BACKGROUND
My approach to this subject in obedience to God, and with all respect and honour to His servants around the world. My generation is faced with a challenge whereby senior ministers mislead the saints by accepting acts of worship that should be reserved for God, including the practice of bowing down lying prostate unto ministers of the gospel.
I am moved in my spirit as a watchman to warn the church of an infiltration of the spirit of the Antichrist which is taking the place of God in the hearts of believers through subtle means and tricks. Some of the ministers doing this practice are sincerely wrong, and others are doing it with a totally wrong motive.
The aim of this teaching is not to publicly call out and humiliate anyone, but to awaken true believers whose faith might fail due to idolatry. Calling out people does not necessarily save sinners, and no one in the body of Christ has a mandate to go ‘calling out false ministers.’
In the parable of wheat and tares the Lord tells us not to gather the tares, so that we don't uproot the wheat together with them, since they are intertwined. So, even when it is clear to us that a certain minister has gone into error or is false, we should not necessarily call them out as it may destroy the faith of true believers who are following that minister sincerely.
The Lord has allowed both true and false believers to grow together in the visible church until the day of judgment. Gathering of false ministers as tares will be done at the end of the world by angels who are the reapers of the harvest, not by us. Let us not be tempted to do the work of the angels, and to make matters worse - at the wrong time.
Mat 13:28-30 (NET) says, "He said, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Mat 13:36-43 (ESV) says, “Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and *the reapers are angels.* Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”
We are living in the era of great deception by false prophets infiltrating the church. But there is no need for us to try and help God in protecting His flock from deception by calling out false ministers and exposing their errors, for true believers will eventually find them out without human teaching, by the leading of the Holy Spirit who dwells in them – though they may be misled for a while.
Mat 24:24 says, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it were possible, they would deceive even the elect.”
1Jn 2:18-21, 26-27 says, “Little children, it is the last time. And just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up, from which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they were of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out so that it might be revealed that they were not all of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and know that no lie is of the truth... These things I have written to you concerning those leading you astray. But the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him.”
No human being has a calling from God to ‘call out’ false ministers. Those who do that are already in error and are driven by a root of bitterness and unforgiveness in their own lives. It is for these reasons that I am sorry for any inconveniences that my previous posts on this subject may have caused. Forgive me this wrong.
But now, I am fully persuaded in my spirit to write a full teaching on this sensitive topic to communicate the mind of Christ from scripture without the intention to blame or justify anyone. This issue deserves to be approached from a balanced perspective without taking a biased approach which is too simplistic and overgeneralized. We will look at all possible meanings and uses of bowing, and what the bible has to say about them.
BOWING IN CULTURE AND THE BIBLE
The Concept of Culture and Worship
In modern times, men go on their knees to propose to a woman they are asking to marry them. In some ‘cultures,’ it is their custom to bow or knee down before men, some even lie down prostrate. Culture is the lifestyle of practicing certain norms and avoiding certain restrictions based on accepted values and shared by a group of people.
The English ‘culture’ is from the Latin ‘cultus’ which means ‘worship.’ Simply put, culture is the practice of worship through our day-to-day life. The word ‘worship’ is the modern version of Old English ‘worthscipe’ (worth – honorable or valuable + ship/scipe – the quality, rank or status of).
So, worship is the practice of ascribing great value and honour to the One who deserves it. A lot of people show ignorance of the meaning of culture by trying to separate it from worship, and by so doing they fall into the trap of idol worship. Culture and worship are separately inseparable. Worship is culture, and culture is worship. There is only one God who is worshipful (worthy of worship), and there is none other than Him.
Exo 34:14 (NET) says, “For you must not worship (Hebrew ‘shachah’ – bow down to) any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
Deu 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”
Mar 12:29 says, “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord… And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he.”
Anything that takes the place of God in the life of men is an idol. There is only one worship of the true God, every other imitation is idolatry. There is only one culture that honours the true God of heaven through Jesus Christ the Mediator, every other tradition that honours anyone or anything else is a cult.
1Ti 2:5 says, “For God is one, and there is one Mediator of God and of men, the Man Christ Jesus.”
What many people call culture are human customs and traditions that are not based on the Word of God. The bible is the manual of true culture for the human, and it is our basis and foundation for understanding what is right or wrong. So, no group of people have the authority to make right what the scriptures call wrong simply because their ancestors passed a tradition to them throughout the generations. Error does not become truth over time.
Bowing Down and Worship in the Old and New Testament
In Middle Eastern culture of the Old Testament, bowing was done both as an act of honor and of worship. In the Old Testament kings and prophets bowed to each other. The first instance recorded in the Bible of bowing in reverence is when the three heavenly visitors came to Abraham (Gen 18:2). He knew they represented God, and he bowed to the ground in welcome.
A few generations later, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ordered all Egyptians to bow to Joseph as a sign of respect for the former slave promoted to prime ministers (Gen 41:42–43). Very early in human history, bowing or kneeling represented taking a humble position before someone of greater importance. In the Old Testament language, the Hebrew verbs ‘bow down’ (ḥwh) and ‘serve’ (avadh) are often translated ‘worship’ since they both describe the physical expression of submission to authority.
In the practice of worship in the Old Testament temple, we see this when those worshiping the Lord literally bowed down and served. In the Old Testament bowing down was the way of worship along with the offering of animal sacrifices. Obedience and covenant faithfulness was the way of worship, while disobedience and unfaithfulness to a covenant the act of disloyalty.
Bowing and kneeling before rulers and false gods had become commonplace by the time God gave the Law to Moses. God wanted to set some new boundaries about the worship owed to Him. In the Ten Commandments the Lord directly forbid the worship of other gods by bowing down to them and serving them; for that act of worship was to be reserved for Him alone.
Exo 20:3-5 says, “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make to yourselves any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. *You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them.* For I Jehovah your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me.”
Exo 23:23-24 says, “For My Angel shall go before you and bring you in to the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I will cut them off. *You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them.* And you shall not do according to their works. But you shall surely pull them down, and surely you shall smash their images.”
Lev 26:1 says, “You shall make no idols to yourselves; and you shall not set up for yourselves graven images, or a memorial pillar. And you shall not set up any image of stone in your land in order to bow down to it. For I am Jehovah your God.”
Deu 5:6-9 says, “I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods besides Me. You shall not make a graven image for you, any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters beneath the earth. You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I Jehovah your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me.”
Jos 23:7 says, “So that you do not come among these nations, these that remain among you; *neither make mention of the name of their gods,* nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves to them.”
Jdg 2:19 says, “And it happened when the judge was dead, they returned and made themselves more rotten than their fathers in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.”
2Ki 17:35-36 says, “And Jehovah had made a covenant and charged them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them, but Jehovah, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched-out arm, you shall fear Him, and you shall worship Him, and you shall do sacrifice to Him.”
The Hebrew verb ‘ḥwh’ (expressed in the noun form as (‘hishtachavāh’) is the root of all forms which express bowing down in the Old Testament. It always refers to the action or attitude directed toward a human or divine figure who is appropriately or inappropriately recognized in a superior position of honour or authority.
Translations include ‘to bow,’ ‘to prostrate oneself,’ ‘to make obeisance,’ or ‘to bend low.’ Bowing was mainly an expression of worship, indicating one’s reverence and gratitude to God and submission to His will. The word ‘hishtachavāh’ is most of the times associated with sacrifice and prayer (Gen 22:5-7; 24:26, 27 & Isa 44:17), as it was common to bow down when praying or offering sacrifice.
In the New Testament scriptures, ‘hishtachavāh’ is translated to the Greek ‘proskyneo,’ which conveys the thought of both homage and worship to creatures, God or an idol. Scholars derive the Greek term from the verb ‘kyneo’ (to kiss), to show how the people to whose actions the term is applied prostrated themselves or bowed down to kiss the feet or hand of a person, God or and idol they deemed superior.
Depending on the figure and situation, it may be a gesture of greeting, respect, submission, or worship. The action may entail falling to one’s knees, in front of which one places the hands or between which one bows the face to the ground. The Hebrew root ‘saghadhʹ for ‘hishtachavāh’ means ‘prostrate oneself.’ The Aramaic equivalent is usually associated with worship, and is used to refer to King Nebuchadnezzar’s paying homage to Daniel by prostrating himself before the prophet (Dan 2:46; Dan 3:5-7, 10-15, 18 & 28).
The Hebrew ʽavadhʹ conveying the idea of worship in the Old Testament means ‘serve.’ Serving or worshiping God required obedience to all of His commands, doing his will as a person exclusively devoted to Him (Exo 19:5; Deu 30:15-20 & Jos 24:14-15). So, for an individual to engage in any act of devotion toward any other gods signified abandonment of true worship (Deu 11:13-17 & Jdg 3:6-7).
The Hebrew ʽavadhʹ is translated to the Greek verb ‘latreuo’ and the noun ‘latreia’ in the New Testament, which both convey the idea of rendering not just an ordinary routine service, but a holy service. The Greek ‘proskyneo’ is used in connection with a slave’s doing obeisance to a king as well as the act Satan stipulated when he offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory (Mat 4:8-9 & Mat 18:26).
Had he bowed down to the devil, Jesus would thereby have signified submission to Satan and made Himself the devil’s servant. But Jesus refused, saying: “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship (Greek ‘proskyneo’ or Hebrew ‘hishtachavāh’ as in the Deuteronomy account that Jesus was quoting), and it is to him alone you must render sacred service [form of Greek ‘latreuo’ or Hebrew ʽavadhʹ]’” (Mat 4:10; Deu 5:9 & Deu 6:13).
Similarly, worship or bowing down to the beast and his image is linked with service, for the worshipers are supporters of the beast and his image by having a mark either on the right hand with which one serves, or in the forehead/brain with which one thinks. Since the devil gives the beast his authority, worshiping the beast in reality means worshiping and serving the devil with one’s mind, heart and body (Rev 13:4, Rev 15-17; & Rev 14:9-11).
This is opposed to the worship of the One and True God by loving devotion to Him with one’s whole heart (Hebrew ‘lebab’ and Greek ‘kardia’), with one’s whole soul or mind (Hebrew ‘nephesh’ and Greek ‘psuche’), and with one’s whole might or understanding (Hebrew ‘meod’ and Greek ‘dionia’).
Deu 6:5 says, “And you shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
Mat 22:37 (LSV) says, “And Jesus said to him, “You will love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your understanding."
So, here we see how the human spirit in the heart releases its ‘bowing thoughts of reverence’ in the mind (brain), and expresses them through the physical act in the body. Other Greek words associated with worship are ‘eusebeo,’ ‘threskeuo,’ ‘aidos’ and ‘sebomai.’ The Greek ‘eusebeo’ or 'eulabeaia’ means ‘give godly devotion to or venerate, revere’ (Act 17:23 & Heb 12:28).
From ‘threskeuo’ comes the noun ‘threskeia,’ which is ‘worship, whether true or false.’ True worship by Christians was marked by a concern for the poor and total separation from the ungodly world (Jas 1:26-27). The word ‘sebomai’ and the related term ‘sebazomai’ both mean ‘revere, venerate, or worship.’
Things that are reverend (worthy of reverence) are designated by the Hebrew ‘hishtachavāh’ (bowing down), Hebrew ‘yare' or Greek ‘phobeomai’ (fearful, awesome or terrible), the Greek noun ‘sebasma’ (something revered), the Greek ‘aidos’ (modesty or awe [1Ti 2:9]), and the Greek ‘entrepomai’ (self-valuation of inferiority). The Lord God is reverend (worthy of worship), and the reverence (fear) of God is the beginning of wisdom.
Psa 111:9-10 says, “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend (Hebrew ‘yare’) is his name. The fear (Hebrew ‘yare’) of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”
‘Fear’ is also used to describe the attitude of proper subjection on the part of a wife toward her husband.
Eph 5:33 says, “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”
1Pe 3:1-2,5 says, “Likewise, wives, submitting yourselves to your own husbands, that even if any disobey the Word, through the behavior of the wives, without a word they will be won, observing your pure behavior in fear… For so once indeed the holy women who were hoping on God adorned themselves, submitting themselves to their own husbands.”
The third idea of ‘fear’ in the bible sets forth an attitude of honour toward a person of greater rank and authority (Mat 21:37; Mar 12:6; Luk 20:13 & Heb 12:9). The Greek ‘semnos’ describes the behaviour ‘worthy of fear’ as honorable or grave (1Ti 3:8, 11; Tit 2:2 & Php 4:8).
Bowing is an external expression of the posture of one’s inner spirit or attitude, though hypocrisy is possible. It is possible to bow the knee while standing up in the heart, and that does not please God.
Isa 58:5 says, “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast and a day pleasing to Jehovah?”
The Jews, wherever they were found, worshiped while facing toward the Jerusalem temple. Naaman the Syrian worshiped the God of Israel by bowing down in prayer.
1Ki 8:42, 44 says, “For they shall hear of Your great name and of Your strong hand and of Your stretched-out arm; and if he shall come and pray toward this house.”
2Ki 5:18 says, “In this thing may Jehovah pardon your servant, that when my master goes to the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he is supported by my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon; when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, may Jehovah pardon your servant in this thing.”
Psa 22:28-29 says, “For the kingdom is Jehovah's; and He is the ruler among the nations. All the fat ones on the earth shall eat and worship; all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him; and none can keep alive his own soul.”
Psa 95:6 says, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before Jehovah our maker.”
Isa 45:23 says, “I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”
Dan 6:10 says, “And when he had learned that the document was signed, Daniel went to his house. And his windows were open in his roof room toward Jerusalem; and he kneeled on his knees three times a day and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before.”
In a vision Ezekiel saw twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, bowing with their faces toward the East.
Eze 8:16 says, “And He brought me into the inner court of Jehovah's house, and behold, at the opening of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah and their faces toward the east; and they bowed themselves eastward to the sun.”
Temples of the sun worshipers were built in such a manner that the entrance was on the West side, making the worshipers face East on entering. But the temple of Jehovah was built with the entrance in the East so that the worshipers of Jehovah there turned their backs on the place of the rising of the sun. This gesture of bowing down was widespread in ancient Near Eastern religious practice and was a daily part of the ritual worship of the gods in ancient Near Eastern temples.
In Egypt this kneeling is expressed as ‘kissing the ground.’ In the Old Testament, people bowed down to physically express submission to the Lord, to other gods, and to human beings. Very often we find ‘hishtachavāh’ used in the sense of ‘paying homage (reverence) to the king’ as a gesture of submission or surrender. Paying of homage to the king is universally understood to be an act of worship, which is why the king or mayor of the city is addressed as, ‘Your Worship.’
The term worship (worthship) here implies that citizens give special worth or esteem to their first-citizen – the king or mayor. In some societies, especially in ancient kingdoms or empires, the king was regarded as a god or identified with a god. In early Egypt he was identified with the sky god (Horus) and with the sun god (Re, Amon, or Aton). Similar identifications were made in early China and early Erech in Mesopotamia.
In the Turin Papyrus (a list of kings written c. 13th–12th centuries BC), the sun god Re is viewed as the first king of Egypt and the prototype of the pharaoh (the god-king). The symbol of the sun circle, one of the most prevalent artistic representations of the sacred king, and the practice of addressing the king as ‘my sun’ are well depicted in rock reliefs and inscriptions in areas ruled by the Hittite kings.
The Persian king was regarded as the incarnation of the sun god or of the moon god. So, when pagans bowed down to their kings, they worshiped false gods and idols by the very same act. After God confused the language of all people who gave themselves to the deception of satan and his fallen angels by building the Tower of Babel, He gave them over to be ruled as nations around world by satan’s fallen angels; but He preserved the nation of Israel under His care.
Deu 32:8 (MSG) says, “When the High God gave the nations their stake, gave them their place on earth, He put each of the peoples within boundaries under the care of divine guardians. But God himself took charge of his people, took Jacob on as his personal concern.”
This is why we see fallen angels being addressed to as kings and princes of the kingdoms such as Persia, Tyrus, Greece and Babylon in the Old Testament books of the prophets. The devil and his angels introduced their worship (idolatry) in exchange for power through such human kings and their images in idols and relics.
From time immemorial the devil and his angels seek to be worshipped in the place of God by humans. Hoping to arouse greed for power in Jesus and to trick Him, the devil later offered Jesus the kingdoms of this world full with their glorious riches, only if Jesus would bow down and worship him.
Mat 4:8-10 (DLNT) says, “Again, the devil takes Him to a very high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “I will give all these things to You if, having fallen-down, You give-worship to me”. Then Jesus says to him, “Go-away, Satan! For it has been written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only’” [Deut 6:13].
Kneeling was a common attitude of prayer. King Solomon knelt in prayer at the inauguration of the temple.
1Ki 8:54 says, “And it happened as Solomon finished praying all this prayer and petition to Jehovah, he rose from before the altar of Jehovah, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.”
Jesus knelt while praying in the garden of Gethsemane.
Luk 22:41 says, “And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw. And He kneeled down and prayed.”
While many of the instances in the Bible use the word knees in the plural, it may be that at times a person would kneel upon one knee, as is done sometimes by modern Easterners.
Act 9:40 says, “And putting them all out, Peter knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, Tabitha, arise! And she opened her eyes. And when she saw Peter, she sat up.”
Act 20:36 says, “And saying these things, kneeling, he prayed with them all."
Act 21:5 says, “But when it was time to finish the days, going out, we traveled on. And they with all the women and children went with us as far as outside the city. And we kneeled down on the shore and prayed.”
Eph 3:14 says, “For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In the postures of standing and kneeling, the palms of the hands would sometimes be spread out to the heavens, or the hands would be lifted up or extended forward as in supplication (1Ki 8:22; 2Ch 6:13; Ne 8:6). The face would sometimes be uplifted (Job 22:26), or a person might lift up his eyes toward the heavens (Mat 14:19; Mar 7:34; Joh 17:1).
Sitting was another posture employed in prayer, the petitioner evidently kneeling and then sitting back upon his heels (1Ch 17:16). From this position he could bow his head or rest it on his bosom. Or, as Elijah did, he bowed to the earth and put his face between his knees (1Ki 18:42). Falling down or falling on one’s face is often the way a person prostrated himself. This was usually done by falling on the knees and bowing forward, resting on the hands or the elbows, with the head touching the ground (Gen 24:26, 48; Neh 8:6; Num 16:22, 45 & Mat 26:39).
In great sorrow or very fervent prayer the petitioner might actually lie on his face with his body outstretched. In cases of extreme distress, the petitioner might wear sackcloth (1Ch 21:16). False worshipers also bowed down before their idols (Exo 20:5; Nu 25:2; 2Ki 5:18; Dan 3:5-12). Also, false worshipers would often kiss their idols (1Ki 19:18).
Job pointed out the danger of letting one’s heart be enticed toward things such as the sun or moon to the point of making a worshipful gesture toward them like placing one’s hand to one’s mouth in a kiss the way pagan moon worshipers and those giving homage to idols did. This was a denial of the true God and it attracted God’s judgment.
Job 31:26-28 says, “If I looked to the light when it shone, or the moon walking in brightness, and my heart has been secretly enticed, or my mouth has kissed my hand; this also would be an iniquity for the judges; for I would have denied the God above.”
Bowing down to your enemies means surrender and has the sense of worship throughout the bible.
Pro 14:19 says, “The evil bow before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.”
Psa 72:8-9 says, “He shall also have the rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust.”
Isa 49:23 says, “And kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their queens your nurses. They shall bow to you, faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet; and you shall know that I am Jehovah; by whom they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”
Isa 60:13-14 says, “The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious. Also the sons of your afflicters shall come bowing to you; and all your despisers will bow down at the soles of your feet. And they will call you, The city of Jehovah, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”
Rev 3:9 says, “Behold, I give out of those of the synagogue of Satan, those saying themselves to be Jews and are not, but lie; behold, I will make them *to come and worship before your feet,* and to know that I have loved you.”
When and Why Bowing to People was allowed in the Bible
The Hebrew ‘barakhʹ has to do with bending the knees and kneeling during blessing. When receiving a blessing, a person knelt down and bowed themself toward the one giving the blessing. Then the one blessing would put his hands on the head of the one being blessed (Ge 48:13-14 & Mar 10:16).
In bestowing a blessing upon a group of people, it was common to lift the hands toward them as the blessing was uttered (Lev 9:22 & Luk 24:50). The attitudes and postures of the Orientals in expressing respect for one another and especially when petitioning superiors were much the same as those assumed in prayer. We find examples of kneeling in supplication before others. This was not in worship of the person but in recognition of that one’s position or office, with deep respect.
We find many examples of bowing down to people as a sign of respect in the Old Testament. When Abraham was seeking for a place to bury Sarah, we read that “Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth” (Gen 23:7). Likewise, when the three strangers appeared in the plains of Mamre, Abraham “ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground” (Gen 18:2).
Bowing down indicated taking a relatively inferior position in the story of Jacob and his brother, of Joseph and his brothers, and of Judah and his brothers. In both cases, the brothers bowed to and served (worshiped) the one who had God’s blessing in the family, as their ruler.
Gen 27:29 says, “Let people serve you, and let nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone that curses you, and blessed be he that blesses you.”
Gen 37:5-11 says, “And Joseph dreamed a dream and told it to his brothers. And they hated him still more. And he said to them, I pray you, Hear this dream which I have dreamed. For behold! We were binding sheaves in the middle of the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and also stood upright. And behold, your sheaves stood around and bowed down to my sheaf. And his brothers said to him, Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have the rule over us? And they hated him still more for his dreams and for his words. And he dreamed still another dream, and told it to his brothers. And he said, Behold, I have dreamed another dream. And behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me. And he told it to his father and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I, and your mother, and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the earth before you? And his brothers were jealous of him. But his father observed the saying.”
Gen 41:37-43 says, “And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, Can we find any man like this, in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has shown you all this, no one is as discreet and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall kiss the hand at your word. Only in the throne will I be greater than you. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand. And he dressed him with fine linen robes, and put a gold chain around his neck. And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had, and they cried before him, Bow the knee! And he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.”
Gen 42:6 says, “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.”
Gen 49:8-10 says, “Judah, may your brothers praise you. May your hand be in the neck of your enemies. May your father's sons bow before you. Judah is a lion's whelp. My son, you have gone up from the prey. He stooped, he crouched like a lion; and like a lioness, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. And the obedience of the peoples to him.”
Moses told Pharaoh that his servants would come to him bowing and begging him and the children of Israel to leave Egypt because of the plagues.
Exo 11:8 says, “And all these, your servants, shall come down to me and bow themselves down to me, saying, You and all the people that follow you get out. And after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.”
Joshua prostrated himself before an angel, “as prince of the army of the Lord,” not in worship, but in recognition of the superior office the angel held (Jos 5:14). Saul bowed down before the prophet Samuel.
1Sa 28:14 says, “Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.”
David bowed down before king Saul.
1Sal 24:8 says, “Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, ‘My Lord and king!’ When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.”
Bathsheba, Abigal, Mephibosheth, Absalom, Ahimaaz and Nathan, the prophet bowed down before king David (1Kgs 1:16,22; 1Sa 25:23; 2Sa 9:6-8; 2Sa 14:33 & 2 Sa 18:28). Bowing was a sign of acceptance of defeat (Isa 60:14).
The persons defeated appeared before their conqueror in sackcloth and with ropes upon their heads in an appeal for mercy (1Ki 20:31, 32). David praised the Lord who had made his enemies bow at his feet (2Sa 22:40 & Psa 18:39).
Bowing was more frequently used in greeting others, in approaching them on a matter of business, or in displaying a high degree of respect. Jacob bowed seven times on meeting Esau (Ge 33:3). Solomon, even though he was king, showed respect to his mother by bowing to her (1Ki 2:19). Obadiah and the company of the prophets from Jericho bowed before the prophet Elijah.
1Kgs 18:7 says, “As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, ‘Is it really you, my lord Elijah?'”
2Kgs 2:15 says, “The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, ‘The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.’ And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.”
Although it was a common thing for the Jews to bow before authority to show respect, Mordecai refused to bow before Haman. This was because Haman, as an Agagite, was very likely an Amalekite, concerning whom God had said that He would completely wipe out their remembrance from under the heavens, and that He would have war with Amalek from generation to generation (Exo 17:14-16).
Bowing down or prostration would have meant peace and submission toward Haman, so Mordecai refused to perform this act as he would have violated God’s command in doing so. Mordecai refused to recognize the status and position of Haman by bowing down to him.
Est 3:2 says, “And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.”
When Jesus was on earth, people prostrated themselves before Him to petition and worship Him. In connection with the respect paid to Jesus, the Greek _‘pro·sky·neʹo’_ (do obeisance or worship) is used (Mat 2:11; Lu 4:8). He did not reprove them as He was the appointed Messiah King of Israel. Jesus was the heir to the throne of David and was rightfully honored and worship as the Messianic King of kings (Mat 21:9; Mar 1:15; Luk 5:12; Joh 9:38 & Joh 12:13-15).
The honouring of men by bowing down was overlooked by God in the ‘Old Testament times of ignorance,’ but with the coming of the New Testament the Holy Spirit started leading the apostles to reject that kind of honour. In past generations God had allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways which He would continue to allow in the New Testament. This New Testament was made effective by the death of Jesus Christ, the Testator.
Act 14:15-18 says (ESV), “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.”
Act 17:30 (NET) says, “Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent.”
Heb 9:16-17 says, “For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.”
This is why the apostles of Jesus Christ refused to let people bow down or lie prostrate before them. Prostration in the New Testament is an expression of worship, and to them it was as though the power of the Holy Spirit in the apostles, which performed the healing and other powerful works, was their own. The apostles realized that it was from God and that credit for the miracles and all worship should be directed toward Him through Jesus Christ, of whom they were just representatives.
Act 10:25-26 says, “As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.”
The angel whom Jesus Christ sent to bring the Revelation to John expressed that man must bow only to God, when he refused to accept worship from John (Rev 19:10).
The Hebrew ‘abad,’ when used without an object, is often translated as ‘to work.’ Those who work for another are in that person’s service and so, with personal objects ‘abad’ means ‘serve’ and expresses the relationship between a servant or slave, and his lord or master.
The lord is the one who is served, and the servant or slave is the one who does the work. This term brings with it an understanding of the submission and loyalty of a servant to his master that directly connects with spiritual loyalty expressed through worship, mainly in the book of Deuteronomy. The Hebrew verb 'abad' is naturally paired with the verb 'ḥwh' to show how serving (work) and bowing down are the proper expression of link between submission and worship.
The Old Testament helps us understand that we should see ourselves as God’s servants who are grateful to bow down and serve only Him. Remember that the Lord told Israel, “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exo 20:2–3).
The Lord’s position as our Lord derives from his having brought us out from bondage to another lord. Because of the redemption, the Israelites became God’s servants or slaves (Hebrew 'abadim'). In slavery under the law of Moses, Israelites who were slaves had a different status than foreign slaves. Fellow Israelites could not be actual property, as can a foreign slave, they were God’s servants or slaves whom He had liberated from Egypt. Strictly speaking, no Israelite could really ever become the slave of another Israelite.
Lev 25:42 says, “For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.”
This sense of belonging to the Lord as His servants or slaves because of the redemption from bondage in Egypt is a foreshadowing of the spiritual principle that believers in the New Testament can be servants or slaves of their fellow believers because of the redemption from bondage in the world through Christ Jesus. Paul says, “you are not your own… for ye are bought with a price” (1Co 6:19–20), and he explains that since we belong to the Lord through the shed blood of Christ, we should not bow down to and serve human beings as slaves.
1Co 7:23 says, “You are bought with a price, do not be the slaves of men.”
In Exodus and Leviticus, the Israelites were being taught this principle that we also need to understand as believers; that while we have been bought out of bondage, we are not free from obligation. We belonged to the master called sin, but now we have been delivered to be the servants of the Lord Jesus.
Rom 6:17–18 says, “But thanks be to our God that you were the slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. Then being made free from sin, you became the slaves of righteousness.”
1Co 7:22 says, “For he who is called a slave in the Lord is a freed man of the Lord. And likewise, he who is called a free man is a slave of Christ.”
Bowing Down and Serving in a Temple and Church Gathering
The social and cultural use of ‘bow down’ and ‘serve’ in the world of the Old Testament shows the sense of respect and submission that is owed to the One who is worthy of worship. These insights are complemented by an examination of how these terms function in the context of temple worship in ancient Israel where both “to bow down” and “to serve” have very clear roles in formal worship practice within the temple.
In the enactment of “bowing down” and “serving” in the temple we can see the relationship of obedience and submission made visible. The verb bow down (‘ḥwh’) can be used in the context of divine worship to express gratitude both outside of the context of the temple and also within it. In the setting of the temple this action joins other forms of worship activity, such as sacrifices and various types of music. An early usage of bow down (‘ḥwh’) in the context of offering sacrifices can be seen in the story of Abraham offering Isaac.
Gen 22:5 (ESV) says, “Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”
Another example of where the term ‘ḥwh’ describes bowing down as part of sacrificial worship is in the scene with the molten calf. While Moses was away, the children of Israel “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” (Exo 32:8).
Here ‘ḥwh’ is used to indicate they bowed down. Other examples of bowing in worship can be seen in the book of Exodus. The Lord “said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off” (Exo 24:1).
And once the Israelites had moved from worshiping on high mountains to worshiping at the tabernacle, we find the same verb describing how the people worshiped as Moses was in the tabernacle speaking with the Lord: “And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshiped, every man in his tent door” (Exo 33:10).
Here ‘ḥwh’ expresses how the people showed their reverence for the presence of the Lord in the tabernacle by bowing down and prostrating themselves. The expression of prayer in the Old Testament was mainly not prostration but the lifting up of the hands, yet there was a place for prostration or bowing down, as part of the worship practices of the law of Moses. Bringing the firstfruits was tied to prostration or bowing down.
Deu 26:10 says, “And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God.”
Within the Psalms we can find several examples of ‘ḥwh’ as worship in the temple.
Psa 5:7 says, “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.”
Psa 95:6 says, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”
Psa 99:5 says, “Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.”
Just as the use of the root ‘ḥwh’ shows how bowing down was an expression of worship in the temple, so the Hebrew ‘abad,’ “to serve,” very often has a formal worship usage. Temple worship, service, and work share the same word in the Old Testament. In certain verbal forms, ‘abad’ was regularly used to describe the routine duties of formal worship of Israel in its service and care for the tabernacle, temple, its equipment, and personnel.
We see this charge to the Levites saying, “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle” (Num 3:5–8).
Doing the service of the tabernacle was the divine duty for which the priesthood was given (Num 4:21–24). In addition to the divine charge to care for the holy space and possessions of the temple, ‘abad’ was also used specifically regarding sacrifices to worship Yahweh.
Isa 19:21 says, “And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice (‘abad’) and oblation.”
Eze 20:40 says, “For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve (‘abad’) me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.”
So, ‘abad’ refers to the performance of worship, honor, and service in a purely spiritual sense, in addition to caring for the temple’s physical upkeep and maintenance. The identification between serving the Lord and formal worship with sacrifices in a holy place is made clear as seen in the Lord’s explanation of why the children of Israel were to be redeemed from bondage in Egypt.
The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai saying, “Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve (‘abad’) God upon this mountain” (Exo 3:12). Israel was serving Pharaoh in bondage but was going to be brought out of Egypt to serve a new Master.
That this service was temple service is emphasized by the location, as Israel was to serve the Lord “upon this mountain.” The link between deliverance and Israel’s duty to serve and worship their true Lord is repeated what Moses is told what to say to Pharaoh.
Exo 4:22–23 says, “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: and I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.”
Serious consequences fell upon the Egyptians for refusing to allow the Israelites to perform the service that belonged to the Lord. This highlights the central theme of idolatry and worship in the Old Testament, that worshiping other gods is opposed to serving Yahweh. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel was warned that when they strayed from the service and worship of the Lord so that they could serve and worship other gods, they would receive the pay of him whom they had served, which is death. But the Lord’s reward for serving and worshiping Him is eternal life.
Deu 28:47–48 says, “Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.”
Rom 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
All lands and all people were invited to be the Lord’s servants and to come before his presence in His holy house to worship and praise through singing (Psa 100:1–2). As we have seen, both bowing down and serving are consistently used in formal worship at the temple as temple worship reflecting the connection of humility and submission in bowing down, and of faithful obedience in serving.
But worship is more than just the external ordinances, although it includes them. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day that the diligent performance of external ordinances of worship alone were not enough saying, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, "This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Mat 15:7-8).
Rom 14:11 says, “For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God."
Eph 3:14-16 says, “For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.”
Php 2:10-11 says, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly ones, and of earthly ones, and of ones under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
This what the Antichrist will try to copy when he will demand from this last generation, that every knee bows down to him (the beast) and his image; just like Haman demanded for the nation of Babylon to bow down to him, and Nebuchadnezzar demanded that everyone bows down to his image.
The Antichrist will claim to be the Christ and demand His worship, and his spirit is already working through false prophets who demand that the saints bow down to them as a sign of honour. This is also the same spirit at work through the “Black Lives Matter” movement that introduced bowing the knee before games in sports entertainment. People are already being prepared both in the church and in the world to bow the knee to the false messiah.
Mordecai the Jew refused to bow to Haman in the book of Esther, and Daniel’s brave friends refuse to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. The believer is expected to act the same way by refusing to bow down to man.
CONCLUSION
Worship is a matter of the heart also expressed through physical acts, especially that of bowing. Bowing and kneeling were not the only postures adopted by worshipers in the Bible. Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the Lord, and His glory overshadowed them (Num 20:6).
Ezekiel fell facedown in grief, crying out to the Lord, and the Lord answered him (Eze 11:13–14). The Levites were to “stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening” (1Chr 23:30). King David “went in and sat before the Lord” to pray (2Sa 7:18).
Jesus “lifted His eyes toward heaven” when He offered His longest recorded prayer, and Paul exhorted “men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing” (Joh 17 & 1Ti 2:8). In the bible, there is more than one right posture for worship.
While physical representations of worship are important, and our entire being should be engaged in worship of God, the posture of our hearts is of more importance than the position of our bodies. When the posture of our hearts is humility and awe, our bodies often yearn to express that in physical ways.
Kneeling, bowing, lying facedown, bowing our heads, and lifting our hands are all physical expressions of the attitudes of our hearts. Of course, without a similar heart posture, the physical actions are empty. Bowing down is just an outward expression of an inner attitude of humility, reverence, and submission.
Jesus said, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (Joh 4:24). Worship that pleases God flows from pure hearts (Psa 24:3–4 & Isa 66:2). It doesn’t matter if we bow down, stand and shout, or quietly meditate in our minds; if our hearts are humble, reverent, and submitted to God, then we are bowing down in worship, and our external posture is irrelevant.
To worship God in spirit and truth means honoring Him with our whole being. But just as we do not allow young people to disrespectfully talk to sitting elders while standing, we should not take the act of bowing lightly and use for any other purpose other than the worship of the Father in heaven.
To the one who fully understands the scriptures in light of the New Testament, no man is worth bowing to. The definition of idolatry, according to Webster, is “the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.”
An idol is anything that replaces the one, true God. Bowing down to man is a big step into idolatry. Kneeing before man is the worship of man. People do this to beg, pray or ask for a favour or something. We should show respect equally to all people without showing reverence to some ‘special’ others, for God is not a respecter of persons.
Act says 10:34, "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons."
Rom 2:11 says, "For there is no respect of persons with God."
The only exemption to bowing down in the New Testament is in the ordinance of marriage, which is a picture of the relationship of Christ and His bride - the church. The full biblical picture of the marriage of Christ and His church reveals much than his sacrificial provision for and protection of His wife, the church. It reveals more than His headship over the church.
A full biblical picture of the marriage of Christ and His church also shows his Lordship over His church and His discipline of His church. It shows us that women are not just commanded to submit to their husbands, but rather they are commanded to reverence their husbands from the heart by bowing as the bible commands. Women whose husbands are not saved are to do it as a means of evangelism to their unsaved husbands.
Eph 5:22-33 (NMB) says, “Women, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the congregation, and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore, as the congregation is subject to Christ, so also let the wives be subject to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the congregation and gave himself for it, to sanctify it, and cleansed it in the fountain of water through the word, to make it for himself a glorious congregation, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but to be holy and without blame. This is how men ought to love their wives: as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but cares for and cherishes it, even as the Lord does the congregation. For we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. On this account must a man leave father and mother and continue with his wife, and the two will be made one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak as between Christ and the congregation. Nevertheless, see to it that every one of you loves his wife truly, even as himself. And let the wife see that she fears her husband.”
1Pe 3:2 (LEB) says, “In the same way, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful, pure conduct. Let your adornment not be the external kind, braiding hair and putting on gold jewelry or putting on fine clothing, but the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is highly valuable in the sight of God. For in the same way formerly the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves by being subject to their own husbands, like Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you have become when you do good and are not frightened with respect to any terror.”
The act of a woman bowing is not just a cultural token of ages past, but rather it is a relevant biblical command of the wife picturing the church in reverence toward her husband.
Powerful! Authentic gospel
ReplyDeleteAmen. Thank you Anonymous
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