Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 99 – Psalm 100
PSALM XCIX.
Verſ. 1. THe Lord reigneth, &c.] See the Note Pſal. 93.1. as likewiſe Pſal. 97.1. where the ſame expreſſion is uſed concerning Chriſt, as ſome alſo conceive it is here: let the people tremble; that is, all that are enemies to Gods people: he ſitteth between the Cherubims; that is, he is, as their king, preſent amongſt his people: let the earth be moved; that is, let all the inhabitants of the earth quake for fear: ſee the Note Pſal. 60.2.
Verſ. 2. The Lord is great in Zion, &c.] See the Note Pſal. 48.1: and he is high above all people; ſee the Note Pſal. 97.9.
Verſ. 3. Let them praiſe thy great and terrible name, for it is holy.] That is, Let thy ſubjects praiſe thee, O king, even when their enemies rage moſt againſt them, as knowing that thou wilt approve thy ſelf a great God, terrible to thine and their enemies, and holy in making good all thy promiſes unto thy people. Yet ſome take this as ſpoken of all people mentioned in the foregoing verſe, and as expreſſing the Pſalmiſts deſire, that all nations might come in and ſubmit to this king, and ſo might extoll his great and glorious name.
Verſ. 4. The kings ſtrength alſo loveth judgement, &c.] Some Expoſitours conceive that this is prefixt as a generall ſentence, and is as if he had ſaid, The ſtrength of a king conſiſts in executing juſtice, and that then in the next words this is applyed to God, thou doſt establish equity. But generally theſe firſt words are underſtood as ſpoken of God, the king of his Church; only they may be underſtood three ſeverall waies: as 1. that the Lord in undertaking to be the ſtrength of his people, doth alſo love to have his people walk in all righteouſneſſe and judgement before him, and that he undertakes to be their ſtrong defence only upon that condition, that they ſhall be righteous and juſt in all their waies; and then the following clauſe muſt be underſtood accordingly, thou doſt eſtablish equity, to wit, in thy law, wherein thou haſt ſettled an equall form of government amongſt thy people, and haſt ſtrictly enjoyned them to obſerve equity & judgement in all their dealings: 2. that though the Lord be of unreſiſtable ſtrength, yet he withall loveth juſtice & judgement, and doth not abuſe his power to oppreſſion, as other kings do; nor will doe whatever he can doe, but only what is juſt to be done: or 3. that God loves to imploy his ſtrength in executing juſtice and judgement, both by defending his people, and by cutting off thoſe that rebell againſt him, and that are enemies to him and to his people; which may be alſo intended in the next words, thou doſt establish equity, that is, thou doeſt all things equally and juſtly, thou haſt determined that all things ſhall be managed in the government of thy Church with moſt exact equity and judgement. And this laſt I take to be the beſt expoſition, both becauſe it beſt agrees with the generall ſcope of the Pſalm, which is to encourage Gods people, by putting them in mind that the Lord is their king and protectour; and eſpecially becauſe this is ſo clearly here expreſſed in the laſt clauſe, thou executeſt judgement and righteouſneſse in Iacob.
Verſ. 5. Worship at his footſtool, &c.] That is, by bowing down to the very ground; for there may be an alluſion in theſe words to the cuſtome of mens preſenting themſelves before kings, which they were wont to doe with bowing their faces down to their very footſtools: or, Worſhip in or towards his temple, or with your faces bowed down to the very pavement of the temple: or, Worſhip towards the Ark, which is often in Scripture called Gods footſtool, for which ſee the Note 1 Chron. 28.2; for we muſt not think that they were enjoyned to worſhip the Ark, but only to worſhip God with their faces toward the Ark. And therefore if we read the following clauſe, not as it is in our Tranſlation, for he is holy, but as it is in the margin of our Bibles, for it is holy; we muſt know that the holineſſe of the altar is only alledged, to ſhew why they ſhould reſort thither to worſhip God, to wit, becauſe that was the ſacred ſign of Gods preſence amongſt them.
Verſ. 6. Moſes and Aaron among his prieſts, &c.] The meaning of this, I conceive, is the ſame with that which follows, and Samuel among them that call upon his name, to wit, that theſe were chief amongſt thoſe that were appointed of God to be mediatours, as it were, and interceſſours for the people, and that did accordingly upon all occaſions ſolemnly call upon God in their name, and on their behalf, and found therein great acceptance with God. For though other reaſons may be given why Moſes is here numbred amongſt the Prieſts; as 1. becauſe he did once execute the Prieſts office, for which ſee the Note Exod. 29.11; or 2. becauſe Moſes was of the tribe of Levi, as Samuel alſo was, and the office of the Levites was to attend upon the ſacrifices; yet the true reaſon why he is here mentioned among the Prieſts is, becauſe he, together with Aaron and Samuel, as mediatours between God and the people, bleſſed the people in Gods name, and by their prayers did appeaſe Gods diſpleaſure when he was offended with them, and ſo did as it were uphold and preſerve the covenant betwixt God and them: whence it is that Moſes and Samuel are joyned together, as Gods chief favourites in this regard, Jer. 15.1. Though Moſes and Samuel ſtood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people. But however this is here alledged to ſtir up the people, both to worſhip God, as he had exhorted them to do in the foregoing verſe, and alſo to truſt in him as their Lord and king, namely, from the example of theſe holy men of God in former times, that were eminent for their piety in calling upon God, and from the manifeſtation of Gods love to his people, both in raiſing up ſuch men to intercede for them, and in his readineſſe to hear them when they prayed to him; as it is expreſſed in the following words, they called upon the Lord, and he anſwered them. Yet ſome alſo adde to this, that the Pſalmiſt intended herein to imply, that if God ſhewed ſo much favour to his people upon the interceſſion of Moſes and the Leviticall prieſthood, much more ought Chriſt to be extolled, by whoſe eternall prieſthood men are perfectly reconciled unto God.
Verſ. 7. He ſpake unto them in the cloudy pillar.] To wit, which was upon the Tabernacle. See for Gods ſpeaking to Moſes and Aaron there, Exod. 33.9, 10, 11. and the Notes Numb. 12.5, and 16.19.
Verſ. 8. Thou anſweredſt them, O Lord our God, &c.] To wit, Moſes and Aaron, to whom the Lord returned a gracious anſwer, when they interceded for the people: yea and Samuel may be here included alſo, though that which is ſaid in the foregoing verſe, of Gods ſpeaking to them in the cloudy pillar, were meant only of Moſes and Aaron. As for that which follows, thou waſt a God that forgaveſt them, though thou tookeſt vengeance of their inventions, I conceive it is ſpoken of the whole body of the people, and that the meaning is, that when God had threatned, or was many a time ready utterly to deſtroy the whole people for their rebellions, yet upon the interceſſion of Moſes and Aaron and Samuel, he yielded to ſpare them for their ſakes, and ſo forgave them, and ſtill preſerved the body of the people; though withall he did often take vengeance on many particular perſons, when they committed idolatry, or otherwiſe followed their own hearts luſts, though therein they did manifeſtly tranſgreſſe the commandements of God. For I ſee no reaſon why we ſhould limit this which is ſaid here of their inventions, as ſome do, to their plots and conſpiracies, which they deviſed againſt Moſes and Aaron and Samuel. Nor doth that expoſition ſeem ſo probable which ſome Expoſitours give of theſe words, thou wast a God that forgaveſt them, to wit, Moſes and Aaron, though thou tookeſt vengeance of their inventions, that is, though thou didſt puniſh them for their ſins, by not ſuffering them to goe into the land of Canaan.
PSALM C.
Verſ. 1. MAke a joyfull noiſe unto the Lord, all ye lands.] This implyes a propheſy of the calling of the Gentiles. But ſee the Note Pſal. 66.3.
Verſ. 3. It is he that hath made us, and not we our ſelves: we are his people, and the sheep of his paſture.] See the Notes Pſal. 95.6, 7.
Verſ. 4. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praiſe.] See the Note Pſal. 84.2.