Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 4 · Psalm 99
PSAL. XCIX. foreign.
THE Subject matter of this Pſalm, is the ſelf-ſame with the former, for it ſets forth the Glory of Chriſts Kingdom, the Majeſty, Power and Juſtice of the King, and exhorts all by the example of his former ſervants, to exalt, call on him, and praiſe him.
Two parts of this Pſalm.
1. A Deſcription of Chriſts Kingdom.
1. From the Majeſty and Terrour of it, againſt his enemies, ver. 1, 2, 3.
2. From the Equity of it in execution of judgment and juſtice, ver. 4.
3. From the King's Patience and Clemency in giving Audience to his ſervants, 6, 7, 8.
2. A Demand of praiſe and honour of all that acknowledge him for their King, Pſal. 93.begun at the third verſe, repeated at the fifth, and continued in the laſt.
This is the third time he begins his Hymus with this ſolemn Acclamation, The firſt part. Chriſt is King.The Lord reigneth, Jehovah is King: And then, as is uſual in Muſick, Reſts, and pauſeth, as it ſeems to me; after, as if he had recovered breath, Ver. 1 he ſings with full voyce.
1. The Terrour, Power, Glory, and Majeſty of it.He bids the defiance to his enemies, and comforts his people.
1. He bids a defiance, as it were, to all his enemies; foreign, iraſcantur, commoveantur, fremant populi; let the people be angry, fret, and be unquiet, as Pſal. 2.1. Let the earth, that is, the Tyrants of the earth, be movd at it, yet let them know, that all their endeavours are but vain: For, 1. God is preſent with his Church.For, 1. He ſits between the Cherubims; the Cherubims were over the Ark, by which was ſignified the preſence of God with his people, and they covered the Propiatory and Ark with their wings: The ſenſe then is, God is alwayes preſent with his people, to them, and therefore no fear, though the earth be moved. Ver. 2
2. The Lord is great in Zion, of great power, and high above all people, 2He is potent, and higher than all peoplein Majeſty, Power, Wiſdom; no fear then for this alſo, though the earth be moved.
3. His Name is great and terrible: Great, Ver. 3 and therefore terrible to his enemies; for it is holy, and therefore venerable. In a word, 3His Name great and terrible, holy.his Regal Majeſty, and Regal Sanctity is ſuch, that he is a moſt potent, and a moſt juſt King, and therefore no fear yet, though the earth be moved; rather let them give the praiſe and honour due unto his Name.
2. Our Prophet deſcribes the Kingdom of Chriſt, 4He is a juſt King.from the juſtice and equity which is adminiſtred in it, and thereby moves his not to fear, though the earth be moved. Ver. 4
1. The Kings ſtrength; Hoz. heb. ſtrength, honour, dignity, authority, holineſs, &c. loveth judgment, judgeth righteouſly out of the love he bears to juſtice, not conſtrained by fear, paſſion or neceſſity.
2. And this he ſhews by the following Apoſtrophe, in which he thus ſpeaks to the King.
1. Thou doſt eſtabliſh equity; Confirm and eſtabliſh juſt and equal Laws.
2. Thou executeſt judgment and righteouſneſs in Jacob: In thy Kingdom thou executeſt theſe Laws alſo juſtly, by puniſhing ſin, and rewarding good works, of which there be examples in both Teſtaments; for though for a time he ſuffered the godly to be afflicted, and the ungodly to be exalted, yet he at laſt frees his ſervants, and crowns their patience; but he falls in fury on the wicked, and damns them; he puniſheth ſometimes in this life, alwayes in the life to come.
Upon which the Prophet collects, That God is to be adoted, to which he earneſtly exhorts: Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worſhip at his Foot-ſtool, for he is holy.For this he exhorts us:
1. Exalt ye, by praiſing his Majeſty with the heart, Ver. 5 and magnifying him with your voyce.1To …alt him
2. 2To adore before his footſtool.And worſhip at his footſtool; not his footſtool, as ſome read it, that have a months mind to have Images worſhipped. In which expreſſion David had an eye to the Ark of the Covenant, for ſo I find it called, 1 Chron. 28.2. Lam. 2.1. Toward which the Jews were bound to bow. And his intention is, that all our approaches and applications to the Lord our God, be with the greateſt reverence and ſubmiſſion of mind and body that may be. All is too little.
3. 3For he, or it is Holy.For he is Holy, or, it is holy; for the skilful in the Hebrew confeſs it may be read in either gender. Holy, the Jews call'd whatſoever was eminent, excellent, perfect, chaſt, entire, ſincere. God then is holy, becauſe he is ſo in himſelf, and his houſe, his Prieſts, his Day, &c. The Ark his footſtool, is Holy in relation to him; when then we approach to him, or any place where he ordinarily ſhews his preſence, Holy and Reverent actions and geſtures are required of us. Take heed to thy feet; Prophane not what is holy.
3. 5He is a kind King. Hears and grants petitions. As is evidentThe third way by which the Prophet ſets out the excellency of Chriſts Kingdom, and the Clemency and Mercifulneſs of our King, is in that he is ready to hear Petitioners, and receive Petitions, and of an inclinable nature to grant them alſo, for which he brings examples of three illuſtrious men, all eminent in their generations; Moſes a Prince, Aaron a Prieſt, and Samuel a Judge in Iſrael, who all fell down and worſhipp'd at his footſtool, call'd upon, and were heard in their interceſſions.
1. Vers. 6 Moſes and Aaron among his Prieſts. The Hebrew word here uſed, foreign, In Moſes, Aaron.alwayes ſignifies not a Prieſt, but a Prince and chief Ruler, as 2 Sam. 8.18. 1 Chron. 18.17. and ſo it may have reference to Moſes, a chief Prince, but in the proper ſenſe to Aaron, for he was the chief Prieſt.Samuel.
2. And Samuel no Priest, but a Levite, yet chief Judge among thoſe call'd on his name.
3. They called upon the Lord for themſelves and the people, and he anſwered them. Of Moſes the ſtory is extant, Exod. 32.31. Of Aaron, Numb. 16. 46, 47, 48. Of Samuel, 1 Sam. 7.5, 9, 10.
4. Vers. 7 He spake unto them, that is, to Moſes, Exod. 33.8, 9, 11. and unto Aaron, Numb. 12. from 5. to 8. But unto Samuel we read not that he ſpake in the cloudy Pillar.
And now he aptly adds the reaſon why God ſo readily heard theſe three, Why he heard them.it was becauſe they were his ſervants, and obey'd the commands of their King. For as Chriſt ſaith, He that loves me, will keep my Commandments. He then that will be heard in his prayers, Becauſe they were obedient ſervants.ought to hear God in his Commands. So did they.
1. They kept his Teſtimonies, thoſe Precepts that were common to all others.
2. And the Ordinances he gave them, as Publick perſons, who were to rule in Church and State.
And that this was a great mercy and favour to them and the people, the Prophet acknowledgeth by his Apoſtrophe to God in the next verſe.
1. 1He anſwered them.Thou anſweredſt them, O Lord our God. Which the Story confirms. Vers. 8
2. 2He forgave them.Thou waſt a God that forgaveſt them; that is, the people for whom Moſes, and Aaron, and Samuel pray'd. For as Moller obſerves in Hebrew, the Relative is often put without an Antecedent.
3. 3Even when he puniſhed the people.Though thou takeſt vengeance on their inventions. The Calf was broken, Exod. 32. and the falſe gods put away, 1 Sam. 7. Though their ſin was remitted, yet a temporal and corporal puniſhment follow'd them, Numb. 14.23, 30. & Numb. 20.12.
2. The ſecond part.The Prophet concludes the Pſalm Carmine Ambaebaeo, with the repetition of the fifth verſe, The Concluſion of all. That we;only what he calls there Gods footſtool, he here calls Mount Zion. And in the verſe is contained the full ſcope and intent of the whole, which is, That we exalt our King, and adore him.
1. Exalt the Lord our God; not that we can do it, Vers. 9 or make him higher, but we muſt contribute what we can to his exaltation, 1Exalt God.which is then done, when we gratefully acknowledge his Power in defence of his Church, and his Clemency in hearing our prayers, and the Interceſſions of his ſervants for us.
2. Worſhip at his Holy Hill; 2Adore.which literally is to be underſtood of Zion, the place which he had choſen for his worſhip, where now the Tabernacle was, and after the Temple was built. But concerns us alſo that live in the Catholique Church, to ſerve him in unity, meeting together in ſuch holy places which are ſet apart for his worſhip.
3. For the Lord our God is holy; which is the foreign, or reaſon, For he is Holy.why Zion was Holy, and many other perſons and things in relation to him. A conſideration very neceſſary, as Muſoulus well obſerves, for this profane age.
The Prayer collected out of the ninty ninth Pſalm.
O Omnipotent Lord, who reigneſt, ſitting above ſhe Cherubims, and governeſt the whole world by thy wiſdom, Vers. 1 though the enemies of thy Church be many, yet will we not fear; though the whole earth be moved, yet will we not be afraid. For the Lord is great in Zion, and high above all people. Vers. 2 Yet becauſe the united force of our enemies is great, and their iniquity twiſted together for the ruine of thy Church; Vers. 3 that they be not alwayes prided with their ſucceſs, and thy people over-much diſheartned, ariſe, O Lord, and make them know, that thy name is great, terrible, and holy; ſo great that thou canſt, and ſo holy that thou wilt, and ſo terrible that thou wilt in fury take vengeance upon pride and iniquity.
We are aſſured, O Lord, Vers. 4 that thy authority and Kingly power loves equity, that thou doeſt eſtabliſh equal Laws, and doeſt execute judgement and righteouſneſs in thy Church, by puniſhing the wicked, and rewarding the juſt. Ariſe up for us therefore in the judgement that thou haſt commanded, and reward the juſt according to the integrity of their hearts; ſtir up thy ſtrength, and come amongſt us, and help us for thy Name-ſake, O God, our King and Saviour.
And if at any time our wickedneſs go over our heads, to provoke thy wrath againſt us, then turn thy face from us upon thy dear Son our Lord and Saviour Ieſus Chriſt, whoſe interceſſion is far more powerfully with thée, than that of Moſes, or Aaron, and Samuel could be for thy people. He is our High Prieſt, be mindful of his invocation, his Sacrifice, his Blood, his tears, his cryes, which he offered upon the Altar of the Croſs for us. His blood ſpeaks better things than that of Abel. That of Abel ſhed by us, cryes aloud for vengeance againſt us, and what we ſuffer, are the effects of that cry, the revenge of that blood. O bleſſed Saviour, ſtill the cry of that blood with thy blood, waſh the ſtains of it away with thoſe ſtreams which iſſued from thy bloody ſide, and for the merit of that blood, hear the prayers of Moſes, Aaron, and Samuel, who had no hand in that blood, but kept, and do yet keep thy Teſtimonies, and the Ordinance thou gaveſt them, that offer unto thee for themſelves and for thy people.
They dayly call upon thée, hear them, O Lord our God, and anſwer them; though the ſin of this people be great, yet forgive them, though thou takeſt vengeance according to their inventions. So ſhall we praiſe thy great and terrible Name, for it is Holy; So ſhall we exalt the Lord our God, and worſhip at his footſtool, for he is Holy. We will exalt the Lord that reigneth over us, our God that delivers us, and hears our prayers, and worſhip at thy Holy hill, and chant with a loud voice, that the Lord our God is holy for evermore.