Psalm 99

“The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved! The Lord is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name - He is holy.” Psalm 99:1-3 (NKJV)

There is only ONE true God, the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Furthermore, since He created the whole world, YHVH (Yahweh) is Lord over all creation.  That means that all men, everywhere, are accountable to Him.  Even those who do not believe in Him must someday answer to Him.  (Acts 17:30)

Today’s psalm begins with the holiness of God, who is high above the peoples and makes the nations tremble.  We should tremble when we first encounter the God of all creation and when we learn that we fall short of His perfect standard.

“For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….” Romans 3:22b-23 (NKJV)

“For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.  They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.” Romans 3:9b-12 (NKJV)

But we should not tremble forever because, while the bad news (our sinfulness) is very bad, it causes us to appreciate the good news!

“Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” Acts 28:28 (NKJV)

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” Romans 1:16-17 (NKJV)

Whether you are Jew or Gentile, or a great religious leader like Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, you are still a sinner in need of God’s grace and mercy.  Nobody is so good that they don’t need salvation.  But even though you may have committed great sins, nobody is so bad that they cannot receive salvation! God’s holiness (in His Word, the Bible) exposes our sin.  But Messiah Jesus has atoned for it on our behalf!

“For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13 (NKJV)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NKJV)