AV 4
Worship
“But an hour is
coming—it is here now—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people as His worshipers. God is Spirit, and
those who worship Him must worship in spirit AND truth.” (John 4:23-24 TLV, emphasis mine)
Noah Webster defines ‘worship’ as “to
adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and
veneration”[1]. The biblical verse that Mr. Webster quotes as
an example in his definition is Ex 34:14: “For thou shalt WORSHIP no other god:
for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (
Interesting to note that the Greek word that is translated as ‘worship’ in our opening verses is the word proskuneō (Strong’s G4352), and literally means to fall to one’s knees, touching the ground with your forehead in obeisance and profound reverence. I believe that the key here is the phrase ‘profound reverence’, something that I wonder how many of us will truthfully admit to. Are we really in awe and amazement at our Creator, and all that He has done, and continues to do? Are we humbled at the care and concern that He has for us? Do we hold Him, and His Torah, in high esteem and honor?
As an aside here, the Hebrew word that is translated as ‘worship’ in Ex 34:14 is shâchâh (Strong’s H7812), and also means to bow down and prostrate oneself in homage, similar to the Greek word proskuneō. It would appear that worship has been conducted for thousands of years either on the knees, or, basically, on your face. Interesting thought, isn’t it …
To the Jew, the highest form of worship is the study of Torah, the divine instructions in moral and righteous living. I would suggest that THE APPLICATION of this study would also qualify as worship, especially if it is done with ‘profound reverence’ toward the One who created us. We were created to do the will of our Elohim, and we know that sh’ma – to hear AND obey – is His will (Deu 6:4-9). We also know that the Scriptures define Torah as truth (Ps 119:142); therefore, if we are to worship in spirit and in truth, it would stand to reason that the application of THE truth, the Torah, would somehow be involved.
Always remember, folks, the very rocks would praise Him if the need arose (Luke 19:38-40).
“For you are to bow down to no other god,
because Adonai is jealous for His Name—He is a jealous God.” (Ex 34:14 TLV)
“And they are singing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and wonderful are Your deeds, Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who shall not fear and glorify Your name, O Lord? For You alone are Holy. All the nations shall come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed!” (Rev 15:3-4 TLV)
©2022
[1] American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828
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