Psalm 89 (Contemporary English Version)
- (A special psalm by Ethan the Ezrahite.) Our LORD, I will sing of your love forever. Everyone yet to be born will hear me praise your faithfulness.
- will tell them, "God's love can always be trusted, and his faithfulness lasts as long as the heavens."
- said, "David, my servant, is my chosen one, and this is the agreement I made with him:
- , one of your descendants will always be king."
- LORD, let the heavens now praise your miracles, and let all of your angels praise your faithfulness.
- who live in the heavens can compare with you.
- are the most fearsome of all who live in heaven; all the others fear and greatly honor you.
- are LORD God All-Powerful! No one is as loving and faithful as you are.
- rule the roaring sea and calm its waves.
- crushed the monster Rahab, and with your powerful arm you scattered your enemies.
- heavens and the earth belong to you. And so does the world with all its people because you created them
- everything else. Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon gladly praise you.
- are strong and mighty!
- kingdom is ruled by justice and fairness with love and faithfulness leading the way.
- LORD, you bless those who join in the festival and walk in the brightness of your presence.
- are happy all day because of you, and your saving power brings honor to us.
- own glorious power makes us strong, and because of your kindness, our strength increases.
- LORD and our King, the Holy One of Israel, you are truly our shield.
- a vision, you once said to your faithful followers: "I have helped a mighty hero. I chose him from my people and made him famous.
- , my servant, is the one I chose to be king,
- I will always be there to help and strengthen him.
- No enemy will outsmart David, and he won't be defeated by any hateful people.
- will strike down and crush his troublesome enemies.
- will always be able to depend on my love, and I will make him strong with my own power.
- will let him rule the lands across the rivers and seas.
- will say to me, 'You are my Father and my God, as well as the mighty rock where I am safe.'
- I have chosen David as my first-born son, and he will be the ruler of all kings on earth.
- love for him will last, and my agreement with him will never be broken.
- One of David's descendants will always be king, and his family will rule until the sky disappears.
- some of his children should reject my Law and refuse my instructions.
- suppose they should disobey all of my teachings.
- I will correct and punish them because of their sins.
- I will always love David and faithfully keep all of my promises to him.
- I won't break my agreement or go back on my word.
- have sworn once and for all by my own holy name, and I won't lie to David.
- family will always rule. I will let his kingdom last as long as the sun
- moon appear in the sky."
- are now angry, God, and you have turned your back on your chosen king.
- broke off your agreement with your servant, the king, and you completely destroyed his kingdom.
- walls of his city have been broken through, and every fortress now lies in ruin.
- who pass by take what they want, and nations everywhere joke about the king.
- made his enemies powerful and let them celebrate.
- you forced him to retreat because you did not fight on his side.
- took his crown and threw his throne in the dirt.
- made an old man of him and put him to shame.
- much longer, LORD? Will you hide forever? How long will your anger keep burning like fire?
- , life is short! Why did you empty our lives of all meaning?
- one can escape the power of death and the grave.
- Lord, where is the love you have always shown and that you promised so faithfully to David?
- your servant, Lord! People make jokes about me, and I suffer many insults.
- am your chosen one, but your enemies chase and make fun of me.
- LORD, we praise you forever. Amen and amen.
Typically a psalm will begin with lament and prayer and end with joy and praise. This psalm reverses that order, beginning with praise and ending with complaint and petition. It lifts up wonderful praise of God's faithful love and greatness. It also speaks of God's "sworn oath" to David. It is an oath to establish David's offspring on the throne forever. Continuing, the psalm praises God as being greater than any other god and of ruling over the creation He has made. God's righteousness and justice are praised. Because He is righteous and just, it says, people are made happy and shout for joy. Then the psalm returns to God's covenant with David, pointing out that He promised to always be with David and not allow the enemy to afflict him. It also points out that God promised to establish David's line forever and even if David's sons were to forsake God's instructions He would call them to account and punish them but would not violate the covenant. This said, the psalm then accuses God of having spurned and rejected David and repudiated the covenant. As a result, David's crown has been dishonored and the fortified cities reduced to ruin. Now the hand of the foe is lifted high instead of David's hand. David has been covered with shame.
Following these accusations comes the petition. Lord, how long will You hide Yourself? "Where are the former acts of Your faithful love that You swore to David?" Remember the ridicule against Your servants. No where, though, do I see a hint of reference to the sins of David's sons or of Israel. Who really broke the covenant? Was it God as pointed out in the psalm, or was it David's sons? We know the answer to that though the psalmist chooses to overlook it. I read 'entitlement' into the psalm. It seems that the psalmist came to accept Israel's position of privilege with God as something to which they were entitled. Maybe I misread the psalm. It lifts up wonderful praise to God in the beginning, but I expect to see a note of repentance for the sins that brought Israel to this point of being destroyed by her enemies. Instead, God is singled out as the breaker of the covenant, and as one who has gone back on His word.
With this critique of the psalm I am brought up short to consider my own attitudes. When do I begin to think how faithful I am and how fortunate God is to have a follower such as me? When do I get to thinking of how deserving I am of God's blessings? And the flip side of this last thought is to consider how unjust God is if and when misfortune comes to His 'faithful servant.' These thoughts come in subtle ways, but I fear that they creep in, nonetheless.
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