Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. (John 4:22 KJV)
Worship is the notion or act of ascribing worth to a thing or person. It is borne by attributed sense of value, appreciation, admiration and veneration for that object. It is incepted and enflamed by conscious and intentional assignment of credit, respect and deference to the object or person as both superior and benefactor. Worship is ascribed adulation to reference one’s surrender to the object and its exaltation as both greater and deserving of oblation. In deeper sense, Worship is scared.
Now, Man (among all creations) was uniquely designed to interact with God. The spirit element in Man separated him from other creations and elevated him to relate with God, his maker. The innate tendency of Man to worship was uniquely designed to make Man reverence his maker, admire His God and ascribe worth to his Master. This unique attribute, though innate was (also) designed to offer Man the proprietary freedom to ascribe worth (Worship) as he may choose.
It is this proprietary freedom that highlights the intentional element of worship and its true constituent. Our intention to proprietarily ascribe worth and elevation to an object or person as both superior and benefactor is the essential and indispensable attribute of worship that makes it wholesome and personal.
Prior to Man’s fall by the deception of the devil, Man had God as his only “object” to Worship, revere and adore. Man was conscious of God as his benefactor and ascribed his highest worth to Him. When questioned of Eve’s allegiance and deference, she said “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God said, ‘You shall not eat from it nor touch it, otherwise you will die.” (Gen. 3:2-3 AMP)
Take Notice of Eve’s reference and deference to God’s instruction. She knew nothing but what God said until she was deceived and confused; and being equipped with the proprietary freedom to choose, she reneged on ascribing worth to what God had said and instead gave her worth to the deceiver’s word and in her words she said, “The serpent beguiled and deceived me, and I ate [from the forbidden tree].” (Gen 3:13 AMP)
Beloved, we need to be both informed and intelligible as we Worship or ascribe Worth. Notice what Jesus said, “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. (John 4:22 KJV) Some worship what they do not know; that is insidious but hey! It is rampant.
God did not design you and me to ascribe worth or Worship to any lesser being; that is depraved. God is the Exalted One and the Most High. He only deserves to be Obeyed, Worshipped and Revered.
God said, “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship]. You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God [[a]demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing graciousness and steadfast lovingkindness to thousands [of generations] of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Be wise.
