Psalm 89:1-4, 8-11, 14-15, 19-20, 24, 26-29, 35-39, 46-49, 52 NIV
I will sing of the Lord ’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.
I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’ ”
Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.
You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
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.
I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn will be exalted.
He will call out to me,
‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’
And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”
But you have rejected, you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your anointed one.
You have renounced the covenant with your servant
and have defiled his crown in the dust.
How long, Lord?
Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
Remember how fleeting is my life.
For what futility you have created all humanity!
Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?
Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.
Psalm 89 ends Book 3 of the collection on the Bible. It is another psalm of the nation, perhaps of the king or the king's court. It comes at a time of national crisis, likely the fall of Jerusalem under the Babylonian invasion.
The psalm draws heavily upon the covenant with David, that his sons would always sit upon the throne and shepherd God's people. The psalm first praises God's love and faithfulness. His faithfulness to His promise to David is as sure as the sky above.
The psalm continues by acknowledging God's sovereign power over creation and over all nations. God's rules the sea and the mountains praise Him. All the earth and the heavens are His. God crushed Rahab, poetically meaning Egypt, Israel's oppressor. God is deliverer. God's is creator. God is King of the Universe. And God is faithful to Israel even when Israel is unfaithful to God.
Israel's kings were sometimes faithful, but many were not. Their unfaithfulness led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Now in the midst of exile they cry out to God to remember His promise to David. Raise up another anointed son of David to shepherd Your people, O God.
This prayer was at first answered with Zerubbabel, a son of David appointed governor over Judea by the Persian emperor. The church understands that Jesus of Nazareth is the ultimate fulfillment of God's covenant with David. He is the godly ruler who leads Israel forever. But Israel did not embrace Him. Some did and became the church, the new Israel.
As Israel languished in exile, God shaped a people who would obey His covenant and reflect His love, faithfulness, righteousness and justice. Those who survived the exile were the forebears who built holy community which would later nurture Jesus and witness God's Christ come into the world.
The next time you wonder what's taking God so long to make good on His promises, remember that God keeps His promises and that His plans exceed our expectations every time.
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. (Psalm 89:15)
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