13/04/13

What is worship?

Daniel 2:46
Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.


We read in Daniel 2:46 the king worshipped Daniel but we see the king in the next line was acknowledging the God of Daniel as God. So was the king worshipping Daniel or the God of God? Surely the king was not worshipping Daniel but the God of Daniel yet it is written in verse 46 the king worshipped Daniel.

The Aramaic word used there is 'cegid'- which means 'to prostrate oneself, do homage, worship'. It simply means the king humbled himself and lay prostrate before Daniel acknowledging Daniel's God and not Daniel. We also see the king offered oblations and sweet odours to Daniel. So the king was physically and mentally worshipping Daniel while spiritually worshipping Daniel's God.

When you speak to a Catholic about their worship of Mary, saints or the pope they would flatly say they do not worship then. Yet one would see they do lots of things before their idols or pictures. Do they not do what the king did to Daniel?

When I ask Catholics what difference is there between their worship towards God and their worship towards Mary, dead saints, people or relics? And none have been able to convince me or themselves about the difference, for their words and actions do not match.

They lay prostrate, bow, offer oblation (candles, flowers, prayers etc.) and sweet odour (incense) unto the statues, pictures and objects, the very same that King Nebuchadnezzar did to Daniel and we see the very next chapter the king makes an image of himself to be worshipped.

People do not understand worshipping idols is just the external show or the decoy and the real thing is these people are trying to play god. They are challenging God therefore do not fear to play with or ignore His Word.

They know it is wrong therefore intentionally edited the Ten Commandments and removed the second Commandment which restricts man from making an idol of any being in Heaven, on earth (alive) or under the earth (dead) and worshipping it. Worship means not to bow before it, offer candles, sweets, flowers, prayers, incense or any kind of physical, vocal, or spiritual offering. We may not be acknowledging the object but yet we are worshipping the object by our actions and that is forbidden. The Greek word goes to greater extending in defining worship. It includes things like kissing the hand which Catholics do to their priests, bishops, cardinals and to the pope(s).

Catholics need to open their eyes to what their actions mean and not try to fool themselves or God.

Leviticus 26:1 does not even take the word worship the scripture tells us not to make any idol and bow before it. It talks of just physical action or mental reaction.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, people have been deceived in your name. They are made to hate You by doing idol worship. They make idols for worship in your name and in name of people from the Word and they bring You to anger with their idolatry. Lord, we pray that their hearts not be hardened and they open their eyes and come to senses. That they repent and come to You and worship You in spirit and truth...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Daniel 2:46-48
46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

Exodus 20:4-5
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Leviticus 26:1 - Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.

John 4:23 - But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

John 4:24 - God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)