INTRODUCTION - Read Psalm 99
"GOD, OUR KING, IS THE HOLY ONE. He sits on the throne and forgives and disciplines His children from the least to the greatest. We need to PRAISE AND WORSHIP HIM,"
Pat & David Alexander
This is the last of the 6th "ROYAL PSALMS", calling God and His Son Jesus Christ, the King of Kings. This is a "HOLY, HOLY" hymn and was fitting to be sung by those who lived in Jerusalem - the HOLY CITY - like David, who himself was a chosen king and God's people the Israelites.
It was indeed a proclamation of GOD'S HOLINESS, and as the Jews spoke Hebrew, this was the first language in which this Psalm was written, and the author was King David himself. Later it was translated into Greek, when the Temple was built in Jerusalem and rebuilt after the Babylonian exile, and it is believed that this "Psalm of David", along with the other "Royal Psalms" may have been changed a little. But the truth of these Psalms remains: GOD IS STILL THE GREATEST KING. HE IS STILL HOLY, RULING OVER THE WHOLE WORLD.
"Here after the carefree delights of Psalm 98, we recall how exalted and holy God is, and how profound is the reference we owe Him." David Kidner
Also mentioned in this Psalm are MOSES, AARON AND SAMUEL. They too, like David are honoured for their leadership of God's people. They prayed for them, "calling on the Lord" and seeking His presence, faithful to God's promises. Like these men, we must LOVE AND OBEY THE LORD, and WORSHIP HIM AS OUR HOLY KING.
"God can be praises and trusted by believers because HE IS HOLY, GOOD and PERFECT. All believer should be motivated to honourable conduct." Max Lucado
"These "ROYAL PSALMS" remind us that one day JESUS WILL COME BACK TO EARTH TO RULE AS OUR KING and we will see Him for who He really is." Gordon Churchyard
THE LORD REIGNS - HE IS GREAT, JUST & RIGHT - Read Psalm 99:1-4
"The Lord reigns.....He is great in Zion.....let them praise Your great and awesome name."
Psalm 99:1,3b&4
This is the 3rd Psalm that begins with "THE LORD REIGNS" and speaks of God's presence dwelling in Zion. This great and awesome presence makes His people tremble. Zion is the mountain in the Holy City, Jerusalem, and it is believed that His throne in the cherubim is, in David's time, the Ark of the Covenant.
The Lord reigned on the throne and is esteemed with acts of MERCY, POWER, WISDOM and JUSTICE.
"The King's strength also love the judgement and God is the King. His mercy-seat is the throne and the sceptre which He sways is HOLY." Charles Spurgeon
"The King is MIGHTY. He loves JUSTUCE. You have established EQUITY in Jacob, You have done what is JUST AND RIGHT." Psalm 99:4
He is our Sovereign God and pledges RIGHTEOUSNESS, works JUSTICE and establishes EQUITY among His people. Truth shines not only in His Kingdom, but on earth. For God raised up David and other godly leaders to "walk in His ways" and to attempt to bring God's people up in the ways of the Lord. David ruled in justice and got His strength from the Lord. Israel had other "good Kings", but of course their greatest was the their Messiah, Jesus Christ.
GOD'S PRIESTS: LEADING TO A FORGIVING & PUNISHING GOD - Psalm 99:6-8, Exodus 3&19, Leviticus 16, 1 Samuel 3:&16:1-13, Jeremiah 31:1-14
In the next few verses of this Psalm we read about Moses - who was a great leader of God's people and his brother Aaron, God's chosen priest. Samuel was also another of His servants, later serving in the time of Eli the Priest. These men all had intimate relationships with the Lord, "praying and calling on the Lord", keeping His "laws and decrees" and following His commands and duties.
"Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you....Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain."
Exodus 25:8,9&40
Moses was a TRUE PRIEST - a Holy Man who saw the Lord in a `FLAMING FIRE' and revealed the "PERFECT LAW " on the mountain. Aaron watched the "SACRED FIRE" devouring sin offerings according to his priestly duties. Samuel, witnessed `JUDGEMENT FROM THE LORD' on Eli's house, and ANOINTED DAVID, God's chosen King.
"One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. The angel of the Lord appeared to Him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush......When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moses, Moses"! "Here I am!" Moses replied.....Now go, for I am sending you to Pharoah. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypyt." Exodus 3:1,2,4.10 (NLT)
"Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai.....Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to Him from the mountain and said, "Give these instructions to the family of Jacob, announce it to the descendents of Israel." Exodus 19:1&3 (NLT)
"Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the Lord. Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the Lord at the entrance to the Tabernacle. He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goats will be reserved as an offering to the Lord and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel. Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by the Lord." Leviticus 16:6-9 (NLT)
"And the Lord came and called as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Speak, your servant is listening". Then the Lord said to Samuel, "I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am about to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgement is coming upon his family forever, because his sons have blasphemed God and he hasn't disciplined them" 1 Samuel 3:10-14 (NLT)
"So, as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on." 1 Samuel 16:13 (NLT)
Moses, Aaron and Samuel were all committed and true servants of their Lord, standing in awe of His presence, Yet they were different, with peculiar works. We have tasks that God has prepared for us - we too need to pray each day for wisdom, as we faithfully seek God's presence in the service He has "laid on us".
These men made it their life's work, in their prayers, to call upon the Lord's blessings upon His people. God was true to His promises in answering those prayers from "His MERCY SEAT" and we can still call on Him today in our time of need, as HE ANSWERS OUR PETITIONS.
LEVITICUS 16 gives us examples of the atonement rituals for God's people. God also revealed that He was a "GOD OF FORGIVENESS" as well as "ONE WHO TOOK VENGEANCE". Moses, Aaron & Samuel were all punished or disciplined in some way because of their actions or those in which they served. This was the same true in David's life, as is also true in our lives as God's children.
In Jeremiah 31, we read of God's love that "yearnes for his children". He has a "burning passion" for His people, and even though he forgives, there are times he still needs to punish us for our disobedience. But this will not stop us from going to Heaven, because God sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins, and he rose again for our full redemption and salvation.
God cares enough to want to listen to our "complaints and laments", as well as our praises. Try to be as honest as possible just like Jeremiah was with the struggles he faced, as were Moses, Aaron, Samuel, and even David himself.
"Long ago the Lord said to Israel, "I have loved you, my people. with an everlasting love. With unfailing love, I will draw you to myself." Jeremiah 31:3
"Is not Israel still my son, my darling child?" says the Lord. "I often have to punish him, but I still love him. That's why I long for him and surely will have mercy on him." Jeremiah 31:20 (NLT)
"O Lord our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but you punished them when they went wrong." Psalm 99:8 (NLT)
CONCLUSION - WORSHIP THE LORD - Read Psalm 99:5&9
"Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before His feet, for HE IS HOLY." Psalm 99:5
For the Jews to get down "at His footstool", it was a special place in Zion, in Jerusalem. As some commentators remind us, it was probably, "the Ark of the Covenant", and we understand the POWER, HOLINESS and GOODNESS of God. This is why they were led to "exult and humbly worship Him".
"David rose to his feet and said, "My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build the Temple where the Ark of the Covenant, the Lord's Footstool, could rest permanently. I made the necessary preparations for building it...." 1 Chronicles 28:2 (NLT)
"This is what the Lord says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that? Could you build me such a resting place?" Isaiah 66:1 (NLT)
"HOLINESS is the harmony of all the virtues of God - HIS MERCY, HIS LOVE, HIS JUSTICE - the Lord has the ONE glorious attribute alone. HIS POWER is not His choicest jewel, nor HIS SOVEREIGNTY, but HIS HOLINESS." Charles Spurgeon
"Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His Holy Mountain in Jerusalem, for the LORD OUR GOD IS HOLY!" Psalm 99:9 (NLT)
Verse 9 becomes the most important verse in this Psalm, because we are now forgiven from our sins and we are now saved. We can again PRAISE THE LORD AND KNEEL BEFORE HIM AGAIN. We will exalt the Lord a second time for we are reminded that HE IS INDEED HOLY - as our FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT. We will again worship Him as the infinite, perfection of a TRIUNE LORD, and is worthy of our praise.
Finally, the LORD'S HOLINESS IS PROCLAIMED as we are encouraged to WORSHIP OUR LORD!
"And they were calling to one another, "Holy, Holy is the Lord, God Almighy; the whole earth is full of His glory." Isaiah 6:3 (NIV)
"Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty", who was, who is, and is to come."
Revelation 4:8 (NIV)
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