Psalms 98:5

f the earth: and taken in this view, no language can be too strong, nor poetic imagery too high, to point out the unsearchable riches of Christ. Introduction The empire of God in the world and the Church, Psa 99:1 , Psa 99:2 . He ought to be praised, Psa 99:3 . Justice and judgment are his chief glory, Psa 99:4 . He should be worshipped as among the saints of old, whom he graciously answered and saved, Psa 99:5-8 . Exalt him because he is holy, Psa 99:9 . The Hebrew and Chaldee have no title; all the versions but the Chaldee attribute it to David. The Syriac says it concerns "the slaughter of the Midianites which Moses and the children of Israel had taken captive; and is a prophecy concerning the glory of the kingdom of Christ." But the mention of Samuel shows that it cannot be referred to the time of Moses. Calmet thinks that it was sung at the dedication of the city, or of the second temple, after the return from the Babylonish captivity. Eight of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS. join it to the preceding psalm. Verse 1 The Lord reigneth - See the note on Psa 97:1 . Let the people tremble - He will establish his kingdom in spite of his enemies; let those who oppose him tremble for the consequences. He sitteth between the cherubims - This is in reference to the ark, at each end of which was a cherub of glory; and the shechinah, or symbol of the Divine Presence, appeared on the lid of the ark, called also the mercy-seat, between the cherubim. Sitting between the cherubim implies God's graciousness and mercy. While then, in his reign, he was terrible to sinners, he is on the throne of grace to all who fear love, and obey him. Though this symbol were not in the second temple, yet the Divine Being might very well be thus denominated, because it had become one of his titles, he having thus appeared under the tabernacle and first temple. Verse 2 The Lord is great in Zion - It is among his own worshippers that he has manifested his power and glory in an especial manner. There he is known, and there he is worthily magnified. Verse 3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name - Let them confess thee to be great and terrible: let them tremble before thee. For it is holy - קדוש הוא kadosh hu. As this not only ends this verse but the fifth also, and in effect the ninth, it seems to be a species of chorus which was sung in a very solemn manner at the conclusion of each of these parts. His holiness - the immaculate purity of his nature, was the reason why he should be exalted, praised, and worshipped. Verse 4 The king's strength - If this Psalm were written by David, he must mean by it that he was God's vicegerent or deputy, and that, even as king, God was his strength, and the pattern according to which equity, judgment, and righteousness should be executed in Jacob. Verse 5 Worship at his footstool - Probably meaning the ark on which the Divine glory was manifested. Sometimes the earth is called God's footstool, Mat 5:35 ; Isa 66:1 ; sometimes Jerusalem; sometimes the temple, Lam 2:1 ; sometimes the tabernacle, Psa 32:7 ; and sometimes the ark, 1Chr 28:2 . The Israelites, when they worshipped, turned their faces toward the ark, because that was the place where was the symbol of the Divine Presence. For he is holy - The burden chanted by the chorus. Verse 6 Moses and Aaron - As Moses and Aaron among the priests, and as Samuel among the prophets, worshipped God in humility, gratitude, and the spirit of obedience, and received the strongest tokens of the Divine favor; so worship ye the Lord, that he may bless, support, and save you. Moses was properly the priest of the Hebrews before Aaron and his family were appointed to that office. Verse 7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar - That is, he directed all their operations, marchings, and encampments by this cloudy pillar. See Exo 33:9 . They kept his testimonies - Do ye the same, and God will be your portion as he was theirs. Verse 8 Thou - forgavest them - When the people had sinned, and wrath was about to descend on them, Moses and Aaron interceded for them, and they were not destroyed. Tookest vengeance of their inventions - God spared them, but showed his displeasure at their misdoings. He chastised, but did not consume them. This is amply proved in the history of this people. Verse 9 Worship at his holy hill - Worship him publicly in the temple. For the Lord our God is holy - The words of the chorus; as in the third and fifth verses. Introduction All nations are exhorted to praise the Lord, Psa 100:1 , Psa 100:2 ; to acknowledge him to be the Sovereign God and their Creator and that they are his people and the flock of his pasture, Psa 10

Salvation - The redemption of the world by the Messiah: which was hitherto reserved was a secret among the Jews, yea was not throughly known by the most of the Jews themselves. Righteousness - His faithfulness in accomplishing this great promise.

The setting up of the kingdom of Christ is here represented as a matter of joy and praise. I. Let all the children of men rejoice in it, for they all have, or may have, benefit by it. Again and again we are here called upon by all ways and means possible to express our joy in it and give God praise for it: Make a joyful noise, as before, Ps. xcv. 1, 2 . Make a loud noise, as those that are affected with those glad tidings and are desirous to affect others with them. Rejoice and sing praise, sing Hosannas ( Matt. xxi. 9 ), sing Hallelujahs, Rev. xix. 6 . Let him be welcomed to the throne, as new kings are, with acclamations of joy and loud shouts, till the earth ring again, as when Solomon was proclaimed, 1 Kings i. 40 . And let the shouts of the crowd be accompanied with the singers and players on instruments ( Ps. lxxvii. 7 ; lxvi. 25 ), as is usual in such solemnities. 1. Let sacred songs attend the new King: " Sing praise, sing with the voice of a psalm. Express your joy; thus proclaim it, thus excite it yet more, and thus propagate it among others." 2. Let these be assisted with sacred music, not only with the soft and gentle melody of the harp, but since it is a victorious King whose glory is to be celebrated, who goes forth conquering and to conquer, let him be proclaimed with the martial sound of the trumpet and cornet, v. 6 . Let all this joy be directed to God, and expressed in a solemn religious manner: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, v. 4 . Sing to the Lord, ( v. 5 ); do it before the Lord, the King, v. 6 . Carnal mirth is an enemy to this holy joy. When David danced before the ark he pleaded that it was before the Lord; and the piety and devotion of the intention not only vindicated what he did, but commended it. We must rejoice before the Lord whenever we draw near to him ( Deut. xii. 12 ), before the Lord Jesus, and before him, not only as the Saviour, but as the King, the King of kings, the church's King, and our King. II. Let the inferior creatures rejoice in it, v. 7-9 . This is to the same purport with what we had before ( Ps. xcvi. 11-13 ): Let the sea roar, and let that be called, not as it used to be, a dreadful noise, but a joyful noise; for the coming of Christ, and the salvation wrought out by him, have quite altered the property of the troubles and terrors of this world, so that when the floods lift up their voice, lift up their waves, we must not construe that to be the sea roaring against us, but rather rejoicing with us. Let the floods express their joy, as men do when they clap their hands; and let the hills, that trembled for fear before God when he came down to give the law at Mount Sinai, dance for joy before him when his gospel is preached and that word of the Lord goes forth from Zion in a still small voice: Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord. This intimates that the kingdom of Christ would be a blessing to the whole creation; but that, as the inferior creatures declare the glory of the Creator ( Ps. xix. 1 ), so they declare the glory of the Redeemer, for by him all things not only subsist in their being, but consist in their order. It intimates likewise that the children of men would be wanting in paying their due respects to the Redeemer, and therefore that he must look for his honour from the sea and the floods, which would shame the stupidity and ingratitude of mankind. And perhaps respect is here had to the new heavens and the new earth, which we yet, according to his promise, look for ( 2 Pet. iii. 13 ), and this second mention of his coming (after the like, Ps. xcvi. ) may principally refer to his second coming, when all these things shall be so dissolved as to be refined; then shall he come to judge the world with righteousness. In the prospect of that day all that are sanctified do rejoice, and even the sea, and the floods, and the hills, would rejoice if they could. One would think that Virgil had these psalms in his eye, as well as the oracles of the Cumean Sibyl, in his fourth eclogue, where he either ignorantly or basely applies to Asinius Pollio the ancient prophecies, which at that time were expected to be fulfilled; for he lived in the reign of Augustus Cæsar, a little before our Saviour's birth. He owns they looked for the birth of a child from heaven that should be a great blessing to the world, and restore the golden age:— Jam nova progenies cœlo demittitur alto— A new race descends from the lofty sky; Te duce, si qua manent sceleris vestigia nostri, Irrita perpetua solvent formidine terras— Thy influence shall efface every stain of corruption, And free the world from alarm. Many other things he says of this long-looked-for child, which Ludovicus Vives, in his notes on that eclogue, thinks applicable to Christ; and he concludes, as the psalmist here, with a prospect of the rejoicing of the whole creation herein:— Aspice, venturo lætentur ut omnia sæclo— See how this promis'd age makes all rejoice. Still we are celebrating the glories of the kingdom of God among men, and are called upon to praise him, as in the foregoing psalms; but those psalms looked forward to the times of the gospel, and prophesied of the graces and comforts of those times; this psalm seems to dwell more upon the Old-Testament dispensation and the manifestation of God's glory and grace in that. The Jews were not, in expectation of the Messiah's kingdom and the evangelical worship, to neglect the divine regimen they were then under, and the ordinances that were then given them, but in them to see God reigning, and to worship before him according to the law of Moses. Prophecies of good things to come must not lessen our esteem of good things present. To Israel indeed pertained the promises, whi