What exactly is worship?

Worship can be defined as “reverence or adoration that is shown towards something or someone; hold a person or object in high esteem; or giving a person or object a place of importance or honor. “There are hundreds of scriptures in the Bible that speak of worship and provide guidance on both who and how to worship.

It is a biblical mandate that we worship God and Him alone. It is an act designed not only to honor the One who deserves honor, but also to bring a spirit of obedience and submission to worshipers.

But why do we worship, what exactly is worship and how do we worship day by day? Since this topic is important to God and is why we were created, Scripture gives us a great deal of information on the subject.

What is worship?
The word worship comes from the Old English word "weorþscipe" or "worth-ship" which means "to give value to". "In a secular context, the word can mean" to hold something in high esteem ". In a biblical context, the Hebrew word for worship is shachah, which means to depress, fall, or bow down before a deity. It is to uphold something with such respect, honor and esteem that your only desire is to bow before it. God specifically requires that the focus of this type of worship be turned to Him and Him alone.

In its earliest context, man's worship of God involved an act of sacrifice: the slaughter of an animal and the shedding of blood to obtain atonement for sin. It was the look at the time when the Messiah would come and become the ultimate sacrifice, giving the ultimate form of worship in obedience to God and love for us through the gift of himself in his death.

But Paul reformulates the sacrifice as worship in Romans 12: 1, “Therefore, brothers, by the mercy of God, I exhort you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God; this is your spiritual adoration ”. We are no longer slaves to the law, with the burden of carrying animal blood to atone for sins and as our form of worship. Jesus has already paid the price of death and made a blood sacrifice for our sins. Our form of worship, after the resurrection, is to bring ourselves, our lives, as a living sacrifice to God. This is holy and He likes it.

In My Estmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers said, "Worship is giving God the best He has given you." We have nothing of value to present to God in worship except ourselves. It is our last sacrifice, to give back to God the same life he gave us. It is our purpose and the reason we were created. 1 Peter 2: 9 says that we are a "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special possession of God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." It is the reason we exist, to bring worship to the One who created us.

4 Biblical Commands on Worship
The Bible speaks of the worship from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible as a whole is consistent and clear about God's plan for worship and clearly outlines a command, goal, reason, and way to worship. Scripture is explicit in our worship in the following ways:

1. Commanded to worship
Our command is to worship because God created man for that purpose. Isaiah 43: 7 tells us that we were created to worship him: "whoever is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

The author of Psalm 95: 6 tells us: "Come, let us bow down in adoration, let us kneel before the Lord our Creator." It is a command, something to be expected from creation to the Creator. What if we don't? Luke 19:40 tells us that the stones will cry out in worship to God. Our worship is just so important to God.

2. Focal point of worship
The focus of our worship is undoubtedly turned to God and to Him alone. In Luke 4: 8 Jesus replied: "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone. Even during the time of the animal sacrifice, pre-resurrection, God's people were reminded of who He was, the mighty miracles He had performed in their behalf, and the mandate of a monotheistic form of worship through sacrifice.

2 Kings 17:36 says that “the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To Him you will bow and to Him you will offer sacrifices “. There is no other option than to worship God.

3. The reason we love
Why do we love? Because He alone is worthy. Who or what else is more worthy of the divinity who created all heaven and earth? He holds time in his hand and sovereignly watches over all creation. Revelation 4:11 tells us, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor and power, because you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

The Old Testament prophets also proclaimed the dignity of God to those who followed Him. After receiving a child in her barrenness, Anna in 1 Samuel 2: 2 declared to the Lord through her prayer of thanks: “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no rock like our God “.

4. How we adore
After the resurrection, the Bible is not specific in describing the passages we should use to worship him, with one exception. John 4:23 tells us that "the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, because the Father is looking for such to worship him."

God is a spirit and 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 tells us that we are full of His spirit: “Don't you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, that you received from God? You are not yours; you have been bought at a price. So honor God with your bodies ”.

We are also commanded to bring Him a truth-based worship. God sees our heart and the reverence he seeks is that which comes from a pure heart, made holy by being forgiven, with a correct reason and with a purpose: to honor it.

Is worship just singing?
Our modern church services typically hold periods for both praise and worship. In fact, the Bible places great importance on the musical expression of our faith, love and worship for God. Psalm 105: 2 tells us to “sing to him, sing praises to him; he recounts all his wonderful acts ”and God adores our praise through song and music. Typically the praise time of a church service is usually the liveliest and liveliest part of the hymn service with the worship time being the darkest and most peaceful time of reflection. And there is a reason.

The difference between praise and worship lies in its purpose. To praise is to thank God for the things he has done for us. It is an outward display of thanks for an active demonstration of God. We praise God through music and song for "all his wonderful deeds" that he has done for us.

But worship, on the other hand, is a time to reverence, worship, honor and pay homage to God, not for what he has done but for what he is. He is Jehovah, the great I Am (Exodus 3:14); He is El Shaddai, the Almighty (Genesis 17: 1); He is the High One, who is transcendent far above the universe (Psalm 113: 4-5); It is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 1: 8). He is the only God, and besides Him there is no other (Isaiah 45: 5). He is worthy of our worship, our reverence, and our worship.

But the act of worship is more than just singing. The Bible describes several approaches to worship. The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 95: 6 to bow and kneel before the Lord; Job 1: 20-21 describes Job worshiping by tearing off his robe, shaving his head, and falling prostrate to the ground. Sometimes we need to bring an offering as a method of worship as in 1 Chronicles 16:29. We also worship God through prayer using our voice, our stillness, our thoughts, our motives and our spirit.

While Scripture does not describe specific methods we have been commanded to use in our worship, there are wrong reasons and attitudes for worship. It is an act of the heart and a reflection of the state of our heart. John 4:24 tells us that "we must worship in spirit and in truth." We must come to God, holy and accept with a pure heart and free from impure motives, which is our "spiritual worship" (Romans 12: 1). We must come to God with true respect and without pride because only He is worthy (Psalm 96: 9). We come with reverence and awe. This is our lovely worship, as it is said at Hebrews 12:28: "Wherefore, as we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, we are grateful, and so we worship God in an acceptable way with reverence and awe."

Why does the Bible warn against worshiping the wrong things?
The Bible contains several direct warnings regarding the focus of our worship. In the book of Exodus, Moses gave the children of Israel the first commandment and deals with who should be the recipient of our worship. Exodus 34:14 tells us that "we must not worship any other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."

The definition of an idol is "anything that is much admired, loved or revered". An idol can be a living being or it can be an object. In our modern world it can present itself as a hobby, business, money or even have a narcissistic view of ourselves, putting our wants and needs before God.

In Hosea chapter 4, the prophet describes idol worship as spiritual adultery to God. The infidelity of worshiping anything other than God will result in divine anger and punishment.

In Leviticus 26: 1, the Lord commands the children of Israel: “Do not make yourself idols or set up a sacred image or stone, and do not put carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God “. Also in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 10:22 speaks of not arousing God's jealousy by worshiping idols and engaging in pagan worship.

While God is not specific about the method of our worship and gives us the freedom we need to express our worship, He is very direct about whom we should not worship.

How can we worship God during our week?
Worship is not a one-time act that must be performed in a particular religious place on a designated religious day. It is a matter of the heart. It's a life style. Charles Spurgeon said it best when he said, “All places are places of worship for a Christian. Wherever he is, he should be in an adoring mood ”.

We worship God all day for what he is, remembering His omnipotent and omniscient holiness. We have faith in his wisdom, his sovereign strength, power and love. We come out of our worship with our thoughts, words and actions.

We wake up thinking of God's goodness in granting us another day of life, bringing him honor. We kneel in prayer, offering our day and ourselves to Him only to do what He wants. We immediately turn to him because we walk beside him in everything we do and with incessant prayer.

We give the only thing God wants: we give ourselves.

The privilege of worship
AW Tozer said: “The heart that knows God can find God anywhere… a person filled with the Spirit of God, a person who has met God in a living encounter, can know the joy of worshiping him, whether in the silences of life or in storms. of life ".

To God our worship brings the honor that is due to His name, but to the worshiper it brings joy through total obedience and submission to Him. It is not only a mandate and an expectation, but it is also an honor and a privilege to know. that an almighty God wants nothing more than our worship.