“Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.”
(Psalm 99:5)
The command to worship the Lord is repeated throughout the psalms because the foundation of all true worship is found in this simple but profound declaration: “for he is holy.” The holiness of God demands our reverence, obedience, and praise.
To exalt the Lord is to acknowledge Him as supreme Lord and King over all. It is to recognize His covenant of grace offered in Christ and to submit to Him as the only true God. God is rightly acknowledged only when He is embraced, trusted, and obeyed as King. Many speak of God, but few exalt Him which is to yield the heart, the will, and the life to His authority.
This text also commands that we “worship at his footstool.” Under the Old Testament, this pointed to the temple and the ark, which were signs of God’s presence among His people. Yet even then, the people were taught not to confine God to any earthly place. The ark was but His footstool, not His throne.
God is incomprehensible, infinite, and present everywhere. Therefore, true worship is spiritual, offered from the heart, according to His Word, and through Christ alone. This is why God must be worshipped when, where, and how He commands,[1] “for he is holy.”
God is holy in His nature, holy in His works, holy in His judgments, and holy in His ordinances. Therefore, all worship offered Him must also be holy, in reverential humility and with obedience to His Word.
The examples given in Scripture confirm this. Moses, Aaron, and Samuel called upon the Lord and obeyed His ordinances, and they found mercy and blessing. But the people in the wilderness also experienced God’s discipline when they disobeyed and followed their own ways. God is both forgiving and just; He pardons sin, yet He does not tolerate willful disobedience in His people.
Therefore, to worship at His footstool is to come in humble reverence and submission to His revealed will. For if God is holy, then our worship of Him must also be holy. If God is King, then our worship must be obedient. And if God is gracious in Christ, then our worship must be offered through Him.
Contemplations:
- Your holiness confronts my sin. Lord, when I consider that You are holy, I see more clearly how sinful I am. You are pure, and I am not. You are perfect, and I am full of fault. I confess that I have not exalted You as I ought, nor worshipped You with the reverence You deserve. Forgive me for approaching You carelessly and without proper humility.
- I have worshipped in my own way. Father, I must confess that I often prefer my own way rather than Yours. I am slow to submit to Your commands and quick to follow my own thoughts and preferences. Forgive me for every time I have offered You worship that was careless, distracted, or shaped more by my desires than by Your Word.
- You alone determine how You are worshipped. Lord, You are King, and I am Your servant. You have the right to command how You are worshipped, and I have the duty to obey. Forgive me for resisting those commands and teach me to worship You in spirit and in truth, according to Your Word, through Christ alone.
- Let my heart bow before Your footstool. Lord, I want my heart to bow before You in true reverence. Teach me to exalt You, to fear You, and to love You as I ought.
Prayer (Confession)
Holy and righteous God, You are holy and I am not. You are worthy to be exalted, yet I have often exalted myself. You are worthy to be worshipped in purity, yet my worship has often been careless, distracted, and cold. I confess that I have not honored You as I ought.
I confess that I have not always regarded Your holiness. I have spoken of You without reverence, prayed without attention, and worshipped without full devotion. My heart has wandered, my mind has been distracted, and my affections have been dull. Forgive me, Lord, for bringing before You worship that has been unworthy of Your greatness.
I confess that I have often preferred my own ways to Yours. Instead of submitting fully to Your Word, I sometimes follow my own thoughts and desires. I have not always sought to worship You as You have commanded, but have been content with what was easy or familiar. Forgive me for every act of will-worship, whether in thought, word, or deed.
I confess that I have not exalted You as King over every part of my life. There are areas where I hold back, where I have not fully submitted to Your authority. Forgive me for this divided heart. You are Lord over all, and You deserve full obedience from me.
I confess also that I have not always come to You through Christ as I ought. I have sometimes relied on my own efforts, my own righteousness, and my own sincerity, rather than resting fully in the righteousness of Christ. Forgive me for this pride and unbelief.
Lord, have mercy upon me and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Teach me to worship You with reverence and godly fear. Teach me to exalt You in my thoughts, my words, and my life. Let my worship be shaped by Your Word, offered through Christ, and empowered by Your Spirit.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Further Scripture References Ps. 99:5:
Psalm 132:7; Exodus 15:2; Isaiah 25:1; Matthew 5:35
[1] David Dickson, A Brief Explication of the Other Fifty Psalms, from Ps. 50 to Ps. 100, (London: T.R. & E.M. for Ralph Smith .., 1653), 393–394.
