Reference
Scripture: Psalm 95:6; Ps. 96:9; 1 Chron. 16:29 (Ps. 29:2); Matthew 2:1-11; Matthew 4:8; Heb. 12:28; Exodus 4:31; Ps. 66:4; Malachi 4:1-6
Created for worship, Rev. 4:11; Ps. 150:6
The meaning of worship, John. 4:21-24; Ps. 47:6-7 (NKJV)
The purpose of worship, Ps. 99:5; Rev. 15:4; Acts 17:24-25; Ps. 117:1-2; Ps. 25:1; 1 Chron. 29:11
The character of worship, John. 4:24
The Posture of worship, “Posture: Noun. A. The position of the body in movement or at rest. B. A mental or spiritual attitude.” Heart posture is very key in our offering worship to God.
Expression of worship, Heb. 13:5; 1 Tim. 2:28; Rom.12:1; Ps. 149:3; Ps. 144:9; Ps. 33:3; Ps. 100:2; Ps. 63:3-4; Ps. 47:1
The effects of worship, Ps. 63:1-5; 2 Chron. 5:11-14; 2 Chron. 20:15-20; Ps. 18:3; John 12:3
A Definition of Worship from the Bible
The first time the word “worship” appears in the King James Version is Gen 22:5 when Abraham told his servants he would go worship on the mountain with Isaac.
The Hebrew word the patriarch uses is shachah meaning to bow down.
But the Hebrew word actually appears prior to this first translational occurance. The real first appearance of shachah is in Gen 18:2.
In this passage, God appears to Abraham in the desert as three persons. Abraham recognized his God. In this instance the King James translates the word more literally. It says Abraham “ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.”
reverence with supreme respect and veneration.
The most common words translated worship in the Bible mean to lay one’s self before God.
In the New Testament, the most common word translated worship in the original Greek is proskuneó (transliterated with English letters). According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, the definition of worship is: by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication.
What is the word worship in Hebrew, in the Old Testament? The most common word translated worship is shachah. According to A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs), worship means to bow down, prostrate oneself, before a monarch or superior, in homage, etc.
Both of the primary words in Hebrew and Greek for worship in the Bible mean the same thing: to bow down or lay one’s face to the ground. It’s an acknowledgment of God’s glory. There is someone who is transcendent and glorious and He is worthy of our full allegiance and devotion!
The word worship in English means to acknowledge and ascribe worth to someone or something. The Biblical words describe the actual act of worship, that of kneeling, bowing, or lying prostrate on the ground. The English translation describes the reason we would do what the Bible says.
Psalm 95:6 describes the act of Biblical worship with two synonyms.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
Psalm 95:6 (ESV) [emphasis added]
So worship is to bow down or lay our face before God. This physical act is worship when it reflects the heart’s posture to follow the King.
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
John 4:24 (ESV)
To worship in spirit is to be led by the living God and to know the joy that comes from fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is like a refreshing drink of water, a cool breeze, the warmth of a fire. He can also be a torrent, a hurricane, and a wildfire. Our experience of worship can be alive when we worship in spirit. True worship must first be in spirit – led by the Spirit and involves our spirit, the in-most part of our being.
To worship in truth is to ground our life in God’s truth, in His eternal Word, the Bible. We cannot worship however we want and do whatever we feel like. To worship is to bow before God and to delightfully follow His orders. We get to do what God says and not follow after the sin that used to enslave us.
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