Psalm 99 is packed full of substance in 8 short verses.
1 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.
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.
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.
8 You answered them, O Lord our God;
You were to them God-Who-Forgives,
Though You took vengeance on their deeds.
Exalt the Lord our God,
And worship at His holy hill;
For the Lord our God is holy.
In my experience, sound relationships are built on trust. We respect people who we trust. We love people who love us back, provide us unconditional love, and are there for us when we need them.
What about our “mighty and powerful God?” How do you feel about the trust and relationship that you have with Him? Do you believe in the three exclamations in verses three, five, and eight, “He is holy?”
Webster’s defines holy as “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.”
I have been reading lately about our God’s “gentle and lowly” approach to our sins. Scripture tells us in Hebrews 12:1-12 that our sins “draw the discipline” of God but He still loves us. God hates our sin and draws near to us and wants us to choose the right path. His immediate reaction to our sin is not wrath and retribution but love and care for us.
In Hosea 11:7-9 God exclaims his love for Israel, even after they have sinned against God.
7 My people are bent on backsliding from Me.
Though they call to the Most High, none at all exalt Him.
8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I set you like Zeboiim?
My heart churns within Me;
My sympathy is stirred.
9 I will not execute the fierceness of My anger,
I will not again destroy Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man,
The Holy One in your midst;
And I will not come with terror.
Our God has compassion for us always. God showed His eternal love by sending his Son Jesus to earth to die on a cross for our sins. The New Covenant God made with man with Jesus’ birth and death was the greatest demonstration of love ever shown to humankind. God acted on His love for us by sending us a savior, knowing we would continue to sin and defy Him.
Back to trust. I think trust in God is vital to my relationship with Him. I would find it hard to love Him if it was only because of my fear of Him. I could feel “forced” to believe in Him because I am afraid or scared of His wrath, or I can choose to believe and follow Him because I know he loves me ALWAYS and wants what is best for me.
I choose love. God loves me and wants what is best for me. I get to choose my actions and they are frequently not pleasing to God. But I know and trust that God will never forsake and leave me knowing that He created me for a purpose, and I will strive to live out that purpose and glorify His name.
