Worship Him Because of His Holiness - Psalms 99-101

Psalms 99:5 (ESV)

Exalt the LORD our God;

worship at his footstool!

Holy is he!

Psalms 99:9 (ESV)

Exalt the LORD our God,

and worship at his holy mountain;

for the LORD our God is holy!

Psalms 99:3 (ESV)

Let them praise your great and awesome name!

Holy is he!

The above three verses serve as a brief instruction and summarization of what God is saying in Psalm 99.   The song is a worship poem and it is intended to give the nation of Israel understanding about their worship.    The scene set in the song is that at the sight of  God’s presence before them, making the earth quake, should make them tremble before Him.

Psalms 99:1 (ESV)

The LORD Our God Is Holy

The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!

He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!

Three times in the nine verses we read that the reason for the worship is because God is holy.  So the song is a worship song and is intended to inform the worshippers how and why to worship God.   This key component of God’s holiness is the cornerstone of their worship.   They must tremble because He is holy and they are not.   We are to exalt Him with the humility of our person in our worship.   As God rises before them from the midst of the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle, they are to bow down in worship.   It is only when we see His holiness against our sinfulness that we can have true worship.   It should make us tremble and be in awe.  This is not just an Old Testament truth, however: 

Hebrews 12:28-29 (ESV)

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Acts 5:5 (ESV)

When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.

Acts 5:11 (ESV)

And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Acts 19:17 (ESV)

And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.

Do we worship Him in fear and trembling?   We know that because of Christ’s sacrifice for Him that we no longer fear His wrath.  But we should still worship Him in awe and trembling when we hear and read about His holiness.  

1 Thessalonians 1:10 (ESV)

and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.