Worthy of Worship

In the 18th Psalm, David declares, “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised” (Psa. 18:3). The word worship has its origin partially from the term for worth. When we celebrate and adore our God, we are praising Him for His Divine attributes and character and proclaiming His truth to others. In this regard, Jehovah occupies an entirely unique category, one from which you and I will forever be separate. Almighty God is worthy to be praised, that is, He can rightfully be worshipped. You and I may do works of righteousness, help others, and grow in knowledge, but we will never equal the worth of deity. In fact, our salvation is only possible through God’s providing atonement, and His grace revealing teaching.

Still, many today are confused on the topic of worship. One doesn’t have to look very long to find men and women who have set themselves up as objects of worship. On television and throughout the internet, self-proclaimed “prophets” enthrall masses of followers. These crowds don’t just hang on their every word, but they’ll also give them money, devotion, and praise. Do preachers and teachers have any right to be looked at in this way? Certainly not.

As one preacher put it, “good men and good angels refuse worship!” Such was the case when Cornelius prostrated himself before Simon Peter (Acts 10:25-26). Likewise, Paul and Barnabas would not allow the people of Lystra to revere them as deities (Acts 14:11-18). Twice during the scenes revealed to the apostle John, angels admonished him for his inappropriate worship and redirected his focus to God (Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9). The focus of those loyal to the gospel is that God would be glorified above all (2 Thess. 1:11-12; 1 Pet. 4:11). For this reason, the church maintains humility in service to God (Php. 2:3; 1 Pet. 5:5-7). If our desire was to have others worship and revere us, then we would cease any devotion to Christ and His doctrine (Gal. 1:10; Jam. 4:4).

It is important to note that Jesus, on multiple occasions, permitted people to worship Him. This occurred with men (Mt. 2:11; Jn. 9:38), with women (Mt. 20:20; 28:9), with lepers (Mt. 8:2-3), with rulers of the synagogue (Mk. 5:22-24), with those who knew Him well (Mt. 14:33; Lk. 24:52), and with strangers (Mt. 15:25; Mk. 5:6). He is God (Col. 2:9)! If He is not worthy of worship or if this was in any way improper, certainly we would see Him forbid them. Otherwise, Jesus would not be without guile and could not be the perfect High Priest, tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin (Isa. 53:9; Heb. 4:15). We would all do well to remember the rebuke the Lord gave to the devil in the wilderness, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve” (Mt. 4:10).