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Illustration for Psalm 99: The Holy LORD

Psalm 99

The Holy LORD

Praise

Three times this psalm says 'Holy is He!' — like an echo of the angels in heaven. God sits between the cherubim on His throne and is great above all the nations. He is a God who forgives and also holds people accountable. Holy, holy, holy is the LORD!

  1. 1The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; He sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.
  2. 2Great is the LORD in Zion; He is exalted over all the nations.
  3. 3Let them praise Your great and awesome name— He is holy!
  4. 4The King is mighty; He loves justice— You have established equity; in Jacob You have done what is just and right.
  5. 5Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His footstool; He is holy!
  6. 6Moses and Aaron were among His priests, Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called on the LORD and He answered them.
  7. 7He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept His testimonies and the statute He gave them.
  8. 8O LORD our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God to them, yet an avenger of their misdeeds.
  9. 9Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.

What it means

Three times this psalm says God is holy — the same thing the angels sing in heaven. Holy means completely good, completely pure, completely unlike anything else. And this holy God is also the one who forgives. Both are true at once.

A little prayer

God, You are holy, holy, holy — there is nobody like You. Thank You that You are perfectly good and that You still forgive me. I want to give You the honor You deserve. Amen.

Memory verse

“Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.”

Psalm 99:9 (BSB)

The psalm's refrain, said three times because once is not enough.

Talk about it

Questions with no single right answer — for a family table or a Sunday-school circle.

  1. The psalm says 'holy is He' three times. What do you think holy means?
  2. It mentions Moses, Aaron and Samuel — people who talked to God and were answered. Who prays for you?
  3. It says God is a forgiving God who also puts things right. Can both be true at once?
  4. What is the most awe-inspiring thing you have ever seen?

Try this

Three times

Say verse 9 three times together — once loudly, once normally, once in a whisper. Talk about which one felt most true.

Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB)