The Bible

 

Psalms 89

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1 Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the lovingkindness of Jehovah for ever: With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever; Thy faithfulness wilt thou establish in the very heavens.

3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant:

4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, And build up thy throne to all generations. Selah

5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Jehovah; Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

6 For who in the skies can be compared unto Jehovah? Who among the sons of the mighty is like unto Jehovah,

7 A God very terrible in the council of the holy ones, And to be feared above all them that are round about him?

8 O Jehovah God of hosts, Who is a mighty one, like unto thee, O Jehovah? And thy faithfulness is round about thee.

9 Thou rulest the pride of the sea: When the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; Thou hast scattered thine enemies with the arm of thy strength.

11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: The world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

12 The north and the south, thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon rejoice in thy name.

13 Thou hast a mighty arm; Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne: Lovingkindness and truth go before thy face.

15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: They walk, O Jehovah, in the light of thy countenance.

16 In thy name do they rejoice all the day; And in thy righteousness are they exalted.

17 For thou art the glory of their strength; And in thy favor our horn shall be exalted.

18 For our shield belongeth unto Jehovah; And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy saints, And saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.

20 I have found David my servant; With my holy oil have I anointed him:

21 With whom my hand shall be established; Mine arm also shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy shall not exact from him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

23 And I will beat down his adversaries before him, And smite them that hate him.

24 But my faithfulness and my lovingkindness shall be with him; And in my name shall his horn be exalted.

25 I will set his hand also on the sea, And his right hand on the rivers.

26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.

27 I also will make him [my] first-born, The highest of the kings of the earth.

28 My lovingkindness will I keep for him for evermore; And my covenant shall stand fast with him.

29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, And his throne as the days of heaven.

30 If his children forsake my law, And walk not in mine ordinances;

31 If they break my statutes, And keep not my commandments;

32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes.

33 But my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, Nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

34 My covenant will I not break, Nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

35 Once have I sworn by my holiness: I will not lie unto David:

36 His seed shall endure for ever, And his throne as the sun before me.

37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, And [as] the faithful witness in the sky. Selah

38 But thou hast cast off and rejected, Thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.

39 Thou hast abhorred the covenant of thy servant: Thou hast profaned his crown [by casting it] to the ground.

40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges; Thou hast brought his strongholds to ruin.

41 All that pass by the way rob him: He is become a reproach to his neighbors.

42 Thou hast exalted the right hand of his adversaries; Thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.

43 Yea, thou turnest back the edge of his sword, And hast not made him to stand in the battle.

44 Thou hast made his brightness to cease, And cast his throne down to the ground.

45 The days of his youth hast thou shortened: Thou hast covered him with shame. Selah

46 How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? [How long] shall thy wrath burn like fire?

47 Oh remember how short my time is: For what vanity hast thou created all the children of men!

48 What man is he that shall live and not see death, That shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

49 Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, Which thou swarest unto David in thy faithfulness?

50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; How I do bear in my bosom [the reproach of] all the mighty peoples,

51 Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Jehovah, Wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.

52 Blessed be Jehovah for evermore. Amen, and Amen. BOOK IV

   

Commentary

 

Exploring the Meaning of Psalms 89

By Julian Duckworth

Psalm 89 is one of the longer psalms, with three main parts. The psalmist sings of the Lord's covenant with David in all three. The first part - in verses 1-18 - is a song of praise to the Lord for all that He is and has done. The second part - from verses 19-37 - is the Lord speaking in a vision to the holy one, presumably David. The third part - in verses 38-51 - is a desolate and strong outburst about the blessings which have become lost. This third section presents us with some challenges in understanding this psalm, but it ends on a high note, “Blessed be the Lord forevermore. Amen and Amen.”

The Psalm begins with praise for the Lord's mercies and faithfulness to all generations. The mercy of the Lord is from His infinite love for all whom He creates. Mercy sees our humanity and in that it sees and understands our strengths and weaknesses, our hopes and fears. We do not see as the Lord sees. The Lord is truly merciful. (Arcana Caelestia 587[2])

Then God speaks of the covenant which He has made with David, to build his throne to all generations. David is king of Israel, and the covenant is with the Lord's chosen people, called Israel. Spiritually, Israel stands for our conscious active spiritual life which has a relationship with the Lord, as the Lord has with that in us. This is the real covenant. (Arcana Caelestia 665, 666[1-2])

Verses 5-10 speak powerfully of the greatness of the Lord and also in what He does. A beautiful statement is in verse 9 with gospel echoes: "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.” See (Apocalypse Explained 275[8]) to understand what the raging seas signify.

Verses 11-18 concentrate on the Lord's creation, of heaven and earth and all that is in them, created in order and perfection. Those who live in His mercy and truth walk in the light of the Lord and rejoice in Him all day long. Spiritually, all this describes the joys of living spiritual lives in accord with the Lord and His Word. (Arcana Caelestia 5182)

The second part of the psalm tells of the Lord speaking in a vision which reveals His will and purposes. He has chosen one from the people, David, who shall be strong and wise, and the Lord's mercy and faithfulness shall be with him and in him. The spiritual meaning of this section is about the Lord in His humanity, 'My servant David' is the Lord Jesus Christ whose seed shall endure forever.

In another sense the spiritual meaning here is about our spiritual life and our obedience to the Lord as we cry, 'You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.’ (Verse 26)

Our spiritual life which is in covenant with the Lord is said to be the Lord's firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. (Verse 27) (See Arcana Caelestia 3325[4])

Towards the end of this second section, the Lord speaks about disobedience to Him. Disobedience brings a feeling punishment. Punishment is an appearance, and it is really the consequence of turning away from the Lord. We turn away from the Lord but the Lord doesn’t turn away from us. The Lord Himself will not utterly take His lovingkindness from him or fail in His faithfulness, for the Lord is love and mercy itself.

The third section breaks in at verse 38 and catalogues the disasters which are portrayed as the Lord's fury - the broken covenant, the exaltation of all the enemies, the end of glory and the reproach of being covered in shame. It is essential that we understand the focus of these violent words that seem to be coming from the Lord. This is a description of the state of the Jewish church at the time of the Lord, and the way in which they treated the Word and treated the Lord in His humanity. Being external, they held fast to a literal obedience to the Law and killed its life which is its spirit. And... on a personal scale, we may well sometimes come into states like that. (See True Christian Religion 246)

The last part of the psalm asks penetrating questions:

"How long, O Lord? Will You hide yourself forever?... For what futility have you created all the children of men?"

This finale is a turning back to the Lord after having seen how far from the Lord's way we can go. It asks the Lord to be faithful in covenant which He undoubtedly will always be, and for us to feel reproach but to seek the Lord even so. This brings the final blessing which rings loud and clear, "Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen." (See Apocalypse Revealed 23)