Holy Is He! (Psalm 99:5)

 


Tuesday, August 12, 2025


Psalms 99; 100

2 Samuel 18:5-18

Acts 16:11-24


Holy Is He! (Psalm 99:5)


Exalt the Lord our God;
    worship at his footstool!
    Holy is he!


A quick note on how our readings through the Psalms are set: we begin at Psalm 1, and work our way through the entire Psalter during morning and evening prayer until we get to the end; and then we go back to the start again. Some Psalms are longer than others, and so we break them up over the course of the two office services. Other Psalms are shorter, and so we might get a few in a row, such as this morning.


And so, through the quirks of the cycle of readings, we have this wonderful picture of God’s multi-faceted holiness. There is the immense power of his holiness, causing the earth to quake and shudder. We hear mention of his great forgiveness, held together with his righteous judgement.


Following closely on the heels of this comes the next Psalm, with which all good Anglicans ought to be familiar, thanks to the musical setting by Ralph Vaughan-Williams. From the great heights of God’s ineffable holiness we hear of his condescension towards humanity. We are the sheep of his pasture, the people held in his hand. It is an amazing thing to comprehend, that this holy God dwells with and cares for his people. And yet this is what we have come to know and see in the incarnation of our Lord. In Christ the holiness of God is found in its completeness. Yet he condescended to be born in human flesh, as our Good Shepherd.


How does the incarnation encourage you towards greater holiness?


O Holy One, the great Shepherd of our souls, who came to us as one of us: teach us to love the path of holiness, and lead us gently through it.

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