Today
we continue with my series for the month of June: Worshiping God Up Close and
Personal. The Holy Spirit led me
to focus on worship and to take pride in our Father who created,
transformed, and redeemed us. I have
termed this month God Pride Month. We
are bragging about our God! We want all creation to know how great and
awesome He is. Therefore we praise and worship Him openly and with abandon. In
this posting we look at the difference between worship and praise.
Beginning with praise we see several Biblical words
translated as ‘praise’. The primary words include: Halal (Heb)-to be
clear of sound or color, to make a show or to boast, to be clamorous, to rave
or celebrate; Yadah (Heb.)-to hand over, to throw at, to revere as with
extended hands, to confess praise (from root word ‘yad’, meaning open hands); Thillah
(Heb.)-laudation, hymn, praise (from ‘halal’); Epainos (Gk.)-laudation,
commendable thing, praise; Doxa (Gk.)-dignity, glory, honor, praise,
worship; Humneo (Gk.)-sing a religious ode; sing a hymn.
From
these words I developed a cumulative definition. To praise is to clearly boast, rave or celebrate in words
and song by handing over or throwing ourselves and our words toward the Father
with open hands lauding His works, honoring Him, giving Him glory and
commending Him for what He has done.
Praise
is physical! We physically express
our adoration of God. Praise is neither
passive nor quiet. You cannot praise the Lord in spirit and in truth by
observing others praising Him or by keeping your mouth shut. Then
you are only offering passive compliance while withholding your soul and
body from participation!
When
we praise the Lord we openly demonstrate with our words, body, sounds, and even
colors and express how awesome He is to us and what He has done in us and for
us. According to scripture, praise is
almost always loud, accompanied by musical instruments and
songs. Voices are emphasized over and
over in praise and worship, i.e. the words
we speak and sing are IMPORTANT! We should praise Him in a ‘loud voice’! Halleluiah! When Nehemiah
praised God upon completion of the wall around Jerusalem the Word says ‘the sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could
be heard far away’. (Neh. 12:43)
Now
let’s look at worship. Worship is a
broader, deeper and higher concept of bringing glory to God. It is not
confined to music, song, dance or words, but may include all of those. Worship is translated through several
Hebrew and Greek words that elaborate on the concept. The primary words
include: Shachah (Heb.)-to depress as in prostrate homage to royalty or
God; to bow down, crouch, beseech, to stoop; Cegid (Heb.)-to worship; Cagad
(Heb.)-to prostrate oneself in homage, to fall down; Sumphemi (Gk.)-to
say jointly, i.e. assent to; consent unto; Sebazonai (Gk.)-to venerate;
adore as in worship; Thereskeia/Threskos (Gk.)-to ceremoniously worship,
to demonstrate.
From
these words I have a more complete definition. To worship is to lower oneself in humility by bowing,
prostrating or falling down to demonstrate homage, adoration and veneration
toward God; including joint unified consent in demonstrated ceremony toward the
One being worshipped.
Again
we see the physical demonstration of expressing our love of God….bowing,
prostrating, falling before Him in demonstrated adoration. Note that worship
can also include a form of ‘ceremony’, i.e. doing some formal act in worship. For
example we worship God when we receive the elements of communion. This is a
formal, unified act of worship in the church. Worship requires a strong dose of
humility, similar to coming before royalty. Under the old covenant, praise
occurred in the outer court and beyond, never in the holy place (inner court)
or the holy of holies where the Spirit of God resided. Only worship was offered
in the holy of holies. It was offered in humility, bowing, and demonstrating
veneration of God and His presence.
Worship
is a more intimate act than praise. Worship is all about who God is, rather than what He
does. Worship implies an
intimacy, close proximity to the Father, that is not associated with praise, It
implies entering the Most Holy Place……in gatherings of people it
implies joint congregational consent and demonstrative agreement to go
together; Entering the Most Holy Place together is unified
worship, demonstrated by the Body agreeing (or consenting) that the One
worshipped is worthy to be worshipped. Where there is agreement, there is power
and glory in the church.
So
today may you praise and worship Him with abandon, throwing yourself toward the
Father, loudly, humbly, physically, and boastfully declaring that God is the Great
I am, the Lord of Lords, and the soon coming King of Kings!