Today there are 26 monarchies that rule over 43 countries. These rulers include kings, queens, sultans, emperors, and emirs. Some of these kings exercise real power, while others just serve a ceremonial function. Most of the countries in our world, to varying degrees, are democracies. In theory, a democratic nation is run by the people themselves, through their elected representatives. But who really rules?

Psalm 99 proclaims that God reigns. The psalm says three things about the divine king. First, He is the universal king (vv. 1-3). One of the paradoxes of Christian truth is that God is everywhere, but He especially lives amongst His chosen people. The psalm begins by calling on all the nations to tremble with fear because God is their king. Immediately the focus shifts from all the nations to one nation, Israel, where ″The Lord sits enthroned between the cherubim″ (v. 1). The cherubim on the ark of the covenant, located in the Holy of Holies in the temple, is another way of describing God's presence amongst His people. Verse 2 expresses the same dual truth, ″Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations″ (emphasis added). Therefore, everyone should praise God's great and awesome name (v. 3).

Second, He is the just king (vv. 4-5). A king's responsibility is to rule justly; the people's responsibility is to honour and obey their ruler. When the King of kings comes to live amongst His people, He brings with Him justice and equity, or fairness (v. 4). His people, then, show these qualities both in how they treat each other and the people around them. These displays of the righteous character of God should lead all people to ″exalt the Lord our God″ and ″worship at his footstool″ (v. 5). The footstool was also a feature of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, adding to the image of the nations coming to Zion to worship God.

Thirdly, this awesome king is our personal king (vv. 6-9). The God of Israel and the church is a listening and a speaking God. The Bible records over 3,000 times that God speaks. In this section, we see three of Israel's leaders who called on God and heard God speak to them (v. 6). Our personal God is also worthy of praise because He forgives and judges (v. 8).

There is one other great affirmation about God in this psalm, one that sums up all of God's wonderful attributes: He is ″holy″ (vv. 3, 5, 9). It's a word expressing that there is no-one and no-thing like Him in power, love, justice, compassion, patience, wisdom, and goodness. The only appropriate response to the God of Psalm 99 is to ″exalt the Lord″ (v. 9).