The
king as God’s chief cultic minister
The significance of the cult in
ancient societies must entail that the man whom God had made nearest to himself
and invested with his authority should also be the leader in things cultic; and
such is the position generally in the ancient Near East. In principle the
Israelite king too had a pre-eminence as one brought near to God and imbued
with his ‘holiness’, which afforded communion (pp. 142-5). His ordination
involved his sanctification, God pouring over him the ‘oil of his holiness’ (p.
144). Ina psalm from such ceremonies God names him ‘priest for ever’ (110.4),
and the context includes the themes of his sitting beside God and his rebirth
in divine graces. His office being in the succession of the ancient
Melchizedek’s, he is priest-king of the supreme God, the Creator (Gen. 14.19).
In the essence of priesthood none
could compare with him. For the essential is to be able to come near to God, to
commune with him, to see his face and hear his voice. The king, God’s son and
servant, was granted not only to approach, but to sit and abide perpetually in
God’s presence. With such grace of intimacy and his consequent authority, the
king must in principle be the leader in the ordering of God’s house, a ruling
steward-servant who appointed and controlled lesser servants, who ordered the
furnishings, the programme of service, the supplies and repairs. In principle
he should present sacrifices, make petitions, see visions, receive omens and
oracles, convey to the people admonitions, benedictions and judgments. In
actual practice the picture of the king’s priestly pre-eminence might be
blurred by the physical necessity to delegate his functions, by the survival of
privileged groups from before the monarchy, by vagaries of inspirational gifts,
especially prophecy. It is not surprising therefore that the historical books
sometimes acknowledge the king’s cultic leadership, but sometimes tend to
diminish it.” By their nature, however, the psalms reflect the king’s position
in principle and often show him in his cultic role.
Psalm 132 indicates that David’s
successors re-enacted the first conducting of the ark to Zion, and hence led
the ceremony in priestly fashion (p. 125). As depicted in the histories, the
king will thus have worn the ephod, danced, played, sung, sacrificed,
pronounced benedictions, and generally directed the whole proceedings. Such
activities appear again in various psalms. He may be robed for rites of
splendour (cf. 21.6; 132.18b; 45.3) of humiliation (35.133 42-3, p- 70;
102.18). He leads dancing processions around the altar (118.27). He sings and
plays to God, and indeed, with his command of the temple’s resources and in
view of the eternity of his office (p. 160), he can offer superlative praises:
the finest instruments (144.9; 92-4), a “new song’ (40.4; 144.9), an unending
round - daily, day and night, for ever (61.9; 92.3), heard by peoples, kings
and gods (57.10; 138.1, 4). His words of benediction at a sacrificial meal may
be heard in 22.27 and 69.33.
He sacrifices abundantly (cf. I
Kings 3.4):
Fat burnt-offerings I offer to
thee
with the smoke of rams;
I make ready cattle
together with goats (66.15; cf.
54.8).
The people hope that Yahweh will
remember all the king’s minḥa
and ‘ōlā offerings and so send
salvation from Zion (20.4). The king exhorts all men to a piety which includes
‘sacrifices of righteousness’ (4.6). He raises the ‘cup of salvation’ (116.13),
but libations for other gods he will not pour (16.4). Associated with his
offerings, we find his solemn entry and proskynesis (5.4, 8); allusions to such
temple entries? may be fairly frequent (cf. 40.8; 42.3; 66.133 71.16; 73.17;
118.19; 138.2). In addition to obvious processional movements such as in Psalm
118, the king’s processions may be alluded to elsewhere:
Yahweh, lead me in thy
righteousness
in view of my adversaries,
make level before me thy way
(5.9).
He leads me in the highway of
righteousness’
for the sake of his name (23.3).
Send out thy light and thy truth
that they may lead me;
let them bring me to thy holy
mountain
and to thy sacred dwelling
(43.3).
My soul sticks close behind thee
for thy right hand has grasped me
(63.9).
The histories’ picture of the
dancing priest-king David seems to live again in 42.5:
I passed into the sacred dwelling
(sāk),
I led the dancing procession’ up
to the house of God;
with the sound of praise and
thanksgiving,
a multitude in sacred dance
(42.5).
The king is prominent in leading
prayers. Evening, morning and noon, presumably the main set times, he prays
hard in time of danger (55.18). Standing perhaps on some prominent place, he
raises outspread hands in a gesture of supplication (28.2; T73% 143.6) or
praise (63.5).78 He invokes the epiphany of God in phrases like those used by
the priests of the ark: ‘Arise, O Yahweh’, ‘Awake!’, “Be lifted up!’, ‘Shine
forth!’ (7.7; 17.13; 35.2; 57.6; 59.5f.; 94.1f.; cf. Isa. 51.9; Hab. 2.19; Num.
10.35). He invokes doom on foes in a manner suggestive of ritual usage setting
up a verbal image of the enemy and then shattering it (7; 10; 36; 52; 53 etc.).
(John H. Eaton, Kingship and the Psalms [Studies in Biblical Theology
Second Series 32; London: SCM Press Ltd., 1976], 172-74)
