Honouring God

Giving the reverence and respect to God which is his due. All God's people have a duty to honour him in every aspect of their lives, while unbelievers and even animals can also honour him.

God's people must honour him

Psalm 22:23 See also Malachi 1:6, Malachi 2:1–2; John 5:22–23

You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All offspring of Israel, revere Him!

Ways of honouring God

By worshipping him

Daniel 4:34 See also Isaiah 43:22–24; 1 Timothy 1:17, 1 Timothy 6:15–16; Revelation 4:8–11, Revelation 5:6–14, Revelation 7:9–12

But at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. Then I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified Him who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

By holy living

1 Corinthians 6:18–20 See also Romans 12:1–2; 2 Corinthians 8:23; Ephesians 5:1–3; 1 Thessalonians 4:7–8; 1 Peter 1:15–16

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

By keeping the Sabbath and religious feasts

Leviticus 19:30 See also Exodus 20:8–11 parallel Deuteronomy 5:12–15; Exodus 12:42, Exodus 31:12–17; Leviticus 26:2; Isaiah 58:13–14

You must keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.

By showing kindness to others

Proverbs 14:31 See also Deuteronomy 26:12–15; Matthew 10:40–42

Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.

By honouring his name and his word

Acts 19:13–17 See also Judges 13:17; Isaiah 26:13; Malachi 3:16; Acts 13:48; 2 Thessalonians 3:1

Now there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I command you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. But one day the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and wounded. This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.

By acknowledging him as God

Daniel 3:28–29 See also 1 Samuel 6:4–5; Isaiah 43:20; Revelation 14:7

Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut into pieces and their houses reduced to rubble. For there is no other god who can deliver in this way.”

By giving tithes and offerings to him

Proverbs 3:9–10 See also Deuteronomy 26:1–11; Malachi 3:6–12; 2 Corinthians 8:19–21

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

By proclaiming his deeds

Isaiah 63:7 See also 1 Chronicles 16:23–26; Psalm 145:3–7; Isaiah 12:4–6; Daniel 4:1–3

I will make known the LORD’s loving devotion and His praiseworthy acts, because of all that the LORD has done for us— the many good things for the house of Israel according to His great compassion and loving devotion.

By obeying him

Numbers 27:12–14 See also Numbers 20:7–12

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range and see the land that I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was; for when the congregation contended in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against My command to show My holiness in their sight regarding the waters.” Those were the waters of Meribah in Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin.

God honours those who honour him

1 Samuel 2:27–30 See also Leviticus 10:1–3; 2 Chronicles 26:18; John 12:26

Then a man of God came to Eli and told him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh’s house? And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the food offerings of the Israelites. Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’ Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.

God requires sincerity from those who honour him

Mark 7:5–13 parallel Matthew 15:1–9 See also Isaiah 29:13; Acts 5:1–11

All people will ultimately honour God

Jeremiah 3:17 See also Isaiah 60:9; Romans 14:9–12; Isaiah 45:23–24; Philippians 2:9–11

At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations will be gathered in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. They will no longer follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.

Jesus Christ is to be honoured as God

Matthew 17:5 parallels Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35John 5:22–23 See also Revelation 5:12–13

While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”

Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.