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Studies in the Psalms Vol 2 Part 2 - Only The Word

Studies in the Psalms Vol 2 Part 2 - Only The Word

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STUDIES IN PSALMS<br />

5 Exalt <strong>the</strong> Lord our holy God! Bow low before His feet.<br />

6 When Moses and Aaron and Samuel, His prophet, cried<br />

to Him for help, He ans,wered <strong>the</strong>m.<br />

7 He spoke to <strong>the</strong>m from <strong>the</strong> pillar of cloud and <strong>the</strong>y<br />

followed his <strong>in</strong>str<strong>in</strong>ctions.<br />

8 0 Jehovah our God! You answered <strong>the</strong>m and forgave<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir s<strong>in</strong>s, yet punished <strong>the</strong>m when <strong>the</strong>y went wrong.<br />

9 Exalt <strong>the</strong> Lord our God, and warship at His holy mounta<strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>in</strong> Jerusalem, for He is holy.<br />

EXPOSITION<br />

<strong>The</strong> warrant for regard<strong>in</strong>g Pss. 98 and 99 as a Shorter Service<br />

of Song for Sabbath Worship is <strong>in</strong>formal, but probably<br />

sufficient. <strong>The</strong> comparative brevity of this “Service” is obvious.<br />

Its dist<strong>in</strong>ctness from what has gone before is marked by <strong>the</strong><br />

superscribed ,word Psalm over 98. Its substantial identity of<br />

<strong>the</strong>me with Pss. 92-97 is easily perceived; and chiefly appears<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> recurrence of <strong>the</strong> Proclamation of Jehovah’s K<strong>in</strong>gship,<br />

susta<strong>in</strong>ed by similar <strong>in</strong>vitations to worship, and a repetition,<br />

<strong>in</strong> 98 :9, of <strong>the</strong> hearld note of 96 :13.<br />

Ps. 98 opens like 96, only with a clearer statement of <strong>the</strong><br />

precise nature of Jehovah’s victory: that it amounts to an<br />

urnveil<strong>in</strong>g of his righteousness, by fulfill<strong>in</strong>g his promises to <strong>the</strong><br />

house of Israel.<br />

Ps. 99 conta<strong>in</strong>s a considerable amount of new matter: as,<br />

for example, Jehovah’s occupancy of his cherubic throne;-Zion<br />

be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> especial place where his greatness is displayed; with<br />

a tolerable clear rem<strong>in</strong>der of <strong>the</strong> “trisagion” or “thrice holy”<br />

cry of <strong>the</strong> Seraphim <strong>in</strong> Isa. 6. Aga<strong>in</strong>, it is very po<strong>in</strong>tedly said<br />

that Jehovah h<strong>in</strong>zself has wrought justice and righteousness <strong>in</strong><br />

Jacob-<strong>the</strong> use of which name, for “Israel,” offers a fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />

assurance that it is to <strong>the</strong> historic nation of <strong>the</strong> Twelve Tribes<br />

that <strong>the</strong> psalm refers. It is perhaps a little difficult to determ<strong>in</strong>e<br />

<strong>the</strong> motive for referr<strong>in</strong>g by name to Moses, Aaron and Samuel:<br />

probably not so much to generalise, by <strong>in</strong>timat<strong>in</strong>g that even now<br />

<strong>the</strong>y have among <strong>the</strong>m a Moses, an Aaron, and a Samuel to<br />

<strong>in</strong>tercede for <strong>the</strong>m (as Kp. suggests) as to connect, <strong>in</strong> a more<br />

general way <strong>the</strong> old history with <strong>the</strong> new, and to enjo<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

lesson of holy fear as not out of place <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> com<strong>in</strong>g glorious<br />

time.<br />

<strong>The</strong> forego<strong>in</strong>g rapid survey of <strong>the</strong> two Sabbath Services of<br />

154

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