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spiritual equivalents of the garments described in the O.T., and when the Psalmist speaks
of worshiping "in the beauty of holiness", he approximates to the Lord's own words
when He declares that the "true worshippers" must worship the Father "in spirit and in
truth".
Acceptable worship can only be offered by those who are clothed with the
righteousness of God which is by faith and, as Peter says, "clothed with humility"
(I Pet. 5: 5)--boasting in Christ, but finding no grounds of boasting in themselves.
The "beauty" in which the worshipper is clothed is "the beauty of holiness", for the
God he worships "sitteth upon the throne of His holiness" (Psa. 47: 8), and has declared
that "holiness becometh His house" (Psa. 93: 5). Twice the Psalmist calls upon the
worshipper to "give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness" (Psa. 30: 4 and
97: 12).
Qodesh, the Hebrew word translated "holiness", is also rendered "consecrated",
"dedicated", "hallowed", "saint" and "sanctuary". All true worship recognizes the
significance of the opening sentence in "the Lord's prayer"--"Our Father, Which art in
heaven, hallowed be Thy name". All acceptable worship must involve "dedication",
even as in the type and shadow (I Chron. xxvi.20). All true worship must be offered in
the Sanctuary; not in a sanctuary that could be called "worldly" (Heb. 9: 1), but in that
sanctuary which is the "true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man"
(Heb. 8: 2). All that Israel had in type and symbol, we have in its perfection in Christ.
Our "place of worship" is where Christ sits at the right hand of God, our garments are of
His blessed provision, and are all of grace. He Himself takes the place of altar, sacrifice,
priest, incense, vestments: to introduce any of these shadows now in our worship would
be to ruin its spirituality.
Psal 95: calls upon us to worship the Lord our "Maker"; Psalm 96: calls upon us
to worship Him in the "beauty of holiness". Between these two conceptions of worship
lies the cross of Christ, His death, His burial, and His resurrection. We must be "new
creatures" before we can have any place where holiness dwells, but, blessed be God, we
know that Christ has been made unto us "wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption" (I Cor. 1: 30).