(An instruction. Of Ethan the Ezrahite.) I will sing of the loving-kindness of Jehovah for ever; with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness from generation to generation.
Psalm 89 opens with a man singing about God's unchanging kindness. He promises to sing of it "forever" — and he sings while David's house lies in ruins and Israel is scattered.
(The ESV says "steadfast love." Older translations say "mercies" — the word the writers below use.)
The psalm just before this one ends in darkness. Psalm 89 answers it, and the change lies in what the singer takes as his subject.
In Psalm 89 the wisdom of Ethan instructs us. What does this other wise man speak of? Of grace! This Psalm is about the unchangeable promises of God and the sure mercies of David. reason: 62-word sentence, grade 30
The singer named in the title carries the same idea in his own name.
The psalm is another Maskil, and no wonder; and it is the maskil of another Ezrahite, Ethan; whose name means, in full accordance with his subject, "constant, durable." And here too we find what is proper to the soil it springs from, the covenant of promise rooting itself in what God is; "durable," because Jehovah endures, the same yesterday, today, and forever.
reason: watery second sentence, writer's own claim
Here is one point in the Hebrew of Psalm 89 that greatly interests me. The psalm speaks of "the Holy One of Israel" and of "the Holy One," but the words in the original are quite different... What makes it interesting is that verse 19 uses the same word as verse 1: "I will sing of the mercies of Jehovah forever." It gathers the mercies of Jehovah into the person of the man chosen out of the people — David His servant, one able to sustain all the attributes of Jehovah... The whole seems to be the presenting of Christ as the person who sustains Chesed, God's mercy, with all that follows for those who are united to Him.
Writers connect this to what Paul preached in Acts about a Christ raised and no longer subject to decay:
It is not the same truth which the same apostle asserts in Romans 1:4: Christ declared or determined Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by resurrection... In Acts 13:34 it is the holiness of grace and mercy manifested and operative in Him risen from the dead. After His baptism of suffering, known by Him as by none else, straitening was over, Jewish barriers righteously gone, the floods of grace could flow forever.
reason: heading should be a label, not passive clause
The next verse says where mercy and faithfulness are kept, and that is why the singer can say "forever."
The opening verses present the great theme of the psalm — the mercies and faithfulness of God, instead of the sin and failure of the nation, as in Psalm 88. The psalm also presents this great fact: God not only has mercies and faithfulness, but nothing man does can touch these blessed qualities. They are beyond the reach of man's corrupting hand. Mercy is built up forever, and faithfulness is established in the very heavens.
Only one basis allows that word to be used:
Its subject is the mercies of Jehovah (His graciousness, chasdee, towards Israel), and their unchangeableness — the sure mercies. There was faith to say, "forever," for it was grace.
The song is sung while the facts on the ground say the opposite.
Psalm 89 has one remarkable feature we should notice here. It relies on the faithfulness of God to His original word of promise, at a time when everything on the outside contradicts that promise. Yet it still expects the promise to be kept, and it rests that expectation on mercy — in fact on Christ, in whom all promised mercies come together.
Faith does not look only at the ground; it looks at the heavens.
Upon earth, indeed, things may seem for the present to be in conflict with this... The tree of David's house is levelled to the ground and Israel are wanderers among the nations. But for faith the heavens have another story to tell, since the Crucified has become the Glorified. They will give a marvellous witness when the fruits of the cross are seen in the crowd of the redeemed in heaven.
The second half of the verse turns the song into public testimony, and its full scope is still ahead.
This will indeed produce the singing of the mercies of the Lord forever (v. 1), the making known of God's faithfulness to all generations. Sadly, this has not been true of Israel through her history, and it is not true now. But it is a prophecy of what will be true in the millennium, when God will make known the wonders of His faithfulness to all the generations then living. Believers today may well anticipate that time by magnifying the name of the Lord now.
- Grace, not law. Psalm 88 ends in darkness under law. Psalm 89 answers it, taking grace and the covenant with David as its subject.
- Beyond reach. God builds mercy up forever and sets faithfulness in the heavens, where nothing man does can touch them.
- Gathered in a Person. The word for "mercies" in verse 1 comes back in verse 19, used of a man — God's mercies gathered in Christ.
- Sung against the evidence. The psalmist sings while David's house lies levelled. He rests on the promise, not on what he can see.
- Told to all generations. What faith sings now in the face of ruin, God will one day make known to every generation.
For I said, Loving-kindness shall be built up for ever; in the very heavens wilt thou establish thy faithfulness.
The singer names two things he means to sing about for ever: God's steadfast love and His faithfulness. Verse 2 says why he dares use the words "for ever" when everything on earth said the opposite.
Psalm 88 dwells on the nation's sin and failure. This psalm changes the footing, and that change is what makes such confident words possible. Where the ESV says "steadfast love," older translations say "mercy" — the word the writers below use.
In Psalm 89 the wisdom of Ethan instructs us. What does this other wise man speak of? Of grace! This Psalm is about the unchangeable promises of God and the sure mercies of David. The people's relationship to God on the footing of the law can only lead to the darkness of judgment and death. Their relation on the basis of the covenant of grace made with David leads to this: "Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness" (v. 2) — in the heavens, where nothing shall ever touch it. This magnificent Psalm is the hymn of grace. It sings of all the glory of God which this grace has established and brought to light.
The singer can say "for ever" only because his subject is grace — and this grace does not change.
Its subject is the mercies of Jehovah (His graciousness, chasdee, towards Israel), and their unchangeableness — the sure mercies. There was faith to say, "for ever," for it was grace... Jehovah was faithful. For he had said in faith, Mercy, manifested goodness, shall be built up for ever, and faithfulness was established where nothing could reach it.
"Built up" pictures something still rising. "In the heavens" puts it where no one on earth can get at it.
The opening verses present the great theme of the psalm — the mercies and faithfulness of God, instead of the sin and failure of the nation, as in Psalm 88. The psalm also presents this great fact: there are mercies and faithfulness with God, and nothing that man can do can touch these blessed qualities. They are beyond the reach of man's corrupting hand. Mercy is built up for ever; and faithfulness is established in the very heavens.
Notice the psalmist says "I said." This is a settled conviction, not a report of what he can see.
Psalm 89 has one remarkable character which it is right for us to notice here — reliance on the faithfulness of God according to His original word of promise, when everything on the outside is against it. The expectation of fulfilment is founded on mercy, in fact on Christ, in whom all promised mercies concentrate themselves.
The heavens are named for a reason. Earth's evidence at the time pointed one way; heaven pointed another.
On earth, things may look for the present as if they conflict with this. From the Jewish standpoint the witness of many generations now might look to be against it. The tree of David's house is cut down to the ground, and Israel are wanderers among the nations. But for faith the heavens have another story to tell, since the Crucified has become the Glorified. They will have a marvellous witness to give when the fruits of the cross are seen in the multitude of the redeemed in heaven, soon to be seen following Him as He comes out from there, not only King of Israel, but King of kings.
Mercy that lasts for ever must be secured somewhere. Commentators point to a Person now in heaven.
The general tone of the Psalm is earthly. Yet because the sure mercies of David form its leading topic, the heavens are joined with the earth in the celebration of His praise. God has set His glory above those heavens in the Person of His risen and ascended Christ. For the mercy of God's choice, which is the basis of Israel's promised blessing, is secured in Him whom the Church already worships and glories in as her exalted Head... Faithfulness and mercy are built up and established in Him who is Himself the covenant of His people's endless peace.
Commentators also point to a link between the word "mercies" in verse 1 and a title used later in the psalm, showing where those mercies gather.
The word "mercies," in the first verse of that psalm, is the same word as "Holy One" in verse 19... "your gracious One, in whom help and mercy is summed up." I have laid help upon One that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David my servant," etc. Here, no doubt, the immediate subject is David: but in the mind of God a greater, even Christ, is here.
Mercy that keeps rising does not stop at one nation.
"Mercy shall be built up for ever" (Ps. 89:2)... The Gentiles shall be embraced in the same mercy, for it is written, "In you shall all nations be blessed"; and it is written again, "Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people" (Rom. 15:10)... Mercy with righteousness, peace with truth, shall rear that temple, and uphold the kingdom.
- Ground — The psalm stands on grace and covenant, not law. Under law the outcome is judgment; only mercy lets anyone say "for ever."
- Building — Mercy is not just stored; it is being built up, and no human hand can pull it down or spoil it.
- Place — Faithfulness is fixed in the heavens, out of reach of the earth where the promise looked broken.
- Person — God secures those mercies in Christ, risen and ascended. He is Himself the covenant of His people's peace.
- Reach — The same mercy reaches the nations, and mercy with righteousness builds the kingdom that lasts.
I have made a covenant with mine elect, I have sworn unto David my servant
Here the psalmist quotes God's own words back to Him. God bound Himself to David by a covenant and an oath, and the whole psalm rests on that pledge.
What is this psalm about at its root?
Its subject is the mercies of Jehovah — His graciousness towards Israel — and the fact that they never change. They are the sure mercies. There was faith to say "for ever," for it was grace. He then recites the covenant God first made with David. That covenant is the expression of mercy. It is what Jehovah was to be faithful to: the sure mercies of David.
The psalm before this one turned to the law. Psalm 89 stands on different ground.
Psalm 89 is a most admirable Psalm. The psalm before it dealt with the law and turned to Mount Sinai. This one takes up grace and the covenant of unfailing promise in David. It expresses the miseries of Israel. Christ takes them up as His own, and He takes them up in connection with promise. Earlier He had taken them up as the curse under the law. Here He appeals to promise, the sure mercies of David. He does not look at the miseries as bowing under the righteous curse of the law. … As to the way it is done, He recounts Jehovah's own covenant promise with David, His elect. This lays the foundation of the whole Psalm: Jehovah's faithfulness to mercy, with David as its object and central channel.
Two words carry the verse: God made a covenant, and He swore. He tied Himself down twice.
The psalmist sets out to celebrate the mercies of the Lord and His faithfulness, and to speak of them to every generation. David's throne must be restored. God has promised, and bound Himself by covenant and by oath, not to lie to David.
The same pledge comes back later in the psalm, in God's own words.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant" (verse 3)… "I will not break My covenant, or change what has gone out of My lips. I have sworn once by My holiness that I will not lie to David" (verses 34, 35). The song repeats the promise of 2 Samuel 7, and its fulfilment in the end is as sure as God's Word, which cannot be overthrown.
For centuries no son of David sat on the throne. Did that cancel the promise?
So, for many centuries, that was the end of the throne of David. Yet God had guaranteed that throne with a promise, and no failure of man could set it aside. In fact, when He gave the promise, God had already taken the failure into account, and He said what He would do.
"My chosen one" and "David my servant" point past David himself.
The Apostle Paul preached in the synagogue at Antioch. He quoted the words "the sure mercies of David," and he tied them to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. These words also link up with what we find in Psalm 89… The Psalm has the Son of David in view, and David was only a picture of Him. Only in Christ risen from the dead do all the mercies of the Psalm come true.
Why are these mercies called sure?
Then Paul goes on to prove resurrection by quoting another text: "I will give you the sure mercies of David." Their sureness is the proof that they stood in resurrection, and did not depend on failing man.
- Mercy — the ground here is grace, not law. The psalm before it turned to Mount Sinai; this one turns to "the covenant of unfailing promise in David."
- Oath — God did more than promise. He "bound Himself by covenant and by oath, not to lie to David," and the song repeats what He had said in 2 Samuel 7.
- Foreseen failure — David's throne fell for centuries. God had already taken that failure into account when He gave the promise, so no sin of man can set it aside.
- Sure — the mercies are sure because they stand in resurrection, and do not "depend on failing man."
- Christ — David was only a picture. The covenant is made good in the Son of David, "risen from the dead."
Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne from generation to generation. Selah.
Psalm 89 opens with a song about God's mercy and faithfulness. By verse 4 God Himself is speaking, and He names what He swore to David: a lasting line and a lasting throne. The rest of the psalm sets that promise beside a ruined kingdom. If David's line collapsed, what happened to the oath?
The weight of verse 4 rests on the way God bound Himself.
In Psalm 89 the psalmist celebrates the mercies of the Lord and His faithfulness. He tells of them to all generations. David's throne must be restored. God has promised. He has bound Himself by covenant and by oath not to lie to David (verses 3, 4).
Psalm 89 does not stand where the psalm before it stood.
Psalm 89 is a wonderful psalm. The previous one dealt with the law and turned to Mount Sinai. This one takes up grace and the covenant of unfailing promise in David. It expresses the miseries of Israel. Christ takes them up as His own in connection with promise, as earlier He had taken up the curse under the law. But here He appeals to promise, the sure mercies of David. He does not look at the miseries as bowing under the righteous curse of the law.
The verse names two gifts: an offspring and a throne. The psalm returns to both, then records in its closing section that history went the other way.
The song joins David's throne and seed together, just as the promise to David joined them. It also names the length of time — "for ever"... The psalm notes failure in verses 38-51, in relation to David's seed. Anything committed into the hands of men results in sad and grievous failure. The psalm in its fullness and blessing waits to be fulfilled in another Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Solomon and the kings after him did not keep their power. God's word did not fail when they fell.
God pledged Himself to David: He would establish his offspring forever and build his throne for all generations (Psalm 89:4). But He did not bind Himself to keep Solomon, Rehoboam, or anyone else in power. Everything now waits for the appearing of "His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was descended from David according to the flesh" (Romans 1:3). When He comes out from heaven, the throne of David will be set up again, and will once more be the throne of Jehovah on earth.
Israel put its Messiah to death. At that point the promised line looked finished.
In Acts 13 Paul stands up to speak in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia. In that speech he refers to the "faithful mercies of David" (Acts 13:34)... But Israel rejected and killed their Messiah. Humanly speaking, at that point all was lost. But what did God do? He "raised Him from among the dead, no more to return to corruption". Then He spoke like this: "I will give you the faithful mercies of David." God had promised David a descendant to sit on his throne (2 Samuel 7:16). This promise is certain, sure and unchangeable. To fulfil it, God raised up Christ from among the dead. But how was this possible? Israel had crucified the very One who was to bring them blessing. How could God still bless them? Only pure grace and mercy could make it true.
Later verses repeat the promise of verse 4. Each time the length is measured by something God made. The lines quoted below are verses 29 and 36-37 in an older translation.
But how is the length of the blessing defined? "His seed also I will make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven." Again, "As the sun before me; it shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven." The wording is all the more striking here. According to full New Testament revelation this throne is eternal. It never passes from David's Son, though as man He gives it up to take it as "God all in all". Yet even when the psalm speaks of the part of the blessing that is eternal, its language does not go beyond the furthest limit of time — "it shall be established for ever as the moon."
- Sworn. God did more than promise David a lasting seed and throne. He bound Himself by covenant and oath, so His word cannot fail.
- Grace. The psalm before this one stands at Sinai under law. This one stands on mercy, and that is why faith can say "for ever".
- Failure. Solomon and the kings after him were never the guarantee. The failure later in the psalm shows what happens to anything left in human hands.
- Resurrection. Israel killed their Messiah and the line looked finished. God raised Him from the dead, so the faithful mercies of David stand sure.
- Reign. The promise waits for Christ's appearing. Then God will set up David's throne again as His own throne on earth.
And the heavens shall celebrate thy wonders, O Jehovah, and thy faithfulness in the congregation of the saints.
Psalm 89 rests not on Israel's obedience but on God's covenant with David. Verse 5 then lifts the reader's eyes off the earth: the praise moves to heaven, and to a company gathered there.
One writer sets two grounds side by side — law, and the covenant of grace made with David. He quotes verse 2 in an older translation:
This Psalm is about the unchangeable promises of God and the sure mercies of David. If the people stand before God on the ground of the law, that can only end in the darkness of judgment and death. If they stand on the ground of the covenant of grace made with David, it leads to this: "Mercy shall be built up forever: your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens" (v. 2) — in the heavens, where nothing can ever touch it.
The wonders heaven celebrates are God's works done on earth. One writer, quoting an older wording of the verse, notes that heaven and earth serve each other:
"And the heavens shall praise your wonders," for they also recognise His works below, and so they minister to one another.
On earth the facts have long pointed the other way:
On earth, for now, things may seem to be in conflict with this. From the Jewish standpoint, the witness of many generations might seem to be against it. The tree of David's house is levelled to the ground and Israel are wanderers among the nations. But for faith the heavens have another story to tell, because the Crucified has become the Glorified. They will have a marvellous witness to give when the fruits of the cross are seen in the multitude of the redeemed in heaven.
Commentators differ on who this company is. One writer gives the answer a Jewish reader would reach for first, then offers a second:
Again the heavens come in with their praise. For a Jew, the "congregation of the holy ones" would at first thought have to mean the angelic host. But once we take the deeper meaning into account, they may be the "seed" already spoken of, royal and heavenly. As such, they will proclaim His faithfulness and the wonder of His grace.
Another writer reaches a similar answer from a different direction:
The Old Testament does not speak of the saints who will inherit heaven. Yet no doubt they are included in the prophecy. Certainly all the heavenly company will find great delight in praising the Lord for His wonders in the blessing of Israel that is still to come.
Two different Hebrew words in Psalm 89 are both translated "holy." A dictionary sets them out, with the Greek words that match them:
There are two corresponding words in the Hebrew, and both occur in Psalm 89. Hosios corresponds with chasid, "your holy One," in Psalm 89:19. Hagios corresponds with qadosh, "the holy One" in Psalm 89:18 — the singular of the word translated "saints" in Psalm 89:5, 7.
So the "holy ones" of verse 5 are the plural of the same Hebrew word used of the holy One in verse 18.
The praise of the verse falls into two parts, and it ends in reverent fear:
The psalmist then celebrates the glory of Jehovah — the One who has made the covenant with David. The heavens declare His wonders; the saints His faithfulness. No creature can be compared with Jehovah. In His supreme glory as God there can be none likened to Him. In the assembly of His saints He is the object of reverent fear.
- Grace first. The psalm rests on the mercies promised to David, not on Israel's keeping of the law. That is why it can say "forever."
- Grace secured. God sets His faithfulness in the heavens, where nothing on earth can touch it.
- Grace witnessed. The heavens praise God's wonders because they see His works done below.
- Grace shared. Commentators read the assembly of the holy ones as the angels, or as the heavenly seed. Either way, the whole company above joins the praise.
- Grace vindicated. When the facts on earth contradict the promise, faith listens to heaven instead. The Crucified has become the Glorified.
For who in the heaven can be compared to Jehovah? [who] among the sons of the mighty shall be likened to Jehovah?
Psalm 89 sings of God's covenant mercies to David, then pauses to look upward. It asks whether anyone in the skies stands beside the Lord, and the answer shapes everything that follows.
The verse sits in a section that turns from the promise made to David to the character of the One who made it. One writer holds the two together:
The psalmist then celebrates the glory of Jehovah — the One who has made the covenant with David. The heavens declare His wonders; the saints His faithfulness. No creature can be compared with Jehovah. In His supreme glory as God there can be none likened to Him.
The worth of a promise depends on who makes it. The psalm settles that first.
One writer traces the thought here, including the phrase the ESV gives as "heavenly beings" and older translations as "sons of the mighty":
To put the question is to answer it — where is one like Him as far as infinite space extends? And the sons of the mighty — perhaps rather of might (a "plural of majesty") — who among them can be compared to Jehovah? Think of Him in connection with the assembled wisdom of the holy ones: He is an object only of reverent fear to and above them all. More than that, He is the unchanging God of hosts, whom they all serve. Where then can there be might like the might of Jah — the strong, decisive name? And His faithfulness — here is the comfort of it all — is all about Him, matching the outgoing of His glorious power.
Commentators differ on the identity of the beings named here. One line of reading connects the Hebrew wording to the "sons of God" found elsewhere in the Old Testament, and takes it of angels:
It is impossible to deny that "sons of God," in the early books of the Bible (Job 1:6, Job 2:1, Job 38:7), are found applied to angels. So in a slightly different form of the Hebrew we read in Ps. 29:1 and Ps. 89:6... there is no ground from Old Testament usage to question this. The phrase applies to angels, not to men — even faithful and righteous men.
Others read the same phrase in Psalm 29 as addressed to the great ones of earth rather than to angels:
It is surely not an address to angels, as perhaps mostly held, but to the mighty of the earth, in view of what follows... They are to ascribe glory and strength to Jehovah as the only Source of these.
Either way the verse lands in the same place. Heaven's ranks or earth's — no one survives the comparison.
The previous verse has just called on the heavens to praise. So this verse is not measuring God against weak or unworthy rivals — it is measuring Him against the best that heaven holds:
All the heavenly company will find great delight in praising the Lord for His wonders in relation to the eventual blessing of Israel. Though there will be multitudes in heaven, none can compare with the blessed Lord of glory (v. 6).
The distance is not one of degree but of kind. A creature, however glorious, remains a creature:
Take the angels who "excel in strength." The most glorious and excellent of them, in wisdom, power, and every attribute, still has only a creature excellence. Beyond that stretches just as far the infinity of distance to Godhead... God is God, and man is man, and his happiness is to know that this is eternally true.
The next verse draws the practical conclusion: God is to be feared in the council of the holy ones. One writer applies that directly to how we speak to God and about Him:
The growing disregard of reverence for sacred things is a sad thing. It marks the last days we live in. Even professing Christians speak of God as if He were someone like themselves. In the big modern evangelistic campaigns you often hear people pray to God as if they were on very familiar terms with the Most High. They speak to Him as freely as if He were little more than themselves — in a way they would not dare to address the highest official in their land.
- Covenant first. The psalm is about the promise sworn to David. The verse weighs the worth of the One who swore it.
- Question, not comparison. To ask who in the skies stands beside the Lord is already to answer it — no name fits.
- Best of heaven, still no rival. Heaven's own multitudes are the ones on the scales, and not one of them compares with the Lord of glory.
- Creature stays creature. Even angels that excel in strength have only creature excellence. The distance to Godhead stays infinite.
- So, reverence. Because no one is like Him, we do not speak to Him casually, as if He were someone like ourselves.
God is greatly to be feared in the council of the saints, and terrible for all that are round about him.
Psalm 89 celebrates God's covenant with David, and here the song lifts its eyes from earth to heaven. The verse asks what God is like among those who stand closest to Him.
One writer places this whole section of the psalm above the earth:
At verse 5 a strain of rest and triumph begins, and it runs to verse 18. Verses 5-7 praise the faithfulness of the Lord, in keeping with the perfect worship presented to Him now and in the future in the heavenly places. His faithfulness will be celebrated there in long-lasting songs. The singers are those who are to be presented faultless before the throne of God, because He is able in faithfulness to save.
Older translations read "assembly of the saints" here, and later quotes on this page keep that wording. One writer gives the phrase two readings:
Once again the heavens come in with their witnessing praise. To a Jew, the "congregation of the holy ones" would at first mean the angelic host. But if we take the deeper meaning here into account, in this application they may be the "seed" already spoken of, royal and heavenly, who as that seed will proclaim His faithfulness and the wonder of His grace.
Nearness to God is a privilege, and exactly where reverence belongs. One writer reads on into the next verse, where the psalmist asks who is mighty like the Lord:
For He is God, greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, whether in heaven or on earth. Those who have the privilege of being in His presence are to hold Him in reverence (v. 7). Then the psalmist breaks out in genuine adoration of Him who is "Lord of hosts": "Who is mighty like You, O Lord?" (v. 8). He does not say "as mighty as You," for only He is mighty at all. None others are really mighty in any way. They may be mighty compared to others, but in contrast to Him, they have no might whatever.
Sin inside the camp is never a private matter. One writer hears this verse as the warning Achan ignored — an Israelite whose greed lost his people a battle:
The story of Achan, in Joshua 7, is solemn and moving in the highest degree. It says in our hearing, with the deepest emphasis, words our careless hearts are only too ready to forget: "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of His saints, and to be held in reverence by all who are around Him." Had Achan remembered this, it would have taught him that he must nip the covetousness of his heart in the bud. That would have spared the whole assembly the humiliating defeat at Ai, and all the sorrow and discipline that followed.
Christians stand nearer to God than the psalmist did. One writer turns that nearness into a question:
In Psalm 89:7 we read, "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all who are around Him." But it is the Christian's privilege to know God in a far nearer and more blessed relationship than Old Testament saints could. We know God as Father; we know Christ as Firstborn among many brothers; we know that when He appears we shall be like Him. Then surely our fear of God, and reverence for God, should greatly exceed that of the psalmist of old. But does it?
Reverence shows in how people speak to God:
The growing disregard of reverence for sacred things is sad, and it marks the last days in which our lot is cast. Even professing Christians speak of God as if He were one like themselves. In big modern evangelistic campaigns you often hear people pray to God as if they were on very intimate terms with Him, the Most High. They approach Him as casually as if He were little more than themselves. They would not presume to speak that way to the head of their own government.
- Nearness sets the scene. Verses 5-7 lift the song into the heavenly places. There His faithfulness rings out from those He will present faultless before His throne.
- Nearness names the company. A Jewish reader would first think of the angels. The same words may reach further, to the heavenly seed who proclaim His faithfulness.
- Nearness deepens fear. Those closest to God are the very ones who hold Him in reverence. No one else is mighty at all beside Him.
- Nearness carries a cost. Achan forgot this verse. One man's covetousness dragged the whole assembly into defeat, sorrow and discipline.
- Nearness raises the standard. Christians know God as Father, and Christ as Firstborn among many brothers. So reverence should exceed the psalmist's, not fall short of it.
Jehovah, God of hosts, who is like unto thee, the strong Jah? And thy faithfulness is round about thee.
Psalm 89 sings of God's promise to David at a moment when that promise looks broken. Verse 8 stands at the heart of its praise. It throws a question at the whole universe, and the name used to ask it already carries the answer. The verse joins two things — overwhelming strength and unfailing faithfulness — in one Person.
The psalmist does not put God on a scale with other powers. One writer works from an older translation, which asks "Who is mighty like You?" rather than "as mighty as you are."
Then the psalmist breaks out in genuine worship of Him who is "Lord of hosts": "Who is mighty like You, O Lord?" (v. 8). He does not say "as mighty as You," for only He is mighty at all. No one else is truly mighty in any way. They may be mighty compared to others, but in contrast to Him, they have no might whatever.
Verses 5 to 8 form one movement of praise. Its high point is the title "Lord God of hosts" — God named after the armies He commands.
The psalmist then celebrates the glory of Jehovah — the One who has made the covenant with David. The heavens declare His wonders; the saints His faithfulness. No creature compares with Jehovah. In His supreme glory as God, there is no one like Him. In the assembly of His saints He is the object of reverent fear. Supreme in strength, as the Lord God of hosts, He acts in faithfulness on every side.
Behind the word "mighty" in this verse stands a short name for God — Jah. One writer traces where that name comes from in the Bible.
The name Jah first appears in Exodus 15:2, right after God delivered the people from Pharaoh at the Red Sea. We meet it often in the Psalms in the well-known compound word Hallelujah... Look at the context of most of the places where it occurs, and I think you will agree: the name is not just a shortened form of Jehovah. It has a meaning of its own. It reminds His people that He has stepped in with power on their behalf, and that He will do so again... Jah marks Him out as the Deliverer who brought His people out of Egypt in the past, and who will deliver them from all their enemies again.
Even the heavenly armies are His servants, so the comparison ends before it begins.
To put the question is to answer it... No, He is the unchanging God of hosts, whom they all serve. Where then can there be might like that of Jah? — using the strong, decisive word.
The verse does not stop at strength. It adds faithfulness, and one writer finds the comfort of it all right there.
And His faithfulness — here is the comfort of it all — is all about Him; commensurate with the outgoing of His glorious power.
The same faithfulness works like armor. It "surrounds You, like an armor that nothing can pierce and nothing can weaken" (L M Grant).
The psalm does not leave the claim in the air. The next verses point to the sea and to Egypt. One writer carries both forward to Christ and to the nations today.
"You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves arise, You still them" (v. 9). The Lord Jesus did this to a literal sea when He was on earth (Mk. 4:39). He will one day fully subdue the sea of the raging nations. In the meantime He rules them behind the scenes, letting them go "so far and no farther"... The psalm mentions Rahab, that is, Egypt, the first nation to hold Israel in slavery.
The faithful few in Israel sang this praise while God set their nation aside for a time. That tension runs through the whole psalm.
In Psalm 89, the godly remnant look for salvation in the mercy of God, and in His faithfulness to His covenant with David. That covenant secures their blessing, even though God casts the nation off for a time.
Another writer traces the same turn. The psalm recites the covenant, and then "experience and fact seem to say You have abhorred Messiah and made void the covenant and all seems lost" (G. V. Wigram). Yet the psalm still ends in praise.
- Unmatched. The question is not who else is strong. It is who is strong at all. Next to Him, no other power has any might.
- Named. "Jah" is the name of the Deliverer who brought Israel out of Egypt. It reminds His people that He has stepped in with power before, and will again.
- Surrounded. His faithfulness reaches as far as His power reaches. It surrounds Him like armor, so His strength is always safe to trust.
- Proved. He stilled a literal sea, and He rules the raging nations behind the scenes today.
- Sung in the dark. The faithful few praise Him while God sets the nation aside. His faithfulness is the ground of hope when the facts say all is lost.
*Thou* rulest the pride of the sea when its waves arise, *thou* stillest them.
Psalm 89 is a song about God's mercies and about His faithfulness to the covenant He made with David. Verses 5-18 praise who this God is, and verse 9 points to the sea: even its raging obeys Him.
This praise of God's power sits inside a psalm whose whole subject is that God's kindness to David cannot be broken.
Its subject is the mercies of Jehovah — His kindness toward Israel — and the fact that they never change. They are the sure mercies. There was faith to say "for ever," for it was grace... He then recites the covenant first made with David. That covenant is the expression of mercy, and it is what Jehovah was to be faithful to: the sure mercies of David. He then turns and goes on praising Jehovah (vv. 5-18), recalling the ancient rescue from Egypt.
So the psalm turns to the sea and the waves as proof. A God who rules them can keep His promise.
Verse 9 follows a question in verse 8, and one writer weighs its exact wording. He uses an older translation, which reads, "Who is mighty like You, O Lord?"
Then the psalmist bursts out in sincere worship of Him who is "Lord of hosts": "Who is mighty like You, O Lord?" (v. 8). He does not say "as mighty as You," for only He is mighty at all. No one else is truly mighty in any way. They may be mighty compared to others, but in contrast to Him, they have no might whatever. "Your faithfulness also surrounds You," like armor that nothing can pierce and nothing can weaken.
One writer reads the sea on two levels at once: real water, and the raging nations it stands for. His comment runs on into the next verse:
The Lord Jesus did this with real water when He was on earth (Mk. 4:39). He will also subdue the sea of the raging nations completely in the end. In the meantime He rules them behind the scenes. He lets them go "thus far and no farther," and He orders events in a way that shows His sovereign authority over them. Rahab is mentioned, that is, Egypt, the first of the nations to hold Israel in bondage, and how she was broken to pieces like someone killed. So she is made an example for all the enemies of God, whom He scatters with His mighty arm (v. 10).
Another writer traces how the psalm praises God for keeping that covenant, and where verses 9-10 fit in it.
His glory in keeping that covenant faithfully is then celebrated. He is the Redeemer (vv. 9-10), the Creator (vv. 11-12), the Ruler (vv. 13-14), the Shield of His people, and their King.
One writer reads this line as a description of Christ, written long before He was born. When He spoke to a storm on the lake, He did what the psalm says God does.
His voice was enough to still the elements. "Peace! Be still!" Long before He became man the Psalmist wrote of Him, "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them" (Ps. 89:9). He laid aside not one attribute of Deity when He became man. His almighty power and His perfect knowledge shone out in Him whenever there was occasion to show them. Demons, disease, death, winds and waves all fled before His word.
What about the storms that are not stilled? One writer points to a work he calls still more wonderful.
One example more. The blessed Lord Himself was storm-tossed on the lake. The cry of His terrified followers woke Him from sleep, and He rose from the pillow to still the storm. Now, if the Lord is no longer here with us in person to calm our fears by stilling our storms, He sits above the storms to do what is still more wonderful — to calm our troubled hearts. So we read it is "through Christ Jesus" that the peace of God keeps our hearts and minds (Phil. 4:7).
- Mercy first. The psalm is about the unchanging mercy promised to David. His power over the sea is the guarantee that the promise holds.
- Mercy needs might. "Who is mighty like You" is not a comparison — others are mighty only next to each other, and beside Him have no might at all.
- Might reaches the sea. He has already broken Rahab, that is Egypt. He now holds the raging nations to "thus far and no farther." He will subdue them completely.
- Might took a body. Christ stilled the water of Galilee with a word, laying aside no attribute of Deity when He became man.
- Might reaches you. He no longer walks the lake to quiet our storms, but from above them He quiets the heart — the greater work.
Thou hast crushed Rahab as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with the arm of thy strength.
Psalm 89 is a song about God's covenant with David. Here it pauses to recall what God's power once did to Egypt at the Red Sea. That old defeat measures the arm still pledged to keep His promise.
The name in this verse is not a person but a nation, and the word itself carries the charge against it.
A poetical name, meaning "insolence," given to Egypt. Psalm 87:4; Psalm 89:10; Isaiah 51:9. The same word occurs in Isaiah 30:7. There the Revised Version reads, "therefore I have called her Rahab who sits still."
So Egypt is named here for its pride.
The blow described here is not a setback but a killing.
The psalm mentions Rahab, that is, Egypt — the first nation to hold Israel in slavery — broken to pieces like one killed. So she stands as an example for all the enemies of God, whom He scatters with His mighty arm.
The previous verse speaks of God stilling the raging sea. One writer joins the two pictures, reading the sea as an image of strength that answers to no one.
The sea is the very type of unruled strength and pride; but He stills the tossing of its angry waves. Rahab — that name of pride, Egypt — lay crushed before His might, as if slain. Here history supplies the psalmist with the experience. They were enemies to Him, and He scattered them.
Egypt did not fall at random. One writer traces this blow back to a promise God made to Abram, and then forward to a judgment still to come.
It was in remembrance of His promise to Abram that He had broken Rahab in pieces (Genesis 15:14-16). The same faithfulness would in due time break the rod of pride for good. Pharaoh was a figure of another, the deliberate opposer of the Lord's power. That one will set himself up proudly, with a vast army, against the name and heritage of God.
Commentators differ on how far forward the verse looks. Some read it as history recalled. Another reads the same order of events as a preview of God's future dealings on earth.
Then come His dealings on earth — Rahab slain, and the enemies scattered. That is, first Antichrist and pride, and then the other nations. It is the same order as elsewhere: first Egypt, then the nations of Canaan.
The verse credits the victory to a mighty arm. One writer names the Person who wields it.
The Lord Jesus has always been the Executor of the purposes of God. He acted in the mighty scenes of creation. It was He who cut Rahab in pieces — a name meaning "Arrogance," given to Egypt in contempt. He dried up the sea, when God brought the people out of the land where they were slaves, under Moses. When He puts on strength and acts in the future day, there will be a far greater deliverance.
One writer names the event behind the verse, and the purpose God had in it.
The godly recall the exercise of the Lord's power, when at the Red Sea He broke the power of Egypt ("Rahab") and scattered His enemies with His strong arm. The Lord owns heaven and earth by His rights as Creator. If He overthrows the power of the world, pictured by Egypt, He does it so that His mighty arm may establish His own throne — a throne marked by justice and judgment, mercy and truth.
Why recall Egypt in a song about David's throne? One writer ties God's oath to David to His power to keep it.
God has promised, and bound Himself by covenant and by oath, not to lie to David. And God is Almighty. He had taken up the cause of His people in Egypt, then breaking Rahab in pieces.
- Pride named. "Rahab" is a poetic name for Egypt, and it means insolence. The psalm names the nation by its sin.
- Pride crushed. God broke the first power that enslaved His people, like someone killed. Egypt became the example for every enemy of God.
- Pride's pattern. Pharaoh is a figure of a later opposer. The same faithfulness that broke Egypt will break the rod of pride for good, though writers differ on how far ahead this verse looks.
- The arm. The Lord Jesus has always carried out God's purposes. The arm that cut Rahab in pieces and dried the sea will act again, and that deliverance will be far greater.
- The purpose. God overthrows world power to set up His own throne of justice, judgment, mercy and truth. So the psalm recalls Egypt: the God who swore to David is the God who broke that empire.
Thine are the heavens, the earth also is thine; the world and its fulness, *thou* hast founded them.
Psalm 89 celebrates God's promise to David at a moment when the throne lies in ruins. Verse 11 steps back from that crisis to say something larger: heaven and earth belong to the God who made that promise — even though the world does not obey Him yet.
The psalm holds on to God's faithfulness when everything in sight says the opposite.
Psalm 89 has one remarkable feature we should notice here. It relies on the faithfulness of God according to His original word of promise, when everything on the outside is contrary to it. Yet it expects that promise to be fulfilled on the ground of mercy — in fact on Christ, in whom all the promised mercies gather.
Verse 10 tells how God crushed Rahab, a name for Egypt. Verse 14 describes His throne. Verse 11 stands between the two.
Jehovah is the possessor of heaven and earth by His rights as Creator. And if He overthrows the power of the world, as represented by Egypt, He does it so that His mighty arm may establish His own throne, marked by justice and judgment, mercy and truth.
The closing words of the verse are not decoration. That founding is what gives Him the claim over everyone in it.
The kingdom of Christ will extend over the whole world and all who live in it. His first claim to all is that He is the Creator of all — "He has founded it."
L M Grant marks when this ownership was true, and when it will be admitted.
This was true long before men existed. But all mankind will recognise it in that day when the Lord asserts His sovereign rights.
So who holds the earth in the meantime? William Kelly answers by asking where the power is that enforces God's title today.
We all know He is the possessor of heaven and earth now in real title. But where is the witness to it on the earth today? Where is the power that enforces it? As far as one can see, man is the possessor of the earth now. And if one bows to Scripture, who can deny that the devil is the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air? Only faith can say that God is truly so. But in that day it will be evident to all. His possession of heaven and earth will be manifest when the Lord Jesus comes.
Being the Maker is where God's claim starts. It is not where it stops.
I come now to examine how He takes possession of it all. He does so under four titles. As God, Creator of them. As Son, and appointed Heir of them. As Son of man, according to Psalm 8, the Man of God's counsel. And as Redeemer of His inheritance, which had fallen under Satan's power through the desires of man when he fell.
Why does a psalm about David's throne turn to creation? The one who swore the oath is Almighty.
God has promised, and bound Himself by covenant and by oath, not to lie to David (3, 4). And God is Almighty. He had taken up the cause of His people in Egypt, then breaking Rahab in pieces. He is the God of heaven, and the God of the earth also. He has founded it all (11).
- Founded — God's claim on the world rests on the plainest of grounds: He made it. "He has founded it" is His first title to everything in it.
- Owned — He is possessor of heaven and earth by His rights as Creator. Making it is what gives Him the title.
- Hidden — The title is real now, but no power enforces it yet. Man appears to hold the earth, and only faith says otherwise.
- Manifest — All mankind will recognise it when the Lord asserts His sovereign rights. What faith holds now will be evident to all.
- Enthroned — He breaks the world's power to set up His own throne, marked by justice and judgment. That is why a psalm about a fallen kingdom stops to say the whole world is His.
The north and the south, *thou* hast created them Tabor and Hermon triumph in thy name.
Psalm 89 is a song about God's word of promise, sung at a time when everything on the outside looked contrary to it. Before he comes back to God's throne, the singer looks out at the world. He names the points of the compass and two mountains any Israelite could see. God made them all, and they are all glad in His name.
Here the singer moves across the created world and hands each part back to its Maker.
The heavens are His too, and the earth — yes, the inhabited world with everything people count as their treasure. The north with its darkness and frost, the south with its rich plenty: they are His as their Creator. And they celebrate: Tabor and Hermon, the visible examples set before Israel's eyes, sing for joy at His name.
Naming two points of the compass and then two mountains is not a random pairing. The mountains stand for the directions the verse has not yet mentioned.
God is Almighty. He had taken up the cause of His people in Egypt, breaking Rahab in pieces. He is the God of heaven, and the God of the earth also. He has founded everything (11). North and south, Tabor (that is, the west) and Hermon (that is, the east), shall rejoice in His name (12).
Both were real places on the map. Here is how one Bible dictionary describes Tabor.
Tabor is a noticeable mountain in Galilee, about seven miles east of Nazareth. It formed the boundary between the tribal lands of Issachar and Zebulun. Tradition makes this the mount of the Transfiguration. But some part of Mount Hermon was more likely the place of the Transfiguration.
One writer takes north and south as more than compass points. He then reads the two mountains through the meaning of their names.
The north has its cold winds of hardship and often mystery. The south has its pleasant circumstances. In a coming day everyone will know clearly that both are under the control of the living God. Tabor (meaning "You will purge") and Hermon ("devoted") sing for joy at His name (v. 12). When God's purging has taken place, the devotion that sings together in harmony goes with it. How different from the sad depression of Israel through so much of her history!
The point of listing what God made is not a lesson in geography. It establishes ownership, and ownership leads straight to rule.
Jehovah is the possessor of heaven and earth by His rights as Creator. And if He overthrows the power of the world, as represented by Egypt, He does it so that by His mighty arm He may establish His own throne, marked by justice and judgment, mercy and truth.
The creation verses are not a detour from the covenant. They are the ground the singer stands on while the promise still looks unfulfilled.
Psalm 89 has one remarkable feature we should notice here. It is reliance on the faithfulness of God according to His original word of promise, when outwardly everything is contrary to it... Yet there is confidence. Whatever the state of things may be, He has accomplished redemption and broken the power of the enemy... His arm is mighty, His right hand high, whatever condition they are in. Heaven and earth are His, though until Christ comes we cannot say Possessor of heaven and earth. Justice and judgment are the constant attributes of His throne. Mercy and truth announce Him when He goes out. This way of putting it is beautiful. God has a throne. There everything must be brought into agreement with it.
Commentators differ in emphasis. Some read the singing mountains as a fact about God as Creator now. Others hear a scene still to come, when everyone recognises His rights.
- Maker. God created north, south, Tabor and Hermon. The whole map belongs to its Maker.
- Owner. Creation gives God His rights: He is possessor of heaven and earth, and what He made He may claim.
- Ruler. Ownership leads to a throne. A mighty arm sets it up, justice and judgment are its foundation, and mercy and truth go before Him.
- Rejoicing. The purging and the devotion sing together. The two mountains name a harmony that replaces Israel's long depression.
- Rest. When circumstances contradict the promise, faith leans on God. His arm is mighty, and heaven and earth are already His.
Thine is the arm of might strong is thy hand, high is thy right hand.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of thy throne; loving-kindness and truth go before thy face.
The psalm celebrates God's covenant with David. But its picture reaches past David to the King still to come.
Most of this Psalm praises the Lord's loving-kindness and faithfulness. It makes the covenant with David prominent. We must of course look beyond David and see Him, the Son of David, in whom this covenant will be confirmed. Verses 4-37 tell us of all the blessings that will be on earth when our Lord, the Son of David, is King. … Justice and judgment will be the foundations of His throne, mercy and truth will go before His face (verse 14).
Older translations call the two pairs "justice and judgment" and "mercy and truth," and they call the base of the throne its "habitation." One writer explains the picture behind that word.
If this is true among men, it is also true in the ways of God. So we read that "justice and judgment are the habitation of Your throne" (Ps. 89:14) — the habitation, or establishment, meaning the pillars, as it were, on which the throne of God is built.
The verse does not stop at what God approves of. He carries the right out. And the second pair of words moves ahead of the King as He comes.
Righteousness and judgment are the basis of this government. They are not merely a sentiment of what is right, but right carried out. Meanwhile loving-kindness and truth, in matching activity, go before the face of the glorious King.
If righteousness holds the throne up, then unrighteousness would pull it down.
God is love in His nature, but He is also the just God. Justice is His public and necessary attribute, the measure and witness of His every act. To do wrong in any sense would be to dethrone Himself (Ps. 89:14). So, in fulfilling His eternal purpose towards men, He proves His justice first. Only then does He satisfy Himself in expressing His love.
The two halves of the verse look like a problem: a throne founded on righteousness, yet mercy walking in front of it. Commentators point to the ark and its cover in Israel's tabernacle — the mercy-seat, where God met His people. There God answered it.
The ark with its mercy-seat was the throne of Him who dwelt between the cherubim. Of Him it was said, "Justice and judgment are the foundation of Your throne," but at the same time "mercy and truth go before Your face" (Ps. 89:14). How then could these be reconciled towards man? Only by the precious blood pictured by what the faces of the cherubim looked towards. The torn curtain has witnessed the value of that blood. Through it the "righteousness of God" is now "toward all," and the sanctuary of His presence has become the place of refuge for the sinner.
One day everyone will see how unlike every human government this throne is.
Then all mankind will clearly see that righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. What a striking contrast to all the previous thrones of the kings of the earth (v. 14)! But alongside righteousness and justice are the gentle qualities of mercy and truth.
- Foundation. Righteousness and justice are not decorations on God's throne. They are the pillars it stands on. Take them away and there is no throne.
- Enforced. These are not feelings about what is right. They are right carried out — government, not sentiment.
- Unbreakable. For God to do wrong in any way would be to dethrone Himself, so He satisfies His justice before He expresses His love.
- Ahead of Him. Mercy and truth go in front of that same throne. At the mercy-seat, through blood, God's sanctuary became a place of refuge for the sinner.
- Coming. Everyone will see what faith sings here when the Son of David reigns — a throne in complete contrast to every throne earth has known.
Blessed is the people that know the shout of joy they walk, O Jehovah, in the light of thy countenance.
Psalm 89 celebrates God's covenant with David and the throne He rules from. Verse 15 turns to His people: what sound do they know, and what does it mean to walk in the light of God's face?
The ESV calls it a "festal shout." Older translations read "joyful sound." One writer traces the word back to one particular trumpet blast.
What is the joyful sound spoken of here? The Hebrew word is t'ruah, the sound of a trumpet. But not every trumpet sound had this name. It took no such sound to gather the people to the door of the tent of meeting. The single blast that called the leaders together was not this one. This special sound came when the camp in the wilderness had to move. The people took down their tents, broke camp, and kept close to the sign of God's presence as it went before them or travelled among them.
The same writer narrows it further, to the trumpet that opened the seventh month — the month of the day of atonement, the feast of shelters, and, every fiftieth year, the release of the year of Jubilee.
This is not the announcement of the Jewish festivals in general, as is often supposed, since no such trumpet blast was blown for them. The reference is surely to the first day of the seventh month. After a pause in their feasts since the day of Pentecost, the trumpet sounded to tell the people that Tisri had begun. In that month they kept the day of atonement and the feast of Tabernacles, and from time to time they proclaimed the year of Jubilee.
The same blast also sounded when an enemy was near. One writer keeps both meanings together.
The third occasion on which we read of the sound of the trumpets is "an alarm." Translators have rendered this word in Psalm 89:15 as "the joyful sound." But it was both. It was heard when the enemy was stirring. To the trained ear it was a "joyful sound": the Lord of Hosts was with His people, and no enemy could take them by surprise. But it was "an alarm" too. It roused the faithful to stay watchful against a watchful foe, and to the enemy it sounded the alarm of coming defeat and ruin.
The blessing rests not on hearing a noise but on knowing it. That knowledge tells us how God rules.
This is a government in which the divine Ruler does not withdraw Himself from His people. On the contrary, He seeks to be known and to show Himself to them. The people who know the signal-sound — the trumpet-call that summoned Israel to attention in the wilderness — shall walk in the light of His countenance.
Another writer pictures a royal court, where standing before the king was the highest honour.
"To behold the face of the king" was the supreme privilege. Anyone allowed into his presence could count himself happy. "Happy are your servants," said the queen, "who stand continually before you." And again it says, "Blessed are the people who know the shout of joy: they walk, O Jehovah, in the light of Your countenance." To see the king's face is to enter his close company.
One writer finds here a joy that sorrow cannot cancel, and that sorrow even deepens.
This understanding of God gives the sense of blessedness in the middle of sorrow… The heart takes hold of all this in the middle of sorrows, so that a person can be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. This gives sweet blessing to the heart of the saint. Trouble only increases it. It makes him feel how precious the faithfulness and favour of God are. It shows him that nothing separates him from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The inward revelation of divine favour makes the path of sorrow full of sweetness.
One writer ties the verse to Christ's coming reign, and then to today.
So all the attributes of God will be beautifully clear in the thousand-year reign of the Lord Jesus. Well might we be told, "Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!" Why? Because "they walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance." This will be particularly and openly true in the thousand years of peace. Yet it is spiritually true now for all who know Christ as Saviour.
That present ring is heard by another writer in the open proclamation of God's word today:
Nothing can stop it! Faith recognises it and rejoices in it! "Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound!" How full and free for people is the final invitation in the inspired book — "let the one who desires take the water of life without price" (Revelation 22:17).
- Sound. The word is t'ruah, one particular trumpet blast. Israel heard it when the camp moved, when enemies stirred, and on the first day of the seventh month.
- Signal. It was both alarm and gladness: the Lord of Hosts is present, so no enemy takes His people by surprise.
- Known. The blessing belongs to those who know the sound. God rules without hiding: He wants His people to know Him.
- Face. To walk in the light of His face is to share the King's own closeness — the highest privilege in any court.
- Now. This will be open in Christ's coming reign. It is already true for those who know Him, and trouble only makes the joy sweeter.
In thy name are they joyful all the day, and in thy righteousness are they exalted.
Verse 16 describes a people who are glad all day long. It raises two questions: what is held in God's name, and how can His righteousness lift people up instead of condemning them?
The joy of verse 16 follows the trumpet-call and the shining face of verse 15. One writer shows what those images say about the Ruler behind them.
This is a government in which the divine Ruler does not withdraw Himself from His people. On the contrary, He seeks to be known and to show Himself to them. The people who know the signal-sound — the trumpet-call that summoned Israel to attention in the wilderness — will walk in the light of His face. Such people are truly blessed: in His name they exult all the day, and in His righteousness they are exalted.
"Name" here is not a label. It is the whole of what God has shown Himself to be, and the Psalms attach one treasure after another to it.
The name of Jehovah signifies what He is in Himself, the revelation of His character, and also of His relationship with His people. His name (or glory) and His people's blessing go together... So "glory and strength" are in that name (Ps. 29:1); "mercy and truth" (Ps. 115:1); "goodness" (Ps. 25:7); "loving-kindness" (Ps. 138:2); "righteousness" (Ps. 143:1); when faith counts on the revealed name there is "trust" (Ps. 9:10); we get "victory" through that name (Ps. 44:5)... we may well "rejoice" in that name (Ps. 89:16).
It sounds strange that God's righteousness should lift people up. Righteousness is what exposes us. J. N. Darby answers in a short aside as he traces the psalm's praise.
He turns then, and continues his praises of Jehovah (v. 5-18), recalling the ancient deliverance from Egypt... and the blessedness of the people that know the joyful sound. In His name they would rejoice all the day, in His (for we are in grace here) righteousness be exalted. He was the glory of their strength; and in His favour their horn will be exalted.
C Stanley sets this line among the Old Testament announcements of a righteousness that belongs to God, not to man. The gospel later explains it.
We shall find the righteousness of God to be in direct contrast to the righteousness of man. It cannot be by law either, for God cannot be under the law. He was the law-giver... But it is the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel, on the principle of faith. It was announced again and again in the Old Testament, and now it is explained, or revealed. "There is no God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior... Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth" (Isa. 45:21-24). "...who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted" (Ps. 89:16).
"All the day" is a bold claim. This joy does not wait for trouble to lift. It grows inside the trouble.
This understanding of God gives the sense of blessedness in the middle of sorrow... All of it is realised in the heart in the middle of sorrows, so that one can be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. Trouble only increases it, because it makes him feel how precious the faithfulness and favour of God are. Trouble also makes him feel that nothing separates him from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Commentators read verses 16 to 18 together as one picture, and place its full display in the reign of the Messiah.
Verses 16 to 18 continue the subject of Israel rejoicing in the person of their Messiah, the Lord Jesus. This happens when they are brought to Him in the day of His millennial glory. They rejoice without stopping in the name of the Lord. In His righteousness they are exalted — that is, when He reigns in righteousness. The glory of their strength then will be seen to be in Christ (v. 17), for by His favour (His grace) their horn (power) is exalted.
- Known — God does not hide; He seeks to be known and to show Himself to His people, and that is where the joy starts.
- Named — His name is what He is in Himself: glory, strength, mercy, truth, goodness, righteousness. To rejoice in His name is to rejoice in all of it.
- Given — the righteousness that lifts us is His, not ours. The ground here is grace, announced in the Old Testament and explained in the gospel.
- Constant — "all the day" holds in sorrow too. One can be sorrowful yet always rejoicing, because nothing separates us from His love.
- Displayed — what faith knows now will one day be public. Israel will rejoice in their Messiah, and His favour will lift them.
For thou art the glory of their strength; and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.
Psalm 89 is a song about God's promise to David and His unchanging mercy. Verse 17 answers two plain questions. Where does a weak people's strength come from? And what lifts it up?
Ethan, a wise man of Israel, wrote this psalm. His wisdom speaks of grace, not of what people can earn.
In Psalm 89 the wisdom of Ethan instructs us. What does this other wise man speak of? Of grace! This Psalm is about the unchangeable promises of God and the sure mercies of David. If the people stand before God on the footing of the law, that can only lead to the darkness of judgment and death. But they stand on the basis of the covenant of grace made with David. That leads to this: "Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness" (v. 2; older translations read "Mercy shall be built up for ever") — in the heavens, where nothing shall ever touch it. This magnificent Psalm is the hymn of grace. It sings all the glory of God which this grace has established and brought to light.
after-note: DELETE nothing else
The verse does not just say God gives them strength. It says He is the glory of it — the One who makes it great.
The last verse of this section states the outcome of their being with God in this way, and applies it to Israel: "For you are the glory of their strength." He is the One through whom their strength becomes so great, and so real a cause of rejoicing. "By your favor our horn is exalted." Israel, brought into line with God's conditions of blessing, will find this fulfilled to them.
In the Bible a "horn" is a picture of power. Scripture uses it two ways: God lifts one horn and breaks another.
Horns were worn in the East as a symbol of exaltation and power. Jehovah was David's horn of salvation. He exalted the horn of His people, and broke the horns of the wicked. Ps. 18:2; Ps. 75:10; Ps. 148:14.
The "favour" of this verse is God's grace. Commentators link it to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, and to the coming age when He reigns — the millennium.
Verses 16 to 18 continue the subject of Israel's rejoicing in their Messiah, the Lord Jesus. This is the day of His millennial glory, when God brings them to Him. They always rejoice in the name of the Lord, and His righteousness lifts them high — that is, when He reigns in righteousness. Then it will be clear that the glory of their strength is in Christ (v. 17), for by His favour — His grace — He exalts their horn, that is, their power. Their protecting shield comes from the Lord, for the Holy One of Israel gives them their King (v. 18).
The mercies this psalm sings about never change. Faith could say "for ever" because they rest on grace, and verse 17 stands inside that same song of praise.
Its subject is the mercies of Jehovah — His graciousness (chasdee) towards Israel. These mercies never change; they are the sure mercies. There was faith to say "for ever," for it was grace… And so it will be, when Satan is cast down. It is the very description of the millennium… He then turns and continues his praises of Jehovah (vv. 5-18). He recalls the ancient deliverance from Egypt… and the blessedness of the people who know the joyful sound. In His name they would rejoice all the day; in His righteousness (for we are in grace here) they would be exalted. He was the glory of their strength, and in His favour their horn will be exalted.
- Ground — grace. The people's future rests on God's unchanging promise to David, not on their record under the law. God builds His mercy in the heavens, where nothing can spoil it.
- Source — God Himself. God does not just give their strength. He is the glory of it, and their power is great only through Him.
- Symbol — the horn. In Scripture the horn stands for power lifted high. The same God who lifts the horn of His people breaks the horn of the wicked.
- Channel — His favour. The lifting comes by grace. The glory of their strength is in Christ, the King the Holy One of Israel gives them.
- Prospect — His reign. Commentators read the passage as a picture of the age when Christ reigns. Then God's righteousness, not human effort, lifts His people up.
For Jehovah is our shield, and the Holy One of Israel, our king.
Psalm 89 sings of God's promises to David while David's throne lies in ruins. Verse 18 is where faith finds its footing again — not in the royal line, but in the LORD who is both shield and King.
(A note on wording: the writers quoted below used an older translation: "The LORD is our defence, and the Holy One of Israel is our King.")
The title "the Holy One of Israel" is rare in the Psalms. One writer tracks where it appears and what each place adds.
This name appears three times in the Psalms, and all three times in the third book (71:22; 78:41; 89:18). Psalm 78 retells the people's history. It sets their rebellious ways against God's faithful goodness. The One they limited was the Holy One of Israel. Psalm 89 closes the third book of Psalms, the book that deals with Israel as a nation, not just with the remnant of the Jews. It takes up the story of God's grace where Psalm 78 left it, and shows how the Holy One of Israel is their shield and their resource. The King is about to take His place among the chosen people, and they can say, "The LORD is our defence, and the Holy One of Israel is our King."
The psalm has been singing about the happiness of living in God's favour. One writer asks what that blessing rests on.
Such was the blessedness of being linked with Jehovah in His favour. But this blessing lay in the faithful mercy shown to David. And where was that found? Verse 18 answers: Jehovah, the Holy One (kodesh) of Israel, is their King.
Shield and Holy One are not an obvious pair. One writer says only one Person could join them.
The One whom David represents in this picture has, by His blessed work, given God a throne on earth such as He alone could delight in. "Jehovah our Shield — the Holy One": these things could never have been joined together, if He, the Mediator, had not joined them. So the ark of the covenant declares Him — made of two materials, holding and enclosing Jehovah's law — and so does the golden mercy seat, which was His throne among the people.
English hides something here. Two different Hebrew words stand behind "Holy One" in verse 18 and "holy One" in verse 19.
There are two matching words in the Hebrew, and both occur in Psalm 89. The Greek hosios matches chasid, "your holy One," in Psalm 89:19. The Greek hagios matches qadosh, "the Holy One," in Psalm 89:18 — the singular of the word translated "saints" in Psalm 89:5, 7. In its plural form, hosios is translated "mercies" in "the sure mercies of David" in Acts 13:34.
The second word is the one that matters for the psalm's argument, because it is the same word that opens the psalm as "mercies."
What makes this word interesting is that it is the same word used in verse 1: "I will sing of the mercies of Jehovah for ever." This gathers all the mercies of Jehovah into one person — the man chosen out of the people, David His servant. He is able to carry all the attributes of Jehovah. He is the channel of them, and He turns them all into mercy towards His people.
In a synagogue at Capernaum, a man controlled by an evil spirit calls Jesus by a title. One writer hears Psalm 89 in it.
This is the first great work recorded in Luke. The possessed man says to Him, "I know who you are—the Holy One of God." This appears to be the same character in which Psalm 89 speaks of Christ, where it says, "Jehovah is our shield; and the Holy One of Israel our King" (verse 18). The psalm is full of interest, because the Holy One there is the only ground of the people's hopes, and the support of the house of David, which is otherwise ruined. The point of Psalm 89 is that every hope depends on Him. Israel have come to nothing; the glory faded, and at last departed; the throne is cast down to the ground. But He is the King, and so it is perfectly secured.
- Mercy remembered. The psalm sings of God's mercy while David's throne lies cast down to the ground. Hope rests on mercy promised, not on a kingdom still standing.
- Mercy located. Verse 18 says where that mercy sits: not in a surviving royal line, but in the LORD as shield and in the Holy One as King.
- Mercy joined to holiness. Shield and Holy One could never stand in one sentence. Only the Mediator joins them.
- Mercy concentrated. The word for "holy One" in verse 19 is the word for "mercies" in verse 1. God gathers all His mercies into one person, chosen out of the people.
- Mercy named. When a voice in Capernaum calls Jesus "the Holy One of God," the psalm's sole ground of hope is standing in the room.