“Worship the LORD”

I’m not generally a big fan of deep diving into the original Hebrew text, but this one has me a little bit concerned.

The first mention we find of “worship” in the Bible is found in the account of Abraham’s offering of Issaic.

Abraham said to his young men,

“Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” —Genesis 22:5

The context here is important. Worship is first connected to sacrifice. It involves obedience that costs something deeply personal.

What it is not associated with is singing, music, or ritual gathering. It is tied to trust in God’s character and promises.

Abraham calls what he is about to do—offering his promised son—“worship.”

That sets a foundational biblical pattern:

Worship, in scripture, begins not with music — but with surrender.

It is in the context of:

• A father
• A son
• A mountain
• A knife
• And radical obedience

The Hebrew term that was translated “worship” basically means to bow down, to prostrate oneself, to bend low, to fall face-down.

So Biblically, worship begins with bowing and entrusting what you love most into God’s hands. It was expressed physically through bowing, kneeling, or prostration.

This seems foreign to us because we have no real concept of living under a king. But our brothers and sisters who live in a monarchy have no difficulty with this concept of Biblical worship. It involves the same posture that is expected in the presence of their king.

We, however, have redefined the word because the posture of worship seems completely out of place in our culture. It feels weird. Awkward. So we soften the definition to describe a meeting, feeling, or attitude of our hearts. That is more appealing to us.

But this first mention of the Hebrew word does not mean “worship” in an abstract modern sense. It means a physical act of humbling posture.

We must remember that worship is not about what appeals to us. It is about physically placing ourselves in the proper relationship to holiness.

Just as Abraham understood that his worship would cost him dearly, we need to come to terms with what it could cost us.

David said,

“…I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing…” —2 Samuel 24:24

Worship – such as is pleasing to God – will always cost me something.

I freely admit that I seldom bow, lie, or prostrate myself before God. Even when I’m alone in my room. It doesn’t feel right. It seems radical.

I pride myself in appearing balanced in my conduct. I strive to avoid all extremes in my actions. But I’m beginning to understand that it is impossible to be sold out to God and balanced at the same time.

Well, okay.

Maybe the first price I should pay is giving up my pride.