The Hebraic idea of worship tends to be different from the
Western idea. On more than one occasion, I have heard Dr. Douglas
Wheeler say that the Hebraic idea of worship was that of "a child
climbing into the lap of its father and stroking the father's face
while the father stroked the child's hair.1" The Western idea tends
to see worship as something we do, i.e. raise our hands, bend our
knees, cry, and connect on an emotional and spiritual level. The
Hebraic idea of worship is not something you do. It is the outward
relationship resulting from the inner feelings between two
individuals.
True worship from true worshipers is a life style. We do not have
relationship with God one or two days a week. We have relationship
with God at all times. There is no separation between congregation,
home or work. Hebrew writers used explicit words in an effort to
relate the depth of intimacy between God and His people. In fact,
in Exodus 33:11 the Bible says, "And the LORD spake unto Moses face
to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." (KJV) The idea of
friendship is certainly a part of the Hebrew word (rea), pronounced
ray-aw, but this Hebrew word is more accurately translated as
lover. The idea is not that of the sexual relationship between a
man and his lover but that of nothing being held back. For a man to
have a lover in Biblical times, her veil had to be removed. At that
point, all things were revealed, and there was nothing between them
or held back by them.
The Hebrew word (ahav) is most often translated as love, but it is
important to understand that this is two-sided love resulting from
one-sided selflessness. The idea is to take yourself out of the
picture and in doing so, you are part of it. This one is hard to
explain, but let me put it this way.
If I love (ahav) you, then my eyes are on you only. I have no
personal agenda or sense of self because you are my only desire. It
is hard to breathe, and my heart aches for you. I will try to meet
your needs in your personality which can only come from my knowing
you deeply, and that only comes with time. Put another way, I come
to you with only you and your needs on my mind. I do not seek
anything for myself in any way. The other person will do the same.
In approaching love and worship in this manner, we achieve the
highest level of intimacy that can be attained by humans.
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