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Worship and Praise
Is there a difference?
"I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise
Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth:
for Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy
Name." (Psalm
138:2)
Praise and worship are widely taught in Scripture,
but are seldom used to describe the same actions.
"Worship" describes an attitude of obeisance and
reverence (usually by bowing or prostrating)
during a formal act of sacrifice or some other
structured observance. "Praise," especially this
word used in
Psalm 138,
emphasizes joyous thanksgiving, recognizing God's
specific blessing or God's worthiness in
character, power, deed, or authority.
There are only two events recorded in Scripture
where the people of God both "worshipped" and
"praised" at the same time. The first was at the
dedication of the great
temple of Solomon. When the prayer of dedication
was finished, the fire of God's glory descended on
the temple and entered the Holy of Holies. That
awesome event drove everyone to their knees "with
their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and
worshipped, and praised the Lord" (2
Chronicles 7:3).
The other occurred right after Ezra led a remnant
back from
Babylon. As the people heard the Word read to them
for the first time in many decades, they became so
convicted of their disobedience, that they began
to cry and confess their sin. They stood for about
three hours and "confessed |same word as
'praise'|, and worshipped the Lord their God" (Nehemiah
9:3).
In neither case did the people jump up and down,
clap, or otherwise demonstrate exuberance. They
were so overwhelmed at the presence of God that
they fell down on their faces! Then they poured
out their heart in intimate worship and praise for
His lovingkindness, His truth, His name, His
being, His attributes, and because God has
magnified His Word above all His Name. HMM III
Institute for Creation Research
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