I hate all your show

Jon Foreman ~ Instead of a Show

Here are the lyrics from the first verse and chorus:
I hate all your show and pretense
The hypocrisy of your praise
The hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show

Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stomp on my ears when you”re singing “em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show

In the video Jon states the song is inspired straight out of Isaiah. The reference can be found in Isaiah 1:11-17.

The premise of the song is hypocrisy and it really hit home as I reflected on a conversation with a brother in Christ on the current state of the church.

Listen to Isaiah as he cries out against Israel:
“When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.”
(Isaiah 1:15 ESVS)

Hear Jesus speak to the Pharisees and scribes:
“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.”"
(Matthew 15:7-9 NIV)

Heed Amos as he laments over the house of Israel:
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream”
(Amos 5:21-24 ESVS)

So why the despair? Why the lamenting? Because God hates our sin and our “hands are full of blood”. We stand before God and pretend to worship with our shiny shoes and pretty smiles but our hearts our wicked. We may deceive men, but God knows the evil in our heart. I can just imagine God weeping for us while covering His eyes, and holding His ears while we worship with contempt and an unforgiving heart.

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”
(Matthew 15:19 ESVS)

“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind…”
(Jeremiah 17:10 NIV)

Praise God, Praise God, Praise God that despite our sins, our unfaithfulness, our self-righteousness, wickedness and pretentiousness He still loves us with a capital “C”. “C” as in Christ. “C” as in the Cross. “C” as in covered. He did that for me, and for you. Christ on the cross covered our sins. The debt was paid without interest. I, a wretch of a man, who several years ago literally cursed God and prayed to be dead because I was so wracked with guilt, was offered grace forgiveness and unconditional love.

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
(Luke 23:34 KJVS)

God, we humbly plead for forgiveness of our sins against you. Search our hearts and show us where we’ve gone wrong so we can repent and turn back to Christ. This is my prayer, that the church will repent of its sins against God, forgive one another and love each other the way Christ has called us to.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
(Psalms 139:23-24 ESVS)

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
(Psalms 51:10 ESVS)