This
beautiful Psalm is so delightful to read that it is easy to enjoy it on the
surface and fail to notice its powerful, majestic theme. This Psalm is a wonderful point of meditation
if, when we slowly say the Lord’s Prayer, we contemplate “hallowed be thy
name.” Worshipping God because of His
holiness is expressed in three spheres.
While
God revealed Himself to the Jews He is not just the God of the Jews, He is God
over all. His special presence in Zion is an occasion for all people to honor
and worship Him because “Holy is He.”
His
holiness or moral character is expressed in justice. Justice is more than a ruling in court. It also includes systems that are fair, that
protect the weak and restrain the powerful.
Notice right treatment is closely linked; be at the “foot stool” of
God. Noble ideals that are not connected
to understanding God become second-hand ethics and will always spiral down into
personal preference for our own ethics.
Instead, we worship Him because “Holy is He.”
Thankfully,
God is not some distant deity; but rather, is here with us interacting with
us. Verse 8 offers three powerful lines
that every follower needs to remember.
God is involved in our lives. He
answers us. He is an active participant
in our every day living. God forgives
us. Were He completely retributive we
would all die with our first sin, but He is gracious to us. At the same time He
chastises us for our misdeeds. God’s
discipline towards us is always corrective and not just punitive. The last line of verse 9 returns to our
theme, “For holy is the Lord Our God.”
Don’t
read this Psalm too fast and miss the power and the beauty it offers.
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