Psalm 89:1 ¶ «Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.» I will sing of the mercies of the LORD 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 shalt 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.
Singing of God’s mercies is something all of
us should do.
Psalm 101:1 ¶
«A Psalm of David.» I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O
LORD, will I sing.
Psalm 106:1 ¶
Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his
mercy endureth for ever.
Ethan the Ezrahite is mentioned in 1Kings as
a very wise man, just not as wise as Solomon.
1Kings 4:31
For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and
Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round
about.
God’s mercy is laid down for mankind over
time and there is a vast accumulation of His abundant mercy so we can see it
through all time. This is shown specifically here in God’s promise to David
that his descendants will never be cut off from the earth. This is finally
accomplished through Christ and in Gentile and Jewish Christians going into
eternity.
First, on the earth and in this life it is
made possible to have peace with God as Paul points out.
Ephesians 2:1 ¶ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time
past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all
had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath,
even as others.
4
¶ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his
great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up
together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should
walk in them.
11
¶ Wherefore remember, that ye being in
time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is
called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ,
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants
of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were
far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14
¶ For he is our peace, who hath made
both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity,
even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of
twain one new man, so making peace; 16
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And
came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to
them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one
Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore
ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints,
and of the household of God; 20 And are
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom
all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for
an habitation of God through the Spirit.
And everlasting life is offered through
Christ.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
What does that mean? It is a promise to the
Jew and Gentile Christian who trusts in Christ.
John 10:28
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Christ is a type of David in some respects
carrying on the promises given to that earthly king for eternity. Note
Psalm 21:4;
4 He asked life of thee,
and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.
Is David declaring that God has given him eternal life as we are
promised as Christians or is for ever and ever just a long time, perhaps
a lifetime only? Again in verse 6 of Psalm 21 the phrase for ever is
used.
Preacher and Bible commentator from the 1700s, John Gill, says
this is indeed a reference to everlasting life while Matthew Henry notes that
this is a reference to David’s kingdom as lasting his lifetime and beyond and
then he gives a more prophetic twist.
Prophetically, Matthew Henry notes that this points forward to the
salvation offered by Christ alone and also notes how Christ continues the
kingdom of David into eternity as a type of David.
Ezekiel 34:23 And I will
set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David;
he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my
servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have
given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall
dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for
ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the
days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and
a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the
earth.
Remember how Isaiah looks forward to Christ.
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order
it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for
ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Psalm 89:5 ¶
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also
in the congregation of the saints. 6 For
who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of
the mighty can be likened unto the LORD? 7
God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had
in reverence of all them that are about him. 8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong
LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? 9 Thou rulest the raging 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 thy strong arm. 11
The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for
the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. 12 The north and the south thou hast created
them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name. 13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and
high is thy right hand. 14 Justice and
judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go
before thy face.
In the figure of speech in verse 5 the
heavens praise God’s wonders.
Psalm 148:3
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye
waters that be above the heavens.
The evidence of God’s greatness is in the
heavens, the physical universe, for us all to see. It declares it loudly.
God’s saints, His sanctified ones, are also
evidence of His faithfulness. The fact that we exist as God’s own people shows
His greatness and His reality.
Psalm 22:30
A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a
generation.
Ephesians 3:14 ¶ For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of
whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
There is no one, not among the angels, the
sons of God, or among the legendary heroes of mankind, or even the made up gods
of the heathen who can compare to God, our Creator.
Exodus 15:11
Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee,
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Isaiah 46:9
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else;
I am God, and there is none like me, 10
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my
pleasure:
1Kings 8:23
And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven
above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants
that walk before thee with all their heart:
God is feared in the assembly of the
saints for, after all, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of
the holy is understanding.
God’s power over the natural world is
absolute.
Rahab has come
to us as first, as the harlot in Joshua who helped the Israelite spies escape
from Jericho.
Joshua 2:1 And Joshua the
son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the
land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named
Rahab, and lodged there.
It also is a name that symbolizes Egypt, according to Strong’s
dictionary.
Psalm 87:4
I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold
Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.
Rahab is a name for a dragon, a mythical sea
creature, and can be likened to Satan.
Isaiah 51:9 Awake, awake,
put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the
generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the
dragon?
Satan, that old serpent, is a dragon, reptilian in form. The
Leviathan, also a large sea creature, might be a prophetic reference to him as
well. We also see that the creature referred to at the end of Job sounds like a
dinosaur or dragon of some sort but he is called a king over all the
children of pride so there is also a possible reference to Satan, the
adversary. Read all of Job, chapter 41.
Job 41:34 He beholdeth all
high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.
Isaiah 27:1 In that day the
LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the
piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the
dragon that is in the sea.
Revelation 20:2 And he laid
hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound
him a thousand years,
Something happened in the wilderness of note
involving the legendary Manna and one of Satan’s heads.
Revelation 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven;
and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven
crowns upon his heads.
Psalm 74:14
Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat
to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
God is absolute sovereign and has power over
every thing. The heavens and the earth, the north and the south, are His to
control. On top of that, not only power and authority but judgment and justice,
mercy and truth flow from Him as the king of the universe He created. We must
be reminded of the absolute sovereignty and total power of God over all things,
events, matter, space, time, and energy.
Psalm 89:15 ¶
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall
walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. 16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day:
and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. 17 For thou art the glory of their
strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted. 18 For the LORD is our defence; and the
Holy One of Israel is our king.
A people who know God’s words, who rejoice in
His character, and who obey His commands are blessed. Those who know the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Word, capital W, by which all things were created and are
held together, the physical image of the invisible God, from whom is salvation
and him alone are blessed and will spend eternity with their Creator. They can
spend their days rejoicing, lifted up by God’s own righteousness, which is
Christ. God is the glory of our strength and because of His favor our power and
strength is lifted up. He is our defense and our King.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say,
Rejoice.
Referring to a horn is sometimes a
reference to the power or strength of an individual, comparing it to the horn
of a large animal as the expression of its power.
1Samuel 2:1
And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn
is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I
rejoice in thy salvation…10 The
adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he
thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall
give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my
strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and
my high tower.
Psalm 89:19 ¶
Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, 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 upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. 23 And I will beat down his foes before his
face, and plague them that hate him. 24
But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my
name shall his horn be exalted. 25 I
will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. 26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my
father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. 27 Also I will make him my firstborn,
higher than the kings of the earth. 28
My mercy 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 my judgments; 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 Nevertheless 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 that 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 a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
Reinforcing the immediate context of this
Psalm as promises made to David the king, it speaks of God’s appointment, His
anointing of David as His king over God’s people. God declares that He will
ensure David’s success in building, in establishing his kingdom. God will
defeat David’s enemies and David’s rule realized fully in his son, Solomon’s
reign, facing north, will be from the Mediterranean to the rivers in the east
as per verse 25. In an empire like theirs this means that there will be
territory they control and territory over which they exert military and
economic dominance beyond the borders of their actual kingdom.
David will acknowledge God’s power,
sovereignty, and blessings and God will make David more important than any of
the kings around him. Understand that ancient writers, including Greek and
Romans, typically when speaking of the earth were referring to the Middle East,
Europe, and Africa that bordered the Mediterranean, the Great Sea. So, verse 27
does not mean that David’s might will be acknowledged in China or South
America.
However, that being said, this is also a
prophecy of Christ for us to consider. Verse 27 was considered by the Jews,
according to some sources, to be a reference to their Messiah and certainly
Christ is higher than the kings of all the earth.
Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me
in heaven and in earth.
A similar sentiment is expressed for Solomon,
David’s son, in Psalm 72 that also serves as a prophecy of Christ. Please see
my comments on that Psalm and note this verse.
Psalm 72:11
Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
We have only to look forward to the end of
human centered history to see this in force.
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were
great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
The Holy Spirit gives us a couple of notable
things in this passage predicting the future apostasy and punishment of Israel.
First, God has not abandoned the Jews, as much as they have suffered for their
rejection of their Messiah. They will have a part to play in the end as they
have played a significant part in history until now. Secondly, this can also
refer to Christ and His followers, His church, as also David’s seed, the seed
of the second David, which will endure forever.
The prophetic implications and sermon
material in this passage are astounding.
Psalm 89:38 ¶
But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine
anointed. 39 Thou hast made void 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 strong holds to ruin. 41 All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a
reproach to his neighbours. 42 Thou hast
set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to
rejoice. 43 Thou hast also turned the
edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle. 44 Thou hast made his glory 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, LORD? wilt thou hide
thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire? 47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast
thou made all men in vain? 48 What man is
he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the
hand of the grave? Selah. 49 Lord, where
are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in
thy truth? 50 Remember, Lord, the
reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of
all the mighty people; 51 Wherewith
thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the
footsteps of thine anointed. 52 Blessed be
the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
Here signifies trouble David is having in feeling
as if God is angry at him. Each verse describes David’s predicament in more
detail. Does this refer to Absalom’s rebellion? We might wonder if God is angry
with us when we go through a horrible time. We might ask if He is going to say
mad and not make Himself apparent to us in our predicament. David reminds God
that David’s life is short and that David has no power over death.
Ecclesiastes 8:8 There is no man that hath power over the
spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there
is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are
given to it.
David feels cut off and abandoned in his
helpless condition as we can feel. This is a plea for God to return His mercy
on David, the abundant grace and mercy David was experiencing before he felt
that God had turned His back on David.
It is noteworthy that in all of David’s trouble and feeling of being abandoned by God or of God being angry at him that he still chooses to praise God, a lesson for us all in times of great difficulty when we feel as if, as the pop song noted, heaven feels so far away.
No comments:
Post a Comment