The Acts Of Worship - Tremble (Part 2 of 3)

The Acts Of Worship - Tremble (Part 2 of 3)

1 Chronicles 16:30

“Tremble before Him, all the earth.”

So, what does it mean to tremble before the Lord and what causes us to do it? Well, there’s a pretty great song about that - “Where You There When They Crucified My Lord?” - and there are some pretty great Bible verses about it, too. So, today, let’s look at what it means and then we’ll learn about some of the things that bring about trembling before the Lord.

The Hebrew word for tremble carries two basic meanings: there is a physical component, like whirling or shaking, and there is an emotional element that is described by words like pain or even grief. Those two diverse ideas take the Bible translators down many paths as they try to convey what the biblical writers want you to know about this term of worship. As a result, we find an intense variety of words to representing in the Bible.

On the one hand, we see words like fear, anguish and grief. On the other hand, we might find words like dancing, shaking and quivering. All of those things conspire with the idea of awe to make a distinctly unique expression of worship.

So, since this word appears in the context of one of the most beautifully written pieces of poetry ever composed, let’s let the text tell us what it mean to tremble in our worship.

1 Chronicles 16:30-33

“Tremble before Him, all the earth; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; and let them say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns.’ Let the sea roar, and all it contains. Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD for He is coming to judge the earth.”

Clearly, trembling is a visceral response to knowing the very nature of the God whom we serve. He is the One who establishes, He reigns and He judges. When we ponder what that means for each of us, our response can only be described as fear, anguish, shaking, awe, dancing, singing and every act of worship mentioned.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at some specific things that produce trembling in the hearts of God’s creation.