Texts in Conversation
Hezekiah opens his prayer in 2 Kings by naming God as the one enthroned above the cherubim and ruling over all creation. Psalm 99 opens with the same phrase, describing God ruling the earth and his power over it.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
2 Kings 19:15
Hebrew Bible
14 Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: “Lord God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky and the earth. 16 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to the message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God!
Psalm 99:1
Hebrew Bible
1 The Lord reigns! The nations tremble. He sits enthroned above the cherubim; the earth shakes. 2 The Lord is elevated in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. 3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. He is holy! 4 The king is strong; he loves justice. You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
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Notes and References
“... God’s sitting in the temple is an expression of his sovereign rest or reign. This is underscored by the repeated phrase ‘who is enthroned above the cherubim’ (2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Kgs. 19:15; 1 Chr. 13:6; Pss. 80:1; 99:1), which includes reference to God’s actual presence in the temple as a reflection of his reign in the heavenly realm. Psalm 99:1 even more clearly asserts, ‘The LORD reigns … He is enthroned above the cherubim.’ Just as God ‘ascended and sat in the heights of the universe [to reign]’, after he completed the creation (The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan 1), so he would ascend to the temple and reign from there, after he subdued all Israel’s enemies. In like manner, the repeated image of God ‘sitting on a throne’ is another picture of the sovereign who is resting. ...”
Beale, G. K.
The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God
(p. 79) InterVarsity Press, 2004
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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