The Cherubim of Psalm 99 are mentioned 89 times in the Bible. They do not appear to be technically angels, but wherever God is, so are they. They are a permanent reminder of the majesty of God, attended by (think of them as body guards for someone who doesn’t need them) heavenly winged creatures. Because God is great, the nations should take note.
This is a reminder: Israel’s God was not just Israel’s God. The Lord is God of all and has every right to expect the nations to yield to his authority. This is one of the great thorny problems with the separation of Church and State – or, shall we say, religion and State. The State is confused as to which God it should yield, and finds yielding anyway a politically distasteful task. To yield to one God over all the rest causes unrest among the constituency – some of whom want to be egalitarian, and others who want to be without a recognition of God at all. Among those who would like to see our political leaders be more cognizant of God in their deliberations, there is fear of the enforcement of religion.
However, regardless of one’s political bent, God remains enthroned and in charge. Wise leaders will recognize that. It’s interesting that the one sign of a recognition of God in the political sphere in this poem is “equity,” fairness for all. It should be one of government’s goals, for the Lord is watching.