1.6 What’s the point of being religious? Ancient Perspectives.

Ancient Near Eastern kings worshipped gods such as Amun, Marduk and Nabu becuase they expected to get something in return; things like wealth, power, and victory in battle. In contrast, for the Judaic people, worship wasn’t supposed to be a transactional, quid pro quo arrangement. The spirituality of the Hebrew Scriptures is not driven by what people can get from God. Rather, the texts assert that the most satisfying, deeply gratifying expression of worship is one in which a person lives in love relationship with YHWH. The purest worship is one that expresses love and gratitude for the things that YHWH has already done.