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Exalt the exalted

Psalm 99:1-5 (JDV)

Psalm 99:1 Yahveh reigns! People, tremble. He stays sitting between the cherubim. Land, quake.
Psalm 99:2 Yahveh is great in Zion; he is exalted above all the peoples.
Psalm 99:3 They should praise Your great and awe-inspiring name. He is sacred.
Psalm 99:4 The mighty King loves justice. You have established fairness; you have administered justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Psalm 99:5 Exalt Yahveh our God; bow in worship at his footstool. He is sacred.

Exalt the exalted

How can we exalt the one who is already exalted above all the people? By bowing in worship at his footstool. We are at our best when we acknowledge his greatness. We are doing a sacred thing by praising his name.

Peterson says “Holiness is the quality in God that cares about our sin and the capacity in him to do something about it. When sinners worship gods of their making, they drag the gods down to their level. When sinners worship a God of holiness, they are lifted to his level” (113).

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Peterson, Eugene H. A Year with the Psalms: 365 Meditations and Prayers. Waco, Tex: Word Books, 1979.