“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’" (Matt. 4:8-10, NIV).
Just what do you mean “worship”?
The Greek word is PROSKUNEO, which could be translated in English as “bow down,” “bow down before,” “worship,” “worshipers,” etc.
According in the margin of my Bible, Verse 10 was quoted from Deut. 6:13, “Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.”
You will notice that there is no “worship” in that verse in the New International Version. But in the New American Standard, we read the same verse: “You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name.” The word “serve” was rendered “worship.”
In that verse, the word “worship” came from the Hebrew ABAD. It could be translated in English as “been slaves,” “burdened,” “make a servant,” “serves,” “tiller,” “work,” “working,” “worship,” “worshipers,” etc.
And what do you mean “worship” in the English dictionary?
Funk & Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary defines worship, as a noun: “the adoration, homage, or veneration given to a deity,” “the rites, ceremonial forms, prayers, etc., such adoration requires or assumes,” “excessive or ardent devotion or admiration.” As a verb: “to pay an act of worship to,” “to have an intense or exaggerated admiration or devotion for.”
Do we have “an intense or exaggerated admiration – a feeling of wonder and approbation; high esteem – or devotion – strong attachment or affection – for” God only?
And why would we have such kind of admiration or affection for Him? Because we are just commanded to do so?
Let us read 1 Chronicles 16:25-36:
“For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the LORD in holy array. Tremble before Him, all the earth; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns.’ Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD; For He is coming to judge the earth. O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Then say, ‘Save us, O God of our salvation, And gather us and deliver us from the nations, To give thanks to Thy holy name, And glory in Thy praise.’ Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. Then all the people said, ‘Amen,’ and praised the LORD.”
We could read similar words in Psalm 96. The Everyday Bible translates verses 3-6, “Tell the nations of his glory; tell all peoples the miracles he does, because the Lord is great; he should be praised at all time. He should be honored more then all the gods, because all the gods of the nations are only idols, but the Lord made the heavens. The Lord has glory and majesty; he has power and beauty in his Temple.”
And part of verse 9, “Worship the Lord because he is holy…”
We give Him the highest honor, the “exaggerated admiration, “ the intense or strongest affection – we bow down before Him – not because we are just commanded to do so. Because He is Great. He is the Creator. He has Glory and Majesty. He has Power and Beauty. And He is Holy – He is the Only One who towers above all – distinct, unique and separate from His creation.
We worship Him, because His Supreme Worth inspires us to do so.
As we behold His Holiness, we will be stirred or moved to adore Him. We read in Psalm 29:2, “Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (NKJV).
We also read in Psalm 99:9, “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy” (NIV).
What do we mean “God is holy”?
Judson Cornwall wrote in his book Let Us Worship:
“…Not only is God holy, but only God is absolutely holy; all other holiness is derivative. Some theologians define holiness as the pervading moral attribute of God’s nature. Others insist that it is not one attribute among the other attributes, but that it is the innermost reality to which all other attributes are related. God is more holy than He is anything else. Whenever we get a glimpse into heaven and hear the might angelic beings praising God it is always ‘holy, holy, holy’ that they chant, not ‘omnipotent’ or ‘omniscient.’ The holiness of God is the consummate perfection, purity, and absolute sanctity of His nature. Hence we recognize that God is entirely separate from all that is evil and all that defiles, both in Himself and in relation to all His creatures…”
In the book Our God Is Awesome, Tony Evans explained: “The holiness of God is His intrinsic and transcendent purity, the standard of righteousness to which the whole universe must conform.”
He added, “God does not conform to any standard created by others. He is the standard. Therefore, He demands that His creation conform to His standard.”
Further, he wrote: “Holiness is the centerpiece of God’s attributes” and “God’s holiness is central to understanding who and what He is.”
Now, let’s see how the Holy God is being worshiped in heaven. Let’s read Revelation 5:11-14:
“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’ The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.”
Let’s continue on Revelation 19:1-6:
“After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.’ And again they shouted:
‘Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.’ The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: ‘Amen, Hallelujah!’ Then a voice came from the throne, saying: ‘Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!’ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.’”
It is interesting to note that we also read in Psalm 96:10, “Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns’" (Compare with Isa. 52:7).
Could we have such kind of worship here on earth?
Could we also admire with great ardor the Holiness of God?
Listen carefully to these words of A. W. Tozer, “…We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of. God’s holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God’s power and admire His wisdom, but His holiness he cannot even imagine.”
He continuous, “Only the Spirit of the Holy One can impart to the human spirit the knowledge of the holy” (The Knowledge Of The Holy, page 138).
We could say we worship God, but it could be in vain (Mark 7:7, also Isa. 29:13).
Just consider what Saul said to Samuel after God rejected Saul as king. He said: “Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD" (1 Sam. 15:25).
According to Saul, “…I may worship the Lord.” But it was in vain. Why? Again, notice what he said in verse 30, “I have sinned. But please HONOR ME before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God." He said he would worship God, but he wanted actually to honor himself!
But even here on earth, we could also truly worship God (John 4:23-24), as Tozer said – “the Holy One can impart to the human spirit the knowledge of the holy.”
Study how an individual, who grasped the knowledge of the holy, would worship.
Read Genesis 22:1-18.
God told Abraham in verse 2, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
“Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. WE WILL WORSHIP and then we will come back to you’" (verses 3-5).
If God would grant us His Spirit to enable us to behold the Beauty of His Holiness, like Abraham we could truly worship Him.
We would be willing even to forego what is so close in our heart, so we can just offer it to Him – who deserves the highest admiration and most ardent affection – the Holy God who alone is worthy of worship.
PRAYER: Our Holy Father – whose Splendor and Majesty accentuate our insignificance – we bow before You with trembling and fear, as we bask in Your Holy Presence. We do praise You for Your Great Holiness and for opening our eyes to behold Your Supreme Worth. Help us to throw down before Your feet every thing that we “value” in our present life. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
