The deep consciousness of the people of God, expressed so often and so vividly in the scriptures, is the holiness of God, and the claim that that holiness establishes upon our lives. This is seen with special clarity in what is known as “the holiness code” within the book of Leviticus, with lines like “You shall be holy to me; for I the Lord am holy, and I have separated you from the other peoples to be mine” (Leviticus 20:26), and “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). This is echoed in today’s reading, as the psalmist sings out: “Extol the Lord our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!” (Psalm 99:5).

The psalmist is convinced that the Lord is not just a local god, good for us but insignificant to the other tribes and peoples in the neighborhood. “the Lord is great in Zion. He is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he!” (99:2-4). The whole earth shivers before the Lord: “The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble!” (99:1).

If we are to live in holiness, what will that mean? The psalmist might have listed many aspects to holiness: here the emphasis especially falls on justice. “Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob” (99:4). Consider then: if we intend to take the Bible seriously, if we desire for the words of scripture to form the character of how we live, won’t we have to insist that justice must be established, in our communities and in our nation? And in our own hearts and behavior: won’t we have to insist that we ourselves must learn to live in the holiness that our God expects of us? And, of course, talk is cheap: what will we actually do, this day, this week, this month, to put that into practice in our lives?

Indeed, as part of its message the psalm declares that the Lord our God is a God of forgiveness, and also a God that exacts a penalty for our wrongdoing (99:8). People often think of that contrast as an absolute either-or: if God forgives us, there’s no more room for punishment, and if instead God’s judgment falls upon us we have lost out on God’s mercy. But the psalmist clearly understood that both were in view. God has spoken a word that must be kept in holy obedience (99:7), and has issued a call to deeply passionate worship: “Extol the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy” (99:9).

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You are holy, O Lord, perfect in righteousness and glory: and we are not. Justice is so far from us; we stumble like the blind. Let your grace transform our hearts, so that we might learn obedience, so that we might worship you in holiness, exalting your name forever.