Honouring God

God’s people must honour him

Psalm 22:23 NASB95

You who fear the Lord, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.

See also Mal 1:6; Mal 2:1–2; Jn 5:22–23

Ways of honouring God

By worshipping him

Daniel 4:34 NASB95

“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

See also Is 43:22–24; 1 Ti 1:17; 1 Ti 6:15–16; Re 4:8–11; Re 5:6–14; Re 7:9–12

By holy living

1 Corinthians 6:18–20 NASB95

Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

See also Ro 12:1–2; 2 Co 8:23; Eph 5:1–3; 1 Th 4:7–8; 1 Pe 1:15–16

By keeping the Sabbath and religious feasts

Leviticus 19:30 NASB95

‘You shall keep My sabbaths and revere My sanctuary; I am the Lord.

See also Ex 20:8–11; Ex 12:42; Ex 31:12–17; Le 26:2; Is 58:13–14

By showing kindness to others

Proverbs 14:31 NASB95

He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

See also Dt 26:12–15; Mt 10:40–42

By honouring his name and his word

Acts 19:13–17 NASB95

But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.

See also Jdg 13:17; Is 26:13; Mal 3:16; Ac 13:48; 2 Th 3:1

By acknowledging him as God

Daniel 3:28–29 NASB95

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God. “Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”

See also 1 Sa 6:4–5; Is 43:20; Re 14:7

By giving tithes and offerings to him

Proverbs 3:9–10 NASB95

Honor the Lord from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine.

See also Dt 26:1–11; Mal 3:6–12; 2 Co 8:19–21

By proclaiming his deeds

Isaiah 63:7 NASB95

I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, According to all that the Lord has granted us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has granted them according to His compassion And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.

See also 1 Ch 16:23–26; Ps 145:3–7; Is 12:4–6; Da 4:1–3

By obeying him

Numbers 27:12–14 NASB95

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel. “When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was; for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

See also Nu 20:7–12

God honours those who honour him

1 Samuel 2:27–30 NASB95

Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? ‘Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before Me; and did I not give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? ‘Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ “Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.

See also Le 10:1–3; 2 Ch 26:18; Jn 12:26

God requires sincerity from those who honour him

Mark 7:5–13 NASB95

The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. “For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death’; but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”

See also Is 29:13; Ac 5:1–11

All people will ultimately honour God

Jeremiah 3:17 NASB95

“At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the Lord,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart.

See also Is 60:9; Ro 14:9–12; Is 45:23–24; Php 2:9–11

Jesus Christ is to be honoured as God

Mt 17:5; Jn 5:22–23

See also Re 5:12–13