And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shalt thou serve.’”
(Matthew 4:9-10, ESV)
God alone is to be worshipped. From the first commandment to the final vision of glory in Revelation, Scripture unequivocally declares that we are to bow before none but the living God, and that our worship is to conform to His will and ways He has prescribed—in reverence, in truth, through Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”
God alone possesses this right for we are twice His, by creation and by redemption. He formed us from the dust, and then, when we ruined ourselves in sin, He redeemed us at the price of His Son’s blood. How then could we offer worship to another? And yet Satan still whispers promises of reward if only we will fall down and worship what is not God. For this reason, the command of Christ to Satan must be the cry of every believer’s heart: “Be gone! For it is written…”
God is jealous for His glory and will not yield it to another (Exodus 34:14), and this truth is clearly seen in the 1 Kings 18 account of the showdown at Mount Carmel. Elijah, standing alone against 450 prophets of Baal, invited the people to see with their own eyes who alone was God. Baal’s prophets cried aloud, even to the point of cutting themselves, from morning till night with no answer.
Next, Elijah instructed the people to drench the altar, the wood, and the sacrifice with water… so much so that it filled the trench around it, and then he prayed a simple prayer, “… let it be known this day that You are God in Israel.” God immediately answered with fire. And not only the sacrifice, but the stones, soil, and water were all consumed. As a result, the people fell on their faces and declared, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
This is the God who commands our worship—not a lifeless idol or some other powerless creation of men, but the God who answers by fire, who speaks, who saves, who judges. To turn from Him to another is not only disobedience; it is madness.
And this worship is not to be performed however we choose. Deuteronomy 12:32 is clear: “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” John Owen observed rightly that true worship must exercise and express faith, love, and fear of God.[1] It must be done in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). It must be through Christ, the only Mediator. It must reflect God’s own excellence, and not our preferences or cultural norms, emotionalism or empty traditions. For true worship is a Spirit-wrought response to the revealed majesty of God.
In summary, worship is our highest privilege and greatest duty, the giving of all glory, honor, and praise to the One who alone is worthy. Once we truly see who God is and what He has done, we can only worship in response. For God alone is our first cause, last end, Judge, Rewarder, and King. He is everything.
Contemplation:
- God alone deserves worship. I confess that too often I divide my devotion. I give time, energy, and attention to lesser things, while the One who formed and redeemed me is not honored as He should be. You alone are the living and true God. You are jealous for Your name, and rightly so. Let me never direct worship to any other.
- Prescribed worship matters. You have told me how You must be worshipped—in spirit, in truth, and through Christ alone. I cannot add to Your commands nor subtract from them. I am to obey, not innovate. How easily I can fall into expressions of worship of my own making Lord, so teach me to honor You in the manner You have ordained.
- The confrontation at Carmel. Elijah stood alone, yet he stood rightly. Baal’s prophets had numbers, volume, and frenzy—but no power. You answered by fire, and the people fell down and worshipped You. I need that clarity. I need to remember that false worship leads only to silence, but true worship brings fire. Let me be bold like Elijah—unshaken by numbers or noise and devoted only to You.
- Worship must be through Christ. I can do nothing acceptable apart from Him. My songs, my prayers, my praise are all meaningless unless they pass through the hands of the Mediator. Christ is the only reason I can draw near. Every act of worship must be offered in His name, by the Spirit’s power, and according to the Father’s will. Keep me centered in Him, or I will go astray.
Prayer (Adoration)
O God Most High, You alone are worthy of worship. You reign in majesty, are robed in light, feared among the angels, adored in the heavens, and unmatched in all creation. You speak, and it is done. You command, and it stands fast. You give life to all things, sustain all things, and by Your will alone they exist.
There is no God beside You. All idols are vanity. All false worship is madness. You are the Lord, and there is none else. From You all things proceed, and to You all things must return. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that You alone are God.
I worship You, Lord, and not by my own invention but according to Your command. Not according to my feelings, but according to Your truth. I come in the name of the Son who alone grants me access. I worship by the Spirit, who teaches my heart to fear Your name.
So let my worship be acceptable. Let it not be polluted or presumptuous but pure, reverent, joyful, and rooted in truth. Teach me to tremble at Your Word. Teach me to rejoice in Your presence. Let me sing with understanding. Let me pray with faith. Let my soul bow low before the greatness of who You are.
You are my Maker and my Redeemer, so I am twice Yours. How can I offer You anything less than my all? You alone saved me. You alone keep me. You alone are my portion and inheritance. Why should I chase after empty things? Why should I divide my heart? Let me worship You with all I am.
Receive my adoration. Be glorified in it. Let my worship today join with the saints above, with angels who never cease to cry, “Holy, holy, holy.” Be magnified in Your church, in every gathering where Your name is honored. Let all things in heaven and on earth give glory to You.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Matthew 4:9-10:
Deut. 6:13, 10:20; Matt. 4:4; Rom. 16:20; Ps. 95:6.
[1] “Neither do we only express and profess our inward moral natural worship of God hereby, by which means it becomes the principal way and instrument of faith and trust exerting themselves in our obedience, but also it is a most effectual help and assistance unto the principle of that natural worship, strengthening the habit of it, and exciting it unto all suitable actings, unto its increase and growth.” John Owen, A Brief Instruction in the Worship of God, and Discipline of the Churches of the New Testament, by Way of Question and Answer with an Explication and Confirmation of Those Answers, (London: s.n, 1667), 4.
