Psalm 89
God's Forever King
She cowered before his radiance, troubled by his appearance. But he encouraged her not to fear his words for he brought the good tidings of God.
Gabriel announced to Mary, a virgin betrothed yet not married, that she would conceive a son by the Holy Spirit. And this son would rule eternally over Jacob’s sons and daughters and his kingdom would have no end (Luke 1.30-33).
And all this was rooted in the promises of God and is the fulfilment of the hopes of the people of God, for this son would sit on the throne of David as the King the people longed for, sung for and prayed for in Psalm 89.
A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing of the LORD’s great love for ever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm for ever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 “I will establish your line for ever
and make your throne firm through all generations.”’
These opening verses introduce the two dominant themes of vv5-37: God’s love & faithfulness, and the covenant made with David. Yet also look at how these two themes are joined together.
First is the repeated use of “establish”. God has established his faithfulness in heaven (2) and will establish the line of David for ever (4). Second, Ethan commits to seeing God’s faithfulness known through all generations (1), while God committed in his covenant to make David’s throne firm through all generations (4).
See the link then. It is God’s unyielding faithfulness that upholds the unending line and throne of David. It is this foundation that Ethan, and we, dwell upon before we bring our lament and prayers before the Lord.
5 The heavens praise your wonders, LORD,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD?
Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, LORD God Almighty?
You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, LORD.
16 They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favour you exalt our horn.
18 Indeed, our shield belongs to the LORD,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Ethan three times asks who is like the Lord or who can compare with him (5&8), and his answer throughout this section is resounding: No one!
All the heavenly creatures pale in comparison to the awesome King of Heaven (7). The seas are stilled at the unrivalled authority of his word (9). All those nations who set themselves against God are subdued and crushed (10). Everything, without exception, was created by the one, true and living God (11-13).
Mary, in her song, knew that through her son, God has demonstrated the strength of his arm and would scatter his enemies through his Son (Luke 1.51), destroying the devil himself (Hebrews 2.14).
Therefore, blessing, peace, security, hope and joy are the gifts for those who bow the knee to the one true God in worship (14-18).
19 Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
‘I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24 My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, “You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Saviour.”
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him for ever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29 I will establish his line for ever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.30 ‘If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;
33 but I will not take my love from him,
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness –
and I will not lie to David –
36 that his line will continue for ever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
37 it will be established for ever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.’
In 2 Samuel 7.1-2, David tells Nathan the Prophet of his plan to build a house for God. Yet God responds through Nathan, saying that David would not build him a house, but in a play of words says that he will establish the house of David forever (2 Sam 7.16).
It is this moment that this section of the Psalm harkens back to. David is the great King that God plucked out of obscurity. The last born of Jesse became firstborn over all of God’s people and all the kings of the earth (27). David was empowered to defeat the giant Goliath with just one stone (1 Sam 17). Throughout his reign as King, he defeated the Philistines, Moabites, King Hadazer, and the Edomites. It was recorded that “the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went” (1 Chronicles 18.13).
No one could stand against David for God stood with him.
And the covenant God made with David did not end with him, but the promises went with all in his line, if they did not reject him (30-32). The long history after David was Kings who strayed far from him. Yet God’s covenant was still true, because where many failed, his faithfulness is established in heaven itself.
And one day, the true Son of David would be the true firstborn over the people of God (Colossians 1.18).
38 But you have rejected, you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your anointed one.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant
and have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken through all his walls
and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
41 All who pass by have plundered him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbours.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
and have not supported him in battle.
44 You have put an end to his splendour
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with a mantle of shame.46 How long, LORD? Will you hide yourself for ever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how fleeting is my life.
For what futility you have created all humanity!
48 Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?
49 Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked,
how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
51 the taunts with which your enemies, LORD, have mocked,
with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
There’s no time stamp in this Psalm. We cannot say for certain when it was written. Judging by the lament and prayer which close out the main body of the Psalm, we could guess it is some time after David. Likely during the reign of a wicked King or ever after the destruction of Jerusalem in 6th century (see v40).
David was the great King of Israel. The competition for that honour was not great. There were a few honourable kings in Judah and Israel but they were specks of light in a great cloud of darkness. Many of the kings veered from God’s law leading God’s people astray and bringing them under God’s great wrath.
It is from here that faithful and hurting Ethan laments. He asks why God has allowed this to happen, though he has answered it back in 30-32. The Kings have strayed so God has struck against Judah and Israel in judgement. Their enemies have temporarily overcome them (42).
We might also join with Ethan’s prayer of v46 when we look at the church and world, calling out to God “How long?” It seems like our great Enemy has got his hand over us.
But this was also a Psalm Jesus prayed. He was the one who mocked and taunted by the nations, even his own (50). He was the one who died and sent to the grave (48). Not for his transgressions but for the sins of others.
But he was the true Son of David and God’s covenant with him was sure. He is the Son of the Most High, who will rule forever over Jacob’s sons. God raised him from the grave and defeated death and the Devil through him.
52 Praise be to the LORD for ever!
Amen and Amen.
And here concludes the Book III of the Psalter. Each book of songs and prayers closes with praise. For God’s love and faithfulness are everlasting like God’s king and so should our praise be!
Glory be to God the Father, who faithfulness is established in the heavens.
Glory be to God the Son, who is the King that rules forever over the Kingdom of light.
Glory be to God the Spirit, who leads us in the radiant light of the Lord’s presence.
Ever three and ever One.
Home Group: Colossians 4.2-18 & Review
What does Paul urge us to pray for (2-4)? Who might we commit time to praying for in light of Paul’s command? How do we live wisely around outsiders (5-6)?
How do we see the churches concerned for other churches in this final section (7-18)? Tychichus and Onesimus are sent to encourage the Colossians with news of Paul’s work. It would be good to take some time to share good news we know happening in other churches to encourage one another.
How have you found Colossians overall? What have been some of the highlights for you in the letter?
Looking back at the big picture of Colossians, how might you summarise the big point and purpose of the letter?