Greatly to be Praised

the long version

Worship is a dominant theme in the Old Testament. It is spoken about not only to provide words for worship, guidance about its leadership, or to express censure for its inadequacies, but also to depict places for worship and their significance, and to speak of the high calling of those who had particular roles and responsibilities in worship. Worship for the Old Testament authors has a vital place in the covenantal relationship between the Lord and his people. Michael Thompson considers Israel's worship under a series of themes and aspects--the place of worship (holy places, temples, and homes); the various people at worship (the people, priests and Levites, and kings); the liturgy of worship (prayers, psalms, sacrifices, feasts, festivals, and calendars); and visions of worship (in the proclamations of prophets, wisdom writers, theologians, and Israelite priests). These and many other matters relating to worship in the Hebrew Bible are presented in this fresh and wide-ranging study.