The vocabulary of worship in the scripture is very extensive but the essential concept is 'service'. Both the Hebrew and Greek words translated 'worship' originally signify the labour of slaves or hired servants. And in order to 'worship', God's servants must prostrate themselves - in reverential fear, adoring awe and wonder. It can also mean 'to bow before and kiss the hand of'.
In the Old Testament there are instances of individual worship - 'Then the man bowed down and worshipped the LORD' - Gen 24 v 26.
Worship has also formed a pivotal part of the Commandments:
Deuteronomy 5 v 6 -11:
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
Today the emphasis is on worship in the congregation; Psalm 42 v 4 and Chronicles
29 v 20.
Psalm 42 v 4:
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.
Chronicles 29 v 20
Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless the LORD your God." And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed low and did homage to the LORD and to the king.
There were of course rituals, different feast days, morning and evening times. Public praise and prayer were common vehicles for worship Deuteronomy 11 v 13.
So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today - to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
This highly developed public worship offered in the tabernacle and the temple was far from the original view of the Patriarchs who believed that the Lord could be worshipped wherever He had chosen to reveal Himself. However, corporate worship was still vital in Jewish national life.
In the New Testament, synagogue and Temple worship are again found. Christ participated in both, but He always made it clear that worship is the love of the heart towards a heavenly father. In His teaching the approach to God through ritual and priestly mediation is unnecessary. For Him, worship that is true worship 'in spirit and in truth'.
Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem. Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.
- John 4 v 20 - 24.
He reminded us that we are called to Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself :
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6 v 5.
Paul also reminds us that our worship is much more than ritual in Romans 12 v 1.
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
As far as the early church was concerned they worshipped together in homes and small groups. They worshipped daily and then certainly on the Lord's day:
Acts 2 v 46 and 47.
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 20 v 7
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.
Simplicity was the keynote of these services, consisting of:
- Praise: Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. - Ephesians 5 v 19
- Prayer, Scripture and it's teaching, Revelation/Prophecy, Speaking in tongues and Interpretation. This can be read in 1 Corinthians 14: Prophecy a Superior Gift.
- And finally 'Love feast'/Lord's Supper - 1 Corinthians 11: Propriety in Worship.
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David and Worship
Tabernacle Worship
New Testament Worship
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