I am taking time each week to ask myself "Why we worship"
Psalm 99
The Lord reigns;
Let the peoples tremble!
He dwells between the cherubim;
Let the earth be moved!
2 The Lord is great in Zion,
And He is high above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name—
He is holy.
Let the peoples tremble!
He dwells between the cherubim;
Let the earth be moved!
2 The Lord is great in Zion,
And He is high above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name—
He is holy.
4 The King’s strength also loves justice;
You have established equity;
You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God,
And worship at His footstool—
He is holy.
You have established equity;
You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God,
And worship at His footstool—
He is holy.
6 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.
7 He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar;
They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them.
And Samuel was among those who called upon His name;
They called upon the Lord, and He answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar;
They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them.
8 You answered them, O Lord our God;
You were to them God-Who-Forgives,
Though You took vengeance on their deeds.
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
And worship at His holy hill;
For the Lord our God is holy.
You were to them God-Who-Forgives,
Though You took vengeance on their deeds.
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
And worship at His holy hill;
For the Lord our God is holy.
Psalm 99
has only 9 verses and three of those verses proclaim the reason for worshipping God that we are considering today.
Verse 3
Let them praise Thy great and terrible Name for it is Holy
Verse 5
Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is Holy.
Verse 9
Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His Holy hill; for the Lord our God is Holy
Why would the Psalmist need to tell us what appears to be the same thing?
Simply because it is not the same.
I believe this Psalm was very deliberately written with these three verses, it is not idle repetition.
Repetition with God's Word shows us how important something is and it is to be carefully noted.
Repetition with God's Word shows us how important something is and it is to be carefully noted.
Firstly we are told that God's Name is Holy
and then
Twice we are told that God is Holy.
An indication that everything about God is Holy.
An indication that everything about God is Holy.
Yes in two of the verses we are told to worship God because He is Holy but in each case a different place is mentioned.
We are meant to worship God wherever we are
because He is Holy no matter where we are.
There is never a time or place when God is not Holy.
We may feel as if some place is holier than another but God is always Holy
and the place will not determine what He is like
nor how we should treat Him.
Do you worship God differently depending on where you are?
Do you believe God is Holy?