WFT- obeisance

22 June 2008

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for Monday, June 16th was obeisance.  They defined it as such:

1 : a movement of the body made in token of respect or submission : bow 2 : acknowledgment of another’s superiority or importance : homage

They included the following etymological information as well:

When it first appeared in English in the late 14th century, "obeisance" shared  the same meaning as "obedience." This makes sense given that "obeisance" can be  traced back to the Anglo-French verb "obeir," which means "to obey" and is also  an ancestor of our word "obey." The other senses of "obeisance" also date from  the 14th century, but they have stood the test of time whereas the obedience  sense is now obsolete.

Obeisance and obedience shared the same meaning in the late 14th century but the concept has been around since before the time of Moshe in the Hebrew word shema. This Hebrew word has the meaning "to hear and obey".  One way that the people of God worship Him it is through our obedience to His Word, His instruction... His Torah.

This definition provides additional insight into the concept of worship given in the Sh'lichim.

Consider when HaSatan tempts Yeshua and tells him "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me."  Consider if that had had "obey me" instead of "worship me".  This perspective makes Yeshua's rebuttal more clear: "YOU SHALL WORSHIP [obey] THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY."

In every other place in Scripture where we see those who are healed or made whole fall down and worship at Yeshua's feet we might understand them to obey Him and follow His instruction.

These types of perspectives are a great blessing to me and as I share them I hope they are as great a blessing to you as well

Last modified on 16 January 2017

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