Psalms
99:1 ¶ The LORD reigneth; let the
people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
The psalmist opens with a declaration that the LORD
reigns; He rules over His whole creation.
Many today (and throughout history) do not believe the LORD cares about
what goes on throughout His creation.
The fact is that He is very aware and in control. He chose to give man the freedom of choice
that led to our rebellion and the curse of sin.
Though He is allowing Satan to rule as “god of this world” for a time in
accordance with His overall plan, it doesn’t change the truth that He is in
control. Our problem with accepting that
truth is because His ways are so far beyond our understanding.
Isaiah
55:8–9 “For my thoughts are not
your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your
thoughts.”
Because God reigns, the people on planet earth should
tremble in fear before Him. Sadly,
multitudes choose not to believe that He is their God and Creator and brazenly
blaspheme His name. The day is coming,
however, when they will bow their knees before Him as their Judge.
Revelation
20:11–12 “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works.”
Spurgeon: “Saints quiver with devout emotion, and sinners quiver with
terror when the rule of Jehovah is fully perceived and felt.”
Scripture describes God’s throne as attended by the
cherubim. In fact, God gave Moses the
pattern for making the ark of the covenant that included a covering of the
outstretched wings of the cherubim over the mercy seat (representative of His
throne in heaven).
Exodus
25:20 “And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the
mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the
faces of the cherubims be.”
Isaiah
37:16 “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast
made heaven and earth.”
Psalms
99:2 The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high
above all the people.
Psalms
99:3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for
it is holy.
Mount Zion in Jerusalem is the place that God chose among
His chosen people as the place to connect with His name. He reigns supreme over His people and all
people on planet earth. The psalmist calls
on the people of Israel to praise His mighty, awesome and holy name.
2
Chronicles 6:6 “But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and
have chosen David to be over my people Israel.”
Deuteronomy
14:2 “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath
chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.”
Spurgeon: “His power never exerts itself tyrannically; he is a
sovereign, and he is absolute in his government, but his might delights in
right, his force is used for just purposes only.”
Commentators note that
the fact that God is holy is stated three times in this psalm. This characteristic shows up in other scripture—a
fitting tribute to a triune God.
Isaiah 6:3 “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Revelation 4:8 “And the four beasts had each of them six
wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and
they rest not day and night, saying, Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
Psalms
99:4 The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost
establish equity, thou executest judgment and
righteousness in Jacob.
I liked the CJB translation of this verse: “Mighty king who loves justice, you established
fairness, justice and righteousness in Ya‘akov.”
Note that Jacob is a reference to Israel, the father of
the 12 tribes of Israel.
Genesis
32:28 “And he said, Thy name shall be called no more
Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and
hast prevailed.”
It is true that God established Israel as a nation and
gave them a set of laws that would ensure fairness, justice and righteousness. The sad truth is that they rebelled against
Him and refused to follow those laws. If
they had, they would have experienced great blessing; instead, they had to
endure His judgment.
Deuteronomy
30:16–18 “In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in
his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that
thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the
land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine
heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and
worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall
surely perish, and that ye
shall not prolong your days
upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go
to possess it.”
Psalms
99:5 Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool;
for he is holy.
The psalmist is urging His people to exalt the LORD “our”
God and worship at His footstool. I
think this is a reference to bowing before Him in reverence and humility. He alone is holy—pure and free from the taint
of sin.
Psalms
99:6 ¶ Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among
them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
Psalms
99:7 He spake unto them in the
cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave
them.
Psalms
99:8 Thou answeredst them, O LORD
our God: thou wast a God that forgavest
them, though thou tookest vengeance of their
inventions.
The psalmist notes that Moses, Aaron and Samuel were
privileged to serve before God as priests; they served as God’s representatives
to the people and as intercessors for the people before God. He spoke to Moses and Aaron from the cloudy
pillar by which He led them through the wilderness. Once they received His law, they did their
best to keep it. As they presented the
needs of the people to the LORD, He answered and readily forgave them when they
repented, even though He had to punish them when they chose to rebel in sin and
unbelief.
Spurgeon: “These each one stood in the gap when the wrath of God broke
forth, because his holiness had been insulted; and acting as intercessors, they
screened the nation from the great and terrible God, who otherwise would in a
dreadful manner have executed judgment in Jacob….They
made it their life's business to call upon him in prayer, and by so doing
brought down innumerable blessings upon themselves and others.”
Psalms 99:9 Exalt
the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is
holy.
David closes the psalm with another word of exhortation for the
people to exalt the LORD because He is holy—the only pure and perfect One. This time He calls for them to worship at His
holy hill, a reference to Mount Zion, the home of the ark of the covenant and
the future home of the temple—the place on planet earth where He chose to
establish His name forever despite what people today may say.
2 Chronicles 33:4 “Also he built altars in the house of
the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.”