Ethical Dimensions of Worship in the Old Testament

Ethical Dimensions of Worship in the Old Testament

WONG Fook Kong

In recent years, scholars like Hauerwas, Wells and Wannenwetsch have explored the relationship between worship and ethics. They have shown that the relationship between worship and ethics is closer and more involved than has been traditionally understood. Following their lead, this article points out that the Hebrew words usually translated as worship have ethical dimensions. The word 

(means, “to worship, to serve.” In quite a number of Biblical passages, it highlights the choice of one master over another with the implication of living according to the will of one over the other. Romans 12:1-2 is an echo of this concept in the New Testament. The other word, 

emphasizes submission of the worshiper to the will and authority of the one worshiped. Thus, worship is intricately connected to the worshiper's ethics and world view in the Old Testament. The last section of this article discusses some limitations of worship as an incubator of ethics.