HOW TO APPROACH A HOLY GOD (Psalm 99)

How do you approach a holy God?

You do not strut your way into the throne room of Heaven. You do not prance into the presence of God and announce that you are there.

So how do you do it? Psalm 99 helps us answer this question.

You may recall that Psalms 97-100 all revolve around the Ark of the Covenant’s return to the Tabernacle under King David’s direction in II Chronicles 7. It was a joyful time, but it was also a sobering thing. I am afraid that far too much of what is called worship today wants joy without reverence. True joy is always coupled with true reverence because we see the Lord high, exalted, and life up.

Psalm 99 begins exactly as some other psalms have, with these words: “The Lord reigneth.” Those are also the opening words of Psalm 97, just to name one example.

Verse 1: “The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.”

Think of it. Visualize in your mind right now that the people are looking at the Ark of Covenant being brought back into the holy of holies. On the top of the ark are the two cherubim facing the mercy seat, which is where the glory cloud of God would descend. The people saw all of this and were reminded of who God is and where God is.

Verse 2: “The Lord is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.” This, of course, is a reference to Jerusalem and the place of worship.

Verses 3-4: “Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy. The king's strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.”

David, the king, was going to be the leader in rejoicing, worship, and praise when the ark was returned to the temple. He gave all of his strength to this.

Verse 5: “Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.”

Verse 9: “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.”

We have talked recently about the holiness of God. This section of Psalms began this way in Psalm 97, which was all about the remembrance of His holiness. Psalm 99 repeats that emphasis three times — in verses 3, 5, and 9.

This brings us back to the original question. How do you approach a holy God? To answer that, notice all of the action verbs that are mentioned in this psalm as imperative commands.

Tremble

(verse 1). Are you to shake? Perhaps, but the idea here is to have the right kind of awe of God. There should be a holy reverence.

I fear that today there is far too much flippancy when it comes to spiritual matters. People talk about eternal things in such light terms. Friend, don’t take the Lord’s name in vain by using it lightly. Beware of joking about things that ought to be revered. Spiritual things are never a laughing matter or something to be poked fun at.

Praise

(verse 3). This opens the door of Heaven and brings you into the conscious presence of God. Notice that trembling is more of an attitude while praise is an action.

Exalt

(verse 5). Here you begin to lift Him up. Talk about Him and think much of Him.

Worship

(verse 5). Look at the beautiful analogy indicated by the reference to the footstool. As He is lifted, we are brought low. When you worship in this manner, you are bowing or kneeling while He is exalted. That is the essence of worship: all eyes are on Jesus, all glory is to Jesus, and all desire is for Jesus. The words “exalt” and “worship” are repeated in verse 9.

This is how you approach a holy God. By attitude and by action, you give God His rightful place. In doing so, you recognize your rightful place.

The only way we can come into the holy presence of God is humbly. We do it on our knees, acknowledging our sinful condition, and only on the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is by the authority and access of the Son alone that I come into the presence of the Father.

Now for a practical application of these verses that has been very encouraging to me. There is much about prayer in this passage. Verses 6-8 give us a historical snippet of answered prayer, if you will.

“Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them. Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.”

This matter of approaching a holy God is brought into everyday life. Moses, Aaron, and Samuel are shown as examples of prophets and priests who had access to God, but we have that same access.

Mark this phrase in verse 6: “they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.” This is so important.

The Bible says in Jer. 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” You never get a busy signal, a voice mail, or incessant ringing with no response. You will always get an answer when you call on the Lord.

Verse 7 says, “He spake … they kept his testimonies.” Notice the progression. They called on Him, then He spoke to them, and they obeyed Him. In verse 8 we see another instance of God answering.

Determine today that you will approach a holy God in the right way — with trembling, with praise, and with worship. And as you call upon His name, you will find that He answers.

When you approach the King, He holds out the scepter of mercy and grants you access through Jesus’ beautiful name. You can come into the throne room of Heaven, the holy of holies. What a picture of approaching our holy God. Do it today and enjoy living in His presence.