Psalm 99:1-5 - The LORD's Throne is Just

The LORD’s Throne is Just   Psalm 99:1-5 1 The LORD reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved! 2 The LORD is great in Zion, And He is high above all the peoples. 3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name-- He is holy. 4 The King's strength also loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. 5 Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His footstool-- He is holy.   Psalm 99 should be a great source of encouragement for us today especially when it appears that you can no long find true justice in our government or our court system. But should we expect anything different when we have removed God and His Word from our government, our schools, our workplace, and even for the most part, from our homes.   This past Sunday I said this in my morning message, “Why should we want prayer or Bible reading in our public schools when we don’t open our Bibles to read them in our homes or take the time to pray there.” And I mean more than just saying a prayer at the table before we eat. As a result of the absence of a holy standard and a Biblical worldview, justice has fled from our nation. We are in a state of total chaos and confusion and our streets and cities are full of violence and corruption. We thoughtlessly protect the criminal and punish the victims. It’s crazy!   Psalm 99 reminds us that our God sits on the throne of justice that is based on His holiness. He always does what is right and best for each person. We say we want “fairness”, but the problem with that is in a society where there is no standard and every person is encouraged to do what is right in their own eyes, what is fair for one person might not be for another person because they see it differently. That is why God rules and judges with “equity”. He not only knows the action, but He know the motive behind the deed.   In the Old Testament, the Lord ruled His people of Israel through the kings in the Davidic dynasty. In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, through Moses, God gave instructions for how a king was to rule under Him over the people. The king of Israel was required to write out his own personal copy of the first five books of the Bible, “the Law of Moses”, and read it daily and rule by it. The Lord is perfectly righteous in His character and just in His actions, and He wanted the throne of Israel to be just.   A leader who loves justice based on Scripture will have the strength to obey God's Word and will seek to please Him. Romans 13 teaches us that civil authorities are the ministers of God, not just the employees of the government. When we follow God’s principles and His precepts and teach them to our children, we can have a society that lives in peace and enjoy security that is free from the violence of evil people.   In Scripture, the "footstool" that is mentioned in verse 5, could be the ark of the covenant (1 Chron. 28:2), the sanctuary of God (132:7; Isa. 60:13; Ezek. 43:7), the city of Jerusalem (Lam. 2:1), or even planet earth (Isa. 66:1; Matt. 5:35). Solomon's throne had a footstool of gold (2 Chron. 9:18), and visitors would kneel there in homage before him.   The sanctuary on Mount Zion was God's chosen dwelling place, and the ark in the sanctuary was His appointed throne, so when the Jewish pilgrims came to Jerusalem, they were worshiping at His footstool. We should note that verse 5 is the central verse of the psalm and emphasizes the three major themes of the psalm: God's holiness, His exaltation, and our privilege and responsibility to worship Him. (see vv. 3 and 9).   Don’t despair! Despite what is going on around us, remember that Jehovah is still on His throne in heaven, and He is coming again, and He will righteously rule the whole world with “equity” and true justice!   God bless!