Psalm 99

Again we have a regal Psalm that begins The Lord reigns! 

·        He is the most exalted God because He dwells between the cherubim (v1-3), a reference to the throne room of heaven (Rev. 4) and it’s shadow on earth, the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle/temple of Israel.  

·        He alone is worthy to be exalted and worshiped (v4-5) because He is just (legal) and righteous (moral) in all His doings.  He is to be worshiped at His footstool, the place on earth where He rests His feet (i.e. the temple, His holy hill, the place He designated where He would dwell with men.

·        Moses, Aaron and Samuel called on His name; They called and He answered.  Moses and Aaron were noted for their communication with God in the wilderness, even as Samuel communicated with God at a time when few were communicating with God (1 Sam. 3:1,21).  In these great men God’s justice and righteousness was clearly seen.  He forgave them while at the same time holding them accountable for their sins.  A good illustration of this is Moses who was called of God to lead Israel and yet was not permitted to enter the Promised Land because of his sin in striking the rock.  We know God’s forgiveness in Christ; but we also know that we reap what we sow.  Thus we are called to join these saints and exalt and worship the Lord our God!

This is a great call to worship.  But it is not hard to notice what is exceptional about God in this great Hymn.  Three times there are references to the holiness of God (v3,5,9).  Three times, as in the song of the angels: holy, holy, holy (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8).  His name is holy (v3).  He is holy (v5).  And most wonderfully, the Lord (Yahweh) our God (the God of Israel, yes and of the Church, the only God besides whom there is no other) is holy (v9).  

Verbal definitions are hardly adequate but it is where we start.  The Hebrew qadowsh  means to be free from defilement of crimes, idolatry and other unclean and profane things (Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon).  It refers to God as abhorring every kind of impurity … as being the judge of what is right and true.  God is the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 1:4 and many other places in Isaiah).

The laws in the Old Testament concerning food (Lev. 11) provided a picture of holiness.  We are to be free of anything unclean, physically removed from it and cleansed (forgiven) when we have failed to do so.  And this is critical because there are no more important words in Scripture than these: Be ye holy for I am holy (Lev. 11:45, etc; and repeated for us in 1 Peter 1:16).

And how can we say we are to satisfy this impossible command?  This Psalm tells us.  Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool.  By and in Christ God must be the exclusive focus of our worship.  Not simply Sunday worship; we are talking about the yearnings, desires, expectations of our lives every day.  Exalt Him!  Worship Him!