Psalms 99:6 - Meaning and Application

The happiness of Israel under God’s rule is shown here by a few clear examples of how he dealt with them, especially through Moses, Aaron, and Samuel. These were the leading men who guided the people in their day. In Moses and Aaron, God’s direct rule over Israel began, since they were used to form Israel into a nation. In Samuel it was, in a large sense, brought to an end, because when the people rejected Samuel and pressed him to step down, they were said to reject God himself, so that he should no longer be their direct king as before (1 Samuel 8:7). They wanted a king like the other nations.

Moses is counted among God’s priests as well as Aaron, because he carried out priestly work until Aaron was formally set apart. He also consecrated, that is, set apart, Aaron and his sons for that office. For that reason, the Jews call Moses the priest of priests. Now, concerning these three chief rulers, we should notice first their close fellowship with God and the wonderful favor he showed them.

No other nation on earth could point to three such men, men who had such real dealings with heaven and whom God knew by name (Exodus 33:17). They honored God in two main ways. First, they honored him by prayer. Samuel was not one of the priests, yet he was among those who called on God’s name. All three were known for this, they called on the Lord. They did not trust their own wisdom or strength. In every crisis they turned to God, setting their hope on him and depending on him.

Second, they honored God by obedience. They kept his testimonies and the laws he gave them. They took duty seriously, and they made God’s word and law their rule in everything. They knew that if they did not obey, they had no reason to expect their prayers to be heard (Proverbs 28:9). Moses did everything according to the pattern shown to him. Scripture repeats this often, saying that he did all that God commanded. Aaron and Samuel did the same. The greatest and most honored people are those who are most faithful in keeping God’s testimonies and living by his word.

God also showed his favor by answering them and giving them what they asked for. All three were wonderfully powerful in prayer. At their request, miracles were done. More than that, God did not only act for them like a king granting a request. He spoke with them as a friend speaks with a friend (Psalm 99:7). He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar. He often spoke to Samuel, and from his childhood the word of the Lord came to him. He may also have spoken to him by a bright cloud that covered him. In any case, he often spoke to Moses and Aaron from the famous cloudy pillar (Exodus 16:10; Numbers 12:5). Israel is reminded of this to strengthen their faith. Even if they did not now see such clear signs of God’s presence as the cloudy pillar, God had once shown himself in this way to their first leaders and to their great reformer.

Second, these men did great good for Israel. They pleaded for the people, and through them many prayers brought peace. Moses stood in the gap, and Aaron stood between the living and the dead. When Israel was in trouble, Samuel cried out to the Lord for them (1 Samuel 7:9). That is what this verse means when it says, “You answered them, O Lord our God.” At their prayer, God was a forgiving God for the people they prayed for. Even though he punished their evil deeds, he did not destroy them as a nation, though their sin deserved that. As one writer puts it, God was gracious to them for their sake, and he spared the people at their request, even when his wrath was ready to break out and ruin them completely.

These were striking examples of God’s rule in Israel, greater than anything seen among other nations. So the people are called again to praise him. They should exalt the Lord their God because of what he had done for them in the past as well as in the present, and worship at his holy hill of Zion, where he had now set his temple and would soon set his King (Psalm 2:6). The temple was a picture of the coming King. There, as the center where God’s people were united, let all Israel gather with their worship. The Lord our God is holy, and he shows that holiness not only in his holy law, but also in his holy gospel.