Bow Down & Worship

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.”                        Matthew 2:11

The culture in the first century was not one where women or children were respected.  The dividing line between Jews and Gentiles was also great.  This scene, then, is all the more remarkable as we see Gentile kings bowing to worship a Jewish baby.  It’s interesting to note that the Jewish religious leaders who were steeped in Old Testament prophecy and could quote the scriptures verbatim missed what the Gentile astronomers got.

The Magi had traveled a long way and for a long time to find the Christ child.  They anticipated the joy that would come as they beheld him.  (See previous post, Anticipating Joy, below).

Note the two verbs at the end of Matthew 2:11:  bowed and worshiped.  These two words are often seen together and always, it seems, in this order.  Can you worship without first bowing down?  Perhaps the act of physically bowing also represents the bowing of our hearts and minds – a humbling of ourselves in preparation for worship.

To bow is to acquiesce, to submit, to surrender, to acknowledge.  It is a deferring of prerogative, choice, position.  Bowing is a choice.  Bowing places us in a position – emotionally, spiritually, and perhaps even physically—to be ready to worship.  It is a yielding, a giving way.  When our hearts, minds, and bodies are yielded, then we are ready to worship.

Bowing denotes a humbling of ourselves.  Only a humble heart can truly worship God.  A spirit of humility is a complete contradiction to a spirit of pride.

In Proverbs 6, we are given a list of the seven things detestable to God.  Topping the list are “haughty eyes” – surely a sign of a prideful heart.  It was pride that led to the first sin (Eve and Adam couldn’t resist the temptation to be “like God”) Pride has also prompted virtually every sin since.

We were created to worship God – to bring Him glory.  (Isaiah 43:7).  Pride renders us unable to bring our God the glory He deserves –to truly worship Him.

Whether my daily personal quiet time to worship God or Sunday morning corporate worship with others, it is imperative to begin by bowing.  This act of humility is a reminder of who God is…and who I am not.

As we look ahead to the new year, perhaps we can accept the challenge to transform our worship by choosing to first bow.  Bow and then worship.

Photo attribution:  http://ntcccorpuschristi.org/worship.html

Copyright 2010 Laura Macfarlan

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