Psalm 89 O Lord, who is mighty as you are..?

PSALM 89

 

8 O Lord God of hosts,

    who is mighty as you are, O Lord,

    with your faithfulness all around you?

9 

9 You rule the raging of the sea;

                                                when its waves rise, you still them.

Who was the writer of this psalm? There are several men named Ethan in the Hebrew Scriptures, but this man is mentioned specifically in 1 Kings 4:31 as someone who was famous for his wisdom – yet surpassed by Solomon’s greater wisdom. This means he was likely a contemporary of Solomon and was also alive during the reign of David. (Enduring Word Bible Commentary)
“Ethan is probably identical with Jeduthun, who founded one of the three choirs (cf. 1 Chronicles 15:19; 2 Chronicles 5:12). Ethan shared with Heman a reputation for wisdom.” (Derek Kidner)

1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;

in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have sworn to David my servant:

4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever,

and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,

your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?

Who among the heavenly beings[b] is like the Lord,

7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,

and awesome above all who are around him

8 O Lord God of hosts,

    who is mighty as you are, O Lord,

    with your faithfulness all around you?

9 

9 You rule the raging of the sea;

    when its waves rise, you still them.? (...)

19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:

“I have granted help to one who is mighty;

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20 I have found David, my servant;

with my holy oil I have anointed him,

21 so that my hand shall be established with him;

my arm also shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy shall not outwit him;

the wicked shall not humble him.

23 I will crush his foes before him

and strike down those who hate him.

24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,

and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

25 I will set his hand on the sea

and his right hand on the rivers.

26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

27 And I will make him the firstborn,

the highest of the kings of the earth.

28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,

and my covenant will stand firm for him.

29 I will establish his offspring forever

and his throne as the days of the heavens.

30 If his children forsake my law

and do not walk according to my rules,

31 if they violate my statutes

and do not keep my commandments,

32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod

and their iniquity with stripes,

33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love

or be false to my faithfulness.

34 I will not violate my covenant

or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;

I will not lie to David.

36 His offspring shall endure forever,

his throne as long as the sun before me.

37 Like the moon it shall be established forever,

a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah

As you may know, it is 'not wise' to quote a few verses of a text in the bible without its context. You may be  familiar with the verse 1,  'I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever with my mouth'.

Ethan the Ezrahite praises the Lord, extols the 'faithfulness' of the Lord, he also reminds us that the Lord is faithful and He kept the promises he swore to David, this covenant is described in 2 Samuel 7.  Bishop Horne relates verse 6 to the birth of Christ and then his victorious return to sit on the right of our Heavenly Father  : Did not ‘the heavens praise the wonders of Jehovah,’ when a choir of angels descended from above, to sing an anthem, at the birth of Christ? And how must the celestial courts have resounded with the hallelujahs of those blessed spirits, when they again receive their King, returning in triumph from the conquest of his enemies?” 

This long psalm comes from a time of great national depression and trouble. The idolatries that led to the Captivity, and the Captivity itself, are already in the past, and the poet can think only of the splendid promises of God to the race, and the paradox that while made by a God of truth and faithfulness, they have yet been broken; for Israel lies prostrate, a prey to cruel and rapacious foes, and the cry, “How long?” goes up in despair to heaven. (commentary by Ellicott) 

Needless to say that we utter the same cry ' how long?' in this  painful time of covid! Unlike the psalmist who knew the trouble came from, idolatries, we don't really know the cause of covid.    

However, the verse 38 starts by a 'but' and we note a dreadful turn around of the situation. Before was all good, but now, the situation is dire! 

But now you have cast off and rejected;

you are full of wrath against your anointed.

39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;

you have defiled his crown in the dust.

40 You have breached all his walls;

you have laid his strongholds in ruins.

41 All who pass by plunder him;

he has become the scorn of his neighbors.

42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;

you have made all his enemies rejoice.

43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,

and you have not made him stand in battle.

44 You have made his splendor to cease

and cast his throne to the ground.

45 You have cut short the days of his youth;

you have covered him with shame. Selah

As we are in the middle of the corona virus pandemic, our situation feels similar...for instance, verse 47, Remember how short my time is...followed by the inevitable question that haunts our minds as soon as we hit mid fifties maybe, take your pick, earlier or later, verse 48, What man can live and never see death? 

46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?

How long will your wrath burn like fire?

47 Remember how short my time is!

For what vanity you have created all the children of man!

48 What man can live and never see death?

Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,

which by your faithfulness you swore to David?

50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,

and how I bear in my heart the insults[f] of all the many nations,

51 with which your enemies mock, O Lord,

with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.

52 Blessed be the Lord forever!

Amen and Amen.

From the perspective of the New Testament, we know that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic promise. He always did the will of the Lord. We know that our Saviour Jesus-Christ walked on earth and he never sinned.  He will reign on David’s throne forever and ever. Indeed, he is reigning now at God’s right hand.  The message of Christmas is that Jesus was God’s obedient Son, that he was the one who always did the will of the Lord. 

In the gospel of Mark 4:41, we read:

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” It has been suggested that the disciples are 'perplex about their master's identity. The disciples are dreadfully disoriented because they are aware that the one who stills the seas is Yahweh himself. Stilling the seas doesn't reveal Jesus to be a mere miracle-worker with extraordinary powers, but Yahweh himself come in the flesh. God is in the dinghy with them. Quote David Mathis 

The amazing teaching of this psalm is that no matter our circumstances, let us lift our eyes onto our Saviour and Friend Jesus who watches over us. loves us and cares for us. By his death on the cross, He's given us salvation and we are part of his family not that we deserved it but by grace. Praise the Lord. Have a blessed week brothers and sisters.