Bow and Serve

 

Ex 20:5 ...you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God,

In Hebrew, "bow" and "serve".

Matt 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”

In Greek, this root word for "worship" is "proskuneo" (προσκυνήσεις), which means "to bow submissively before", and the root word for "serve" is "latreia" (λατρεύσεις).

 

This is a common theme throughout the Bible: bow/prostrate, and serve.

 

Bowing/prostrating is just what it says; falling on your knees and planting your face to the ground, like you sometimes see Muslims on TV doing. It's the idea behind "every knee shall bow". It is not singing, or praying (although praying is often done while bowing), or running, or eating, or driving, or any other action verb. It is bowing//prostrating.

Serving is things like sacrificing animals, singing in the choir, playing an instrument in the praise activities, bringing an offering to God, cleaning the threshing floor, distributing food.

 

Neither of these has anything to do with emotion, or warm fuzzies, or loyalty, or fear. (Those are covered by other Hebrew and Greek words, also often [mis]translated as "worship".)

 

In Hezekiah's day (2 Chron 29), this king arranged for a "rededication service", to rededicate the people and the temple to Yahweh's ownership. During this service, the Levitical priesthood served with things like animal sacrifices and playing music, while the people bowed.

28 All the assembly worshiped (bowed), the singers sang (a service), and the trumpeters sounded (a service). All this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

29 When they had finished offering (a service), the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped (bowed submissively). 30 Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises (a service) to Yahweh with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. They sang (a service) praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped (bowed submissively).

In Paul's hypothetical Corinthian assembly, with its hypothetical unbelieving visitor:

1 Cor 14:24 But if all prophesy (a service), and someone unbelieving or unlearned comes in, he is reproved by all, and he is judged by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed. So he will fall down on his face and worship (bow submissively before) God, declaring that God is among you indeed.

"bow" and "serve". Only for God.

 

In Romans 12:1, Paul describes Christians as spiritual Levitical priests, performing services. But rather than serving in a brick-and-mortal temple, he says that our logical service ("latreia") is to present our bodies as living sacrifices, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 

In John 4:4, when Jesus says that bowing ("proskuneo") is no longer to be based on a physical location, in this church sanctuary on this hill or that one on that hill, he says that true bowers are to bow in their spirit, truthfully. This is also a 24-7 proposition.

 

When we insist on "worshiping" the old way, in a dedicated holy building, on a dedicated holy day, we scoff at Jesus' teaching. It's not about bowing in a dedicated holy building, at a dedicated time, doing dedicated works of service. It's about being a holy building (know you not that you are the temple of God, who dwells in you?), and not just part-time, but full-time, always serving God in everything we do, in word and deed.