Genesis 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
I wonder if we use the word worship as it is used Biblically. We experience worship wars in the American churches. So let’s exam the word and its use in the book of Genesis
The first time worship is mentioned, it is in the context of sacrifice. Abraham is taking his son Isaac to worship by sacrificing him to the Lord.
The second time we find
Genesis 24:26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord.
We find Abraham’s servant expressing his gratefulness to the Lord for answering his prayer. God had directed him, and he wanted to recognize who gave him the direction. The same idea is expressed in the next verse. Again Abraham’s servant thanks God for leading him to the right place and right people
Genesis 24:48 And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son.
Genesis 24:52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
In Genesis, we find worship associated with sacrifice because God is worthy to be obeyed. We hold nothing back from Him. We give Him our all and our best.
We also see that worship is acknowledging God’s direction and provision in our lives. We do not take credit for His direction and guidance.