No it is clear do not bow down. I am so tired of people trying to justify their institutions false teachings.
Bow down and
SERVE them. That is the context. Orthodox
DO NOT worship icons. I am tired of non-Orthodox telling us what they think they know about us! If you want to learn about Orthodoxy, learn from Orthodox sources. I've go plenty of good ones to share.
There are plenty of examples of bowing in Scripture that is not worship and is out of respect and perfectly fine (again, just as Orthodox bow to in icon out of respect for the person it depicts):
2 Kings 2:15-16
~ 15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him over against them, they said, “The spirit of Eli′jah rests on Eli′sha.” And they came to meet him,
and bowed to the ground before him. 16 And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men; pray, let them go, and seek your master; it may be that the Spirit of the Lord has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” 17 But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men; and for three days they sought him but did not find him. 18 And they came back to him, while he tarried at Jericho, and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, Do not go?”
Is Elisha being worshiped by these folks? I mean, they bowed before him. I am surprised that for one, God didn't strike them dead where they stand and second, that Elisha did not stop them from bowing before him.
2 Sammuel 1:2
~ On the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn and dust on his head. And it came about when he came to David that he
fell to the ground and prostrated himself.
Is Saul worshiping David?
Genesis 33:3
~ But he himself passed on ahead of them and
bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
Holy smokes, Jacob bows down 7 times before his brother! Is this worship?
Genesis 49:8
~ Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s sons shall
bow down to you.
I mean, this is God speaking to Judah telling him that his brothers will "bow down" to him.
Exodus 18:7
~ Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent.
Another example of worship, Moses worshiping his father-in-law!
I mean, I could go on and on here. The context is
bowing AND serving idols, not bowing!
The Jewish people understood what God meant.
As do Orthodox Christians
