For in a terrible storm each person is alone within their minds, cowering with their own private fears, their uncertainties.”
–Louis L’Amour (Matagorda)
“The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.”
–Nahum 1:3 (NKJV)
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Psalm 99 should get our attention! Someone said that “God is holy, frighteningly holy. Such a vision of the holy, holy, holy Lord keeps us bowing low before his feet.” Steven Lawson writes that God is, “Unwavering in carrying out his eternal purposes, unhindered by man’s decisions to the contrary, God reigns supremely in absolute authority, the unrivaled ruler over heaven and earth.”
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. (NKJV)
The NLT translates verse 1, “The LORD is king!” No ifs or doubts about it. He is the sovereign ruler not just of the earth, but of the universe and beyond. The great writer and preacher Arthur W. Pink said, “Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in name, that he is on the Throne of the universe, directing all things, working all things after the counsel of his own will.” No matter how much this evil world rocks in chaos and turmoil–God reigns. No matter how “woke” culture may become, how it tries to dethrone the King of heaven–God will continue to reign. But note: because He reigns the people are called to tremble! Tremble means to “be deeply moved and disturbed, even thrown into commotion.”
Let me relate a story I read. King Uzziah had a long and prosperous reign. He did his best to bring Judah back to the Lord, but there came a time, a time when his throne led to him becoming arrogant and he usurped the duties of the priest. He burned incense on the altar in the Temple. As punishment he became a leper. The great King Uzziah now had to live in isolation. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1, NKJV)
The next verse describes the seraphims, then what Isaiah heard, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (6:3, NKJV)
Isaiah would have known of the sin of Uzziah and if the king was punished for burning incense, he must have wondered what would happen to him. Isaiah cried aloud, “Woe is me, for I am undone…” (6:5) and confessed his sins. Ah, but in the midst of Isaiah’s anguish we see the love and mercy and grace of the great King. A seraphim picked up a coal from the altar and touched the mouth of Isaiah, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged.” (6:6)
He is holy! Why do we worry when He reigns? Why do we fret when He rules this earth? Why do we complain and get anxious about the lack of justice, about evil seemingly prevailing when He is the great equalizer who loves justice? “Evil human dictators act tyrannically because they separate power from goodness. God is not a despot. His deeds are never unjust nor capricious.” (George O. Wood) In this day when the cry is “relationship” we do not see that in this psalm. There is no intimacy, there is only the invitation to worship for He is holy. Yes, we have a personal relationship with the King, but never forget that He is the King and He must be worshiped as such.
“Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!”
–Gerald S. Henderson
——————————
Psalm 99 should get our attention! Someone said that “God is holy, frighteningly holy. Such a vision of the holy, holy, holy Lord keeps us bowing low before his feet.” Steven Lawson writes that God is, “Unwavering in carrying out his eternal purposes, unhindered by man’s decisions to the contrary, God reigns supremely in absolute authority, the unrivaled ruler over heaven and earth.”
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. (NKJV)
The NLT translates verse 1, “The LORD is king!” No ifs or doubts about it. He is the sovereign ruler not just of the earth, but of the universe and beyond. The great writer and preacher Arthur W. Pink said, “Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in name, that he is on the Throne of the universe, directing all things, working all things after the counsel of his own will.” No matter how much this evil world rocks in chaos and turmoil–God reigns. No matter how “woke” culture may become, how it tries to dethrone the King of heaven–God will continue to reign. But note: because He reigns the people are called to tremble! Tremble means to “be deeply moved and disturbed, even thrown into commotion.”
Let me relate a story I read. King Uzziah had a long and prosperous reign. He did his best to bring Judah back to the Lord, but there came a time, a time when his throne led to him becoming arrogant and he usurped the duties of the priest. He burned incense on the altar in the Temple. As punishment he became a leper. The great King Uzziah now had to live in isolation. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1, NKJV)
The next verse describes the seraphims, then what Isaiah heard, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (6:3, NKJV)
Isaiah would have known of the sin of Uzziah and if the king was punished for burning incense, he must have wondered what would happen to him. Isaiah cried aloud, “Woe is me, for I am undone…” (6:5) and confessed his sins. Ah, but in the midst of Isaiah’s anguish we see the love and mercy and grace of the great King. A seraphim picked up a coal from the altar and touched the mouth of Isaiah, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged.” (6:6)
He is holy! Why do we worry when He reigns? Why do we fret when He rules this earth? Why do we complain and get anxious about the lack of justice, about evil seemingly prevailing when He is the great equalizer who loves justice? “Evil human dictators act tyrannically because they separate power from goodness. God is not a despot. His deeds are never unjust nor capricious.” (George O. Wood) In this day when the cry is “relationship” we do not see that in this psalm. There is no intimacy, there is only the invitation to worship for He is holy. Yes, we have a personal relationship with the King, but never forget that He is the King and He must be worshiped as such.
“Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!”
–Gerald S. Henderson