Modern Day Idols

Dear God seekers,

Idolatry is something that has been around for thousands of years and is still just as prevalent in the world today as it was in the old days. In fact, this present generation is the most evil one that has ever lived on the face of the earth, so idolatry is probably more widespread now than ever before. It comes in many forms, some old-fashioned ones and some modern-day ones. Let's look at what the Scripture says about it and what constitutes idolatry, as well as what does not.

A golden calf

"Then God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."(Exo 20:1-6).

These are the first and second commandments. The first commandment is that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is Yehova our God, and we shall have no other gods before us. The second commandment forbids idolatry. We must not make an idol, which is a graven image. That includes any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water. God specified that we shall not worship such images or serve them, and this must be understood in the context of the first commandment against having any other gods before Yehova. When God commanded us in the second commandment not to make an image of anything in the likeness of what is in heaven above, that included God Himself, His throne, the angels, the cherubim, and the glorious Holy City.

The Lord reiterated it in Deuteronomy when He said:

"So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, so that you do not act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth. And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven." (Deu 4:15-19)

When the Lord spoke to the Israelites at Horeb, He spoke from the midst of the fire on top of the mountain. They did not see any form on that day. He says that to make a graven image is to act corruptly. The prohibition is against making images in the form of any figure, including those in the likeness of male or female, any animal, any bird, anything that creeps on the ground such as serpents, and any fish. He also warned us not to lift up our eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them. This is essentially a reiteration of the first and second commandments.

Images in the Bible

We do see images in the Bible, some that were authorized by God and others that were not. Let's look at some of them.

The Tabernacle

God commanded Moses to be sure and make the tabernacle according to the pattern shown to him on the mountain (Ex 25:40). The tabernacle itself and all its furnishings were types or copies of the original realities that exist in heaven. Part of the pattern that God gave Moses to build was the ark of the covenant. Above it were the golden cherubim above the mercy seat on the ark.

"You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat." (Exo 25:17-20)

This is an example of a case where God commanded Moses to make an image of cherubim, which are created beings in heaven. In fact, they were on the ark of the covenant in the most sacred place of all, the holy of holies. God also commanded Moses to put images of angels in other places in the tabernacle, too, such as the curtains.

"Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman." (Exo 26:1).

All these images were authorized by God, who gave the skillful workmen the talent to create such beautiful material.

The Temple

We also see the use of cherubim in the design of Solomon's temple:

"Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. On the top of the stand there was a circular form half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its stays and its borders were part of it. He engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders, cherubim, lions and palm trees, according to the clear space on each, with wreaths all around. He made the ten stands like this: all of them had one casting, one measure and one form." (1Ki 7:34-37)

Likewise, we see cherubim in the design of the millenial temple:

"It was carved with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces, a man's face toward the palm tree on one side and a young lion's face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were carved on all the house all around. From the ground to above the entrance cherubim and palm trees were carved, as well as on the wall of the nave." (Eze 41:18-20)

These images were all allowed by God.

The Bronze Serpent

Another example of God authorizing an image is the bronze serpent. Snakes were biting the Israelites in the wilderness, because of their sinful behavior, and they were dying. So God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a cross bar atop a long pole. When those bitten by the snakes would look up at the serpent high atop the pole, they would be healed and not die.

"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.' And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived." (Num 21:8-9)

This serpent was actually a type of Christ on the cross, according to the Scriptures. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life." (Joh 3:14-15)

Unfortunately the Israelites turned the bronze serpent into an idol named Nehushtan and burned incense to it. That's why Hezekiah broke it in pieces.

"He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan." (2Ki 18:4)

The Gold Ephod

When Gideon returned from battle, victorious over the Midanites, the Israelites wanted him to be king over them. He refused to be their king, but said the Lord would rule over them. He did ask for one thing and that was their gold earrings, which they gladly gave him. He melted it down and made a gold ephod out of what he collected. The Israelites later prostituted themselves with the ephod and it became a snare to Gideon.

"Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, 'Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son's son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.' But Gideon said to them, 'I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.' Yet Gideon said to them, 'I would request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil.' (For they had gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) They said, 'We will surely give them.' So they spread out a garment, and every one of them threw an earring there from his spoil. The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the neck bands that were on their camels' necks. Gideon made it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household." (Jdg 8:22-27)

Baal and Ashtaroth 

Of course, we all know about the many idols the Jews made, such as idols to Baal and Ashtaroth. "So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth." (Jdg 2:13)

"Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him." (Jdg 10:6).

The prophet Samuel got them to get rid of these, although they later returned to idolatry. "Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, 'If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.' So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD alone." (1Sa 7:3-4)

The Golden Calf
Then there was the famous golden calf that they worshiped.

"Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, 'Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' Aaron said to them, 'Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.' Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.' Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, 'Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.' So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play." (Exo 32:1-6)

This was a tragic moment for Israel when they fell into sin while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God.

The Foolishness of Idolatry

Idolatry is foolish, because it shows how man wants to worship something he can see. Yet God says, "To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter." (Isa 40:18-20). They worship created things rather than the Creator.

As we can see, there were many images in the Bible, most of which were evil, but others that were authorized by God Himself.

Traditional Images 

Aside from these biblical examples, we also have examples of traditional images used in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. 

Pope Benedict kneels before Mary statue

These religions have made many images into idols, including paintings and statues of Jesus and Mary, as well as the saints. Even crucifixes portraying Jesus hanging on the cross have been turned into idols. These images are venerated by those who kiss them, touch them, and bow down before them. These images are believed to have power. 

For example, it is believed to provide protection to have a picture of "the sacred heart of Jesus" in your home. The same is believed to be true of something called a scapula, which is an image made of metal or cloth that is worn on the body around the neck on a chain or pinned to the underwear. And depending on what kind of help you need, there are false beliefs about the various statues. If you need safety on the road, then you put a statue of Saint Jude on your dashboard or hang the rosary over your rear view mirror in your car. If you need help selling your home, then I have heard that some believe you should bury a statue of Saint Joseph upside down in your yard. All of this is pure superstition and idolatry.

When I first came to Christ, nobody had to tell me these things were idolatry. I gathered them up in my hands and as I prepared to throw them away, I felt that I was either about to commit the greatest act of sacrilege and a lightning bolt was going to strike me, or else I was about to be set free from religious bondage. Well, I threw them away by faith in God, and He did not strike me with lighting, but He did set me free from bondage. The truth set me free not only from that, but from addictions to drugs, alcohol, and immorality. 

Yet when I tried to warn others who were still in bondage to idolatry in the Catholic religion, they would not listen to me. They insisted that these were not idols and they were not committing idolatry, since they were not bowing down to these images or worshiping them. They hardened their hearts when they heard the voice of the Lord speaking to them through me, and they chose idolatry instead of truth. They justified their sin, so they could continue practicing it, rather than repent and be set free to worship God in spirit and in truth. 

Jesus said, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Joh 4:24).

Therefore, if you are involved in idolatry with traditional images, the Lord is calling you to repent and turn away from such wickedness. Turn back to the living God and He will save you.

Also see Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church and Unbiblical Practices of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Are All Pictures Idolatry?

But some people even teach that making any kind of picture of Jesus is idolatry, which will take you down to hell. I personally do not teach that or believe it is true. If it is idolatry to have a picture of Jesus, then that means motion pictures of Jesus are also idolatry. That would mean that movies about Jesus are a form of idolatry, such as The Jesus Film produced by John Heyman and directed by Peter Sykes and John Krish, which is primarily based on the Gospel of Luke. Yet this movie has touched lives for Jesus and many people have come to know Him after watching the film, who would not otherwise have heard the gospel. In the book I Just Saw Jesus, which describes the making of the movie, it is obvious that God was in it and the devil was strongly opposed to it. 

If all movies of Jesus were idolatry, that would also mean that The Passion of the Christ movie produced by Mel Gibson in 2004 is idolatry. And again, I know that this movie has helped to show the world the sacrifice that Christ made for them on the cross. I also know that satan opposed the production of it, such as the making of the sound track. And James Caviezel, the actor who portrayed Jesus in that movie, encountered many trials and tribulations during the making of the film. For example, he was struck by lightning, accidentally scourged, had his shoulder dislocated, and suffered from pneumonia and hypothermia.

If all pictures of Jesus are idolatry, including still images and motion pictures, then according to the second commandment, all sacred artwork would be idolatrous, such as the pieces that artist Danny Hahlbohm says the Lord inspired him to paint. All photographs and pictures of any kind would also be considered idolatry, since they are either images of something on earth, in heaven, or in the sea. That would include videos of any kind, like videos of people, even pastors preaching sermons against idolatry! All such videos contain images of people, which are among the ones forbidden in Deu 4:15-19.

In fact, if all pictures are idolatry, then all drawings and illustrations are idolatry, such as children's illustrated Bibles, craft activities for children's Sunday School lessons on the Bible, coloring books of Bible stories, and paper cut-out figures of Bible characters. One of my children's favorite activities is flannel graph, which are flannel figures of people, angels, trees, animals, and buildings from the Bible, which they stick on a flannel board to create scenes from the Bible. They call it "sticky people." These would be considered idolatry, too, according to this teaching. All books containing illustrations, such as anatomy books and botany books would be idolatrous. All pictures everywhere would have to be eliminated.

I will leave it to you to prayerfully decide for yourself whether all pictures are idolatry, but unless the Lord shows me that personally, it is not my belief that they are.

Revelations About Diagrams and Drawings
Let me also share briefly some excerpts from a revelation given to a boy named Samuel, whom I have written about in my article Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega. The Lord told him:

"Pastors who put any form of diagram on My altar and call My Name there, I am angry with them. And I will send them to hell."

"Tell those who draw any diagram or creature that does not glorify Me, I shall cast them into the lake of fire. In fact...some of these artists are demons, and they are...used for satan. Therefore, repent and beware."

Other Modern Idols

Some modern idols include video games, cars, motorcycles, movies, TV, i pads, i phones, smart phones, laptops, computers, sound systems, boyfriends, girlfriends, fashion models, sports figures, military heroes, politicians, royalty, movie stars, and entertainers, such as rock stars and other music celebrities.  Some make idols of their children, their pets, their spouse, their house, their boat, their vacations, their holidays, their sports, and their photographs. People also still make idols of the sun, moon, and stars. Others make idols of rocks and crystals. They can even make idols out of money, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, sex, and food. And certain people like Hindus, still worship the images of their millions of false gods in their temples. Muslims travel to Mecca where they walk around a cube called the Kaaba. They bow before it, and pray, while some kiss the Black Stone in the eastern corner of the cube. Some make idols of their parents, grandparents, and ancestors. In some Asian countries, they venerate the dead by burning incense in front of pictures of their ancestors, which comes from Buddhism. Children may make idols of baseball cards, toys, dolls, action figures, super heroes, and cartoon characters. Christians even make idols out of their theological doctrines, as well as Christian celebrities and pastors, which is human worship.

With regard to the list of other idols I have made above, it is not comprehensive, of course. Moreover, just because people make idols of these things, not all of them are inherently sinful. For example, if the Lord blesses you with a spouse, a child, a pet, a house, a car, or a laptop, that is not necessarily sinful, and it does not mean we should get rid of these simply because others have idolized them. What is an idol to someone else is not necessarily an idol to me. However, some things are clearly sinful and idolatrous, regardless of who does them, such as all forms of pornography, which is an abomination to God.

Refusing to Bow to Idols

During the period when the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon for their sins of idolatry, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold and forced all the people to bow down to it. But the three Hebrew young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to bow down.

"Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up." (Dan 3:1-2)

"Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up." (Dan 3:7)

Everyone fell down and worshiped the golden image, except for the three Hebrew young men. When they were called before the king about this, and he threatened to throw them into the fiery furnace, they took a firm stand for God.

"Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.'" (Dan 3:16-18)

Of course, we know that the king did throw them into the furnace, and though his soldiers who threw them into it perished because of the intense heat, the three Hebrews were unhurt inside the blazing furnace. They came out without even the smell of smoke or a hair on their heads singed or any damage to their trousers. God had sent His angel and rescued them. 

We need more people like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego today who refuse to bow down to idols. Idolatry is not just a thing of the past, it is still very much a practice of the present, and it is going to continue in the future. In fact, during the soon coming Great Tribulation, all the inhabitants of the earth, whose names are not written in the Book of Life, will worship the beast. 

"All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." (Rev 13:8).

And the false prophet will deceive the inhabitants of the earth with miraculous signs and wonders, forcing them to worship the image of the beast. 

"He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed." (Rev 13:13-15)

But woe to anyone who does so.

"Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.' Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus." (Rev 14:9-12). 

Listen now to the words of the apostles. John said, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." (1Jn 5:21, NIV). Paul said, "Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry." (1 Cor 10:14, NIV).

He said, "...we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2Co 4:18)

He also said, "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal 5:19-21).

John said in the book of Revelation when he described the Holy City, "Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." (Rev 22:15, NIV).

Putting it All Together

As you can see, mankind has a tremendous propensity for idolatry, which is rampant today. It's all around us! Idolatry is not just an ancient practice, but a modern one. And some idols that may seem modern are actually just a more recent version of ancient ones. The devil has an idol for all people of all ages, races, creeds, and languages.  It's more popular today than ever before, and since we are immersed in a culture full of idolatry, it's more difficult to recognize it in our own lives.

If you want to make it into the kingdom of God, you have to repent from idolatry. This includes any and all forms of it -- both traditional and modern ones. God is a jealous God, and He will not tolerate idolatry. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

Attribution Notice: All images copyrighted and used according to the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this article. I would like to invite you to read Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, Drifting Away, Abominations in the Sight of God, Deleted Scriptures in the Bible?, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, Salvation with Fear and Trembling, The Apostasy Parables, Angelica Zambrano Heaven and Hell, Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church, Unbiblical Practices of the Russian Orthodox Church, and Bowing Low in Worship.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV. 

You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Is Secular Music for Christians?

Dear God-seekers,

Many Christians these days don't seem to have any problem listening to or playing secular music. Some listen to any kind of music they please, including heavy metal rock. Others may feel that certain types of secular music are permissible, such as easy listening, love songs, country music, the blues, or the oldies from the 1950's and 60's. Therefore, I would like to address that from the Word of God, in order to determine what the standard is in the sight of God.

In Psalm 137, we can find insight into this matter. The Israelites had been carried off into captivity in a foreign land -- the land of Babylon, because of their sin. They later penned this psalm describing the conditions:

"By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it We hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.' How can we sing the LORD'S song In a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget her skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy." (Psa 137:1-6)

In the World, Not of the World
This psalm describes the proper attitude that every true follower of Jesus Christ should have. This world is not our home. We are not from here. Our home is Zion in heaven. We may live in the world, but we are not of the world (Joh 17:16). We do not belong to this world any more than Jesus did.

The psalmist wrote, "By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion" (Ps 137:1). This describes their posture and attitude of mourning and longing for home while in a foreign land. When I was in the military as a young man, stationed overseas, I recall at times feeling home sick, wanting to be back home in the United States. The best way to deal with it was not to think about home, but sometimes it was hard to do so. And here the psalmist describes how the Israelites felt when they remembered Zion. They sat and wept.

This should also be the attitude of every true disciple. We should be looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Heb 11:10). We are just passing through as pilgrims and strangers here. As the apostle Peter wrote, "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul." (1Pe 2:11). Therefore, let's not be partakers in The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness.

Refusing to Play for the World
The psalmist said, "Upon the willows in the midst of it We hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.' (Psa 137:2-3). In their distress, as they sat and wept, they hung their musical instruments in the trees beside the rivers of Babylon. They were not playing them. There is a time for everything, a time to laugh and a time to weep. This was their time to weep, and it was appropriate. They were being punished by God for their sin and it was very difficult to endure.

But the psalmist gives us the reason why they hung up their harps. He says, "For there our captors demanded of us songs..." (v.3). The reason they hung their harps was that they refused to play Hebrew songs for the Babylonians, who were of this world and wanted to hear these songs for entertainment purposes. The Israelites knew that the joyful songs of Zion were for the Lord and his people, not for the entertainment of the world or the gratification of the flesh.

Yet the main reason why people play, sing and listen to secular music is for entertainment purposes and enjoyment. It's not to bring glory to God. On the other hand, the songs of Zion are for the Lord and our worship of Him, and should not be used to entertain the world.

This next verse describes their complete refusal to play the Lord's songs for the world. They said, "How can we sing the LORD'S song In a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget her skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy." (Psa 137:4-6).

The psalmist actually pronounces a curse over himself if he should ever forget Jerusalem, which is the Holy City and represents heaven for us. He also preferred to have his tongue cling to the roof of his mouth rather than forget the city of God's temple. He would rather become mute and be unable to sing at all than to fail to remember Jerusalem and exalt that place above his highest joy. If we forget heaven, and we go back to the world, we will surely perish. Therefore, the psalmist would rather that his right hand forget its musical skill with the instrument than for him to forget the Holy City. How many Christians have that same attitude toward heaven, whereby they would rather they forget how to play their instrument or their music than forget heaven? Do we prefer to be mute and unable to sing at all, rather than fail to exalt heaven, the celestial city, above our highest joy?

You can choose to deny that this psalm has any application to us today with regard to secular music, but I believe it has a definite application for us. It not only shows us that we should refuse to play the Lord's songs for merely entertainment purposes, but it also has application to secular music. For if we refuse to play the Lord's songs for entertainment, then how much less should we play or sing secular music, which is merely for entertainment and enjoyment, rather than the worship of God?

No Friendship with the World
The psalmist tells us that the Israelites in captivity refused to be friends with the world. The Babylonians hated Jerusalem and tore it down, so the Israelites knew that when they asked them to play songs from Zion, they had impure motives for doing so. The psalmist wrote:

"Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. 'Tear it down,' they cried, 'tear it down to its foundations!' Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us. Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks. (Psa 137:7-9, NIV).

The Israelites in their captivity, as depicted in this psalm, were not interested in being buddies with the Babylonians. Yet when we use music for entertainment, we are essentially becoming friends with the world. The apostle James said, "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (Jas 4:4)

Music is Meant for Worship
Music was created by God for worship, and the devil has altered it to be used for worship of him, as I have written in my articles, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music and The Rise and Fall of Lucifer the Musician. Secular music serves the devil's purposes well by redirecting praise from God to himself. It promotes his agenda of sin and rebellion against God, and takes our minds off the Lord and off of heaven. It provides something in this world to love and takes us away from God. Yet the apostle John said:

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1Jn 2:15-17)

Scripture also teaches us to be filled with the Spirit, and the Spirit-filled life is one in which we are "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father." (Eph 5:19-20). Notice that the Spirit-filled life is one of singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord. It is not one in which we are singing and making melody in our hearts for the gratification of the flesh.

Putting it All Together
Although the Israelites were not being asked to play secular music, their response to the demands of their Babylonian captors to play songs of Zion gives us insight into the proper attitude for saints to have, and it provides us with lessons that we can apply to our own lives today as disciples of Christ. Although we are in the world, we are not of the world. We should refuse to play music for the world's entertainment. We should exalt heaven above our highest joy, and glorify God with our songs. If we do not make heaven our highest joy, then we should prefer rather not to play any songs at all.

As for secular music, it doesn't glorify God and it isn't holy. It gratifies the flesh and promotes sin, including idolatry and rebellion. It takes people away from God. It contains many idle words and nonsense, and the Lord said we would have to give an account for every idle word we have spoken (Mt 12:36).

If you still aren't sure about all this, then I suggest you read my articles, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Five Divine Revelations and Avoiding Worldly Worship. They will make it abundantly clear to you that God hates worldly worship, as well as worldly music. He does not approve of rock, rap, and reggae, not even for the purposes of worship or evangelism. The saints of God don't play these kinds of music in Zion up in heaven. We should be living here on earth the way they do in heaven.

I hope you will take this message to heart, pray about it and ask the Lord, if you are still not sure. The Lord is coming back right away, and He is calling us to repent and make the necessary changes so that we will not miss heaven. May the Lord show you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. May He help all those who are His to depart from iniquity and live in holiness, righteousness, and truth as He requires.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other verses taken from The Holy Bible -- NIV. Photo of Yes concert, Indianapolis, August 30, 1977, by Rick Dikeman, courtesy Wikimedia.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Separation from the World, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Five Divine Revelations, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Avoiding Worldly Worship, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music, The Rise and Fall of Lucifer the Musician, For the Glory of God Alone, The Straight and Narrow Path, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Remember Lot’s Wife, The Rise of Antichrists, and One Thing. I highly recommend reading, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies and Holy Fire Baptism. You may find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Alabaster Jar

I would like to take a look together with you at the woman with the alabaster jar, who poured her perfume at Jesus’ feet. It’s recorded in all four gospels, so it’s like she had four cameras on her recording it from different angles. But actually there were more than four angles, because there were more than four people present when she did that. The four gospels tell us that there were others besides Jesus and His disciples, like Simon the Leper, and others who witnessed what she did. I would like to look at this event from the perspective of each of those people who were present, in order to see it the way they saw it, in the hopes that we will gain some new insights from it. Let’s begin by reading the account of it in each of the four gospels.

Matthew’s Account
In the gospel of Matthew it states:

“Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, ‘Why this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.’ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.’ Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?’ And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.”  (Mat 26:6-16)

Matthew placed this event as occurring right before the Last Supper that Jesus ate with His disciples on the Passover, the night that He was betrayed. He makes the connection between this event and the Lord's passion. He emphasizes the focus men had on money and the cost of the perfume when this happened. He also ties it in with the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve.

Mark’s Account
In Mark's gospel, which some believe he recorded at the direction of the apostle Peter, it states:

“While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. But some were indignantly remarking to one another, ‘For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.’ And they were scolding her.” (Mar 14:3-5)

“But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.’" (Mar 14:6-9)

"Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time." (Mar 14:10-11)

Mark, like Matthew, also placed this event right before the Last Supper, which is recorded immediately after this passage. Therefore he associates this event with the betrayal of Christ and His passion.

Luke’s Account
Luke's is the only account that does not place the occurrence of the event right before the passion of Christ.

Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner." And Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he replied, "Say it, Teacher." "A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?" Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly." Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. "You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. "You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." Then He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven." Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?" And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."  (Luk 7:36-50)

John’s Account
In John’s account, he places this event not at Simon the Leper’s house but at the home of Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha. He identifies Mary as the woman who did this to Jesus. However, he still has it located in Bethany just as all the other gospels do.

“Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?" Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. Therefore Jesus said, "Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. "For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me." (Joh 12:1-8)

Now that we have read the account of this event in each of the four gospels with each of their different angles, let’s examine it from the perspective of each person who was present in the house that day.

Simon’s Perspective
We’ll begin with Simon, who looked down upon the woman because she was a sinner, and doubted that Christ was a prophet because He allowed her to touch Him.

“Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.’" (Luk 7:39).

Being a Pharisee, he was righteous in his own eyes. He judged both Jesus and the woman unjustly in his heart, and failed to look at himself first. While he did well to invite Jesus for dinner, he did not show Him love like the woman did. He neglected to greet the Lord with a kiss, to give Him water for His feet, and to anoint His head with oil.

The Woman’s Perspective
Now let’s see what this event looked like through the eyes of the woman herself. According to Matthew’s gospel, “A woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table.” (Mat 26:7).

She saw Jesus as Messiah, the Anointed One, and she anointed His head. She believed in Him. She brought an alabaster jar of very costly perfume with her, intending to pour it on Him. She did not normally walk around with this jar. Rather this was deliberately done especially for Jesus. No cost was too high, no gift too expensive for Him.

According to Mark’s gospel, “While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.” (Mar 14:3).

She did not just open the cover and pour a portion of it out on Him, but she broke it open. The Greek word for “broke” indicates that she completely broke it, as when something is broken into pieces. By breaking it, she rendered it unable to be used again in the future to hold the contents. She went for broke, not sparing anything, giving Him all that of the costly contents inside of it with all their beautiful fragrance that she could have put on herself and enjoyed. She gladly exchanged it for the fragrance of Christ.

According to Luke’s gospel, “And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.” (Luk 7:37-38)

She was known in that city as a sinner. We are not sure if she had ever used any of this perfume previously as part of her sinful lifestyle to seduce men into sin. If she did, then she may have trapped many men with that same perfume, by putting it on herself. But by now giving it over to Jesus, she demonstrated that she no longer needed it, because she was departing or had departed from her sinful lifestyle. This was true repentance and contrition for sin.

She came to the Lord when she learned that Jesus was reclining there in the house of the Pharisee named Simon the Leper. She sought Him out, carrying that alabaster jar of perfume. We know that he was reclining, as was the custom in that culture, rather than sitting on chairs to eat. When she found Him, she humbly and contritely took up her position standing at His feet, weeping before Him. Seeing herself so utterly sinful as she was, and He as her Savior, she wept with sorrow for her sin. The message, though unspoken, was absolutely clear. She was seeking His forgiveness.

As her tears fell from her eyes onto His feet, she knelt and wiped them dry with her hair. This was a great act of worship, seeing His feet of greater worth than the hair of her head. His feet were dusty and dirty from walking around outside with sandals, and they had not be washed when he entered the home, as was then the custom in that place. Her tears served as the water to wash them and her hair as the towel to dry them. It was no problem for her to do this. There was no hesitation or reservation on her part. In fact, she did not stop kissing His feet from the time He entered the house. She lavishly poured out her love on Him, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

The Disciples’ Perspective
Next let’s see how this event looked through the eyes of the disciples. They saw it as a waste, since they were most concerned about the cost of the perfume. They were indignant when they saw this, and said, "Why this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor." (Mat 26:8-9). The reason they scolded her and bothered her like that was because their focus was on the money, since the perfume was not ordinary, but one that would have fetched a high price. In their view, pouring it out all at once like that on one person was expending it without necessity or use. They felt she was destroying it wantonly or luxuriously, squandering it, and thereby causing it to be lost through negligence. 

Judas’ Perspective
Judas was one of those who shared that same viewpoint, and who was thinking about money. “Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.” (Mar 14:10-11). It was during this particular event that Judas, who was intending to betray Christ, ultimately went off to do so in exchange for the promise of money. It is interesting that this woman’s act of love for Jesus triggered such a dastardly act on the part of Judas for the sake of financial gain. This is the nature of persecution, which is often done out of jealousy. What a contrast there was between what this woman was doing and what Judas was doing at that moment! Their hearts were in two completely different places.

Judas was a man who could be bought for a price. He asked, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him?” (Mt 26:15). Don’t ever set a price for your soul, for which you would be willing to deny Christ or compromise your convictions in any way, because if you do, the devil will surely send someone who is willing to pay it.

Being money-oriented, Judas was naturally motivated by greed, which is what made his reaction different from that of the other disciples. “But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?’ Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.” (Joh 12:4-6). He was selected by the Lord to be the treasurer, yet even as a disciple of Christ given that kind of trust, he had no problem stealing money from the Lord’s treasury box that he was responsible for. Ultimately that was his downfall, because he valued money more than the Lord.

His eyes were blinded by money, and to him the woman’s act was outrageous, not because of the money it wasted, but because of the opportunity he lost to have that money for himself.

As Paul said, “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1Ti 6:9-10). Judas is an example for us to show us what happens to those who ignore the warnings against greed and covetousness in Scripture. His longing for money caused him to wander from the faith and pierce himself with grief. He fell into temptation and a snare, because of his desire to get rich, and plunged himself into ruin and destruction. Scripture tells us that after he saw that they decide to put Jesus to death, he was filled with remorse and committed suicide by hanging himself.

Other Guests
Now let's look at the event through the eyes of other guests at the dinner in that house with Jesus, who have not already been mentioned. "The other guests began to say among themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?'" (Luk 7:49, NIV). This is yet another perspective to consider. They marveled at Him, wondering who He was, since He was able to forgive a person's sins. No one else but God has the authority to forgive sins. No other man but Jesus Christ God's Son can do so. Let's not forget that. We, too should marvel at His ability to forgive our sins. As I said in my previous article, no matter what you've done, you need to know that if you repent and return to God, He forgives and forgets. You can trust Him to do it, since He is gracious and compassionate.

The Lord’s Perspective
Finally, let’s view this whole matter through the Lord’s eyes, which is the most important perspective of all. While everyone else was judging the woman, scolding her, or looking down upon her act of worship, how was it viewed in the sight of God? We know from Scripture that Jesus enjoyed and appreciated her loving act of devotion to Him.

“Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." (Lk 7:44-47).

He saw her faith, and responded by saying directly to her, "Your sins have been forgiven." (Luk 7:48). While everyone marveled at those words, He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luk 7:50). He could see that she was a sinner who had come home.

It was an unforgettable moment for Him. He said, “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her." (Mat 26:13). He knew that God would not forget what she did, and neither would He. In fact, by declaring it so, He saw to it that people throughout the whole world for thousands of years to come would remember what she did to Him there that day. She would be famous for this simple act, of which others did not appreciate or see any value. And it was recorded in every single one of the four gospels, which underscores its importance to God.

Jesus rebuked the disciples for bothering her and told them told them to leave her alone. He said that she did a good deed to Him, which He viewed as a beautiful thing (Mk 14:6). He recognized that she was preparing Him for burial, which was soon to happen. He said, "For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial.” (Mat 26:12). Not only was the house filled with the fragrance of the perfume, but so was He, since He was covered with it. And that fragrance surely stayed with Him and upon Him during the last supper, during His prayer in Gethsemane, throughout His arrest, trial, crucifixion, and death on the cross. The soldiers must have smelled it, as well as Pilate, Herod, and the people by whom he carried the cross on those narrow streets of Jerusalem. Since He said that it was preparation for His burial, we may assume that even when they took Him down, they would have still smelled some of it upon Him. It was long lasting. Nothing about what she did was wasted at all in His sight. It had eternal value to God. This is the nature of true worship, as Jesus taught us how to love God.

“And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the great and foremost commandment.” (Mat 22:37-38)

Worship is about loving God above all else. Yet in this world, it seems that most people serve wealth. This is even true of many Christians, and this indicates who their god really is. They may say they love Jesus, but if they are pursuing wealth, then that is their true master, not the Lord. Jesus warned, "'No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.' Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. And He said to them, 'You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.'" (Luk 16:13-15).

In that room when the woman poured perfume on Jesus, the things that everyone else esteemed highly were abominations in the sight of God. He detested their evil thoughts and reactions, which were based upon their misplaced values. God knew each of their hearts, and could see through what they were saying and thinking, all the way down to their very motives. Likewise, He knew that woman's heart and placed great value on her worship. He was pleased with it and received it as a sweet-smelling savor.

Putting it All Together
Having examined the woman’s act of pure devotion to Christ from multiple angles, we have learned many things. We saw the doubt and critical spirit with which Simon viewed it. We learned from the lesson that Christ taught him that those who are forgiven much love much and those who are forgiven little love little. We saw the criticism of the woman by the disciples, because they saw what she did as a great loss. We saw the greed in the heart of Judas, who wished he could have cashed in her vial of perfume and had the money for himself. We saw how his love of money led him to betray Christ.

We saw the event as the woman herself saw it, through her own eyes, as something very special of which the Lord was completely worthy. We saw her humility, her repentance, her contrition, her tears, her kisses, her extravagant worship, her true love for Jesus, because He forgave her many sins. As she knelt at His feet, she received forgiveness of her sins and salvation (Lk 7:48,50). Although all others were in an outrage over her actions, she had found enduring peace with God at last and that was all that mattered. She cared not what others thought. All her debts with God were cancelled (Lk 7:42).

Most importantly we saw her act of worship through the eyes of Jesus, who was immensely blessed by it. He saw her heart and knew that she was truly sorry for her sins. He forgave her and received her worship, and promised that people all over the world would remember her for it wherever the gospel is preached. It was not at all a waste to Him, but something precious of eternal value.

Let’s learn from this for ourselves and apply it to our own lives. Let’s not be like Simon or the disciples or Judas Iscariot. Instead let’s be like the woman, and repent of our sins – even with tears, receive the Lord’s forgiveness, and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let’s give Him our highest and best – our all, for which He is eternally worthy. Let’s pour out our love on Him like fragrant perfume with sincere and pure devotion.

Give Him your whole life as an offering to the King. Break it at His feet. Offer your body to Him as a living sacrifice, which is your acceptable act of worship (Rom 12:1-2). Don't let anyone look down upon your devotion or criticize you for it. Don't hold back or be stingy with your worship. For no matter how lavish your worship, it’s still it's less than He deserves. He’s far more beautiful than any vial or anything you could give. He’s more precious than the fragrant oil or the most valuable thing you have. He’s the sum of our desires and the fullness of our joy. He is worthy. Worthy is the Lord!

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, where noted.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the Home page, especially The Beauty of Brokenness, One thing, Bowing Low in Worship, Seeking the Lord, The Cost of Discipleship, Costly Grace, The Nature of Persecution, Loving Deeply, Seeking Glory from God, The Loving God Who Bids Us to Come, The Love of Jesus, God Forgives and Forgets, Repentance that Leads to Life, The Lord Healed My Backsliding, and Amazing Grace. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Bowing Low in Worship

Abraham and the Three Angels

Dear God-seekers,

Today I would like to show from Scripture the importance of bowing low before the Lord in worship. I think this is somewhat of a missing element in our worship these days. Worship has become highly commercialized and is somewhat like a spectator sport, in which we are entertained by watching others worship. I'm not saying that we should not enjoy worship. Certainly we should lift up our hands and praise the Lord, making a joyful noise, singing unto Him, even worshiping Him with celebration and holy dancing in the Spirit. This is the kind of worship God enjoys!

But have we become too proud or dignified to bow before the Lord? Have we become too familiar with Him and too comfortable in His presence that we no longer give Him the worship that is due His holy and awesome name?

Bow Down
The Hebrew verb for “worship” is "shachah," which means, “to bow down” (Strongs).

For example, when Abraham’s servant saw that his journey was successful in finding a wife for his master's son, Isaac, it says, “Then the man bowed low and worshiped the LORD.” (Gen 24:26).

Notice that it says that he both bowed low and worshiped the Lord. The Hebrew verb for “worship” (shachah) is used here. But in addition to that verb, it also explicitly says he bowed low, which is the Hebrew word “qadad”, meaning “contract or bend the body (or neck) in deference: - bow (down) (the) head, stoop.” (Strongs).

Even when Abraham’s servant retold what he did, he says he bowed low and worshipped, using those same two Hebrew words, qadad and shachah.

"And I bowed low and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son.”  (Gen 24:48)

In addition to these two verses above that I have just cited, there are other Scriptures as well, where we find people bowing low with their faces to the ground (qadad) and worshiping (shachah) the Lord, such as the following verses:

“So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.”  (Exo 4:31).

“You shall say, 'It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.' And the people bowed low and worshiped.” (Exo 12:27)

The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. (Exo 34:5-8)

Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless the LORD your God." And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed low and did homage to the LORD and to the king. (1Ch 29:20)

“Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.”  (2Ch 29:30)

“Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’ while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.” (Neh 8:6)

Faces to the Ground
In this last verse, we discover another Hebrew expression that is used in Scripture as well for bowing in worship. The expression is “faces to the ground.” So what makes this last verse in Neh 8:6 unique from all the others I have just cited is that in addition to containing both the Hebrew words, qadad (bow down) and shachah (bow down, worship), it also contains the Hebrew expression “faces to the ground.” This verse literally says that after they said “Amen! Amen!” While lifting up their hands, “They bowed low and bowed down to the Lord in worship with their faces to the ground.” It essentially uses a triple reference to bowing low to the ground in worship to the Lord.

The Hebrew word for “face” is “aph,” which means “properly the nose or nostril; hence the face; forehead” (Strongs). And the Hebrew word for “ground” is “'erets”, meaning “earth or ground” (Strongs). Let’s look at some other passages that uses this expression “face to the ground” with regard to worshiping the Lord.

Another verse that has this same connotation is depicted in the pictorial illustration above, showing Abraham bowing to the earth before the Lord. The Scripture says, "Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth..." (Gen 18:1-2)

Fall on Your Face
There is one other verse in the Bible that has this same triple reference like Neh 8:6, regarding worship of the Lord (1), bowing down (2) with one’s face to the ground (3). It says, “Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.”  (2Ch 20:18)

In this passage, while king Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground in reverence for the Lord, all the people displayed a much greater act of worship by falling down before the Lord and worshiping the Lord. In addition to containing the expressions, “bowing low”, “face to the ground” and “worshiping” the Lord, this verse in 2 Chronicles 20:18 also uses the expression “fell down.” The expression “fell down” comes from two Hebrew words. One is “naphal” meaning “fall or lie” and the other word is “panim” or “paneh” meaning “face” or “faces”. In other words, this expression literally means they “fell on their faces” before the Lord.

Another passage that uses the expressions “faces to the ground” and “worship” refers to Solomon’s dedication of the temple, when the fire from heaven came down, the glory filled the house. It says, “Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the house. The priests could not enter into the house of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD'S house. All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the LORD, saying, ‘Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.’"  (2Ch 7:1-3)

This verse also contains another word, in addition to the expressions “faces to the ground” (qadad) and “worshiping” (shachah) the Lord, which is the Hebrew word “kara” meaning in this case to “bow, fall, or prostrate” (Strongs). In fact it even adds that it was “on the pavement” that they fell or bowed down. So this has a beautiful, triple reference to worship of the Lord.

Bowing in the Psalms
Let’s look at a few more verses about bowing before the Lord in the book of Psalms, which is a book of worship.

“But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.” (Psa 5:7).

In this verse, the word “bow” is the Hebrew word “shachah”, meaning “worship.” In addition to that, David the psalmist said that it was in reverence for the Lord that he bowed. The Hebrew word for “reverence” is “yir'ah,” meaning “reverence: dreadful, exceedingly, fear (-fulness)” (Strongs). Therefore, David bowed in worship in the fear of the Lord. This is an aspect that is missing today from our modern worship. We have joy, we have freedom, we have love, but we have lost the fear of the Lord. We need to bring back the fear of the Lord into worship once again. Also see my article, Should you fear the Lord?.

“All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.” (Psa 22:29). This verse uses both “shachah” (worship) and “kara” (bow, fall, or prostrate).

“Then the King will desire your beauty. Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him.” (Psa 45:11)

“Let the nomads of the desert bow before him, And his enemies lick the dust.” (Psa 72:9)

“And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him.” (Psa 72:11)

“I will bow down toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.” (Psa 138:2)

“Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” (Psa 95:6). This verse uses the Hebrew word “barach”, meaning “bless, or kneel”, in addition both “shachah” (worship) and “kara” (bow, fall, or prostrate).

Once again, as with the fear of the Lord, it is rare to see people kneeling in worship any more. We see people standing or sitting in worship, but kneeling is a beautiful and biblical way to express your love, adoration, and worship to the Lord. The Scripture calls us to come worship, bow down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Bending the Knee in the New Testament

"Thou Art Worthy" by C.V. Lacroix

Under the New Covenant, kneeling is still a common form of worship and prayer. The Scriptures refer to bending, or bowing, the knee before the Lord.

For example, the apostle Paul knelt or bowed his knees before the Father. He said, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,” (Eph 3:14-15)

In Miletus, Paul met one last time with the elders of Ephesus to encourage them. "When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all." (Act 20:36). Likewise, after spending seven days with the disciples at Tyre, they escorted Paul to his ship and knelt together in prayer. Luke wrote, "After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another." (Act 21:5). Another example is the apostle Peter, who got down on his knees and prayed in Joppa, before turning to the dead woman's body and raising her back to life (Ac 9:40).

One day every knee shall bow before the Lord. “For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’" (Rom 14:11)

“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php 2:9-11)

Bowing in the New Testament
In the New Testament, we find many different expressions that refer to falling down and bowing in worship before the Lord. Sometimes they are used in conjunction with each other.

The three magi from the east came to Bethlehem of Judea and bowed before the King. It says, "After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." (Mat 2:11). The first thing they did when they found Him, even before they presented Him with their gifts, was they fell, or alighted, to the ground. Then they worshiped Him while they were down there.

The Greek word for worship is "proskuneo," meaning "to fawn or crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore): - worship" (Strongs). The Greek word "proskuneo," is a derivative of two words, "pros" and "kuon." The word "pros" means "toward or forward". The other root word is "kuon," or "dog". These two words together connote the meaning "to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand" (Strongs). The magi were most likely prostrate, as they were worshiping the Lord and adoring Him, paying homage to the King.

The demon-possessed man also did this. "Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him;" (Mar 5:6). The Greek word for "bowed down" is “proskuneo” (do reverence to, adore, worship), as used in Mat 2:11.

This is what satan wanted Jesus to do for him, when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness.  “He said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.’" (Mat 4:9). The Greek word here for “fall down” is “prospipto” meaning  “to fall towards, that is, (gently) prostrate oneself (in supplication or homage), or (violently) to rush upon (in storm): - fall (down) at (before)” (Strongs). The Greek word for "worship" here is “proskuneo” (prostrate, worship, adore).

That is the same Greek word that is found in the response that the Lord gave to satan. Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" (Mat 4:10)

This is the same Greek word for "worship" used in the verse about when Jesus spoke to the woman at the well. He said, "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Joh 4:23-24)

The blind man that Jesus healed did this. "And he said, 'Lord, I believe.' And he worshiped Him." (Joh 9:38)

Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, "You are the Son of God!"  (Mar 3:11). The Greek word here for “fall down” is “prospipto” (fall, fall down).

"But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet."  (Mar 7:25)

"But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, 'Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!'" (Luk 5:8)

I have already mentioned the account of the demon-possessed man in Mark's gospel, where the Greek word "proskuneo" (prostrate, worship, adore) was used. However, in Luke's gospel, the word "prospipto" (fall, fall down) is used instead to refer to the same incident:

"Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, 'What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.'"  (Luk 8:28)

"When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed."  (Luk 8:47; cf., Mar 5:33)

The apostle Paul spoke of the way an unbeliever or ungifted man would fall on his face and worship God, if he entered a meeting, in which everyone was prophesying. He said, "But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you." (1Co 14:24-25). 

The Greek words used here in 1Co 14:25 are “pipto” (fall, alight, fall down) and “proskuneo” (prostrate, worship, adore). Another Greek word is also used to indicate explicitly that it is "on his face" that the man will fall. The word for "face" is “prosopon” meaning “the front (as being towards view), that is, the countenance...face…” (Strongs). 

Falling Down in Worship in Heaven 
Just as worship on earth includes falling down, so does worship in heaven. The same three words used by the apostle Paul in 1 Co 14:25 -- “pipto” (fall, alight, fall down), “prosopon” (face), and “proskuneo” (worship) -- are used in the following verses in Revelation 7:11 and 11:16:

"And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God..." (Rev 7:11)

"And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, 'We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.'" (Rev 11:16-17)

Likewise, there are other verses about falling down in worship. "And the four living creatures kept saying, 'Amen.' And the elders fell down and worshiped."  (Rev 5:14)

"And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, 'Amen. Hallelujah!'" (Rev 19:4). The Greek words used in Rev 5:14 and Rev 19:4 are the same as those used in Mt 2:11 regarding the three magi: "pipto" (fall, light on) and "proskuneo" (prostrate, worship, adore).

Bowing Low is Undignified
It's true that bowing low to the ground is an undignified act, but this is the nature of true worship. The flesh (sinful nature) thinks about self and how it will look down their on the ground. It thinks about getting dirty down there in the dust. The enemy will tempt you to think about those things that concern yourself. He'll plant a thought in your mind that you must not bow low or lay prostrate, because it may pose some risk to you, your health, your dignity, your hair, or your clothing.

But the new man denies himself, takes up his cross, and says, “I will die for Jesus, because I love Him, and He’s done so much for me!” The new man says with king David, "I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." (2 Sam 6:22a, NIV). Therefore, resist those temptations that keep you from bowing low, falling down with your face to the ground, and prostrating yourself before the Lord in worship. It's a way of surrendering yourself lovingly in complete abandonment to Him.

Moreover, it's also a way of expressing your reverence and awe of Him. "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire." (Heb 12:28-29, NIV)

The Lord Himself Worships This Way
Even our Lord Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, worships this way. He is our example, whose steps we must follow.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, "He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.'" (Mat 26:39)

Just like the three magi from the east, the Lord fell, or alighted, on His face. This is how He prayed to the Father in heaven on that fateful night that He was betrayed. His posture reflected his complete surrender to the Father's will.

Even now in heaven, the Lord prays to the Father, as He always lives to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25). And as I wrote in my article, Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell, brother Ezekiel of Nigeria, Africa testifies to seeing the Lord in heaven, laying prostrate on His face before the Father's throne. He said, "I was looking for the Lord Jesus Christ.  I wanted to see Him. I looked up and down.  Behold, afar off, I saw King of kings and Lord of lords.  He was lying down (prostrate), and the twenty-four elders were before Him." I highly recommend reading that entire article, which will change your life. The section where I covered this in the article is called, "The Throne Room."

Worship Has Many Forms
Of course, worship has many forms, which are depicted in Scripture, and laying prostrate or kneeling are not the only acceptable ones. I have mentioned some other forms of worship in this message already, such as standing (Ps 134:1), lifting our hands (Neh 8:6; 1 Tim 2:8; Ps 63:4; 134:2; 141:2; Lam 3:41), sitting (Ezra 9:3), singing with joy (Ps 96:1-2; 98:4; 104:33), rejoicing (Phil 4:4; Ps 33:21; 118:24), celebrating His goodness (Ps 145:7), and holy dancing in the Spirit (Ps 149:3). Also see my articles, Lifting Hands in Prayer and Lifting Your Face in Prayer.

Face to the Ground is Ideal for Repentance
That being said, the last thing I would like to mention is that laying prostrate on the floor is the ideal position for repentance. If we are truly repentant, this allows us to express ourselves best to God, as we humble ourselves before Him, seek His face, and turn from our sin, asking for His forgiveness.

Moses lay prostrate before the Lord for forty days on behalf of the Israelites' sin, because the Lord said He would destroy them (Deut 9:25). Likewise, Ezra lay before the Lord on the ground in repentance, because of the unfaithfulness of the Israelite exiles, who had married foreign women with their detestable practices. He was "...praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God..." (Ez 10:1a, NIV).  He was prostrating himself before the house of God, according to the NASB. The Hebrew word used for "prostrating himself" is "naphal" (to fall, lie), which we have already mentioned.

In Jesus' parable of the slave that owed ten thousand talents, he prostrated himself before his master, as he begged him to have patience. "So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.'  (Mat 18:26). The Greek words used here are "pipto" (fall, light on) and "proskuneo" (prostrate, worship, adore), which is the same word used elsewhere in the Scriptures for "worship". This helps to show that the Greek word for "worship" also means to "prostrate" oneself. It also gives us another Scriptural example of laying prostrate during repentance.

A Hungarian sister, who received a revelation of heaven and hell, testified, "And Jesus said it’s important not just to repent at church, but at home also. And even to get down on your face before God when you repent, and bow before Him. I mean, not bow, but lay prostrate before Him, because the Lord told me this the only acceptable way in front of the Lord to repent. We are not just bowing our heads before the Great God. We have to lay down before Him. It’s important that when we repent, we don’t just, like at church, sit in our seats and just bow our head. But we go up front and take the most humble position and lay before the Lord to repent. We have to lay our lives down before Him and say, 'I don’t care if anyone kills me or what happens to me. I don’t care about anything else—what will happen to me.'”  -- Eudoxia Varga. For the complete testimony, please see Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell.

Putting it All Together
Therefore, we learn from Scripture that even though the word “worship” itself means to “bow down,” it is often used together with other expressions that further emphasize the humble, subdued position of one’s body before the Lord. Indeed, worship involves kneeling before the Lord, even bowing down before the Lord with your face to the ground. It involves falling or bowing prostrate before Him in reverence and awe. It is an act of humbling yourself under the mighty hand of God. All glory and honor be to the Lord forever and ever. It is my hope that this message has helped to inspire you to greater heights in worship, as you lower and abase yourself before the Most High. For there is no other God beside Him, and He alone deserves our highest worship.
  
Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, where noted. The image of the water color painting, "Abraham and the Three Angels," c. 1896-1902, by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902). The illustration "Thou Art Worthy" is by my seventeen-year old daughter C.V. Lacroix. You can find more of her lovely artwork at A Brush with Life.

Author's note: I also recommend reading Should you fear the Lord?, Lifting Hands in Prayer, Lifting Your Face in Prayer, Crying Out to God Loudly, Avoiding Worldly Worship, Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell, Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell, Baptized with the Spirit, The New Wine, Who intercedes for us?, Praying for the Lord Jesus, and Whatever You Do, Do All Like This. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org