Bible Commentary: Psalm 99

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Psalm 99

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Psalm 99 is the last of the set of royal psalms beginning with Psalm 93. It appears to form a couplet with Psalm 98, as Psalm 97 does with 96. Psalms 97 and 99 both open with the same key phrase, "The LORD reigns," and they both mention the special benefits of this reign to Zion. This can refer to the physical city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants or to God's spiritual people. "Jacob" in Psalm 99:4 refers to the physical nation of Israel, wherein God has previously executed just and righteous rule and will do so again in His Kingdom—as a preview of how He will then extend His rule to all nations.

A running theme through Psalm 98 is God's holiness. Note the similar refrain at the end of verses 3, 5 and 9: "He is holy...He is holy...the LORD our God is holy." As The Nelson Study Bible explains: "Holy means to be 'distant' or 'distinct from.' This is the principle word used to describe the transcendence of God (Psalm 113:4-6)" (note on Psalm 99:3). In line with this, verse 2 states that God is "high above all the peoples." Another commentator says: "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" (Wiersbe, Be Exultant, note on verses 1-3). Indeed, despite how high above us God is (compare Isaiah 55:8-9), we are also told that "He is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27).

In response to the majesty and power of God's reign, people on earth should tremble and shake with awe (Psalm 99:1, NIV). God dwelling "between the cherubim" (same verse) may refer to God's exalted throne in heaven—yet the significance here may be that of God coming down to the earthly model of His heavenly throne in the tabernacle or temple. Recall the two golden cherubim fashioned to cover the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:18-20). During the time of Israel's wilderness years, God met with Moses at the mercy seat: "And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony" (Exodus 25:22). This would seem to parallel the later statement in Psalm 99 regarding God speaking to Moses, Aaron and Samuel "in the cloudy pillar" (verse 7), which came down into the tabernacle, evidently still in Samuel's day as it later did in Solomon's temple (see 1 Kings 8:10-11). Even so, when Christ comes in power to rule the nations, He will rule from the earthly temple in Jerusalem and the pillar of cloud and fire will be restored (Isaiah 4:5).

Worshipping at God's "footstool" in Psalm 99:5 connotes a feeling of humility. From His throne in heaven, God looks on the earth as His footstool (Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 5:35). Yet more specifically, He refers to the place of His tabernacle or temple as His footstool (Psalm 132:7; Isaiah 60:13)—and that is evidently what is meant here, given the parallel mention of God's "holy hill" (Psalm 99:9). "When the Israelites came to the temple in Jerusalem to worship, they pictured themselves as being at the feet of the Creator" (Nelson Study Bible, note on verse 5).

In verse 6, Moses is classed with Aaron as a priest in the sense of an intercessor between God and man. Indeed, all of the spiritually converted people of God are considered to form a priesthood (1 Peter 2:5, 1 Peter 2:9). The psalmist remembers that God answered the faithful men of old—Moses, Aaron and Samuel serving as examples of this (there having been many others). Although God punished their sins, He still answered them with forgiveness: "You were to them God-Who-Forgives" (verse 8).

The psalmist infers that, "since God answered the prayers of our ancestors, surely He will continue to answer the prayers of those who call upon Him" (Nelson Study Bible, note on verse 6). Indeed, He does so today and will do so even more dramatically when His coming reign over the earth is established. All of this again demonstrates that despite God's high and holy transcendence above our lowly earthly existence, He is intimately concerned with His people and faithfully responds to their worship and prayers.