“You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only shall you serve” (Matthew 4:10 cf. Deuteronomy 6:13).

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

The affection commonly seen in a dog for its master is amazing.  When the Master comes home the dog’s tail wags.  The dog may run and jump.  The dog may even lick the master’s hand.  The dog is happy to be in the presence of the master. 

What does this have to do with worship?  The word translated “worship” in the passage above is proskuneo.  It is derived from pros (meaning: to or towards) and kuneo (meaning: kiss).  Some believe that kuneo (meaning: kiss) is derived from kuon (meaning: dog).  One source suggests, “It evolved from its original meaning to represent first the kiss of ‘a dog licking a hand,’ and then simply, ‘to kiss’ …The basic meaning of proskuneo is ‘to bow down to the ground before someone and kiss his feet, the hem of his garment, or the ground in front of him” (Bill Klein, Greek Thoughts, studylight.org). 

It is not wise to read too much into the origin of words.  The etymological fallacy assumes that a word’s current or intended usage is tied to, or is similar to, a word’s origin.  For example: (1) If someone today speaks of “September,” “October,” “November,” or “December” – he probably does not mean the seventh, eighth, nineth or tenth month of the year.  (2) If someone today speaks of “manure” – he probably is not speaking of working with hands or cultivating land by hand. (3) If someone today speaks of “disaster” – he probably is not speaking of a star.

However, I say that we can learn from the dog.  Wouldn’t it be great if all approached God with the devotion and loving affection that a dog has for its master?

*I want to credit brother Danny Rager of Bridgeport, Alabama for prompting these thoughts.  He and I discussed these things on a recent trip to Guyana.