Today's word study is going to be on the word WORSHIP.
Most people don't bother doing word studies on simple words or phrases they hear being used in church, online or on tv these days. You can learn a lot by looking to see what the bible actually says instead of just taking the word of a preacher. We've been taught to take the easy way out and just accept what the preacher says. The bible says 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Let's prove what worship means by finding out what the bible says.
Do you think the woman in the picture is worshipping? Do you think anybody at the Jesus Movement in Orlando on December 16-17 will be worshipping?
The word Worship is a pet peeve of mine because the accepted definition of Worship is lifting your head up, raising your hands and singing praises to God in church. This form of "worship" is man centric to begin with not God centric and it's not the biblical definition of worship.
Some people might say worship is a personal thing, something one does inside that nobody else can see. That's like saying the Rapture is going to be a secret Rapture. People are just going to disappear and you'll know it was the Rapture if a lot of people disappear and you didn't see a thing.
I am going to do you a favor and list about 40 scriptures telling us what worship is. You won't even have to crack open your bible or bible app.
Since this is our first word study let's clarify something. The KJV bible is a translation. The ESV is a version. If the ESV used the same manuscripts to 'translate' the bible they would necessarily have to come up with the same translation.
They do not do that. They use manuscripts like the Vaticanus... i.e. the manuscripts used and approved by the Vatican and the Catholic church. Catholicism ignores many things in the KJV so it should be safe to say that nobody in their right mind would accept a bible version that uses the Vaticanus but, they do.
Other bible 'versions' HAVE to make their version say something different for copyright infringement reasons. The authors of these versions do this for one reason... money i.e., filthy lucres sake. And, in the process of creating different versions they have to make their version say something totally different so they don't get sued for copyright infringement for publishing a version of the bible that says the same thing as the competition.
To make things easy I suggest using the KJV Study Bible app or biblegateway.com, the AKJV version.
When you first lookup the word Worship you will find it is used in conjunction with Fall, Fell, Kneel, Bow & Bowed. When you read the verses below one word should come to mind ... Humble. When you worship you are humbling yourself. You are making yourself lower or smaller.
Are you ready? I have listed all of the verses I can find. They are organized by the words Fall, Fell, Kneel, Bow & Bowed. Look at how many there are and read what they say THEN come to your conclusion as to what WORSHIP really means. I challenge you to find a verse that meets your definition of worship... whatever that may be.
1. Here are the verses that tell us people FALL down when they worshipped.
Isaiah 44:15 Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.
Isaiah 44:17 and the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.
Isaiah 46:6 They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.
Daniel 3:5 that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
Daniel 3:6 and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
Daniel 3:11 and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Matthew 4:9 and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
1 Corinthians 14:25 and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
Revelation 4:10 the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
2. Here are the verses that tell us people FELL when they worshipped.
Job 1:20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and FELL down upon the ground, and worshipped...
Daniel 3:7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, FELL down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and FELL down, and worshipped him...
Matthew 18:26 The servant therefore FELL down, and worshipped him...
Acts 10:25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and FELL down at his feet, and worshipped him.
Revelation 5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders FELL down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
Revelation 19:4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts FELL down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
Revelation 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I FELL down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
3. Here are the verses that tell us people BOW and KNEEL when they worshipped.
Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and BOW down: let us KNEEL before the Lord our maker.
4. Here are the verses that tell us people BOW when they worshipped.
Psalm 22:29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall BOW before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and BOW down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
5. Here are the verses that tell us people BOWed when they worshipped.
Genesis 24:26 And the man BOWed down his head, and worshipped the Lord.
Genesis 24:48 And I BOWed down my head, and worshipped the Lord.
Exodus 4:31 ... they BOWed their heads and worshipped.
Exodus 12:27 ... And the people BOWed the head and worshipped.
Exodus 34:8 And Moses made haste, and BOWed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
1 Chronicles 29:20 And all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and BOWed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and the king.
2 Chronicles 7:3 ... they BOWed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord...
2 Chronicles 20:18 And Jehoshaphat BOWed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem FELL before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.
2 Chronicles 29:29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him BOWed themselves, and worshipped.
2 Chronicles 29:30 ... And they sang praises with gladness, and they BOWed their heads and worshipped.
Nehemiah 8:6 ... And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they BOWed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Notice, the people in Nehemiah LIFTED UP their hands and said Amen, Amen, then they bowed their heads and worshipped... faces to the ground.
6. Here are verses that just say worship. After reading all of the above you should be able to imagine what they were doing when they worshipped.
Genesis 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
2 Kings 17:36 but the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.
Psalm 5:7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
Psalm 96:9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
Revelation 14:7 ... saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Matthew 28:9 says And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
Was Jesus' feet up by his arms or his head or did they have to kneel or fall down to hold his feet?
I have given you about 40 verses telling us what worship is. After reading these 40 verses can you still say worship is raising your head, lifting your hands and singing or is worship an act of lowering ourselves and humbling ourselves?
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