Swept off your Feet
Beyond Worship-as-Usual
Part 1: A Foundation for Worship
Semantic Shift and Facedown Reverence
The spiritual landscape is changing. It trembles with commotion because “the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” has begun to cover the earth (Habakkuk 2:14). This knowledge redeems the past, transforms the present, and it will define the future.
Information saturates our brain. From social updates to media downloads, we text and tweet in massive cyber clouds of data. Yet, after spending so much time engrossed in information, what do we know? Our answer is important because Jesus said, “we worship what we know” (John 4:22).
Because religious traditions vary and social trends change, the meaning associated with words like worship requires ongoing clarification. Worship has acquired a variety of definitions since antiquity; now it means different things to different people.
Our Heavenly Father seeks worshipers. He rends the heavens to find them. With supernatural vigilance, God rips past outward appearances to lock in on His beloved target. He seeks individuals that know the truth about Him and respond accordingly.
Created to be a stellar angel, Lucifer possessed radiant attributes. The name Lucifer means daystar, star of the morning, light bearer, or shining one. In Isaiah 14:12, the NKJ renders the Hebrew word Heylel as “Lucifer”. The NAS renders it “star of the morning”, the NIV “morning star”, and the ESV “Day Star”.
After failing to become “like the Most High”, Satan tempted Eve to enhance herself beyond human excellence. Posing as a serpent, he reinforced her selfish ambition. Satan appealed to Eve’s bent for independence by saying:
“You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5 NKJ)
Jesus announced a fascinating fact to an inquisitive woman in Samaria. He said: “You worship what you do not know [oída]; we worship what we know [oída] (John 4:22 NAS). Gaining knowledge involves three components, in no particular order. Two are bottom-up since they rely on empirical evidence. The third is top-down since it relies on direct revelation from God. 1. Awareness, based on sensory perception 2. Understanding, based on a rational assessment 3. Revelation, based on God’s word illuminated by the Holy Spirit
True worshipers answer two questions correctly before they offer an appropriate response. First, they discern the truth about themselves. Next, they discern the truth about Jesus. An accurate self-appraisal puts God into perspective. Divine perfection sets Him apart from our flawed mortal status. There is a big difference between God and everyone else. Worshipers recognize this difference. They see and then acknowledge the infinite contrast between our human weakness and His divine competence.
Part 2: A Precedent for Worship
Associations from Heaven and Earth―When do they Converge? Why is this Important?
Worship may be profound but it is not overly complicated. When God shows up people fall down; so do angels and demons. Converting worship into a complex theological doctrine with sophisticated nuances misses the point. While some ponder God as a concept or consider Him as a philosophy, He remains alive and active, worthy of highest praise and unanimous veneration.
Understanding the biblical record diminishes false assumptions associated with worship. It replaces cultural bias with accurate knowledge and our religious preference with an informed response.
The following data tables list worshipers from the Old and New Testaments. Four tables indicate how often and by what means individuals and groups worshiped. A fifth table specifies occasions that prompted a response of worship.
Occasionally in the same biblical narrative, references to worship coincide with other activities such as offerings, sacrifices, altars, and food. Additional chapters will discuss expressions of worship that coincide with speaking, singing, music, praise, and service. Though the Bible associates these activities with worshipers, it does not ascribe the label of worship to them directly. A few instances however, suggest speaking as an expression of worship.
Saint Jerome translated Psalms into Latin for the Vulgate Bible. The word vulgate refers to a common language spoken by ordinary, uneducated people. Jerome rendered a phrase in Psalm 116:9 as “Placebo Domino”, which means, “I shall please the Lord”. Translated from Hebrew however, this phrase literally means, “I will be in step with the Lord” or more conventionally, “I will walk before the Lord”. During evening Vespers, Psalm 116:1-9 became known as “The Placebo” with verse 9 serving as the antiphonal response for recitations. By the 8th Century, the Roman Catholic Church adopted this refrain for funerals and the Office of the Dead.
The Bible mentions worship fifteen times in the same context with someone speaking. Statements vary from asserting Jesus’ identity to ascribing a blessing, from offering thanks and praise to asking a question or confessing a sin, from prophetic proclamations to an exhortation to convey praise or worship.
David’s fame as a worshiping superstar extends far and wide. Nonetheless, the biblical record only describes David worshiping God two times―both in reference to a child born to Bathsheba. Neither account implies any reference to singing praise or playing a musical instrument. David wrote 75 to 80 Psalms; yet less than 10 mention a Hebrew word for worship in reference to God.
The first description of David worshiping comes after he received news that his child, conceived in adultery and born to Bathsheba, had died.
So David arose from the ground [after the death of his first child with Bathsheba], washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped [shachah]. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate. (2 Samuel 12:20)
Most biblical narratives describe worship without mentioning music, singing, or praise. This fact does not mean that these expressions did not occur during worship or that they are any less important. The Bible simply does not emphasize music, singing, or praise in connection with worship.
Somewhere in the modern culture we’ve become confused, thinking that worship and songs are one and the same. (Louie Giglio)
Each week, worship leaders enter houses of worship to perform worship music before a discriminating audience. Stage-presence affects attendance, which influences the offering, which pays bills and supports salaries. The economics associated with Christian ministry depend largely on audience satisfaction. When compensation hinges on approval ratings, the temptation to accommodate popular trends elevates. As elders, deacons, church boards, and pastors monitor performance, job security suddenly becomes an issue.
To flourish in this competitive environment, career praise artists must do more than practice their vocation. They must connect with the Holy Spirit to offer effusive praise and authentic worship.
The words worship and serve appear together in the same context 29 times in the NAS Bible: 26 times in the OT and 3 times in the NT. In 27 of these instances, the two words converge in reference to idols or false gods. For example, Moses warned Israel,
“Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve [`abad] other gods and worship [shachah] them”.
Various models facilitate the body of Christ gathering to connect with God and with one another. Liturgical and some non-liturgical formats offer a predictable style; they provide security through familiarity. Other models offer less structure, which accommodates creativity, diversity, and spontaneity. Ideal models serve those in attendance by presenting the truth about God clearly in an atmosphere that draws attention to His presence. Participants offer their response of praise, worship, and gratitude within parameters favored by their religious culture.
Knowing the truth about God activates more than a response of worship; it sparks love. Our Heavenly Father did not send Jesus here to recruit worshipers. He came to connect us permanently with His passionate love. The first and greatest commandment involves loving God not worshiping Him.
Our Heavenly Father seeks informed worshipers because they make the best lovers. Love commands paramount importance in our response to God. He created us for an extravagant exchange of intimate affection. The more clearly we see the truth about God the more passionately we will love Him. As important as love may be, the Bible does not emphasize love as a prerequisite for worship.
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment (Philippians 1:9)
Adoration means different things to different people. Protestant Bible translators avoid associating worship with adoration. The English words adore, adores, adored, adoring, or adoration never appear in the NAS, KJV, or NKJ Bibles. The word adore appears once in the NIV as maidens express human affection for their beloved in the Song of Solomon. Some ESV Bibles add the following heading before Song of Solomon 2:8: “The Bride Adores Her Beloved”.
According to “The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language”, when the noun adoration refers to an act of worship, it emphasizes “profound reverence” rather than affection. Based on this definition, adoration and worship appear to be synonymous. Some Bibles affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church reflect this view. In the “New American Bible”, the word adore appears 216 times and adoration four times, translated from shachah and proskuneo. Protestant translations render the same Hebrew and Greek words as worship or bow down. The “Douay-Rheims” version replaces the word worship throughout its text with renditions of adore. For example, it renders John 4:20-24 as:
Our fathers adored on this mountain: and you say that at Jerusalem is the place where men must adore. Jesus saith to her: Woman, believe me that the hour cometh, when you shall neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, adore the Father. You adore that which you know not: we adore that which we know. For salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh and now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeketh such to adore him. God is a spirit: and they that adore him must adore him in spirit and in truth.
Though unable to wrap our senses around God, we experience the world that He made. The universe shouts a compelling message. It proclaims the truth about God in living color and elaborate detail. Matter, energy, and life provide proof and add substance to our faith. They set God apart with unrivaled distinction. Elegant in design and overwhelming in scope, creation validates His worth and confirms His competence. God deserves worship because tangible evidence points to His creative genius and life-giving power.
Seven biblical references link creation to worship. This feat remains one of the most cited and convincing associations in the Bible. Human beings along with the heavenly host worship God for His creative activity.
The only biblical record of the Disciples worshiping Jesus before His resurrection involves a terrifying experience at sea. After walking on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus returned to a boatful of disciples who worshiped Him saying essentially what demons said when they fell on their face before Him. The unclean spirits shouted, “You are the Son of God!” Jesus’ disciples said, “You are certainly God’s Son!”
Angels predate Adam and Eve. They shouted for joy when God laid earth’s foundation (Job 38:4-7). Idolaters may bow before contrived deities, but they did not invent worship. Imperial egoists may crave homage, but they did not patent prostration. Most likely, angels in heaven set the precedent for worshipers on earth. Bowing before the King of Kings is more than a regal custom or religious ritual. Facedown reverence originated in heaven and it continues on earth. When worshipers on earth bow down, they behave like the heavenly host.
After Cornelius welcomed Peter into his home, he “fell down at his feet to worship him”. Immediately Peter ordered this Roman centurion to stand saying, “I myself am also a man.” In another incident, John bowed to worship an angel after he experienced a series of extraordinary revelations while exiled on Patmos.
Idol worship and false worship precipitated warfare and bloodshed in the Bible. These activities may ignite mortal combat at the end of this age.
Part 3: A Conviction for Worship
Prepare for a Season Change―Worship Wars, Worship Stigmas, and Worship Mavens
On a clear day, Hubbard Glacier thrills onlookers with its awe-inspiring beauty. Framed by Mount Logan and Mount St. Elias, the second and third tallest mountains in North America, Hubbard spans an area bigger than the state of Rhode Island. It stretches for 76 miles (120 km) beginning near the summit of Mount Logan, Canada’s highest elevation with the most expansive base of any non-volcanic mountain on Earth.
Are you offended by the fact that you may not know God as well as you think you do? How well do you know Him? Is God a living being or an ethereal concept? Is He an abiding person or an elusive presence? Do you engage Him with familiar closeness or with aloof detachment? Do you relate with intimate feeling or under a vague illusion? Are you on a first name basis with Him? Do you even know God’s name?
Agur poses this question in Proverbs 30:
“What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!”
God has a name and it is not God.
In “Putting an End to Worship Wars”, Elmer Towns states:
Christians have disagreed, and they have fought. They have destroyed churches, split churches, and quit churches…. They have ostracized pastors, criticized pastors, and fired pastors―all over worship.
Abusive leaders have imposed harsh penalties for not honoring God according to their traditions. Divergent parishioners experienced unwarranted reproach, reproof, and censure. Convicted heretics experienced excommunication, torture, and/or death for alleged violations.
The Bible does not dictate a preferred response for worshipers. It avoids imperative commands and approved protocols. Unlike rules for offerings and sacrifices, it issues neither detail nor directive for style and substance. Instead, the Bible emphasizes what worshipers stopped doing when they conveyed reverence. Nearly everyone stopped standing, stopped looking, and most stopped speaking. Angels, demons, and humans pressed themselves low to exalt God’s highness. Smitten by His glory, they offered unsolicited veneration―more by what they did not do than by anything they did.
When “we faceup to the glory of God, we soon find ourselves facedown in worship.”
Matt Redman
When the Truth about God appeared in person, an unlikely entourage spent their wealth and risked their lives to worship Him. Matthew, a redeemed tax collector, describes the first humans outside of heaven to worship Jesus. Before offering gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, magi “from the east” (literally, from the rising) fell facedown, venerating Him as “King of the Jews” and as “Messiah”. After entering the house where He stayed, they
saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. (Matthew 2:11)
With astrological insight based on prophetic revelation, this caste of Zoroastrian priests took the lead in worshiping Jesus―and they worshiped Him according to heaven’s facedown precedent. Our Heavenly Father found pagan experts offering the same homage on earth that Jesus receives in heaven.
With 2:44 left in the game, the Denver Broncos overcame a 15-0 deficit against the Miami Dolphins. Denver’s 24-year old quarterback Tim Tebow led his professional football team in a dramatic overtime victory. During the celebration, he took a knee and bowed his head in the trademark pose, which he coined as quarterback for the University of Florida.
God doesn’t need worship to validate His divine nature. He’s really good at being God―all by Himself. Attentive worshipers understand this fact. With nothing to prove and no one to impress, they convey reverence without ulterior motives.
Our Heavenly Father welcomes intercession and petition but worship is not an avenue for asking favors. He promotes repentance and contrition but worship is not a method for penance. True worshipers refrain from venerating God as a means to an end―their worship is as an end in itself. Worship is neither the pregame show for teaching and preaching nor a technique for gaining revelation or direction.
For one devoted instant, informed worshipers stop trying to improve their world or themselves. Without pursuing hidden agendas or promoting pet programs, they honor God with an unmistakable priority. Self-serving rituals, ceremonies, and programs may be useful, edifying, and God-ordained but they are not worship.
Seated upon His throne, Jesus plans to return and sweep His bride off her feet. Rather than shocking her into a catatonic stupor, Jesus anticipates an informed bride―one that knows the truth about her relationship with Him. Like the wise virgins in Jesus’ parable, she has “made herself ready”―ready to behold her bridegroom in a stunning new light.
Worshipers are preparing themselves for a strong finish so they might greet Jesus with more than a dumbfounded stare or flabbergast-ed jabber. As His glorious bride, they will make His praise glorious. En-lightened worshipers comprehend God’s divine accolades. They live poised to venerate Jesus for all He’s worth.
Human History has yet to Record the Response that our Heavenly Father Merits.
The events surrounding Christ’s return promise to fulfill the deepest longing of every redeemed believer. Wolfhart Pannenberg describes the Eschaton as “the epitome of Christian hope”. Arguably, one of the most decisive moments in history, this occasion will ignite a decisive season change. The end times will not last forever but connecting with Jesus will extend through eternity.
Mavens are trusted experts. They know the truth and comprehend its significance. Being both knowledgeable and experienced, they exert a far-reaching and long-lasting influence. The word maven (also mavin) comes from the Hebrew/Yiddish language. It literally means, “one who understands”. Mavens understand the facts and they communicate them with authority.
Our Heavenly Father seeks worshipers who understand and experience the truth. By the quality of their words and the integrity of their deeds, worship mavens convey effusive gratitude with the passion of an affectionate lover. Since they appraise God’s worth with in-depth understanding, they articulate highest praise with informed intensity.
Part 4: Galvanized for Worship
End Times Worship: When Push comes to Shove―Which Direction will you Bow?
God’s priority in finding worshipers does not revolve around a location; it revolves around a person. Jesus emphasized this fact long ago by revealing the truth about Himself and about our Heavenly Father.
When the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well realized that Jesus was more than an ordinary man, the first question on her lips dealt with a location for worship. She said:
“I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” (John 4:19-20)
Few locations retain their geographic significance for more than a thousand years. One battlefield renowned for its reputation extends from the ancient past to the end of the future. It asserts a prophetic destiny with apocalyptic intrigue. Poised to accommodate worshipers and warriors, this place awaits an ingathering of world leaders for an epic conflict.
Throughout history, the Megiddo Valley (commonly called the Jezreel Valley) has served as a buffer zone between powerful empires. Historian Eric Cline designated this valley a “contested periphery” because it represents “a contested region situated on the periphery of two different and more powerful world systems”. Mitchell Allen coined this term in 1997 to describe a world systems theory involving Philistia and the Neo-Assyrians. According to Cline, “Allen identified ‘contested peripheries’ as ‘border zones’ where different systems intersect.”
Accounts of bloodshed far exceed narratives of worship both in and out of the Bible. From the start, Adam and Eve compelled God to slay an animal to provide a covering for their shame. With resentful rage, Cain murdered his brother Abel because God favored his offering. Since then, bloodshed has punctuated the militant history of the human race.
The cost of combat staggers the imagination, especially when compared with worship. Historians estimate price tags for war with casualty counts and financial ledgers. Their take away message underscores how long God has watched behavior that He did not want to see. While inventors devise terrifying weapons of mass destruction, anger, hatred, and revenge eclipse worship and praise.
A few hundred worshiping warriors saved western civilization from the most powerful army in the world. On three occasions, the Knights Hospitallers fought valiantly against a seemingly dominant Ottoman Empire. Considered “archaic relics of the past”, these warrior-monks stood in the gap with heroic force and prevailed for the sake of their European brothers and sisters.
Operating from a pure heart with a good conscience and a sincere faith, worshipers are connecting with God for strength, courage, and comfort. Men, women, and children are fighting against horrific evil using spiritual, emotional, and physical force.
God designed us for living and loving not killing and dying. He made our spirit, soul, and body for righteousness, peace, and joy. We are primed for praise with an aversion for war and an affinity for worship.
Each generation connects with God in a climate mitigated by worshipers and warriors. Worshipers venerate what they esteem, admire, and value whereas warriors attack what they fear, hate, and covet. Populations are galvanized for and pitted against one another based on their devotions and disputes.
Our Heavenly Father seeks worshipers. He awaits an ever-increasing multitude from both heaven and earth. As God performs signs and wonders to confirm the truth about Himself, Satan conspires with mystical phenomena to deceive those leaning in a wayward direction.
And he [a beast with ten horns, seven heads, and ten crowns] performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. (Rev 13:13-14)
Worship Reference Study
Consider the Data
This reference study contains additional resource material along with Bible verses arranged in categories based on their association with worship.
You worship [proskuneo] what you do not know; we worship [proskuneo] what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers [proskunetes] will worship [proskuneo] the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers [proskuneo]. God is spirit, and those who worship [proskuneo] Him must worship [proskuneo] in spirit and truth. (John 4:22-24)
The following table lists Hebrew and Aramaic words associated with worship and bowing in the Old Testament. It includes their Strong’s reference number, translation found in the New American Standard Bible (NAS), grammar, transliteration, pronunciation, frequency of use, and meaning. Additional information from various sources follows this table.
The following table lists Greek words associated with worship and bowing in the New Testament. It includes their Strong’s reference number, translation found in the New American Standard Bible (NAS), grammar, transliteration, pronunciation, frequency of use, and meaning. Other information from various sources follows this table along with additional Greek words relevant to worship from John 4:22-24.
Bold Bible references indicate worship toward God. An inserted Greek or Hebrew words appear in [brackets] as do [comments]. Gray highlighting indicates worshipers of God by name or identity. Light shading indicates bowing or falling facedown when worshiping God.
This chapter contains scriptures arranged in the following categories:
1. Worship(ed) and Serve(ed): 28 x’s
2. Bow Down and Serve: 9 x’s
3. Worship but NOT Serve (in same verse not translated from `abad): 79 x’s
4. Worship [from `abad] but NOT Serve: 13x’s (6 refer to God)
5. Worships: 3 x’s
6. Worshiping: 5 x’s
7. Worshiped but not Serve(ed) in the same verse: 37 x’s
8. Worshipers: 12 x’s (6 refer to God)
9. Fell or Fall on face: 32 x’s (22 before God)
10. Bow(s) and Down from shachah: 1x
11. Bowed from shachah NOT Worship or Serve in same verse: 43 x’s
12. Bowed not from shachah and NOT Worship in same verse: 17 x’s
13. Bowing and NOT Worship in same verse: 6 x’s
14. Bow and Down but NOT Worship or Serve in same verse: 20 x’s
The following four tables include individuals and groups from the Old and New Testament respectively. Nearly everyone mentioned offered God a response of worship by bowing or falling facedown.
The following table details occasions that prompted a response of worship. It identifies the individuals and groups who offered such a response, its frequency, and the associated scripture references.
In heaven, angels, elders, and living creatures established a unanimous precedent for facedown worship (7 times). On earth, six categorical occasions prompted a response of worship (38 times).
Two accounts refer to worship without describing the act. Prompted by ulterior motives, Saul worshiped God in an unspecified manner at Gilgal in the presence of Israel, its elders, and Samuel. At Jacob’s well, a Samaritan outcast announced to Jesus that her relatives had worshiped God in an unspecified way on Mount Gerizim, as an alternative to worshiping Him in Jerusalem.
Besides bowing, at least nine activities appear in the same context where the Bible mentions a Hebrew or Greek word for worship.
Bowing: 32 references
Offerings, sacrifices, altars, or food: 15 references
Service: 12 references
Speaking: 14 references
Singing, music, or praise: 11 references
Six tables distinguish between falling down and bowing down in worship before God. After each table, Scripture references detail the incidents involved.
While worship occurs occasionally in the same context with offerings, sacrifices, altars, and food, the Bible does not emphasize them as expressions of worship in reference to God.
“Worship” and “serve” appear together 28 times in the NAS version (25x’s OT and 3x’s NT). Throughout the Bible, this dual association invariably refers to false gods or idols. In one notable exception from parallel Gospel accounts, Jesus tells Satan, “You shall worship the LORD your God and serve Him only.”
In the Old Testament, the NAS translates the Hebrew verb `abad 200 times using variations of the word “serve”. Another 77 times, it translates `abad with words like labor, work, slave or enslave, bondage, perform, do, cultivate, and till. Of the 13 times that NAS translators render this word “worship”, only 6 refer to God. In each of these references, the NKJ (and at times the NIV and ESV) deviates from the NAS by translating `abad as serve or sacrifice.
Worship occurs occasionally in the same context with speaking. However, the Bible does not emphasize speaking as an independent expression of worship. When phrased as an expression of worship, speaking generally occurred in conjunction with bowing or falling down.
While worship occurs occasionally in the same context with singing, music, and praise, the Bible does not emphasize singing or playing an instrument to express worship (especially in reference to David’s Tabernacle).
The psalmists emphasize praise over worship by a margin of greater than ten to one. They use words for praise over 150 times in 147 verses. Many other psalms convey praise for God without mentioning a specific word for it in the Hebrew text.
In contrast, only 12 psalms mention a Hebrew word for worship in reference to God, Psalms 5, 22, 29, 45, 66, 86, 95, 96, 97, 99, 132, and 138. Of these 12, ten mention a Hebrew word for worship and praise together. Only six psalms mention a Hebrew word for worship and singing together in the same context: Psalms 22, 66, 95, 96, 132, and 138. Two psalms, 5 and 29, mention worship without using a Hebrew word for praise.
• God as Creator: 7 times
• Disciples Worshiping Jesus: 5 times
• Angels Worshiping God: 5 times
• Falling, bowing, or worshiping a fellow human: 1 time
• Falling, bowing, or worshiping before an Angel: 6 times
• Worship associated with Demons or Satan: 7 times
• Worship at the Idol of Jealousy: 1 time
• Worship associated with Warfare/Bloodshed: 4 times
