There’s Room to Worship Only One

I’ve been thinking about the idea of “worship” and what it means in our daily lives. In Luke 4:8, Jesus says, “For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

The “it is written” refers to several Old Testament passages that set God apart as the only one worthy of worship and service (see, for example, Exodus 34:14, Deuteronomy 6:13-14, and Deuteronomy 10:20).

The word translated “worship” in Luke 4:8 is the Greek proskyneō, which carries the idea of kissing someone’s hand, as in reverence, or falling on one’s knees in homage to someone. 

Interestingly, the first time the word “worship” appears in Scripture is in Genesis 22:5, which recounts Abraham’s willingness to obey God even to the point of sacrificing his son, Isaac. The verse reads, “And Abraham said to his servants, ‘Settle down and stay here with the donkey, and I and the young man will go yonder and worship and come again to you.’”

The word translated “worship” in this verse is the Hebrew shachah, which means to bow oneself down or to prostrate oneself before anyone out of honor. It also carries the meaning of submitting oneself.

Asked to do the unimaginable, Abraham chose to submit to God, to yield his own will to God’s will, and to worship.   

Jesus’s words in Luke 4:8 came in response to Satan’s promise that he would give Jesus earthly power and authority and glory if Jesus would just worship him – just give him homage – just once. Notice, Jesus didn’t negate that Satan could, indeed, give him any of these things. Instead, He went to the root of the issue—that only God is worthy of worship.

We have many opportunities in life to worship things other than God—our careers, our hobbies, our families, our ambitions. And these things may deliver success, enjoyment, or prestige. But is any one of them worthy of our worship? 

If we believe Scripture, then the clear answer is “no.” God alone is worthy of our worship. 

So…

• If I find my life is more focused on pursuing my hobbies than on pursuing Jesus, what am I worshipping?
• If I care more about building my career than building my relationship with Christ, what am I worshipping?
• If I’m compromising God’s Word in exchange for opportunity or approval, what am I worshipping?

Don’t get me wrong: family, hobbies, careers, volunteer work, etc. – they can all be great and well-deserving of our time, investment, passion, and effort. But not of our worship. Only One is worthy of that.