Psalms 99 – 101
Verse 99:9 sums up this Psalm quite well:
Exalt the LORD our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the LORD our God is holy!
The last line “for the Lord our God is holy” is the ultimate point of the description. Unfortunately, today “holy” takes on a different ramification than when this was written. The word is more used in a sense to exalt man and not God. That is where this Psalm works since it describes what “holy” actually is more than just saying the word.
We have an easier time applying “holy” to a person than to God, since God is unseen. It’s easy to consider a man “holier than thou” but to raise us an unseen entity above all is difficult for most. Hence why I think we tend to “personify” God as a king, sitting on a throne, in this Psalm. The key is to ensure we understand in terms we get, that God IS over all. If the Psalmist was writing to a group of scientist or engineers I am sure it would read quite different. It would get more into the level of conscious energy and the concept of infinity. But this was written for those who understood the role of a king and not the quantum mechanics.
Verse 100:1 makes me want to belt out in song:
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
I always love the concept of a “joyful noise”, because that is what I do, since I can’t carry a tune! I think we are inhibited much in worship and tend to remain in our own space. At the same time I know I love to worship different than many. I sing and get absorbed in the words, often I stop to reverently pray in the middle of a song. Granted church today with the music makes it so I go unnoticed. I feel worship is something each experiences as an individual. If you want to dance and sing, rock on. If you want to sit quietly and absorb the music, rock on.
The point is there is no defined “right” or “wrong” way to worship God, just that it is done.
Verse 100:5 may get some eyebrows raised:
For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
I often hear God has forgotten us, or that one is not “hearing” from God. The key is God is “faithful” and always. Now I argue He is not consistent and hear me out on this. Consider how many times the Jewish people were wiped out, over and over again. God has not done that for over 5000 years! My idea is He is “mellowing” more like a grandfather than a new dad.
Now that I have turned off many, my thought is the world right now in the past 100 years has sunk to a new low. Granted we are not worship a golden idol, but we are worshiping stuff. On the surface all seems ok and we are not in need of a harsh judgment, but then you roll over a stone and find the underbelly of society and wonder when it will happen.
Verse 101:8 is what we should be doing:
Morning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all the evildoers
from the city of the Lord.
Think about it we just need more to walk with integrity and force out evil. We often accept what is going as the “norm” and not want to “judge”. Society has allowed groups like NAMBLA (North American Man Boy Love Association) to exist without cutting them off. Forcing “morals” on opening on Sunday is one thing, but that same standard should not apply to an organization endorsing the rape and sodomy of our precious youth!