“The first covenant had rules for worship and a place made for worship as well” (Hebrews 9:1 GNB).
Our modern-day word “worship” is derived from the ancient phrase “worth-ship.” That expression was used to describe “a condition of being worthy.” (1) One core component of “worship” thus involves the attribution of worth to someone or something. This is important, for it means that the concept of worship extends far beyond the bounds of religious expression.
You see, virtually everyone holds a set of priorities that fulfills the “condition of being worthy.” At the top of that hierarchy is the thing we value most in life. To put it another way, we attribute the highest worth to anything we love, fear, or respect the most. That leads us to a vital conclusion: the thing that occupies that highest position of worth in our lives serves as the ultimate object of our worship.
Whenever someone chooses to dismiss the existence of God, he or she must exchange Him with something else as the object of highest worth in life. That “something” doesn’t have to be a spiritual concept or belief. Instead, it might be a person, a thing, an idea, or even ourselves. The Biblical Scriptures refer to this as “idolatry.”
Once something becomes more important than God in one’s life, that something (whatever it is) effectively becomes his or her idol. To illustrate this, let’s take the example of someone who views the accumulation of financial wealth as the highest priority in life. In reality, that person is just as idolatrous as someone who bowed before a pagan statue in the Old Testament era.
In the original language of the New Testament, the definition of worship conveys the image of kissing one’s hand, much as one might do in the presence of royalty today. (2) Therefore, a similar attitude of reverence should characterize those who claim to worship God, for “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24 NIV).
“Worship” should also encompass a lifestyle that demonstrates respect for God in our thoughts, words, and actions. With this in mind, we can say that worship involves more than just music and song; it means honoring God with the position of highest worth in every area of life. As we’re told in the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians…
“According to some people, there are a great many gods, both in heaven and on earth. But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created all things and made us to be his own; and one Lord Jesus Christ, who made everything and gives us life” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6 TLB).
(1) Lexico.com, “Worthship” Retrieved 01 August, 2022 from https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/worthship
(2) G4352 proskuneo Thayer’s Greek Definitions https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4352/kjv/tr/0-1/