Psalms 99

This is the sixth of the “royal psalms” (93, 95—100), all of which magnify the sovereign rule of Jehovah the King. Like 93 and 97, it opens with “The Lord reigns,” and it emphasizes that Jehovah is exalted above all the nations (v. 2) and not just Israel. The psalmist describes the throne of the Lord and encourages the people to exalt the Lord as they worship Him (vv. 5, 9).

Jehovah sits upon the throne in heaven (9:11; 110:2; 146:10), but in the psalmist’s day, He was also enthroned on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies of the sanctuary on Mount Zion (see 80:1; 1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Kings 19: [Isa. 37:16]; 1 Chron. 13:6). It was there that God’s glory rested, and from there God spoke to Moses and ruled the nation of Israel (Num. 7:89). God chose the Jews to be His vehicle for telling the Gentile nations about the true and living God, and God chose Mount Zion to be His dwelling place. The prophet Isaiah saw the heavenly throne (Isa. 6) and so did the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 1). The name “Lord” is used seven times in this psalm, for God made His covenant with Israel alone and they were His special people. “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). When the Gentiles beheld what God did for Israel, they should have trembled with awe and put their trust in Him (96:9; 114:7). God’s throne is awesome because He is holy (Lev. 11:44–45; 1 Peter 1:15–16). “The Holy One of Israel” is a name found thirty times in the book of Isaiah. The word holy means “separate, set apart, totally different.” God’s nature is “wholly other,” yet He was willing to dwell with His people and meet their needs. (Note the repetition of “he is holy” [vv. 3, 5, 9], and see Isa. 6:3.)

The Lord ruled His people of Israel through the kings in the Davidic dynasty (Deut. 17:14–20). The Lord is perfectly righteous in His character and just in His actions, and He wanted the throne of Israel to be just. A leader who loves justice will have the strength to obey God’s Word and will seek to please Him. Romans 13 teaches us that civil authorities are the ministers of God, not just the employees of the government. In Scripture, the “footstool” (v. 5) could be the ark of the covenant (1 Chron. 28:2), the sanctuary of God (132:7; Isa. 60:13; Ezek. 43:7), the city of Jerusalem (Lam. 2:1), or even planet earth (Isa. 66:1; Matt. 5:35). Solomon’s throne had a footstool of gold (2 Chron. 9:18), and visitors would kneel there in homage before him. The sanctuary on Mount Zion was God’s chosen dwelling place, and the ark in the sanctuary was His appointed throne, so when the Jewish pilgrims came to Jerusalem, they were worshipping at His footstool. Note that verse 5 is the central verse of the psalm and emphasizes the three major themes of the psalm: God’s holiness and our privilege and responsibility to worship Him and exalt Him (see vv. 3, 9).

You could not approach the throne of the king of Persia unless he held out his scepter and gave you permission (Est. 4:10–11), but access to God’s throne is available to His children through Jesus Christ (Heb. 10:19–25). Under the old covenant, God provided priests who ministered at the altar and were mediators between His needy people and their Lord, but today Jesus Christ is the Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) who constantly intercedes for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). To the lost sinner, God’s throne is a throne of judgment, but to the believer, it is a throne of grace (Heb. 4:14–16), and we can come to Him with our worship and praise as well as our burdens and needs.

Often Moses, Aaron, and Samuel had to intercede for the disobedient people of Israel, and the Lord heard them and answered (Ex. 17:1; 32—33; Num. 14:11–38; 16:48; 1 Sam. 7, 12). God named Moses and Samuel as great men of prayer (Jer. 15:1). God’s gracious ministry to His old covenant people is still available to His new covenant family: He speaks to us from His Word (Ex. 33:9; Num. 12:5–6; 1 Sam. 3:3), hears our prayers and answers, disciplines us when we sin, and forgives us when we confess (1 John 1:9). How many times the Lord forgave Israel and gave them another opportunity to serve Him (103:13–18)! The throne and the altar were not far apart in the sanctuary (see Isa. 6:1–7).

How should we respond to this kind of a God who sits on this kind of a throne? We must worship Him (vv. 5, 9), praise and exalt Him (vv. 3, 5, 9), and remember that He is holy (vv. 3, 5, 9). We must pray to Him and seek to glorify His name by our obedience and service. The next psalm describes all of this and climaxes the “royal psalm” series.