Psalm 89
This is the last psalm included in the Third Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible. Its theme is the mercy, or more exactly, the loving kindness and faithfulness of God, and the fulfillment of the promises to Israel through Christ the Son of David, when the nation has lost everything as Psalms 88, 51 and others show. Happy for Israel that there is One worthy of their trust, their Redeemer as well as ours, for the Christian’s Saviour is the Hope of Israel.
Psalms 88 and 89 bear respectively the names of Heman and Ethan who are mentioned in 1 Kings 4:31,31For 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. (1 Kings 4:31) and 1 Chronicles 2:6,6And the sons of Zerah; Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara: five of them in all. (1 Chronicles 2:6) and 15:19. How many of the saints of God of all ages and climes not even known to us by name, we shall know in the great unending eternal day!
Verses 1 and 2 tell the result, —the purpose of what the Psalm reveals, —a song of praise to God. Verses 3 and 4 are His assurance of blessing through David; see 1 Chronicles 17, and 2 Samuel 7, where the unconditional favor of God is promised to David and his house
In Matthew 1 we see the line of David’s descendants down to Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
In verses 5 to 18 the psalmist’s thoughts are centered upon God because of His faithfulness. It will be noted that He is alone in this section of the psalm, except where in verses 15 to 18 “the people” who are blessed by Him.
Verse 10 speaks of “Rahab” (Egypt), crushed as one that is slain when by dine power Israel was led across the Red Sea, and the Egyptians essaying to follow them, were drowned.
Tabor and Hermon (verse 12), are notable mountains of Palestine. Hermon on the northern boundary, is the highest of all the peaks in the land, —9,200 feet, and nearly always snow-capped. Tabor, southwest of the Sea of Galilee, is not lofty, only 1,843 feet, but a conspicuous hill.
It is interesting to observe that when “the people” are brought in (verse 15), and God is seen to be the giver of the new-found joy, Christ is spoken of (verse 18). Through Him that new joy is to be realized. This mention of the Holy One of Israel at once brings out God’s thoughts about Him as David’s son (verses 19-37).
Verses 38 to 51 show again the sense of rejection which Israel must feel before they can enter into full blessing when the Lord appears. So verse 46 pleads, “How long, O Lord,”—that the chastening hand of God may be removed.
Verse 52 Concludes Book 3 with “Blessed, be the Lord (Jehovah) for evermore. Amen and Amen.”
Thinking of God in His amazing kindness and free favor, whether to man as such, or to Israel, or the Church, the exercised believer joins his own Amen and Amen, to the words of this closing verse.
ML 05/24/1931