Psalm 99 (NRSV)
Psalm 99 is an enthronement hymn. If any of these enthronement psalms is pre-exilic, this would be a viable candidate, where it would come from the period of the divided kingdom. In form, it has a refrain at verses 3, 5, and 9, which contain the praise of the holiness of the Lord: “Holy is He.” It focuses upon the Lord in the Temple and in Zion.
In Psalm 99: 1-3, the holiness of the Lord receives praise through the dominion the Lord has over the earth. The occasion is the covenant festival, so the images remind us of Sinai. 1 The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble! Such images remind us of the appearance of Yahweh to Moses and Israel. Yahweh sits enthroned upon the cherubim, referring to the presence of the Lord in the temple, where the Ark serves as the throne of the divine king; let the earth quake! It reminds us of the majestic power unveiled through nature at Sinai. Quaking and trembling in people and in nature accompany theophanies in biblical literature. In parallel construction, the poet refers to 2 The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples, rather than gods as in the previous enthronement hymns in 95-98. 3 Let them praise your great and awesome name, great and awesome also paired in 47:2 and 96:4. Holy (qadosh) is he! You are enthroned as the holy one (Psalm 22:3). Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8)
In Psalm 99: 4-5, the holiness of the Lord receives praise in the establishment of righteousness. This enthronement hymn focuses on the character of the Lord as one that is just. 4 Mighty King, lover of justice (mishpat), you have established equity or fairness; you have executed justice (mishpat) and righteousness (tsedaqah) in Jacob. The vocabulary here is like that of 97:2 and 98:9. Clearly, the divided rule of Israel and Judah did not do all this! Further, it does not happen through the rule of Babylon, Persia, the Hellenists, or the Romans. The passage may still look toward the Lord establishing justice in Jacob. We might also suggest that the Old Testament will look with a critical eye toward the rule provided by any world empire. If so, we may need to re-think the relationship between the people of God and the political order considering the future lordship of God.[1] Again, as part of the refrain, 5 Extol the Lord our God; worship at his footstool, which is the Ark, the phrase known only in exilic literature and later, as in Isaiah 66:1 and Lamentations 2:1. Holy (qadosh) is he!
In Psalm 99: 6-9, the holiness of the Lord receives praise through the saving history of Israel. It refers to the leadership the Lord provided as the Hebrews journeyed through the wilderness. This enthronement hymn focuses upon the character of the Lord as one that responds to the call for help and who forgives. 6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests. In the priestly document within the Pentateuch, Moses is not a priest. Samuel also was among those who called on his name. Singling out Samuel as an intercessor is surprising. They cried to the Lord, and he answered them. Note that the poet mentions priests and prophets, but does not mention kings, which may be because of the incomparable nature of the rule of God. It may also be because in the exile and after a human king was not present. 7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, which in the case of Samuel may refer to the laws pertaining to the monarchy in I Samuel 8 and 10, and the statutes that he gave them. The poet is puzzling here, for the Lord did not appear to Samuel in the pillar of cloud. 8 O Lord our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God (El, the Canaanite deity) to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. The poet holds the grace and judgment of the Lord together in the experience of the people. One way to think of this is that the grace the Lord shows us does not remove the concerns generated from the holiness of the Lord. The Lord takes sin seriously in judging it and in forgiving it. It is an oblique request for a divine answer for the poet. It reflects upon the divine attributes extolled in Exodus 34:6-7. The refrain returns, inviting us to conclude this song to 9 Extol the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy (qadosh).
The praise of the holiness of the Lord reminds me of the hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy, written by Reginald Hebner (1826). It also has a beautiful praise song version as well. It keeps coming back to the affirmation of the holiness of the Lord in a three-fold way, as does this psalm and on analogy with the Trinity. It affirms the Lord as merciful and mighty, perfect in power, love, and purity. It says the works of the Lord in nature will praise the Lord. Such an affirmation looks forward to the time still in our future when all this praise will be reality.
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