God’s Holiness

-


Scripture

Psa. 99:1        The LORD is king; 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     Mighty King, lover of justice,
        you have established equity;
    you have executed justice
        and righteousness in Jacob.
5     Extol the LORD our God;
        worship at his footstool.
        Holy is he!

Observation

The holiness of God is something about which to sing! Our LORD is great and holy. The nature of holiness is revealed in God’s love for justice, equity and righteousness which is to be found among his holy people. Therefore we come before the LORD our God and we worship him — for he is holy!

Application

God’s holy nature is to be reflected in his people. We are to be the likeness of God for the world. If he is reflected in us then we will respond to the needs of the world around us in the same way in which he responds.

Do we love justice? It’s amazing how holiness and justice are so often connected. God is a lover of justice and as his people we should be as well. The early holiness people fought against the injustices that they saw in the world because the very nature of injustice rubs against the nature of God’s holiness. The two are incompatible.

Not only is there a love of justice, but equity is established. What does that mean for a Christ-follower seeking to be a reflection of God’s holiness? We are to be fair and equitable to those who are around us for this becomes our witness. The ways in which we act, react and treat those around us is our testimony. The world is watching and wanting to know how God’s holy people will respond. When we become more concerned about ourselves and making sure that we are properly cared for — than for others — then we are not seeking the equity of our holy God. We must put others first, sharing with those in need! In this, God’s holiness is revealed.

We worship him when we are at his footstool, facing God and in his holy presence. Yes, “Holy is he!”

Prayer

Lord, may my life be a testimony to you.  Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a time when we try to carry
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her
Read more

The Advantage of Sanctification

-
Scripture: Rom. 6:22 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Observation: Two sides of life are presented here in great contrast.  One is a life of sin and enslavement to evil.  The other side of life is freedom which provides the advantage of sanctification (or holiness as some translate the word) that leads to eternal life.  The options here are a life of sin, slavery and death; or freedom, holiness and eternal life.  The advantage of holiness or sanctification is the benefit of the life of freedom.  Jesus died so that we might be made holy like him and this is something that is offered as a “fruit” or “advantage” right now.  The end is eternal life — but the living of life is that it can be lived out in holiness.  The next verse is really just an affirmation of the verse 22.  Sin will lead
Read more