“The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth [between] the cherubims; let the earth be moved. The LORD [is] great in Zion; and he [is] high above all the people. Let them praise thy great and terrible name; [for] it [is] holy.” (Ps 99:1-3 AV)
In this Psalm, the fact that God is holy is mentioned several times. It is not difficult to determine the theme of this Psalm. That which spoke to me this morning is that first phrase. According to Strong’s Numbers, the definition of ‘tremble’ is, “tremble, quake, rage, quiver, be agitated, be excited, be perturbed.” In general, the understanding is not one of joyful excitement. Rather, to be disturbed at the mighty presence of God that one is disturbed. There is no fear mentioned in the definition. Although one might assume by the word quake that it is entirely possible, this understanding is intended. All this to point out one simple truth. The person and presence of God, if fully accepted and internalized, cannot help by produce a noticeable reaction in the heart of those who worship the LORD.
This reaction is not a manufactured one. This reaction is not what is normally passed off as praise and worship. If one were to look at the definition of the word ‘tremble’ again, it would be noted there is no dancing. No hand waiving. No laughing. No stage show. None of what modern Christendom would think worship should look like. Again, we are not speaking of terror to the point of avoiding the LORD. Otherwise, the Psalmist would not instruct them to praise the LORD. To praise God’s great and terrible name, one must interact with Him. If by ‘tremble’ the Psalmist meant to cower in fear, he would instruct them to run and hide from the terrible presence of God. This is not the case. Rather, there is a respect and reverence commanded in the presence of God. To tremble suggests taking God far more seriously than we do. To tremble is to realize just who it is that we pray to. To tremble understands the infinite nature of the Creator and His absolute and perfect holiness. To tremble means to come to the presence of God with the knowledge of just how unworthy one is to seek His attention. To tremble means that once fully aware of the presence of almighty God, one is moved in an obvious way to show reverence to the one being addressed.
Orthodoxy was rejected in favor of modern worship styles because orthodoxy has a way of becoming too predictable, dry, and meaningless. Orthodoxy becomes something we do and not an active expression of heartfelt worship. Orthodoxy was rejected because the acts of worship became an end in itself. This is what happened to Israel. They physically followed the law, but their heart was far from God. The pendulum swung too far the other direction. Modern worship has humanized God to the point He is not feared. There is no trembling. There is no overwhelming respect for the Creator and King. There is no silent prayer or humble genuflecting. It is easy to reflect on the failure of modern churches, but our personal devotional time is just that. Personal. So, rather than become preoccupied with modern worship, we can ask the simple question of our own hearts. Do I tremble at the presence of God? Does sin cause me to fear the name of God? Could I pray and seek the help of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8) in prayer so that when I do pray, I do so with the proper respect? When I come to the house of God, can I come more prepared for worship than for entertainment? God is beyond our understanding. He is holy. We should not treat Him as a common being.
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