Physical Acts of Worship
Worship is to be a combination of giving all glory to God with our body, our soul, and our spirit. Many people never embrace worship, because they are inhibited, so that they do not do all they could to worship the Lord. The people of Nehemiah's day did not have that problem.(Nehemiah 8:5,6) We need to take note of several acts of worship here.
The people stood up, when Ezra opened the book of the Law, God's Word. This is a physical way to honor God's Word, and to show we believe every word.
Ezra blessed the Lord. That means he praised God for his greatness. The people responded by saying, "Amen, Amen." The word "amen" means "so be it." It is a way of affirming our agreement with what is said.
The people were lifting up their hands. This is an act of surrender to God, and showing our longing for Him.
The people bowed their heads, and even put their faces to the ground to show their submission to God.
Then, when we read the rest of the passage closely, we see that they used their minds to worship God, as the book was read to them for 6 hours at a time. Their spirit was connecting to God, as they responded in agreement to the Word of God, and as they physically acted out the worship that was in their hearts.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Nehemiah 9-12.
The people stood up, when Ezra opened the book of the Law, God's Word. This is a physical way to honor God's Word, and to show we believe every word.
Ezra blessed the Lord. That means he praised God for his greatness. The people responded by saying, "Amen, Amen." The word "amen" means "so be it." It is a way of affirming our agreement with what is said.
The people were lifting up their hands. This is an act of surrender to God, and showing our longing for Him.
The people bowed their heads, and even put their faces to the ground to show their submission to God.
Then, when we read the rest of the passage closely, we see that they used their minds to worship God, as the book was read to them for 6 hours at a time. Their spirit was connecting to God, as they responded in agreement to the Word of God, and as they physically acted out the worship that was in their hearts.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Nehemiah 9-12.