Psalm 99
Main Point:
Jesus forgives and punishes so that I may be in His Holy presence, and I’m thankful for that merciful way of saving me.
“O LORD our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but you punished them when they went wrong.”
If you are reading my thoughts for the first time as I look for Jesus in the Psalms, then you might not know that I have already many times explained that I believe when the Psalm refers to God as the King, I take it as referring directly to Jesus. Right from Psalm 2 we see that the Father has established His Son as King, and there are more than enough references to show that Jesus is the Son of David.
So now 99 Psalms into the adventure of looking for Jesus in the Psalms, I am focusing at the moment on the surprising things I see about God or the instructive things or the things that go counter to common thinking. The things that go counter to common thinking are often the most instructive. It is these observations that can often bring balance to my logic, humble my pride or warn my arrogance to reconsider my next steps. I’ll consider verse 8 in a moment, but first let’s look at the setting of verse 8.
“Mighty King, lover of justice”
I like this Psalm for the beautiful names the Psalmist uses to describe God, Jesus our King of kings.
The NLT stands out for the version that renders this most poetic and personal. And I think that reflects the mood of the Psalm very well. It is an intensely personal Psalm. God is not remote, He is known. If He is not your God then you have reason to worry, but if He is your God then He is close by and among your people and He has been with you for generations. This is seen in verse 1 with the reference to the ark of the covenant by saying He sits on the throne between the Cherubim. And further in verse two where God is in Jerusalem.
The Psalmist then turns to the name of God and invites everyone, all nations, to praise the name of God and tells us His name is Holy.
Holy, Mighty King (strong King), Lover of Justice, Lord Our God, Forgiving God, the Lord our God is Holy.
Notice that Moses, Aaron, and Samuel are mentioned and all as having called on His name and representing Him as priests. It’s as if He is saying, I have my people among you, they talk to Me and I am instructing you and making you holy too so you can interact with Me and I can be in your presence and you can be in My presence.
God’s presence among His people along with His holiness is a big theme in Psalm 99. Look at all the references to God’s presence or place among His people.
Throne v1
Cherubim (ark/tabernacle/temple inference) v1
Jerusalem v2
Israel v4 (partially place emphasis instead of people because of 'throughout')
His feet v5
Pillar of cloud v7 (a guiding, rescuing, protecting presence)
Laws and decrees He gave them v7 (referring to the actual physical handover of the tablet on Sinai to Moses.)
Worship at His holy mountain in Jerusalem v9 (an invitation to come and see Him)
By the way, as far as I’m concerned, I think all the evidence points to it being Jesus on the mountain, Jesus in the Tent of Meeting with Moses giving Moses the glowing face, Jesus handing over the tablets, and Jesus sitting on the throne. We can discuss it further if you want someday. But that’s the proposal I am making to you today.
Four times in 9 verses is God referred to as holy and then add to that the references to the temple and priest and law, and you have a very holy-flavoured Psalm.
What do you recognise when you are in the presence of holiness? That you are unholy (unclean).
“Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
But here is where we see the mercy and grace in our King. If you recognise that you are not worthy to be in the presence of a Holy God, then you are given hope in two ways.
You are forgiven and you are punished.
“O LORD our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but you punished them when they went wrong.”
Jesus the good shepherd and the Righteous King is going to keep on the right path. He is the one who seeks the lost. He is the one who pays the price. He is the one who makes things right. He is the one who keeps His name, His people, His city, His presence unblemished, untarnished, absolutely righteous and holy.
Personally I see this as Jesus speaks to the woman caught in adultery,
“Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" 11 "No, Lord," she said. And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more."
Conclusion:
Please Lord Jesus cleanse me of my sin, remove it, rebuke it, correct it, keep me on the right path, make me holy. Tell me to go and sin no more. Stop me in my tracks and admonish me as I act. Remind me to be holy, to hate sin, and to fear falling into uncleanness.
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