The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Psalm 96:9,
“Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.”
In this psalm of invitation to “sing to the Lord a new song” we are exhorted to worship the Lord in the “splendor of his holiness”.
We read much in the psalms about the glory, the splendor and majesty of God. Far from flowery language to adorn Hebrew poetry, I take these passages as insightful descriptions that accurately depict God’s presence. As such I find myself often attempting to picture in my mind that for which I have no comparison. I have never seen God in all his glory, in his majesty, in his splendor.
Possibly, because I haven’t in a literal sense, I find myself attempting to piece together just what that might look like. Tips, cues and clues are provided us. In this passage we are told to worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The Lord’s holiness is inherent in the splendor of his presence. Since that which is consistent with the Lord’s character and nature is defined as what is holy, the splendor of his holiness speaks to an intensity of the Lord’s character and nature, his many perfections. So much so that, in my mind, it is accompanied by a sense that this intensity becomes for us a blinding presence, a blinding splendor. I am reminded of Paul’s words to Timothy, “God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.” 1 Timothy 6:15-16.
This splendor is something that rightfully brings a trembling to those who behold it. We see this in those who have witnessed it to some degree: Moses on Mt. Sinai, Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, etc. Our Lord is to be feared, verse 4. I suspect that upon gazing at the glory of God, fearing him will not come from obedience to the command to do so, but as an involuntary reaction to the tremendous presence of the Lord himself. Indeed, all creation convulses at the presence of God: the heavens, the earth, the sea and all in it, the fields and everything in them, the trees of the forest! Rejoicing, gladness, resounding, jubilation, joy, fear and trembling are all acknowledged in this psalm as potential reactions to the presence of the Lord!
The Lord exists in the splendor of his holiness!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!
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