Introduction
The book of Psalms is a book of praise and extoling to God. It also says much about the identity of man and of God. It speaks clearly and paints wonderful imagery of both God and man as they naturally are. This essay will show three things that the Psalmist says about God in relation to man, and a result, how such things affect the way that God is to be seen and treated by man. Namely these, that God is holy, that man is sinful, and that God is a sovereign king over the universe.God is Holy
The Psalms teach us that God is holy in two distinct ways. In comparison to man God is upright in all his ways, he is morally pure and blameless in all that he does, and our worship to him therefore is the only appropriate response to his moral integrity (Ps 18:30: 77:13; 98:1). God is also holy in regard to his transcendent and majestic glory that rises above his creatures. (Ps 99:5, 9). Both God’s moral and transcendent holiness reveal that man in comparison to God is but a creature, a creature that is certainly not as upright nor as grand as his creator.Man is sinful
The Psalms also teach us that man is sinful. Man is sinful from the very beginning of his life (Ps 51:5), is thoroughly corrupt (Ps 38:3; 51:2), and is reliant only upon the mercy of God for cleansing (Ps 41:4; 51:9; 103:10). In the Psalms, man is unable to cease from his sin and is therefore in constant need of forgiveness. Such teaches us that man is stuck in a problematic situation, for he needs something he cannot possibly obtain himself, a pure conscience before God.Our God is Sovereign
Finally, the Psalms teach that God is a glorious king. He is mighty over his creation in battle as no one can resist his force (Ps 24:8; 46:6), glorious in his kingly reign from heaven (Ps 47:2, 6; 72:11; 95:3; 145:13) and one day from the earth as a gracious king (Ps 98:9). The Psalms reveal a God that no army can hide from or resist. He is to be feared and respected as the sovereign ruler of the universe to which all man is held accountable and to which all men will be judged by for their deeds.In conclusion it is the testimony of the Psalms that God is both holy and sovereign in relation to man who is but a sinful creature who owes worship and obedience to his creator. The relevance of such ideas are just as fresh today as they were centuries ago when they were penned. There is indeed relevance in such today and therefore it must forever be taught in our churches in obedience to the scripture that man is still sinful and God is still holy, that man is still a creature and that God is still a transcendent king.
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