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Above this throne stood the seraphim, with veiled faces. The prophet heard the
Trisagion, "Holy, Holy, Holy", and cried, "Woe is me". John, writing later, assures us
that when Isaiah saw this vision he spoke of the Saviour:
"These things saith Isaiah when he saw His glory, and spake of Him" (John 12: 41).
True worship must ever have, in perfect combination, this sense of utter unworthiness
and inability on the part of the worshipper, and the exalted position and high glory of the
Lord. The Saviour Who died for us, not only rose again from the dead, but has been
"highly exalted" and it is the purpose of God that, one day, at that exalted name, "every
knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father" (Phil. 2: 10, 11). Let us anticipate that day by honouring Him, by exalting Him
in our hearts, for He indeed is worthy, and worship, as we have seen, is the ascription of
"worthy-ship" to the Lord as His due.
"Thy mercy is great above the heavens . . . . . Be Thou exalted, (rum), O God, above
the heavens: and Thy glory above all the earth" (Psa. 108: 5).
"Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God"
(Col. 3: 1).
#8.
References to Worship in the Gospel.
pp. 196 - 199
While there are further lessons awaiting us in the O.T. settings of the word "worship",
it is time we turned to the N.T., for while there are certain basic truths concerning
worship that no dispensational changes can alter, the worship that is now acceptable
differs in many ways from that enjoined by Moses, David and Solomon. There are
several words translated "worship" in the N.T. but it is worth remembering that
Proskuneo is never translated in any other way, and as this is the word we are
considering, there will be no alternative renderings to keep in mind. Christ is the object
of worship in the Gospels on eleven occasions, but this fact must not be misunderstood.
While the same word is used each time, the intention of the worshipper varies
considerably and it is both useful and necessary to our study for us to examine these
references. One passage we can dismiss immediately, is Herod's request to the wise men
concerning their quest for the infant Christ, "When ye have found him, bring me word
again, that I may come and worship Him" (Matt. 2: 8). The only contribution this
passage makes is that Herod realized that "worship" was not too high a word to use of
this new-born King. Of the other acts of worship recorded in the Gospels, we have:
(1)
The wise men from the East (Matt. 2:). Three references.
(2)
The leper (Matt. 8:).
(3)
The ruler (Matt. 9:).
(4)
The disciples (Matt. 14:).
(5)
The woman of Canaan (Matt. 15:).
(6)
The mother of Zebedee's children (Matt. 20:).
(7)
The women (Matt. 28:).