About Worship
“You shall not make for yourself an idol . . . you shall not bow down to them or worship them.”
We worship whatever is of supreme importance to us. The word worship comes from a root that means worth-ship. We give our time, attention, and reverence to whatever we believe is worthy.
Nebuchadnezzar had created a god. The statue was 96 feet tall, a significant size. When special music sounded, the citizens were expected to bow down and worship. The three followers of Jehovah God - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - would not compromise their faith, even though the penalty for refusal was death in a fiery furnace.
Christians have been faced with the same temptation over the past twenty centuries. Rulers and nations from the Roman Empire to Adolf Hitler have desired worship. Threats against life or loss of opportunity for work and education have been used against Christians. Subtler forms of idolatry also exist. We place family, material goods, power, position, politics, or pleasure on a pedestal in the center of our lives.
God, as the Ten Commandments tell us, is a “jealous God.” There can be no substitute for the worship that God expects. The awe and reverence for God of these men were far greater than their fear of the fiery furnace.
For Reflection: Do I worship any idols? Who or what are they?
A Prayer Seed:
O worship the King, all glorious above!
O gratefully sing God’s power and God’s love;
Our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.
Robert Grant, 1933
