“The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved. The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.” —Psalm 99:1-2
Two great and contrasting things are here represented; the Lord’s majesty, and His mercy.
His majesty is revealed in the opening phrase,”The Lord reigneth.” How little we appreciate the significance of His majesty is evident in how little likely we are to tremble before Him. When Isaiah was afforded a glimpse of His regnant glory, he was smitten to the dust.
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts [Isa. 6:1-5 - italics added].”
When queen Esther was urged by Mordecai to approach king Ahasuerus in behalf of the Jews she protested, “All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days,” and when pressed to follow through she responded, “…so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish [Esther 4:10-16].” She trembled at the prospect of standing before an earthly sovereign; how much more should those who will stand before the King of glory!
And the apostle James informs us, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble [Jas. 2:19].” If devils tremble out of fear, the saints should tremble out of respect and awe. In either case, it is no light thing to have an audience with His majesty.
The other striking thing in our nugget is the allusion to His mercy; “He sitteth between the cherubims.” The reference is, of course, to the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle, whereupon was a covering called “the mercy seat,” on the ends of which were two angelic figures called cherubs (the cherubim) where Jehovah communed with Israel through the high priest. The blood of the sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering was brought into the holy of holies and sprinkled upon the mercy seat, of which Jehovah said, “There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims… [Cf. Ex. 10:17-22].” All of God’s communication with Israel was, in principle if not in fact, through the mercy seat, which typifies the atoning work of Jesus Christ.
When the Psalmist alludes to this he cries, “Let the earth be moved.” And well we should! “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness [Lam. 3:22-23].”
There is not a day that goes by that any man could stand before God and enjoy His favor were it not for the mercy seat and “the blood of sprinkling” of our Lord Jesus Christ. (See Hebrews 12:18-29!) It is at the cross that His majesty and His mercy come together in favor of otherwise hopeless sinners. It is there that “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven [Ps. 85:10].” Here is the “throne of grace.”
“The Lord is a great God;” let us tremble before Him. The Lord is a gracious God; let us be moved by His compassion and mercy.
All Hail to the Chief,
"Pastor" Frasier
Two great and contrasting things are here represented; the Lord’s majesty, and His mercy.
His majesty is revealed in the opening phrase,”The Lord reigneth.” How little we appreciate the significance of His majesty is evident in how little likely we are to tremble before Him. When Isaiah was afforded a glimpse of His regnant glory, he was smitten to the dust.
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts [Isa. 6:1-5 - italics added].”
When queen Esther was urged by Mordecai to approach king Ahasuerus in behalf of the Jews she protested, “All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days,” and when pressed to follow through she responded, “…so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish [Esther 4:10-16].” She trembled at the prospect of standing before an earthly sovereign; how much more should those who will stand before the King of glory!
And the apostle James informs us, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble [Jas. 2:19].” If devils tremble out of fear, the saints should tremble out of respect and awe. In either case, it is no light thing to have an audience with His majesty.
The other striking thing in our nugget is the allusion to His mercy; “He sitteth between the cherubims.” The reference is, of course, to the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle, whereupon was a covering called “the mercy seat,” on the ends of which were two angelic figures called cherubs (the cherubim) where Jehovah communed with Israel through the high priest. The blood of the sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering was brought into the holy of holies and sprinkled upon the mercy seat, of which Jehovah said, “There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims… [Cf. Ex. 10:17-22].” All of God’s communication with Israel was, in principle if not in fact, through the mercy seat, which typifies the atoning work of Jesus Christ.
When the Psalmist alludes to this he cries, “Let the earth be moved.” And well we should! “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness [Lam. 3:22-23].”
There is not a day that goes by that any man could stand before God and enjoy His favor were it not for the mercy seat and “the blood of sprinkling” of our Lord Jesus Christ. (See Hebrews 12:18-29!) It is at the cross that His majesty and His mercy come together in favor of otherwise hopeless sinners. It is there that “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven [Ps. 85:10].” Here is the “throne of grace.”
“The Lord is a great God;” let us tremble before Him. The Lord is a gracious God; let us be moved by His compassion and mercy.
“O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it; Seal it for Thy courts above.”
“Come Thou Fount” —R.Robertson
All Hail to the Chief,
"Pastor" Frasier
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