Psalms 99

Two thoughts prevail in this psalm the kingly dominion of Jehovah and the holiness of his worship; to which we may add a third, that Zion is the place where his majesty and grace are displayed, and, by inference, where men should bring their offerings and worship. The most natural divisions would resolve the psalm into three parts: The first part (Psalms 99:1-3) proclaims Jehovah’s reign, his absolute sovereignty and holiness, and calls upon the people to fear and do homage; the second, (Psalms 99:4-5,) asserts the unity of the theocratic king of Israel with the government purposes of Jehovah, and again calls upon the people to worship this holy God, and, by implication, to acknowledge his representative in the Hebrew monarch; the third strophe (Psalms 99:6-9) declares how, before the Hebrew monarchy, God had representatives whom he raised up to execute his will, such as Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, whose official acts he sanctioned, though he, from time to time, punished the people for their evil devices, and again calls upon the people to worship this holy and jealous God “at his holy hill,” Zion. This also would be a recognition of the great act of David’s reign in fixing the religious and political centre of the kingdom at that place, (see on Psalms 78:0,) as well as of the great doctrine that the unity of the nation implied unity and conformity in worship. Such we consider to be the teaching of this brief and beautiful lyric; and although this is not a point to dogmatize where revelation is not direct and authoritative, yet there is no reason to decline, but much to corroborate, the opinion that it was used by the Levitical choristers at the dedication of Solomon’s temple. It might have been written for a former occasion by David the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate ascribe it to David and adopted for this by Solomon, or written by some Seer or Levite for this latter purpose. The former hypothesis is the more probable.