Psalm 89 – Forever Faithful
Psalm 89 – Forever faithful, begins with a beautiful hymn of praise to our God who is forever faithful. But then an abrupt turn at verse 38 brings this into question. What do we learn about God’s faithfulness from Psalm 89 – forever faithful? What about our own call to faithfulness?
Psalm 89 – Verses 1-19
The superscript for Psalm 89 states that it is a maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. While there are several men named Ethan in Hebrew Scripture, this man, mentioned in 1 Kings 4:31, was known “as someone who was famous for his wisdom – yet surpassed by Solomon’s greater wisdom. This means he was likely a contemporary of Solomon and was also alive during the reign of David.” Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 89
This wise man praises God for his great love and faithfulness.
“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.” (1-2)
He reminds us of God’s covenant with David.
“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.” (3-4)
Even the heavens declare God’s faithfulness
“The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.
Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.” (5-8)
God’s arm is powerful. Love and faithfulness go before God.
“Your arm is endowed with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” (13-14)
Verses 19–38 – God’s Covenant with David
Then Ethan speaks about David and God’s faithful love for him.
“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.” (19-20)
“My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted.” (24)
“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.” (28-29)
God issues a warning to David’s sons:
“If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,
if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,
I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging;
but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.” (30-33)
Even if David’s sons forsake God’s laws, God will remain faithful.
Verses 38-52
In verse 38 we see an abrupt change from praising God for God’s faithfulness, to asking God what happened? Why have you forsaken your covenant?
“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.” (38-39)
“How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?” (46)
“Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?” (49)
Despite questioning God’s faithfulness, the psalm ends with words of praise.
“Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.” (52)
Some claim that this ending “was added as an exclamation at the end of Book Three of Psalms.”
Others attribute this to the psalmist: “The psalmist concludes this song with a hard-fought declaration of praise. This came from a man who knew God’s promises and trusted them, all the while honestly pouring out his pain before God in his present distress.” Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 89
These are the words of a main of faith.
The Importance of Faith
The word forever occurs nine times in the NIV translation of Psalm 89. Faithful and faithfulness are found ten times. Clearly these are both important themes for Ethan, the psalmist.
God’s faithfulness is extoled in Psalm 89. But, what about our faithfulness? God remains faithful to his promises. Do we remain faithful to God?
Faith, according to Bishop Robert Baron, is essential for prayer. He lists prayer as one of the four rules of prayer in his book, Prayer. Faith is the conduit by which we open ourselves to God. It is our yes to God. “God’s grace and loving-kindness are neither manipulative nor domineering; instead, they require, by God’s design, the conduit of a receptive freedom in or to be realized in our lives … Faith, therefore, is the conduit, this open door; it is a signal, coming from the depths of our existence, that we want to cooperate with grace.” (p. 15)
Faith opens us up to God, a necessary step for prayer. To be faithful is to remain open to God in all we do.
Psalm 89 – Forever Faithful
Ethan, in his wisdom, is full of praise for God’s faithfulness to Israel. Based on his understanding of God’s love, he isn’t afraid to cry out to God in his time of need. He didn’t give up or turn away from God.
Having learned about God’s faithfulness, he in turn was faithful, staying forever faithful to God even during times of hardship and suffering.
What about you? How are you being called to faithfulness?
(For another take on this psalm, see Psalm 89: God’s Steadfast Love – Patricia M Robertson)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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