worship.html

"THEY... WORSHIPPED HIM..."

Mat 8:2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him......,
Mat 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him,

THE "WORSHIP" ARGUMENT: Jesus accepted worship from men, this MUST MEAN that He is God;

Hebrew: shaw-khaw'; to depress, i.e. prostrate self in homage to royalty or God:-bow down, do obeisance; do reverence, worship.

Greek: proskunew; to kiss; fall down; prostrate self; revere; worship.

REBUTTAL:
The word translated "Worship,"in Neh 9:6, and directed toward God, is the same exact word translated bow, bow down, and etc. in the verses following. The word has a much broader application than just that of worship to God. It means any obeisance, whether common man to a king, wife to husband, prisoner to jailer, man to God, Angel to God, man to devil, and etc. The significance is in the act, not in the word selected to signify the act, nor in the object of the act.

ABRAHAM FORETOLD THAT MEN WOULD (shaw-khaw') "BOW DOWN" TO ISAAC;
GEN 27:29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons BOW DOWN to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

JACOB (shaw-khaw')("BOWED HIMSELF TO) ESAU;
GEN 33:2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he passed over before them, and BOWED himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

JOSEPH'S BROTHERS "BOWED" (shaw-khaw')(PROSTRATED) THEMSELVES BEFORE JOSEPH
Gen 42:6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and BOWED DOWN themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

ISRAEL (shaw-khaw') "WORSHIPPED" the calf;
Exo 32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have WORSHIPPED it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

BALAAM (shaw-khaw') "BOWED HIS HEAD" BEFORE AN ANGEL, and the angel did not correct him;
Num 22:31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he BOWED down his head, and fell flat on his face.

RUTH (shaw-khaw') "BOWED" HERSELF TO BOAZ;
Ruth 2:8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: 10 Then she fell on her face, and BOWED herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

ABIGAIL (shaw-khaw')BOWED HERSELF TO DAVID;
1SA 25:23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and BOWED herself to the ground

THE KING OF ISRAEL (shaw-khaw') WORSHIPPED BAAL
AND BAAL DID NOT CORRECT HIM.
THAT DOWS NOT MAKE BAAL GOD:
1KG 16:31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and WORSHIPPED him.

SONS OF THE PROPHETS (shaw-khaw') BOWED TO ELISHA AND HE DID NOT CORRECT THEM:
2KG 2:15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and BOWED themselves to the ground before him.

THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN (shaw-khaw') "BOWED" HERSELF BEFORE ALISHA, AND HE DID NOT CORRECT HER:
2 Kng 4:35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

2 Kng 4:36 And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said,Take up thy son.

2 Kng 4:37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and BOWED herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.

THE HOSTS OF HEAVEN WORSHIPPED (shaw-khaw') GOD:
Neh 9:6 Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven,the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven WORSHIPPETH thee.

ELOHEEM WERE COMMANDED TO WORSHIP (shaw-khaw') JEHOVAH:
Psa 97:7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: WORSHIP him, all ye gods (ELOHEEM)

NOTE: The use of the word(s) translated "worship" do not carry the automatic connotation of trembling prostration of self, nor quaking adulation which most prople relate with worship to an all powerful God. The word proskunew is a compound of two words, pros & kunew, which mean to kiss, as for instance, to kiss one's hand in homage. Other words are also used to denote homage, as to a king, wife to husband, stranger to native; When, upon the occasion of the temptation in the wilderness, Jesus told Satan "...it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, And him only shalt thou serve," he used the pronouns "thy" and "Him" with reference to God. The same God recognized as "the Lord Thy God," is recognized by the pronoun "Him" in the passage under consideration.

Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship (proskunew) the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Jesus' use of pronouns in John 20:17 is also significant, when he speaks of "my" and "your," showing a common bond between himself and his disciples.

John 20:17....go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God,and your God.

NOTE: The fact of worship, does not imply that the worshipper worshipped Jesus AS GOD. They understood that they were worshipping him as the SON of God.
Mat 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped (proskunew) him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

And it is safe to say that many who worshipped him understood that they were worshipping him as the son of God, until and unless the scripture gives us some indication to the contrary. If the scripture is silent as to the understanding that the worshipper thought he was worshipping Jesus as God then so must we be silent.

Some even worshipped him in Mockery; they had no perception of worshipping God: Mark 15:19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped (proskunew) him.

Those who cannot see the difference between Jesus claiming to be the son of God, and Jesus making himself equal with God, need to study Jesus' answer to the Jews as they accused him of making himself equal with God, when in reality, He only claimed to be the Son of God.

JESUS QUOTED THE EIGHTY-SECOND PSALM:
Psa 82:6
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. John 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36 Say ye of him (me), whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, "Thou blasphemest" because I said, "I am the Son of God?"

Jesus shows the fallacy of their argument;

(1) He claimed to be the son of God.

(2) God called men gods.

(3) Jesus did not claim to be God, but the son of God.

(4) They were unjust in their accusation.

Yet the Jews still did not understand what He was telling them. As early as John 5:18, they did not understand, and accused him of breaking the sabbath, as well as making himself equal with God, when in reality, he did neither.

John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

And in John chapter 8 he tells them why they cannot understand: John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

John 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

John 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word (logos).

Many people worshipped him, for as many different reasons; as for instance a Leper;
Mat 8:2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped (proskunew) him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

A Ruler;
Mat 9:18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped (proskunew) him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

A Woman Of Canaan;
Mat 15:25 Then came she and worshipped (proskunew) him, saying, Lord, help me.

A Servant to his master;
Mat 18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped (proskunew) him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

Mother of James & John;
Mat 20:20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping (proskunew) him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

Disciples;
Mat 28:9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped (proskunew) him.

Some worship is in error;
Acts 10:25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped (proskunew) him. 26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.

Angels were told to worship (proskunew) him after the resurrection. Why... if he was already Deity?
Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship (proskunew) him.

And why does God have to make certain ones worship Jesus...if he was already deity?
Rev 3:9 ..... behold, I will make them to come and worship (proskunew) before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

And there is Devil Worship;
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped (proskunew) the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

And even Angel worship;
Rev 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship (proskunew) before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

Rev 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship (proskunew) God.

So we see that there are many types of worship; a variety of objects of worship, some in error; and that the act of worship does not, in and of itself, prove anything whatsoever.