This evening I am going to be sharing a topical message related to worship. I want us to examine the worship-related action of falling face down before the Lord; so, I have entitled our sermon/Bible study, “Worshipping Face Down.” The title of our message is also found in a book on worship called Face Down, written by song writer and worship leader Matt Redman. I am going to be sharing some comments made by Redman tonight; however, my message was not inspired by him. My inspiration came from God’s Word as I was reading the Bible, and noticed how people fell prostrate before the Lord in response to His glorious presence.
It is awe-inspiring to read about these encounters with the Lord; and so, we are going to read through many of them together. I remember how when I read each of them I wanted to fall face down before the Lord myself, and I hope this will be the response that each of us will have this evening. I am not expecting you to fall down before the Lord in worship on the spot, but I sure don’t want to stop you if this is how you feel led. I am hoping, however, that we will be encouraged to worship the Lord in this manner in our own devotional and prayer time.
I am going to begin this evening by reading through some of these face down experiences found in the Scripture; therefore, I want to encourage you to either turn to each Bible passage with me, or make note of them for future study. Also, I want us to ask us some questions concerning what the people in theses verses fell down in response to; and I encourage you to feel free to answer the questions.
Falling Face Down in the Presence of God
Genesis 17:1-3 – When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him. Who appeared directly before Abraham, which caused him to fall face down? We read, “The Lord appeared to Abraham” (v. 1). So, he fell down in response to God.
Leviticus 9:23-24 – And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. What did the people see that led to them falling on their faces? We read that is was “the glory of the Lord” (v. 23). So, the people fell down in response to the glory of the Lord displayed through fire consuming the offering upon the altar.
Numbers 16:20-22 – And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” Then they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation?” Who appeared directly before Moses and Aaron, which caused them to fall face down? We read, “The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron” (v. 20). So, Moses and Aaron heard God’s voice. It may have been an audible voice with no physical form, yet it was enough to cause them to fall on their faces.
Numbers 16:44-45 – And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces. Who spoke to Moses that caused the people to fall on their faces? We read, “The Lord spoke to Moses” (v. 44). Could the message have had something to do with their response as well? God said that He was going to kill the people.
Numbers 20:6 – So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them. What appeared to Moses and Aaron that caused them to fall on their face? We read, “And the glory of the Lord appeared to them.” So, they fell down in response to the glory of God.
Numbers 22:31 – Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. What did Balaam see that caused him to fall face down? We read, “And he saw the Angel of the Lord.” The Angel of the Lord represented God’s presence; so, Balaam not only fell out of, perhaps, fear or surprise, but he fell flat on his face in the response to the holiness of God.
1 Samuel 5:1-5 – Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. This an interesting account, for we see here that even idols and other lesser gods fall face down before the Lord. Before what object did Dagon fall down? “The ark of the Lord” (v. 3). Who can tell me what regularly came down to rest upon the Ark? The very presence of the Lord did (Exodus 25:22; Leviticus 16:2; Numbers 7:89). The Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of the Lord.
2 Chronicles 7:1-3 – When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house. When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, for His mercy endures forever.” What did the people see that caused them to fall face down? “The glory of the Lord” (vv. 1, 2, 3). They saw glory of the Lord displayed through fire consuming the offering upon the altar, which caused them to touch their heads to the pavement, or assume a prostrate position on the ground.
Ezekiel 1:26-28 – And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking. What resulted in Ezekiel falling down on his face? He saw “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (v. 28). This “appearance” was displayed through the vision of a man seated on a throne; a man surrounded in the brightest light; probably none other than Jesus.
Ezekiel 3:23 – So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. As in our last verse, what caused Ezekiel to fall face down? “The glory of the Lord.” Now, let’s look at our last set of verses that speak of “falling down in the presence of God.”
Daniel 10:10-15 – Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.” When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. Who spoke to Daniel face-to-face that resulted in him falling down with his face to the ground? Go back to verse five and we read where Daniel stated, “I lifted my eyes and looked and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz.” Daniel either saw an angel, or the “Son of Man” who appeared to him frequently in the book of Daniel, and we know that the Son of Man is Jesus.
I want to talk about these “face down” encounters for a moment. Let me summarize what we have learned so far about why people would fall face down. So, what did each of these people experience that resulted in a face down reaction? Well, when we summarize each encounter, they all came face-to-face with “the very presence of God.” They didn’t just have a “thought” about God, and they didn’t just “envision him in their mind’s eye.” They weren’t “meditating on God” or “praying to God.” They came face-to-face with the very presence, form, and glory of God!
If we only think about God or envision Him, or have an ideal picture or image of Him in our mind’s eye, then our response might be to “bow down,” not “fall face down.” Allow me to explain. When we look up the occurrences of people “bowing down” in the Old Testament, this action is used most often in relation to bowing before gods and idols, and in bowing before kings. The exceptions are found in Genesis 24:26, which declares, “Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord,” and in Psalm 95:6, which says, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” However, the response of “bowing” before God in both of these verses occurs as a result of “thinking about God,” or “imagining His splendor.” They were not “direct encounters” with God’s presence.
“Bowing,” whether it be to an idol, a king, or even to God, Himself, is a voluntary action, whereas “falling face down” is involuntary. These people had a direct encounter with the very glory and presence of God! They did not just “bow down,” they automatically and involuntarily “fell face down!”
We fall face down as we are overcome and overwhelmed by the very presence of the Lord, and we cannot control it. Matt Redman tells us, “So much of worship that goes on in Scripture is facedown. And when you find a facedown worshiper in Scripture, those people have seen the glory of God.”(1) The key here is “face-to-face equals face down.” Redman summarizes it like this: “When we face up to the glory of God, we soon find ourselves face down in worship. To worship facedown is the ultimate outward sign of inner reverence.”(2)
So, maybe none of us have seen the actually glory and flashing lights of God that Ezekiel or some of the other Bible characters saw; but how many of us have been in such awe of God’s holiness that we voluntarily choose to kneel before Him; or even yet we chose to lie face down? But, is it possible to experience the very presence of God in worship, even without seeing His actual form? You betcha!
So, we have just taken a look at some face down encounters found within the Old Testament, so let’s now look at some face down experiences found in the New Testament!
Falling Face Down in the Presence of Jesus
Matthew 17:5-6 – While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. What did the disciples hear that resulted in them falling on their faces? We read, “A voice came out of the cloud” (v. 5). They heard the “voice of God,” meaning that they were standing in the very presence of the Lord.
Luke 5:12 – And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Whom did this leper see that resulted in him falling on his face? We read, “A man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus.” In falling before Jesus, the leper acknowledged the reason why he fell before Him as he acknowledged Jesus as Lord. In standing before Jesus, he was standing in the very presence of God.
Luke 17:11-16 – Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. Before whom did one of the ten lepers fall face down? He fell before Jesus (v. 16). The Samaritan fell down out of gratitude. We’ve been looking at how people fell down because of the presence of God, but what about falling down in gratitude? Could it be that the many blessings we give thanks for are proof that God’s presence is always near?
Revelation 7:9-12 – After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” When the end of time comes, before whom will all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues fall face down and worship? Both the “Lamb,” Jesus Christ, and God the Father (vv. 9, 11).
In two of these passages we see people falling face down before the very presence of God, as we saw in the Old Testament examples. However, we also see people falling face down before Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says that we find “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” So, let me ask you, “Are we, today, able to stand before Jesus’ presence” “Do we have a reason to fall face down?” and “Can we experience the presence of God?” I think we can answer with a definite “yes” because of the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:5-15). Because of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ now lives within.
Allow me to read all of 2 Corinthians 4:6 for you: “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” The very light of God, or His very presence, abides within because Jesus now lives in our heart. We can still experience God’s presence even today through the Holy Spirit, and it is still possible for us to have an encounter with the Lord that will cause us to involuntarily fall face down before Him in worship!
Our experience with the Lord today is all about Jesus. Matt Redman says, “Facedown worship always begins as a posture of the heart. It is people so desperate for the increase of Christ that they find themselves decreasing to the ground in an act of reverent submission.”(3)
Time of Reflection
If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then Jesus now lives in our heart; and therefore, the very presence of God is inside us. Maybe we have never before fallen face down before the Lord in worship. It could be that we are afraid to open ourselves to God’s glory. The glory of the Lord can be a frightening thing, but it’s only frightening when we are convicted of our unrighteousness and sin before God. That’s why people were so afraid of the Lord in the Old Testament. They had not yet experienced the grace and forgiveness found in Jessu Christ. Isaiah cried out, as he stood before the Lord’s presence, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:4).
Today, however, we are seen as the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). If we are covered by the blood of Jesus, then we do not have to be afraid to open ourselves to God’s presence. When we do open ourselves to His presence we will fall face down out of awe and worship. I want to encourage you to surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life, allow God’s presence to come in, and fall before Him in worship. The Lord is longing for us to worship Him with our entire being, for that is why He created us.
NOTES
(1) Matt Redman, “Blessed Be Your Name,” a book review found on Christian Music Today, taken from the Internet in January of 2006 at http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/ artists/mattredman.html.
(2) Matt Redman, Face Down (Ventura, CA: Regal, 2004), p. 13.
(3) Ibid., p. 14.
