Ethan the Ezrahite
Psalm 89
Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
Scripture (KJV)
1I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
2For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
3I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
5And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
7God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
8O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
9Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
10Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
11The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
12The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
13Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
14Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
15Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
16In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.
17For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.
18For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
19Then 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.
20I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
21With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
22The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
24But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
26He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
27Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
28My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
29His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
30If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
31If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
32Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
33Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
35Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
38But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.
39Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.
40Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.
41All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours.
42Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.
43Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.
44Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.
45The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.
46How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?
47Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
48What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
49Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?
50Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;
51Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.
52Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
Summary
Psalm 89 is the longest psalm in Book III of the Psalter, a royal lament by Ethan the Ezrahite that wrestles with the apparent failure of God’s covenant with David. The first half (verses 1–37) is a magnificent celebration of God’s faithfulness and His covenant with David: "I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever." God has sworn to David that His seed shall be established forever and His throne to all generations. The psalm extols God’s power over the raging sea, His founding of the earth, and His throne established on justice and judgment, with mercy and truth going before His face. God made a covenant with David, anointing him with holy oil, promising that the enemy would not exact upon him, that He would be David’s father and David His firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. Even if David’s children forsake God’s law, God will not utterly take His lovingkindness from him, nor suffer His faithfulness to fail. "My covenant will I not break." The second half (verses 38–51) is a lament: God has cast off and abhorred His anointed, made void the covenant, profaned his crown, broken down his hedges, and covered him with shame. Ethan asks, "How long, LORD? Wilt thou hide thyself for ever?" and "Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?" Yet the psalm closes with a doxology: "Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen."
The major themes are God’s covenant with David, faithfulness, the Davidic throne, lament, and doxology. Practically, the psalm teaches that God’s covenant faithfulness is the ground for both celebration and lament, and that even when the covenant seems to fail, God does not break His word. The great lesson is that God’s mercies are forever and His covenant will not be broken.
Key Themes
A Prayer from Psalm 89
I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness to all generations. Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You establish in the very heavens. You made a covenant with David and swore to establish his throne to all generations. You rule the raging of the sea and still the waves. Justice and judgment are the habitation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face. You found David Your servant and anointed him; You promised to be his father and make him Your firstborn. Even if his children forsake Your law, You will not utterly take Your lovingkindness from him, nor suffer Your faithfulness to fail. Your covenant You will not break. Yet You have cast off and abhorred Your anointed; You have profaned his crown. How long, LORD? Where are Your former lovingkindnesses, which You swore to David in Your truth? Remember the reproach of Your servants. Blessed be the LORD forevermore. Amen, and Amen. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Reflection Questions
- 1How does the first half of the psalm celebrate God’s covenant with David?
- 2How does the second half wrestle with the apparent failure of that covenant?
- 3What does it mean that "my covenant will I not break"?
- 4How can lament end with a doxology, "Blessed be the LORD for evermore"?
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