Exalted over all the nations.
By Jonathan Ogden
This month we’re meditating on Psalm 99. Part of the ‘enthronement psalms’ (from Psalm 93 - 100), this is a passage that celebrates the sovereign rule of God. During times of uncertainty and even foreign dominance, these psalms were bold reminders to the people of God that the Lord is still on the throne, He is ruler over all nations, He is in control.
“The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; He sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the Lord in Zion; He is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise Your great and awesome name — He is holy.”
The sovereignty of God
As we reflect on these verses this month, I see an opportunity to behold the Lord and meditate on his Holiness. Particularly in the area of His kingship and power. This psalm opens with a declaration of the Lord’s sovereignty. He is not a small God, He is not just ruling over a small community but over all the earth.
This opening verse is also a prayer: let the nations tremble, let the earth shake. This trembling brings to mind the response of those like Isaiah in scripture who have seen the glory of God and beheld His Holiness. In this verse I see a prayer: oh that the nations of the earth would see the Holiness of God just like Isaiah, just like David, just like John’s vision in the book of Revelation. In a world where so many live blinded to the Lord and His greatness - let them see! Let them tremble. And as the prayer continues in the third verse… let them praise.
In this passage I see both a longing and a prayer. An invitation to behold the Lord for ourselves, but then an ache for the nations of the earth to see what we see. If only they knew how beautiful He was. If only they could see how glorious He is.
Enthroned between the cherubim
The holiness of God is an ongoing theme throughout the Bible. The cherubim mentioned in Psalm 99:1 not only recall the Ark but also the heavenly throne room in Revelation 4:6. We also see the phrase “enthroned between the cherubim” in Isaiah 37:16. The mention of cherubim is more than simply a decorative feature of the throne room, but a statement of God’s Holiness too.
They hold significant meaning throughout scripture, and have important roles as guardians of God’s holiness. In Genesis, cherubim are stationed at the entrance of Eden after Adam and Eve are expelled. In the construction of the Ark of the Covenant, they were fashioned on the lid of the Ark according to the Lord’s design. In Solomon’s Temple, two large cherubim were positioned inside the Holy of Holies.
In beholding the Lord as Holy, we enter the beautiful mystery that there is something about the Lord being Holy that causes a kind of distance. The word itself means ‘set apart’, ‘sacred’. In seeing how Holy the Lord is, we have to come to terms with how far apart His Holiness is from our natural state. The cherubim remind us that, without Jesus, and his redemptive work on the cross, we are unworthy and unable to come into the Holy presence of God. How wonderful it is then, that He has made a way for us. What a joy and privilege to be able to come boldly into His presence and ‘praise His great and awesome name’.
As we come into His presence this month and meditate on His great sovereignty and power, where will it lead us? Will it lead us to worship? Humility? Reverence? Gratitude? Let us behold His Holiness.
