Aboda and Latreia

I don't blog unless I have something that I really want to talk about. So you can assume, what I am about to write has been on my heart and is something that I really want to hit on.

What do you think of when you hear the word, worship?

I assume some minds will go straight to the singing of songs on sunday mornings.

Many of you probably know that worship isn't just music, so maybe when you hear the word 'worship', you immediately think about the ways you worship God outside of music. Maybe that means doing your best at everything you do. Maybe you have the gift of encouraging, and you worship God by encouraging everyone you see. 

These are all acts of worship.

Worship- Noun: The feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.

Sounds about right, right? In our language and time, yeah! That definition sounds pretty good! But we can't forget that the Bible was not written in english. I know you knew that... But we often times forget. 


There are two words in the Bible that are most frequently translated to our english word 'Worship'. Aboda (Hebrew, Old Testament) and Latreia (Greek, New Testament). I personally had never heard those words in my entire life until about an hour ago. Those are the words that are most commonly translated to 'Worship' in our english bibles. But in their Hebrew and Greek contexts, Aboda and Latreia mean something fairly different than our english definition of worship. 

Aboda in the Old Testament, in most cases, has to do with services done in the Temple or Tabernacle. Physical acts of service. 

Latreia, in the New Testament, often refers to the offering of a sacrifice or service to God.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (Latreia)."-

Romans 12:1

Let's stick on that verse for a minute. Put these pieces together.

1. 'in view of God's mercy' - While looking at God's mercy! (Mercy- Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.) Basically saying "while watching Jesus, the one who could condemn us, die on the cross for us and having our minds set on the cross" 

2. 'to offer your bodies' - Offer. Offering. To present something. If you have made it this far into my blog, you have probably gone to church before. (If you have never gone to church before and you're still reading, I commend you.) We have all been a part of an offering at church. The basket or bucket comes by, the adults put money in, and the kids touch it just to touch it. Anyways, when you put money into that basket, when you give your 'offering', do you give it with intentions of getting it back? NO! That's the whole point! When you put your money in that basket you are saying, this money is no longer for me to take care of, it is for the church to take care of. In the Old Testament, when they 'Offer' God sacrifices, do they burn animals in the name of God with intentions of getting that animal back later? NO! So let's go ahead and change 'to offer your bodies' to 'to give up your entire body (mind, soul, thoughts, skin, bones, all of it) to God, with no plans or expectations of EVER getting it back. '

3. 'as a living sacrifice' - Key word here; living. God makes it clear here that you cannot worship him the way he desires if you are dead. Spiritually dead, literally dead. He doesn't want people to care nothing about him monday-saturday, then "worship" him on sunday. No no no. So let's say... 'as a spiritually active, growing, breathing sacrifice'

4. 'holy and pleasing to God' - Holy (Set apart, like God) and Pleasing (satisfying or appealing)....... Your telling me I can be appealing to God? What an incredible thought. So this continues to describe what our sacrifice should be like. It should be living, but it should also be holy and pleasing to God. So let's make this, 'Like Jesus was when he sacrificed himself and being a sacrifice that God appeals to and takes pleasure in.'

5. 'This is your true and proper worship.' - 'This is what real worship looks like.' 


That was a ton. Still reading? I'm almost there... 

Let's put those pieces together. Romans 12:1 New Blog Version

"I'm begging you my friends. While watching Jesus, the one who could condemn us, die on the cross for us and having our minds set on the cross: give up your entire body (mind, soul, thoughts, skin, bones, all of it) to God, with no plans or expectations of EVER getting it back, as a spiritually active, growing, breathing sacrifice like Jesus was when he sacrificed himself. And being a sacrifice that God appeals to and takes pleasure in. THIS is what real worship looks like." 

Read that again.

Let's talk musical worship.

Is that what WE look like on sunday morning? Do we have the cross on our minds? Do we come living or dead? Do we worship with a posture that says "We are sacrificing our lives with no plans of getting it back" ? 

I'll say this. Guy standing in the back, coffee in hand, watching the band, thinking about last night's football, is NOT worshipping the way that God desires in His Word. 

I'll also say this. Sometimes you will go to a church where the worship is very intense (as it should be) and very expressive (as it should be). And sometimes you will go to a church where there is a congregation of about 50 and there is one guy with his hands high, in the back. You feel more comfortable at the first church right? As most would. But one thing we have to get out of our heads... Worship is not about the church you are at. It isn't about the song that the band is playing. It isn't about rather you're in the mood or not, or if you are awake enough. It is about offering your life, like Jesus did, to God with no plans of getting it back, and giving him all you have.

When it comes to musical worship in church, are you doing that? Are you living Romans 12:1 EVERY song? God deserves more than a room of still, lifeless bodies, and He doesn't care how tired and uncomfortable you are. He doesn't care about the fact that you don't like the song. He cares that you worship him in a way that is desirable to him, AKA Romans 12:1. He DEMANDS your worship, Matthew 4:9-10. 

We don't worship because it feels good. Or because everyone else it. We throw our hands up and bow down on our knees because there is a living God living inside of us and not only does He deserve praise, He demands it. 

The 'Aboda' or services done in the Temple, had restrictions. Aboda was in the temple, the tabernacle, or in sacrifices. Aboda was confined to those places and events. 

But guess what? Jesus came, died, rose, gave us the Holy Spirit. Now our worship is not confined! 2 Corinthians 6:16 - "For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

We are the temple! Our worship has no constraints!

So friends, it's time we wake up. It's time we worship Him week in and week out, the way he desires and demands. 

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord” Psalm 134:2

"Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,

    when I cry to you for help,

when I lift up my hands

    toward your most holy sanctuary" Psalm 28:2
 

“Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven” Lamentations 3:41

“I call to you, O Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to you.” Psalm 88:9 


Thanks for reading. You guys rock.