In our last article, we began talking about the seven Hebrew words for praise and worship in the Old Testament. We covered Halal – praise. Shabach – shout. And Yadah – lifted hands. Along the way, we emphasized that these seven words are not restrictive but liberating, with freedom to express our praise and worship to God in many ways.
Today, we begin with Towdah. This word means ‘hands raised in thanksgiving and offering’. It is similar to Yadah and yet different. Both are about lifting hands in some way. Towdah is more about doing so sacrificially. In the Old Testament Tabernacle/Temple worship, the sacrifice (in whole or in part) was lifted up before God. We, as Christ followers, engage Towdah whenever we remember, praise, and glorify the sacrifice of Christ for us.
Zamar is overtly musical. It means praising and worshiping with instruments. From Psalm 150, “Praise him with the blast of a trumpet; praise him with harp and lyre. Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and flute. Praise him with resounding cymbals; praise him with clashing cymbals.” (Psalm 150:3–5, CSB) Basically, if you can use something to make music, use it to praise God. Music can reach into our souls. We can remember words set to music far longer than we can when we just read the words out loud.
Tehillah is also musical and means to sing. Often in the Psalms, it is connected with singing a new song. Paul instructs the church to sing both old and new songs. “Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:16, CSB) Singing is not restricted to those with the ability to carry a tune. All are invited to lift up their voice in songs of praise and thanksgiving.
The final word is Barack – to kneel or bow down. Whether we stand, sit, kneel, or prostrate ourselves fully, barack to be the attitude of our heart before God. We come with humility and surrender to the throne of God. Worship is ultimately surrendering our will to God’s will. We have nothing to give Him except the praise on our lips, the service of our hands, and the surrendering of our will, desires, purpose, and identity – in short, our lives.
I have said earlier that there is freedom in worship. And there is. We all worship and praise God in many different ways. Sometimes in song, sometimes in service, sometimes in study, sometimes in giving, sometimes in quiet meditation on God’s Word. But the mode of the moment doesn’t trump the attitude of our heart. We can do worshipful things with a proud heart and not really worship at all. In our next article, we’ll consider something Jesus said about our attitude.
Before we leave the seven words, consider the rich choices of worship that God has given us. All the colors in the world can be created by skillfully blending three colors. Imagine the rich tapestry of worship and praise that can be blended from these seven words of worship. Something we won’t know in its fullness until we add our contribution to the eternal praise of our Heavenly Father. Here, on earth, we get just a taste, and it is sweet and pleasing to us. Praise God.
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