WORSHIP LIKE A DOG

Even the dogs eat crumbs
My dog, Spencer, is a mean-looking Boxer with the temperament of a hound dog. When I plop on the couch after a long day of critiquing grammatical miscues, he nuzzles his nose onto my lap and slaps my leg with his paw. I scratch his ears, and he inches more of himself onto my lap. With each pet, this seventy pound dog turns into a Chihuahua that thinks my lap is the best place for a nap. Then the thunder cracks and the lightning strikes as my wife’s voice bellows across the room like the voice of God, “Spencer, get to your home!” My dog splits. You see, to my dog I am an object of love and mercy while my wife is the epitome of fear and respect.

The English word “worship” has its roots in the Greek word proskuneo which derides from the words pros or “bow” and kuon from which we get canine or “dog.” That means to worship is a lot like a dog licking its master’s hand. No wonder the Lord marveled at the faith of the Canaanite woman who recognized the true meaning of worship as she “came… and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me.” Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” Her answer ought to humble us: “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table” (Mt 15.25-27).

Dogs respond to their masters based upon the manner in which the commands are communicated to them. Sometimes they tremble in fear scurrying to do their master’s bidding, while other times they come running with tails wagging out of love for the hand that feeds them. The same command spoken with different inflections can have alternately stirring responses. How we worship like a dog will be the object of this week’s study.


The love of Christ compels you
“Spencer,” I yell, “get back here!” The Boxer saunters further down the street, slow like a dance, his head turned around with his eyes staring over his body. He inches forward as I reach for the fallen leash. “Get over here!” He sprints ahead as I lunge and miss the leash. He turns around and barks melodiously like a singer playing a love song. I swear he’s laughing at me. My dog loves me and proves it by sitting at my feet like Mary listening to Jesus, but I’ll be doggone if he calls me “Lord” but won’t do what I say.

Christians readily know what it means to be loved by Jesus and to love Him in return. God demonstrated this love through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins despite our propensity to continue in sin (Rom 5.8). He loves us so much that He gave His Son so that we might live: yet not just live, but to live “for the One who died for them and was raised.” “For Christ’s love compels us, since… One died for all” (2Cor 5.15, 14). We live because He loves us, but we continue to live in order to love Him. Our goal in life should not be to be loved but to live a life of love by following the example of the One who gave His life that we might live. We must live as He lived by laying down our lives for Him as He laid down His life for us.

But most of us won’t offer that sacrifice. Jesus died for me so that I can live for me! I will worship Him through praise and offerings. I will worship Him through tear-filled prayers of thankfulness. I will worship Him for what He’s done for me. But when He says, “Get over here!” I’ll just pretend like I didn’t hear. Surely my loving God will never hold me accountable for that which I am unwilling to hear.

The fear of God propels you
If “worship” truly means that we come to God like a dog licking his master’s hand, then perhaps we need to ask why dogs obey their masters. When Caesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, was asked “What is the most common mistake people make with dogs?” He answered, “They don’t establish a leadership role. Almost all dog problems come from two things: lack of exercise and lack of leadership. Additionally, especially in America, owners tend to give affection, affection, and more affection, when what the dog really needs is exercise, discipline… and then affection.” Can we say the same is true of what people expect from God—affection and more affection and never exercise and discipline?

When Jesus was challenged to worship Satan, He answered, “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (Mt 4.10). If we read Jesus’ memory verse, we find that in Aramaic it actually says: “Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only” (Deut 6.13). To worship God is to fear God. I know we like to think that our love for Jesus ought to drive out our fear of God. After all, we should obey Him because we love Him, not because we fear Him, right? I would argue that our fear of God is the catalyst for our love to God. His love for us compels us to become like Him, but it doesn’t enforce us to obey Him. Our love for Him shown through our fear of His judgments ensures we obey His commands.

This connection between our fear of God and our obedience to Him is seen most clearly in the wise man’s conclusion of the matter found in Ecclesiastes 12.13: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment.” His love points us in the right direction but our fear of God’s judgment propels us in that direction.





Doesn’t “fear God” merely mean that we respect Him? Isn’t being afraid of God an Old Testament commandment and not a New Testament privilege?

Our loving Jesus tells us, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him” (Luke 12.5). Though I suspect we show signs of respect to those we fear, we don’t necessarily respect those we fear nor do we fear those we respect. Jesus’ use of the word seems to be more indicative of “fear” than it does “respect.” As a matter of fact, the Greek word phobeo is only translated as “respect” a few times. Should we respect God? Sure, but that’s no substitute for fearing Him.

Paul writes: “As you have always obeyed… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purposes” (Phil 2.12,13). If God is working in us, then why should we fear Him? The writer of Hebrews tells us that children obey because they fear punishment (Heb 12), but John tells us that Jesus obeyed because He loved us for He had no fear of punishment. My children’s love for me must be coupled with their fear of my punishment, but my love for them has no fear because they cannot punish me. I love them no matter if they reject me, insult me, hate me, or desert me. They will always be my girls and I have no fear of that ever changing. But my love for everyone else doesn’t come with that guarantee.

If I do not fear God, then I do not love God. God has no fear of me and therefore His love for me is without blemish (1John 4). I cannot say the same of my love for Him. But that doesn’t mean I’m afraid of God. Moses told the Israelites as they trembled before the flaming mountain: “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (Ex 20.20). We should not fear fear itself but rather He to whom we must give account of our lives.