Jubilate Deo Omnes: Psalm 100 is a Fractal

The “Old 100th” works through the steps of the Pentateuch, cleverly highlighting the main thesis of all Scripture by placing it at the very center of the Psalm.

The content and composition of the songs of the Bible seems random to modern ears, but their internal arrangement is always an allusion to the “covenant” pattern of the liturgy.

The ancient order of worship—common to both Israel and the Church—describes a symbolic process of transformation by spiritual knife and fire. God calls us out, sets us apart, refines us, blesses us, and commissions us for future service. This order follows the fivefold covenant pattern, which is why some refer to it as “covenant renewal worship.” ¹For more discussion, see Jeff Meyers, The Lord’s Service: The Grace of Covenant Renewal Worship.

By the end of the worship service, we are reunited as a body, restored in our minds and hearts, and our vows are renewed. We leave the assembly as host of living sacrifices with the task of testimony to the world.

TRANSCENDENCE God, the uncreated one, introduces Himself. (Authority)

HIERARCHY He then defines the relationship between Himself as the master and His beloved servant/s, (Delegation)

ETHICS the methods for carrying out the mission, (Service)

OATH/SANCTIONS He outlines the possible outcomes, (Vindication)

SUCCESSION and then describes a future role with greater authority. (Representation)

In the case of Psalm 100, it seems to be a song that is reserved for the end of the worship. The people of God are already clean, and thus rejoicing, and are now calling the nations to join them in worship. Instead of a confession, there is gladness. Instead of an exhortation to obey, there is already a submissive spirit. Yet, even in their thanksgiving, the legal pattern of hesed love can still be clearly seen.

So, identification of the “Bible Matrix” is the key to both the purpose of the Psalm, its contents, and the order of those contents. The song is literary architecture because Yahweh is a builder. The people gather to the house; the people leave as a house.

Following the Hebrew word order in such a close analysis is crucial. Words linked by hyphens indicate a single word in Hebrew, mainly to show the rhythm in the original language, but also to explain why some phrases or lines might seem long in comparison to others in the English transliteration.

TRANSCENDENCE: Genesis

HIERARCHY: Exodus

ETHICS: Leviticus

OATH/SANCTIONS: Numbers

SUCCESSION: Deuteronomy

• Stanza 1 is a microcosm of entire Psalm. It begins with a proclamation to all nations, one that corresponds to the Feast of Booths and the final step in the pattern of worship, which is the reason this Psalm seems to have been written for the conclusion of worship. Another clue is that the central “Word” (Ethics) in this stanza is not the voice of God but the voice of His representatives, those who have passed through the “death and resurrection” pattern of worship and now speak for Him. That was the intention of God in the testing of Adam — that Man might speak as a god as a perfect image of the Father. Genesis begins with the failure of Adam but ends with the exaltation of Joseph, a human “elohim.”²See also Where Judgment Begins: Psalm 82.
• Stanza 2 alludes to the near bringing of Israel to the presence of God through the purification rites of the Mosaic Law, as ministered through the construction of the Tabernacle and its priesthood, earthly images of the throne of God and the ministry of His angels in heaven. Although the Levitical ministry of music was not established until the Davidic era (since the “death-and-resurrection” of the Tabernacle was a move from silence to song)³See Peter J. Leithart, From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution, the greater access enjoyed by Israel is indicated here.
• In Stanza 3, the Ethics step expands into the Triune Office, demonstrating how the fivefold covenant pattern becomes sevenfold as it shapes history, including the Creation Week. Israel’s annual festal calendar is spelled out in Leviticus 23, and this was an annual expression of the Creation Week written into the harvests of the Land. The central line of this stanza, right at the center of the Psalm, in modern translations is rendered “and we are his,” or “and we belong to Him,” thus obscuring the point of the Psalmist, and the very crux of the reason for the gladness of heart of the worshipers. However, based on the Hebrew (which is rendered more literally in the King James Version as “and not we ourselves”) the point is that the “godhood” of Man (as governing lights, Abrahamic stars) is not autonomous but an extension of the authority of God in heaven. Thus, the point of the stanza is the point of the entire Bible: priesthood (submission to heaven) must always precede kingdom (dominion on the earth). These two offices relate to the two trees in the Garden of Eden, which are placed at the center of Genesis 2.⁴See Covenant Structure in Genesis 2.
• Stanza 4 reminds us of the detailed and repetitive account of the tribal heads of Israel bringing their gifts to the Tabernacle in Numbers 7, a sign of what Gentile kings would later do once the Temple was established. Thus, this stanza implicitly matches the subject matter of stanza 2 in the chiastic architecture of the Psalm. “Gates” and “courts” match each other within the stanza, and also speak of the sanctification (setting apart) of Israel as a priestly Hierarchy, and the judgment of Israel after the covenant Oath at Sinai. Of course, instead of sinning with a golden calf, these worshipers are faithful (like the Levites in Exodus 32) and thus blessed by God.
• Stanza 5 speaks of the inheritance of the faithful thanks to the enduring mercy and truth of God. If we worship God faithfully from the heart and walk in His ways, we will not be cut off like dead branches. Instead, we will bear fruit and change history, serving as Spirit-filled “New Israel” on God’s behalf.

Thanks to regular reader David Parker for getting me started on this one, and for his helpful questions and observations.

See also The Bible is a Fractal.

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