Day 17 - Our Faith in Our Holy God

Today's reading is from Psalm 11

Psalm 11:1-7 (NIV)
1 In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain.
2 For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.
5 The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates.
6 On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.
7 For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

It's not always easy for us to understand God as Holy. We can't see "holy" readily around us. In the Old Testament, the tabernacle first, and then the Temple had the "holy of holies". When Moses met God in the desert in Exodus, he was told to remove his shoes because the ground he was standing on was Holy. Yet, we don't see "holy" in our every day lives in ways that makes us realize, "aah, there is holy".

I believe that Holiness is all around us. First, because God is "near" to us. He is not a distant God who is far removed from his creation, especially his people. The psalmist said "I take refuge in God...not in some distant mountain". What did he mean? One of the temptations of Israel during these days was to erect sacrificial altars on top of a mountain and worship some deity - often Baal - making sacrifices to get that deity's favor for something...crops, children, rain, security...and on and on it went. David says, I don't need to flee to a mountain, I have God right here, right now.

Later he adds, Psalm 11:4 (NIV)
"The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them."

Yet we shouldn't be tempted to think "up there". Later on in this same Psalm - 11:7, "For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face."

It might be hard for us to think Holy, but a simple prayer of "thank you Lord for being here, I trust you" is a reminder that God is here...the ground wherever we are at is holy ground.

Peace

If you are reading through the bible in a year with me, our reading today is from 1 Samuel 9 - 12