“He Is Holy” (Ps 99)

The King’s strength also loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool––He is holy. (vs4-5)

Worship the holiness of the Lord, not merely His love, but His holy love, holy wrath, and holiness in all that He does. He says, “Exalt the Lord our God,and worship at His footstool – He is holy”. Whether He saves or damns, punishes or pardons, the Lord is always right, according to justice, and good.

Exodus 34:7 reveals the glory of God as His goodness passes before us. He says, “keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation”. He is good, whether He pardons the sins of many, or whether he punishes the children who've been raised to believe the father's lies. God isn't merciful always, nor vengeful, but He is always moved by holiness, and every detail of eternity is upright, just, and fair. He says, “The King's strength also loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob” (vs4).

He is no bully god, who does as he pleases... a brute who rules by force without following justice. We read, “The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved! The Lord is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name – He is holy” (vs1-3). He made His own law, revealed the penalties, and then PAID the wages of our sin Himself. He gave the rules, came down here, and then He LIVED them out perfectly, against all opposition and temptation. We read, “Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:43-44). He was no “above the fray god” who felt nothing: He WARRED against sin and Satan, fighting unto death and blood gushing out of His side (John 12:34). He wept, pleaded, prayed, and hurled Himself on the Father's mercies, because He is the reflection of God, and holiness, above all else adorns Him.

Don't be afraid of His holiness. Tremble before Him, but BELIEVE. He says, “Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called upon His name; they called upon the Lord, and He answered them. He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar; they kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them. You answered them, O Lord our God; You were to them God – Who – Forgives, though You took vengeance on their deeds” (vs6-8). You can be SURE that His holiness, though painful in chastisement and upright in beatings, is sure to save, pardon, and help all who come to Him. We can be saved by this holy God, just like Moses, Aaron, and Samuel. He is to be feared and loved as Jesus Christ, but He is not to be feared as cruel and unapproachable. Reverence His holiness by obedience to His will. He says, “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy” (vs9).