Psalm 99:1–9 (ESV):
1 The Lord reigns: let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!
4 The King in his might loves justice.
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool!
Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the Lord, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they kept his testimonies
and the statute that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy!
How do you know God is holy?
1) Firstly, consider where He resides and rules (v1-3). Cherubim, the creatures of heaven, sit around His throne. They attend to God, to be near Him signifying His power, authority and goodness. When you read the Bible and see the cherubim described they sound like fantastic beasts, so how incredible must be the one who is enthroned 'upon the cherubim'! God is in heaven in authority, yet He is also exalted over, 'all the peoples'. His jurisdiction is seen and known in heaven and on earth. He influences both realms - it takes an incredible ability to do that, something significantly different, powerful, yet relatable to rule both realms well. God is set apart as He is significantly different. He does not have the responsibility and authority to rule because of wise and persuasive words or physical might, but because of His goodness, love and purity - His holiness. There is no-one like Him because He is completely good.
2) God is The King - the One King that all others are under. God is not just a king who has been endowed with authority and influence, but He is The King who ‘loves justice’, has ‘established equity’ and is righteous. This surely sets God above any other ruler! He rules with justice in mind at every step, meaning that He is fair. Plus He also treats people with equity. This is a term now becoming common in society, it is not about treating people equally, but ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to access to the same things. Providing support, equipment, training etc so that a person has the potential to achieve. God didn’t need any training to tell Him to do that. He created the notion that we should all be treated as the individual’s we are so that everyone has what they need. God establishes equity, justice and righteousness. God knows what is good and right inherently. He doesn't need teaching to do the right things, He was never taught about equity or equality, justice or righteousness because He is those things. He created these facets, and He models them due to His holiness.
4) You will find nothing wrong in Him. No sneaky motive, selfish ambition or wrongdoing. He will not fail to be good, righteous, kind, loving, establish equity or justice. You can look, but you will never find anything wrong in Him - read the Bible from beginning to end and you will see His love, purity and holiness all the way through. He is pure in all of His desires and His actions, He is completely good. God does what He says He will in a fair, honest and right way each and every time. You can trust Him in that. Surely such a One is holy!
5) The psalmist mentions 3 patriarchs of the Jewish faith; Moses, Aaron and Samuel. Men known to have heard God and followed Him. They actively sought Him and lived their lives doing God's will to the best of their ability. Men credited with instilling faith to the nation of Israel during their lifetimes. They were so set apart that they had private conversations with this Almighty King and Holy God. In their private audiences with Him, He gave them direction and confidence for what they needed to do and say. They were so special that God favoured them because they were obedient, and faithful. Yet they were just men. Even though some may even say they were great men, and they must have been pretty special for their life stories are still read and admired thousands of years later, but they were still just men, and they still needed forgiving. Moses, Aaron and Samuel got things wrong even though they were great leaders, so they needed forgiveness. God had to be ’an avenger of their wrongdoing’. Only one who has done no wrong can forgive. Only God has the character and the will to provide forgiveness for the least and the greatest of us because He is the only one who has never erred. He never makes a mistake or sins, this is why He can forgive all people, the great men and women of faith like Moses, Aaron and Samuel, down to the prostitute at the feet of Jesus. God can forgive because He is holy. He alone is ultimately good, righteous, faithful and holy. Even the best person alive today who demonstrates faithfulness to God, like these patriarchs, they still get it wrong. When they do, where do they go, who can forgive them when they still get things wrong and fall short of the holiness, righteousness and justice? All men and women, no matter the signs and wonders, the pillars of cloud or fire that follow or precede them, they all need God’s forgiveness and vengeance of their sin. Therefore, in order to forgive them and make recompense for their wrongs, God has to be greater. Greater in His ability to forgive due to His holiness and greater in His desire to forgive. There is no-one and no sin that He will not forgive. His desire for equity, justice and righteousness extends to all people, no matter what. That is why, in God's great holiness and love, He sacrificed His Son so that we could all know forgiveness. So that we can all be restored to the standard God models; perfection and holiness. For Jesus is God, and human, and He lived the perfect, righteous, just, holy life which he gave up so that His life was exchanged for all sin. So you now, and anyone who chooses to turn and believe in him can be forgiven and can be made holy. This is only made possible through God's kindness, justice, authority and holiness.
Only God is holy.
In God’s holiness He deals with wrongdoing, avenging your sin. He reigns in righteousness and equity, displaying authority, power, love and justice because He is holy.
Would you want to follow or worship something that wasn’t holy? If you wanted someone to rule over you, wouldn't you want them to do the right things, make just decisions and be able to fairly exercise their power and influence? Surely a holy God is the kind of king you want to follow!
