In our last article (8/99) we covered Psalms 90-96, having completed (as we take ourselves back to the days of Solomon, Hezekiah and other bright spots in the history of Israel) the first three days of the Feast of Tabernacles. In addition, during these three days of celebration we have read Exodus 1-18, II Sam. 23-24 and 1 Kgs. 1-4,10 as part of our morning and evening services. We pick up now with Psalm 97, continuing to review the week from the viewpoint of a faithful Israelite attending the eight-day feast.
Psalm 97 (Readings: Exodus 19-20; I Kings 5)
We come to the morning of the 18th day of the seventh month. It’s the fourth day of the feast. We begin by reading about the awesome display of God’s presence on Mount Sinai. He has called us out of Egypt to be His people. He constitutes us a kingdom of priests, an holy nation. In our minds we go back to that day when the Lord appeared in a mighty theophany. It was morning. There were thunders and lightnings, a thick cloud, the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke. The Lord descended upon it in fire, and the smoke billowed up like the smoke from a furnace and the whole mountain quaked greatly. The voice of the trumpet grew louder and louder. The people trembled. They were terrified and stood afar off. Moses went into the thick darkness where God was. Through Moses, God gave us the ten commandments. The Lord is our God. He brought us out of Egyptian bondage. We are to have no other gods and no graven images…no gods of silver or gold.
We also read in I Kings 5 of Hiram, king of Tyre, blessing the Lord because He has given David a wise son to rule over His people. Hiram agrees to provide the lumber for the temple Solomon will build for the name of the Lord, reminding us of last night’s call to the Gentiles to join us in celebrating God’s rule over all the earth.
Our hymn this morning (Psalm 97) echoes these lessons. “The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of the isles be glad. Clouds and darkness are round about Him: righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.. .A fire goes before Him…His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth…Ashamed be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols.”
Just like at Mount Sinai, we know our God dwells in Zion, in the thick darkness. He is high above the earth, exalted above all gods. He burns up His enemies round about. He delivers us out of the hand of the wicked. Our celebration of gladness continues. We love the Lord and we hate evil. We are His saints, the righteous, the upright in heart, the righteous who rejoice in the Lord. We thank our God as we remember His holiness.
Psalm 98 (Readings: Exodus 21-23; I Kings 6:1-10)
Our evening reading from Exodus is entitled “The Judgments” and includes the Book of the Covenant (Ex. 21-23). In our Kings reading, Solomon builds the house of the Lord.
Our evening hymn is Psalm 98 and it is very similar to last night’s Psalm 96. They both open, “O sing unto the Lord a new song.” Their closing lines are nearly identical. They are both “He comes to judge the earth” psalms. Last night’s judgment theme echoed Moses choosing judges and Solomon’s wisdom to judge; tonight’s judgment theme echoes the title of our Exodus reading, which outlines the laws governing our covenant relationship with God.
This evening’s hymn celebrates the salvation provided to us by our God. He openly shows His righteousness to all nations. He remembers His mercy and His truth, the watchwords of His covenant.
Like Psalm 92, we praise the Lord with instruments. Tonight we have the harp, trumpets and the cornet. We make a joyful noise before the Lord, our King. We call upon all creation to sing with us.
Psalm 99 (Readings: Exodus 24-25; I Kings 6:11-38)
It is the morning of the fifth day, Tishri 19. We read about the making of the covenant and the opening chapter about the tabernacle (Ex. 24-25). After offering the covenant sacrifices and sprinkling the blood on the altar and the people, Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the 70 elders go up into the mount, where they see God and have a meal of fellowship. Then Moses is called up into the cloud of glory. He is given the pattern of the tabernacle, the sanctuary where God will dwell among His people. Moses is given the pattern for the ark, the table of shewbread, and the candlestick. The ark is to be covered with the mercy seat, which is to have two golden cherubim, one on either end. The Lord says to Moses, “There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony.”
We also read about Solomon making cherubim for the temple (I Kgs. 6:11-38). He makes two cherubim, each with a wingspan of 15 feet for a total span of 30 feet, going from one side of the most holy place to the other.
Our morning hymn, Psalm 99, is another “The Lord reigns” psalm. Three times we declare His holiness. The psalm is full of echoes of the readings. We sing, “The Lord reigns; let the people tremble: He sits between the cherubim; let the earth be moved. The Lord is great in Zion; and He is high above all the people. Let them praise thy great and terrible name: holy is He… Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool [i.e., His ark]; holy is He… Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.”
Besides reflecting on our God dwelling between the cherubim, as promised to Moses and Solomon, we also recall Moses and Aaron as priests, offering the sacrifices of the covenant, reading the book, sprinkling the blood, and eating the meal of fellowship. Solomon also played the role of a priest when he dedicated the temple, offering sacrifices and blessing the congregation.
We think of Moses in the pillar of cloud, listening intently to the Lord’s commands concerning the tabernacle. We also consider God’s words to Solomon about walking in His statutes, executing His judgments, and keeping His commandments concerning the house he was building. Moses and Solomon would each carry out his commission. Moses would see to it that the tabernacle was built according to the pattern, and Solomon would do the same for the temple. Both would keep the testimonies and statutes given them.
Unfortunately, we cannot forget the golden calf our fathers were inventing while Moses was up on the mount. We will read about it in the morning. For now, we are grateful that God will hear Moses’ prayer and will forgive the people, but only after taking vengeance of their doings.
Psalm 100 (Readings: Exodus 26-31; I Kings 7)
We close day five by reading the rest of the pattern of the tabernacle and Solomon’s building of the temple courts and furnishings.
Our hymn for this evening is Psalm 100. We come before the presence of the Lord with singing, serving Him with gladness, making a joyful noise unto Him. The Lord is our God, and we are His people. He has made us. We are the sheep of His pasture. He is good, His Mercy and His Truth [i.e., His covenant] are to all generations.
Our psalm has a single crisp echo of the readings: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.” This is precisely what we have done; we are here in the temple, praising our God. Furthermore, it reminds us of the massive offerings that Solomon will bring when the temple is completed.
Psalm 101 (Readings: Exodus 32:1-29; I Kings 8:1-21)
Now it’s the morning of the 20th, the sixth day of the feast. Today the tone changes. For the past five days we have been celebrating our Lord as King and Judge. We have confidence He will deliver us from our enemies. He will establish our king upon His throne, the throne of David. We sing with joy for the blessings He has given us. He is our God, and we are His people. His covenant is sure.
In contrast, today is a day of fasting. This morning our king makes a somber declaration of his commitment to walk with a perfect heart (Psa. 101), then he fasts all day long. Finally, this evening, he will offer a heartrending prayer, a prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed (Psa. 102). He will plead with God to hear his prayer, and deliver him out of dire straits.
This major change of tone parallels similar changes in our readings from Exodus and Kings.
Our Exodus reading is shocking. While Moses has been up on the mount receiving the pattern of the tabernacle, our fathers have convinced Aaron to make a golden calf, which they worship, saying, “These be our gods, 0 Israel, which brought us up out of the land of Egypt.” In a disgraceful drunken orgy, the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play; they were naked. Moses is sent down the mount to deal with his people, which he brought out of the land of Egypt. God is, as it were, red-faced with anger. He is ready to kill them all and start over with Moses. But Moses intercedes and God repents of the evil He intended to bring upon them. Nevertheless, Moses is furious when he actually witnesses the activities of the people. In his disgust, he smashes the two tables of stone, destroys the golden calf and commands the faithful Levite volunteers to kill those who are guilty of this grievous sin. We will hear the rest of the story this evening.
A similar change of tone occurs in our Kings readings. We have come in our reading to Solomon’s dedication of the temple, which occurs at the Feast of Tabernacles. His prayer is divided into two parts. The first (I Kgs. 8:12-21), which we read this morning, blesses God for choosing him to build the temple. To this prayer God replies, “If thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in the integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statures and my judgments; then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father” (9:4-5). We will read the second part of the prayer this evening.
Our morning hymn, Psalm 101, echoes these readings. In line with the Kings lesson, the psalm is a vow of loyalty by our king. He promises to walk as David walked, and as Solomon intended to walk. It is a psalm of David, appropriate for our king, who is the son of David, just like Solomon. “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way.. .I will walk.. .with a perfect heart.”
But also, following the Exodus lesson, he declares, “I will set no wicked thing [like the golden calf] before mine eyes. I hate the work of them that turn aside.. .Morning by morning will I destroy all the wicked of the land; to cut off all the workers of iniquity from the city of the Lord.”
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