Devotion Corner

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.

There is a great deal of confusion in modern Christendom as to what appropriate worship looks like. As always, the answer to many questions of faith is to be found all the way back in Genesis, the foundation stone of the Holy Scriptures.

Given that Genesis was written by Moses, and penned in Hebrew, we must look at what the Hebrew word for ‘worship’ tells us on this important matter. The Hebrew word for ‘worship’ is shachah, meaning to ‘bow down’, or to submit to the God’s will. Such a considered and awe filled reverence of God, would stand in the greatest of contrasts to the customary manners of worship of false gods in the ancient world. 

Such pagan worship, even at subdued levels, would be filled with chanting, loud gesticulations and manipulations of emotional states. These would be designed to whip the participants into a giddy euphoric frenzy, craftily leading minds away from considered submission to the will of God. It lent on physical enjoyment of the self, rather than humbly delighting in the authority and love of God.

This is where the worship of Abraham at a time of testing of his faith, shows us how we are to correctly worship the Lord God. It is to be done with a knowing, considered submission to His perfect will. It is to be done with a fearful reverence of His power and authority, led by a heart of truest trust of His eternal goodness. Such worship is consistent in its sincerity, as it can be done in times of joyful blessing, or indeed of deepest concern and sadness. It reflects the unchanging nature of God, displaying His glory to all who bear witness of the depth of communion between Redeemer and His redeemed.