flows from that state of soul which produces worship will never be drudgery or a mere obligation.
Even within Judaism we see the same substitution of works for worship. “In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do” (Mark 7:7-8). They had grown cold, and their worship, so-called, had become a mere formality. This decline is vividly described by the prophet Malachi. “Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord” (Mal. 1:13). They offered what was convenient to them—and which cost them little. Likewise, modern Christian worship takes on the same character—an hour on a Sunday before the ‘big game’; money in the box, and one’s duty is discharged.