Bowing is the act of lowering the head, or sometimes the entire upper body from the waist, as a social gesture. It exists now and has existed in various cultures at various periods in history. Different cultures have placed varying degrees of importance on bowing, and have used bowing in a variety of ways. In European cultures, bowing is an exclusively male practice - females perform a related gesture called a "curtsey" or "curtsy." As in Japan, the depth of the bow expresses degree of respect or gratitude. In European courtly circles, males were expected to "bow and scrape" (hence the term "bowing and scraping" for what appears to be excessive ceremony). "Scraping" refers to the drawing back of the right leg as one bows, such that the right foot scrapes the floor or earth. Typically, while executing such a bow, the man’s left hand is pressed horizontally across the abdomen while the right is held out from the body.
Bowing originated as a gesture of subordination, as lowering the head leaves the bower vulnerable. This was particularly the case in the samurai era in Japan. Samurai were at the top of a highly stratified society; they had the right to kill anyone who did not show them the proper respect.
Let me say this: you cannot fully receive the anointing of the Lord unless you are vulnerable to him. You need to come to the desperate realization that although he would not, he has the right to kill you if you don’t show him the proper respect! And the reason he would not, is because he’s already given his life for our sins. There was already enough blood shed for our sins! Why does he need to kill millions upon millions when the blood of one is efficient! The blood of the one is sufficient! That’s why we barauch!
Barauch is translated "to kneel or bow as an act of adoration." In other words, we kneel or bow as an expression of our fervent and devoted love for the Father. When we kneel or bow we are humbling ourselves. We are making ourselves vulnerable! What does vulnerable mean? It comes from the Latin verb vulnerare which means to wound! It has the Indo-European base of wel meaning to tear, to wound, to injure! Lord, I understand that for you to bless me, you have to break me! I’m vulnerable to your break! I understand that for you put me together again, you got to tear me apart! I understand that for you to heal me you have to injure me! Lord, take me through the fire! Take me through troubled waters! Make me walk through the valley of the shadow of death! But Lord, I would that you impart your grace! You see, James 4:6-7 say: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit yourselves to God! Resist the devil and he will flee from you!"
When we humble ourselves we are submitting. To submit is to humble ourselves. Humble is from the Latin word humilis meaning low, small, slight, akin to humus, soil, earth. You can’t be low on your high horse! You can’t be small with a big head! You can’t be like soil and earth if your head is in the clouds! But Lord increase as I decrease! More of you, less of me! Make me feel like a little because little becomes much when you place it in God’s hands! God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore 1 Peter 5:5-7, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you." To humble myself is to cast all my cares upon the Father. To submit all my concerns to Him. Trusting that He will work out all things for good. Barauch then, is to express an attitude of love, submission and trust through the act of kneeling or bowing.
King David exemplified Barauch when he wanted to build the temple. Read I Chronicles 28:1 through 29:20. In 28:2 he said "…I had it in my heart…and had made preparations to build it…" Again in 29:2 he said "...I have prepared with all my might..." Verse 3, "...I have set my affection on..." These statements express his love towards the Father. David expressed a burning desire to build the temple. It was his passionate wish. He really wanted to do this thing! When you get a burning desire to do the works of the Lord, its cause you made yourself vulnerable! This was David’s submission! Not my will Lord, but thine be done! David said “it was in my heart.” It was in the organ that controls my feelings and emotions! It was in the place that beats and circulates my blood! And my blood is my life! So my life circulates that is revolves around serving the Lord! Oh I wish somebody in here would barauch! I wish somebody in here could say my life revolves around the work of the Lord! Its not superficial! Its not shallow, but DEEP down in my heart, I’ve got the love of Jesus!
I really, really wanted to do this thing! I had my heart all fixed to do it! I had made preparations for it! But God said “you’re disqualified!” Oh some of yall got it! Sometimes we get ready! We get the proper schooling! We make the proper moves! We get in the circles of the right people! But God says “you’re disqualified!” I feel this thing for real! For five years I sacrificed! I only saw my family on important holidays! I only went out on weekends! I studied! I made myself vulnerable to sickness! I humbled myself and called folk not too much older than me “sir” and “ma’am!” I, who loves dressing up in my own clothes, wore a uniform! I didn’t drive for three years! I gave up many of my freedoms and liberties! I had received the appointment! I got the orders! I was reporting to NSA San Antonio July 15, 2005! BUT GOD SAID…
That’s not what I have for you! But I remember that while I was wallowin and swallowin in my self-pity, in my feelings of rejection, in my feelings of inadequacy, that my true calling was revealed to me, and my daddy told me like David said to Solomon in verse 20, “be strong and of good courage and DO IT! Fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee! He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord!” No matter what tasks we undertake or face or are given in life, we are to be diligent. We are to work hard and complete the tasks. Without diligence, we seldom finish a job. Or at most, the job may be late or only partially or sloppily done.
Think of people who work with only a partial, halfhearted commitment. No matter what task they approach, they draw back and procrastinate, putting the assignment or project off as long as they can. Perseverance, diligence, steadfastness, endurance—all the qualities that are needed to tackle the work are missing. Think of people who make commitments in the church and then pull back to varying degrees or even completely. The traits of slacking off, being halfhearted, neglecting, ignoring, and breaking one’s commitments are sadly, traits seen too often in professing Christians, particularly the ones who just joined! The reason the qualities are missing is because they failed to barauch!
When you barauch God has room to work with you! He has room to give you strength you need to finish the job! But God won’t give grace to the proud! He won’t give strength to the invulnerable! Remember tearing and injury? When you workout and lift weights, the muscles extend and contract themselves until they tear! When they rebuild themselves, they are now stronger! I’ve got to put myself in a position where God can make me stronger! I can’t finish a job without strength! And I can’t get strength without being torn down! And I can’t get torn down without vulnerability!
Now then, in the 29th chapter, standing there before the large crowd of leaders, David’s heart overflowed with joy and rejoicing over the generosity of the leaders. Unable to contain himself, he burst out in praise and prayer to the Lord! First, David praised the Lord, and in praising him he acknowledged six breathtaking facts about the Lord: That he is the God of Israel (the true believers) forever. That he possesses and controls all: all greatness and power, all glory, majesty, and splendor, all in heaven and earth! That the kingdom is his! That he is exalted as the head! That he is the source of all wealth and honor, ruling over all! And that he is the provider of all strength and power! Second, he gave thanks to God for enabling the people to give. Third, he confessed their weaknesses! Fourth, he declared his purpose for giving generously: because God tests the hearts of his people. Fifth, he made two specific requests: that God always arouse the people’s hearts to give and to be obedient and loyal, and that God give Solomon a loyal heart and arouse him to keep God’s commandments and to be faithful in building the temple. Then "... David blessed (barauch) the Lord before all the assembly..." and ended his prayer by saying, "now bless (barauch) the Lord your God. So all the assembly blessed (barauch) the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king."
How often have we prostrated ourselves before the Lord in prayer and praise? If not prostrating ourselves, how many of us have at least bowed the knee in prayer and praise to the Lord? Ok, that’s still too much; perhaps a better question is how many minutes a day do we pray an praise the Lord? Do we spend any time? As much as ten minutes? Twenty? Forty? An hour? As we walk throughout the day, as we taking time to pray and praise the name of the Lord?
Has it ever occurred to you that when God gave us voices to speak and minds to think, he gave them to us as a test? Do we lift up our voices and use our minds to pray and praise his name? Think about that for a moment. What is the primary purpose for the human mind and voice? More importantly, what is the primary purpose of human life? Is it not to fellowship, talk, and share with the Lord? This is exactly what the Holy Word of God teaches us to do! We were created first and foremost to fellowship with the Lord and then with each other. Thus, the main and most significant function of our voices and minds is to be fellowship with the Lord through prayer and praise!
David had caught on to this and I hope you do to! That’s why he has it in his heart I’m going to barauch! At all times! As long as we live! From day to day! From this time forth and forever! At night in the house of the Lord! Forever and ever every day! We are to grow and mature to the point that we continually give place to the Father in every area of our life! We are to live a lifestyle of barauch!
When we kneel or bow we are expressing our love, submission, and trust to the Father! However, we cannot live life on our knees! We got work to do! But with all that’s within me, everything that I have, I will praise him! I will barauch him! My time is vulnerable to you Lord! My spirit is vulnerable to you Lord! My wallet is vulernable to you Lord! My finances are vulnerable to you Lord! My habits are vulnerable to you Lord! My job is vulnerable to you Lord! WITH ALL THAT’S WITHIN ME! I will barauch! Because you were made vulnerable for me! Didn’t he do it? Didn’t he get beaten? Didn’t he get whipped! Didn’t he get spat on! Didn’t he wear a crown of Roman nebulae that dug deep into his skull! Didn’t he get nailed through his hands, and nailed through his feet! Didn’t he get pierced through his side! Didn’t he suffer? Didn’t he drink from the bitter gall? Didn’t he die that Friday night? Didn’t he get pulled down off that cross! Didn’t he get laid in the borrowed tomb! Didn’t he stay there that night Friday! Didn’t he stay there that night Saturday? But oh God! Didn’t he get up on Sunday morning! Early on Sunday morning, with ALL power in his hands??? ALL authority in his hands? ALL healing in his hands? That’s why I gotta be vulnerable!
