“The Lord is king! Let the nations tremble! He sits on his throne between the cherubim. Let the whole earth quake! The Lord sits in majesty in Jerusalem, exalted above all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name. Your name is holy! Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness. You have acted with justice and righteousness throughout Israel. Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy! Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel also called on his name. They cried to the Lord for help, and he answered them. He spoke to Israel from the pillar of cloud, and they followed the laws and decrees he gave them. O Lord our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but you punished them when they went wrong. Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem, for the Lord our God is holy!”
Psalms 99:1-9 NLT
There are two things at play when we worship God as creatures who can think and reason, but are also feeling and passionate. For the western world, these concepts are often reverse order presented in the passage. In the passage we acknowledge, as with most psalms, God’s overall majesty. For the psalmist, there is to be a certain level of praise afforded upon this simple truth. The concept here is that on the basis of God’s ontology alone, he is to be respected and well regarded. We do this on a small scale with some animals that we call majestic. On a larger scale we speak of elemental forces in this way. Things like fire and the ocean are to marveled as much as they are to be feared. Yet, the passage also demands that our rationale mind be equally engaged. The western world views this as a far superior outlook, but it’s arguable. The psalmist gives humanity reasons that are ultimately personal and smaller in scope than majesty alone. He notes the specific ways in which God was personal and intentional and calls for worship on this level as well. Ultimately, worship in Psalm 99 is a juxtaposition of the two ideas. Worship ought to be on a personal level as much as it should be on an impersonal level. God is not one or the other. He is both holy and with us. One could argue that this mystery is another level on which he should be worshipped.
