proskuneo<\/em> can mean \u201cto bow the knee,\u201d usually understood as touching one or two knees to the ground.<\/p>\nThus, Dr. Block\u2019s main point is that the words translated \u201cworship\u201d in English Bibles refer to a physical act, which is not what most people think when they read the Bible. (I have to say at this point that Muslims do this, actually five times per day at the five scheduled times for prayer, whereas Christians pretty much never do it.) Thus Block says, \u201cWe cannot speak of biblical worship without starting with this physical gesture of submission and homage to God the Father and Jesus the Son.\u201d A main biblical text he cites is Psalm 95.6, \u201cCome, let us bow down in worship.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, church buildings and their seating are not constructed in such a way as to permit lying prostrate or even bowing the knee. But the Jews\u2019 temple at Jerusalem was did enable people to do these physical acts. In fact, scholars and historians tell us about ancient Israel that at the several annual festivals at Jerusalem\u2019s temple, whenever priests conducted some ritual and uttered God\u2019s name, YaHWeH, Jews had to immediately bow down or lie prostrate to signify both their submission to God and reverence for his name. This concept is drastically missing in Christian worship. However, some of us elderly folks may find it difficult to bow an arthritic knee or one with a knee replacement!<\/p>\n
Thus, Block concludes that we should reorient our thinking about worship being mostly the music at church by realizing that worship involves much more. He says of acts of worship, \u201cIn the New Testament, these would have included meeting for instruction by the apostles, fellowship, \u2018breaking bread,\u2019 and prayer (Acts 2:42), as well as the ordinances of baptism (Matt. 28:19) and the Lord\u2019s Supper (1 Cor. 11:23\u201330). Remarkably, although we know these were sometimes accompanied with song (e.g., Matt. 26:30), this is never formally prescribed. Paul\u2019s instructions concerning \u2018speaking to\/admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs\u2019 (Eph. 5:15\u201321, Col 3:12\u201317) occur in the context of appeals to let all of life\u2014rather than just worship services\u2014be the context of worshipful living.\u201d<\/p>\n
I only disagree with one point in Dr. Block\u2019s article, but I don\u2019t want to harp on it here. He says, \u201cWhile biblical worship is Trinitarian, strikingly, the New Testament never speaks of anyone addressing or praying to or praising the Holy Spirit. Nor does it ever portray people worshiping the Spirit with this physical gesture.\u201d That is correct, and I believe it is because the Bible does not teach the post-apostolic doctrine of the Trinity. (For more information about this subject, click \u201cChristology\u201d in the menu on my blog.)<\/p>\n
I highly recommend this article by Dr. Block. And I\u2019d like to read his book.<\/p>\n
(In my book,\u00a0The Restitution of Jesus Christ<\/em>\u00a0[available at kermitzarley.com], I address \u201cworship\u201d in multiple sections and mention these Greek words translated \u201cworship.\u201d)<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Daniel I. Block is a renowned Old Testament professor at Wheaton College, arguably the foremost evangelical college in the U.S. Dr. Block has written many books and journal articles and received numerous awards. This month\u2019s Christianity Today\u00a0has an article by him entitled \u201cWorship God At All Times. If Necessary, Use Music.\u201d It is one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1477,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[327],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>Daniel I. Block is a renowned Old Testament professor at Wheaton College, arguably the foremost evangelical college in the U.S. Dr. Block has written many books and journal articles and received numerous awards. This month\u2019s Christianity Today<\/em>\u00a0has an article by him entitled \u201cWorship God At All Times. If Necessary, Use Music.\u201d It is one of the best articles on worship and ecclesiology that I have ever read. It is based on his book, For the Glory of God: Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship<\/em> (Baker, 2014).<\/p>\n