Reflections on Psalms 89

 Psalms 89(Contemporary English Version)

1. (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.
   
2. I will tell them, "God's love can always be trusted, and his faithfulness lasts as long as the heavens."
   
3. You said, "David, my servant, is my chosen one, and this is the agreement I made with him:
   
4. David, one of your descendants will always be king."
   
5. Our LORD, let the heavens now praise your miracles, and let all of your angels praise your faithfulness.
   
6. None who live in the heavens can compare with you.
   
7. You are the most fearsome of all who live in heaven; all the others fear and greatly honor you.
   
8. You are LORD God All-Powerful! No one is as loving and faithful as you are.
   
9. You rule the roaring sea and calm its waves.
   
10. You crushed the monster Rahab, and with your powerful arm you scattered your enemies.
    
11. The heavens and the earth belong to you. And so does the world with all its people because you created them
    
12. and everything else. Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon gladly praise you.
    
13. You are strong and mighty!
    
14. Your kingdom is ruled by justice and fairness with love and faithfulness leading the way.
    
15. Our LORD, you bless those who join in the festival and walk in the brightness of your presence.
    
16. We are happy all day because of you, and your saving power brings honor to us.
    
17. Your own glorious power makes us strong, and because of your kindness, our strength increases.
    
18. Our LORD and our King, the Holy One of Israel, you are truly our shield.
    
19. In 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.
    
20. David, my servant, is the one I chose to be king,
    
21. and I will always be there to help and strengthen him.
    
22. "No enemy will outsmart David, and he won't be defeated by any hateful people.
    
23. I will strike down and crush his troublesome enemies.
    
24. He will always be able to depend on my love, and I will make him strong with my own power.
    
25. I will let him rule the lands across the rivers and seas.
    
26. He will say to me, 'You are my Father and my God, as well as the mighty rock where I am safe.'
    
27. "I have chosen David as my first-born son, and he will be the ruler of all kings on earth.
    
28. My love for him will last, and my agreement with him will never be broken.
    
29. "One of David's descendants will always be king, and his family will rule until the sky disappears.
    
30. Suppose some of his children should reject my Law and refuse my instructions.
    
31. Or suppose they should disobey all of my teachings.
    
32. Then I will correct and punish them because of their sins.
    
33. But I will always love David and faithfully keep all of my promises to him.
    
34. "I won't break my agreement or go back on my word.
    
35. I have sworn once and for all by my own holy name, and I won't lie to David.
    
36. His family will always rule. I will let his kingdom last as long as the sun
    
37. and moon appear in the sky."
    
38. You are now angry, God, and you have turned your back on your chosen king.
    
39. You broke off your agreement with your servant, the king, and you completely destroyed his kingdom.
    
40. The walls of his city have been broken through, and every fortress now lies in ruin.
    
41. All who pass by take what they want, and nations everywhere joke about the king.
    
42. You made his enemies powerful and let them celebrate.
    
43. But you forced him to retreat because you did not fight on his side.
    
44. You took his crown and threw his throne in the dirt.
    
45. You made an old man of him and put him to shame.
    
46. How much longer, LORD? Will you hide forever? How long will your anger keep burning like fire?
    
47. Remember, life is short! Why did you empty our lives of all meaning?
    
48. No one can escape the power of death and the grave.
    
49. Our Lord, where is the love you have always shown and that you promised so faithfully to David?
    
50. Remember your servant, Lord! People make jokes about me, and I suffer many insults.
    
51. I am your chosen one, but your enemies chase and make fun of me.
    
52. Our LORD, we praise you forever. Amen and amen.

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The psalmist for Psalms 89 was Ethan, a Levite, who was petitioning God to remember His covenant with King David and restore Israel and the throne of the Davidic king. The occasion is not known but was a time when Israel was defeated, many of its cities destroyed and the king made a mockery among other nations.
Verses 1-14 speak of God's greatness. He is a faithful God to all generations. Creation bears witness of His greatness. There is no power in heaven or earth greater than He. And yet, He rules with righteousness and justice and His faithful love and truth go before Him in all He does. "Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; LORD, they walk in the light of Your presence. They rejoice in Your name all day long, and they are exalted by Your righteousness." (89:15-16)

Then in verses 19-27 the psalmist reviews the covenant God made with David, "I have found David My servant; I have anointed him with My sacred oil. My hand will always be with him, and My arm will strengthen him." (89:20-21) The covenant included David's descendants, "His offspring will continue forever, his throne like the sun before Me, like the moon, established forever, a faithful witness in the sky." (89:36-37) It was a descendant of David whose throne had been overturned, and the psalmist concludes his review of the Davidic covenant with a "but." "But You have spurned and rejected him; You have become enraged with Your anointed." (89:38) The covenant had been repudiated. The king's splendor had cease and his throne overturned.

Then came the question, "How long, LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your anger keep burning like fire?" (89:46) Followed by another question, "Lord, where are the former acts of Your faithful love that You swore to David in Your faithfulness?" (89:46) Next he asked the Lord to remember how the Lord's enemies had ridiculed "every step of Your anointed." (89:51) In other words, remember and do something about it. And then he simply concluded the psalm with the words, "May the LORD be praised forever. Amen and amen." (89:52)

Probably the greatest test of our faith is to be in dire need and our wait for the Lord's intervention to be drawn out. It helps to be able to reflect on what the Lord has done in the past, but the longer we wait the more doubts come in on us as to whether He will deliver us this time. As did this psalmist, we can take our concerns to the Lord and remind ourselves of His faithfulness in the past. And then we should simply give Him praise and leave the burden with Him.