In this psalm, the psalmist emphasises the holiness of God three times, Isaiah 6:3, because of His sovereignty over all things. The psalmist encouraged everyone who acknowledges Him as King to worship Him because He alone is sovereign over all His creation.
We don’t know who the author is; however, Jewish tradition accredits Psalms 90-100 to Moses. Other Psalms written by Moses are also found in Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32.
The psalmist begins by reminding their audience that the LORD reigns, Psalm 99:1 / Psalm 93:1 / Psalm 97:1. He reigns as King and sits enthroned between the cherubim, Psalm 99:1 / Exodus 25:18-22 / Exodus 37:7-9.
When the nations acknowledge His reign over all the nations, they tremble in fear at His awesomeness, and the earth shakes, Psalm 99:1 / Habakkuk 3:6 / Habakkuk 3:10.
Although God is great in Zion, Psalm 99:2, that is, Jerusalem, He is also high above all the nations, Psalm 99:2. Because God is a mighty King, the nations should praise God’s great and awesome Name, and because He is holy, Psalm 99:3 / Isaiah 6:3.
God loves justice, and has established equity, and He has acted justly and rightly in Jacob, Psalm 99:4. In other words, He is the God of equality in judgment. He judges without respect of persons, judging the righteous on the foundation of His grace. He renders mercy to those who have obediently responded to His grace.
The psalmist encourages the nations to ‘exalt the LORD their God’, Psalm 99:5, that is because God is all-powerful; the nations should humbly bow down and worship Him.
The words, ‘worship at his footstool’, Psalm 99:5, may refer to the ark of the covenant, 1 Chronicles 28:2. It may also refer to Jerusalem itself, Lamentations 2:1, or it may refer to the earth, Isaiah 66:1 / Matthew 5:35 / Acts 7:49.
Notice again that the psalmist reminds us that God is indeed a holy God, Psalm 99:5. He is holy in every way and in all He does, Isaiah 6:3 / Revelation 4:8 and there is no darkness in God, 1 John 1:5.
The psalmist speaks of the three great priests of Israel, that is, Moses, Psalm 99:6 / Exodus 24:1-18, Aaron, Psalm 99:6 / Leviticus 8:1-36 / Exodus 40:18-33, and Samuel, Psalm 99:6. Because they were obedient to His statutes and decrees, God answered the prayers of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, Psalm 99:6.
God spoke to them from the pillar of cloud, Psalm 99:7 / Exodus 14:19-20 / Exodus 33:9 / Numbers 12:5. Although to Israel, God was a forgiving God, He still had to punish them for their misdeeds, Psalm 99:8.
Because of their disobedient deeds, the Israelites were condemned to forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Psalm 99:8 / Numbers 32:13. Those who were twenty years of age and older at the time of the rebellion weren’t allowed to enter the Promised Land but died in the wilderness, Numbers 14:29.
Notice that the psalmist once again encourages the nations to ‘exalt the LORD their God’, Psalm 99:9, and once again they encourage the nations to worship Him, Psalm 99:9, and for the third time, they remind the nations that God is a holy God, Psalm 99:9 / Isaiah 6:3 / Revelation 4:8.
The psalmist spoke about God’s holiness on three occasions, but there is always the danger that we can be too casual in our approach to God. God’s holiness demands fear, reverence, and obedience.
God’s first command to Moses is for him to stay back and remove his sandals, Exodus 3:5-6. God declares that the ground is ‘holy ground’. This is the first occurrence of the word ‘holy’ in the Bible.
As we remember the word, ‘qodesh’ means sacred, dedicated, or hallowed. Throughout the Old Testament, it presents the idea of separation by God for His purposes. This includes purity as well, especially in the New Testament.
There was nothing inherently ‘holy’ about this piece of ground, but God was there and God is inherently holy or transcendent. He cannot be approached except in His direction and with His provision. God’s holiness demands fear, ‘reverence’ and obedience.
Moses’ attitude went from curiosity to fear, Exodus 3:6. Those who come to recognise God’s holiness are driven to their knees with the clear perception of their own unholiness. When Isaiah looked into the throne room of heaven, he saw angels praising God, Isaiah 6:3-5.
The holiness of God is centre stage at Sinai and in the giving of the law, but it also would play a major role in the Exodus. God’s uniqueness would be clearly demonstrated in the coming plagues, and Israel would be called upon to fear and obey Him.
God said to Moses, ‘Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.’ God is holy, and unclean sandals cannot be stomped in and out of His presence.
God was telling Moses, ‘This is my house, so take off your dirty shoes before you come any farther.’ For the priests, they understood that they had to wash their hands and feet before they walked into the holy place, Exodus 30:18-21. In other words, they couldn’t pass farther or serve in the tabernacle until they washed their feet and washed them in the golden laver.
When Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, He was preparing them for a deeper walk, He was preparing them for the Upper Room experience, He was preparing them for service, John 13:1-15.
We know that Joshua is also told to take off his shoes. In this incident, the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so,’ Joshua 5:15. Putting off the shoe was a token of respect and submission. God’s holiness demands fear, reverence, and obedience, 1 Peter 1:15-16.