Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. (Psalm 96:9a CSB)

J. A. Motyer notes that there are smaller collections of psalms within the five divisions of the Psalter. He lists, for example, Psalms 93-100 as Jerusalem Praise. I am in the midst to reading this collection again in my daily devotional reading. They are powerful psalms of praise. They are hard-hitting psalms of God’s holiness! I am seeing this with fresh eyes and hearing it with new ears. The one, true God is something to behold.

To worship God is to acknowledge, meditate and ponder, and proclaim God’s worthiness. The Lord is the covenant God of redemption, Yahweh: I Am. As Jesus claimed among his remarkable statements in John’s gospel: before Abraham was, I Am. Splendor is wonder, magnificence, illustriousness, that is, beauty in all its fullness. We could even say it is “oughtness.” God is exactly as he ought to be. Holiness is God’s pure separateness from all he has created, but especially from sin. He is set apart. He is holy, holy, holy.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Where do we even start? Think, speak, act, live, conduct oneself with a mind to the greatness of God’s name and person according to who he is and all his mighty acts of history, not the least of which is saving sinners like me (and perhaps like you too). Acknowledge the one true God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and Jesus the Son as prophet, priest and king. Be in awe at the truth, goodness, and beauty of God in his fullness as Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. Realize the compassion and condescension of God to come and seek out sinners to save us. Was God the Father not the first missionary? Adam, “Where are you?” (See Genesis 3.)

Yes, that seems abstract, but it is satisfying to ponder and to type those words and sentences about God. So what else practically? Praise God. Pray. Read and meditate on Scripture. Love God above all else. Love your neighbor. Make it your ambition to obey God. Obey God’s law as revealed in the Bible. Confess and repent of your sins when you fail in obedience. Tell others about him and what he has done for you and for them.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, please help me to understand more and more how to and then to actually do it, to worship you in the splendor of your holiness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.