Psalm 99 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Psalm 99 Short Summary:
Psalm 99 is a psalm of worship to the Lord who sits enthroned in Heaven. It extols God’s magnificence, His righteousness, and His holiness. The psalmist mentions three men through whom God’s righteousness and mercy were shown, namely Moses, Aaron, and Samuel.
Psalm 99 Summary
AUTHOR:
The author of Psalm 99 not named.
NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:
No Known New Testament References.
THEMES:
Worship and exalt the Lord who sits enthroned in Heaven.
God’s righteousness and mercy were shown in His dealings with Moses, Aaron, and Samuel.
DEFINITIONS:
Cherubim (99:1) - Cherubim are winged heavenly beings that dwell with God. In 1 Kings 6, Solomon constructed two images of cherubim, each 10 cubits tall, whose wings spread out over the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple’s Most Holy Place.
God’s Holy Mountain (99:9) – This refers to Jerusalem which was built on a hill/mountain.
OUTLINE:
THE LORD IS HOLY, A PSALM OF WORSHIP (99:1-9):
The Lord reigns as king of all the earth, and its inhabitance should tremble at His greatness.
God is pictured as sitting on the cherubim. In a physical sense, God’s presence rested in the Most Holy Place of the Temple near the images of cherubim that Solomon had constructed. In a spiritual sense, God’s throne was in the midst of the cherubim in Heaven.
He ruled over Jerusalem (Zion) and the psalmist instructed all the people to praise His awesome and great name.
Unlike many of the lesser kings of the earth, God was a good King who loved the virtues of equity, justice, and righteousness. He was not corrupted by power like so many other rulers.
His virtuous reign was another reason to worship, and the psalmist wrote, “Exalt the Lord our God; worship at His footstool! Holy is He!” (99:5).
The psalmist brought to mind 3 eminent figures from Israelite history to show that the greatest among the people were men who honored the Lord and respected His holiness.
God’s holiness was displayed through Moses, Aaron, and Samuel in the mercy He showed them, in the statutes He gave to them, and in the discipline He imposed on them when they sinned (99:8).
Those who were contemporaries of the psalmist would do well to follow the examples set by these 3 men and honor the Lord like they did.
“Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!” (99:9).
APPLICATION:
The way you live your life is going to leave a legacy for those who come after you.
Maybe your legacy won’t be as widely known as that of Moses, Aaron, or Samuel, but there will be people in the future who will be affected by the way you live your life and the example you leave.
Your children, your grandchildren, the people in your church, your acquaintances, the people you model Jesus to, all of these are impacted by their experiences with you.
When you think of your life, think of it as if you are laying a foundation for others who will come after you.
You have the ability to affect the future by the life you live in the present.
Think about how you can live your life now so those 5 generations in the future will have the best chance to make it to Heaven.
