Psalms 89:1-52
1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
10 Thou hast broken Rahaba in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulnessb thereof, thou hast founded them.
12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
14 Justice and judgment are the habitationc of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.
17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.
18 For the LORDd is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
31 If they breake my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
38 But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.
39 Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.
40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.
41 All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours.
42 Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.
43 Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.
44 Thou hast made his gloryf to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.
45 The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.
46 How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
48 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
49 Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?
50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;
51 Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.
52 Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
Gordon Churchyard
Make Your *Kingdom Come Soon!
Psalms 89
Make your *kingdom come soon. Make people obey your rules in the earth as they do in *heaven (Matthew 6: 10). (This is part of a special *prayer that Jesus taught us. A *kingdom is where a king rules; here, God is the King.)
Psalms 89:1-4
(This is) a *maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
v1 I will always sing about the kind love of the *LORD.
I will tell (my) children and (my) grandchildren
that you will do what you have promised.
v2 Yes! I will say that nothing will ever stop your kind love (for us).
You will do the things that you promised in *heaven.
v3 (God had said in *heaven)
"I have made a *covenant with the man that I chose.
I have made special promises to my servant David.
v4 Someone from your family will always be king.
And there will always be a place where they (will rule) as king". *SELAH
The Story of Psalms 89
God made special promises to David. They are in 2 Samuel 7:12-17. The important promise is that someone from David’s family would always be king. Ethan wrote Psalms 89 many years after this. He called it a *maskil, a psalm that teaches us something.In the psalm, Ethan sings about a problem. God had promised that there would always be a king in David’s family. But now there was no *Jewish king! The army from Babylon had beaten the *Jewish army. They took the *Jewish king to Babylon and the King of Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar) became king of the *Jews. How could anyone explain this?
Christians have sung this psalm on Christmas Day for many centuries. This is because Jesus is a king from David’s family, he will always be king and he was born at Christmas. That is how we explain the problem... but Ethan did not know this!
What Psalms 89:1-4 means
In verse 3 the *covenant is what God and the *Jews agreed. If the *Jews would love and obey God, then he would keep them safe. The *Jews had a special *covenant name for God: *Yahweh. We translate it *LORD, with 4 capital letters. In this part of the psalm, Ethan says that he still believes that God will do what he had promised. Ethan was right! We think that *SELAH means a place to stop and pray, or think, or listen to music.The *Kingdom of *Heaven
Psalms 89:5-18
v5 In *heaven, they *praise the *wonderful things that you have done, *LORD.
Also, the *holy *angels that meet together
(know that) you will do what you have promised.
v6 For who is there in *heaven that is *like the *LORD?
Which of the *sons of God is *like the *LORD?
v7 God frightens very much the *holy ones that meet together.
He makes them more afraid than anyone else does.
v8 Most Powerful *LORD God, who is as strong as you are, *LORD?
And you do everything that you have promised!
v9 You are the ruler of the boiling sea.
When the water rises up, you make it quiet again.
v10 You broke Rahab and killed it!
With your strong arm, you destroyed your enemies.
v11 The skies belong to you and so does the earth.
You made the world and everything that is in it.
v12 You made (places in) the north and in the south.
Tabor and Hermon *praise you when they hear your name.
v13 You have a strong arm; your hand is powerful;
you have lifted up your right hand (to use your power).
v14 You have built your *kingdom doing what is right and fair.
Your kind love and the fact that you keep your promises go in front of you.
v15 The people are very happy when they know how to *praise you.
*LORD, they will walk in the light from your face.
v16 They will *praise your name all day
and talk about your *righteousness.
v17 Your *glory will make them strong
and by your *grace you will lift up our *horn.
v18 Yes! Our *shield is the *LORD’s
and our king belongs to the *Holy One of Israel.
What Psalms 89:5-18 means
In verses 5 and 7 the *angels/ones are *holy because they live with God. *Holy means "very, very good". Only God is really *holy. In verse 6, "*sons of God" is another name for "*holy *angels" or "*holy ones". They are not people from earth, but God’s servants in *heaven. The answer to the two questions is "Nobody". The *angels are not *like God (or as good and powerful as God). In verse 8,it may mean "who on earth is as strong as you are?" The answer again is "Nobody", not even the "*sons of God" and "the *holy ones", verses 6-8.In verses 9-14, the *psalmist comes "down to earth". He has talked about God as the most powerful person in *heaven in verses 5 to 8. Now he talks about God’s power on earth. In verse 9, God can make an angry ("boiling") sea quiet. This means he can make the loudest sea quiet. Jesus did this when he stopped the storm at sea. Jesus could do this because he was God. In verse 10, Rahab was either a sea-*monster, or a name for Egypt. In verse 12, Tabor and Hermon are the names of mountains in Israel. When we see great hills and mountains, we remember that God made (*created) them. That makes us *praise God. Mountains do not *praise God, they make us *praise God!
In verses 15-18, we read about God’s people. They are people that *praise God. In verse 15 "walk" means "live". "The light of your face" means "God being good" or "God showing the way". God’s face is where God is. Verse 17 is full of special Christian words. (Some people call them "*jargon"!) Some Bible students think it means:
• because you are great and powerful you will make them strong
• because you are kind you will make us strong
"Lift up our *horn" is *jargon for "make us strong". Note that the *psalmist changes from "them" to "our" in this verse. He has been talking about God’s people all the time. Now he says so! In verse 18, "the *Holy One of Israel" is a name for God.
A *Kingdom on Earth
Psalms 89:19-37
v19 A long time ago, you spoke to your servants.
It was like a dream. You said (to them),
"I have given help to a brave soldier.
I have chosen a young man from the people.
v20 I have found David my servant.
I have poured my special oil over him (to make him king).
v21 My hand will make him strong and,
Yes! My arm will make him powerful.
v22 No enemy will win a war against him
and no *wicked people will *conquer him.
v23 I will destroy his enemies before him
and kill those that hate him.
v24 I will do everything that I have promised him.
Also, (I will give him) my kind love.
And by my name I will raise his *horn.
v25 I will put his (left) hand over the sea
and his right hand over the rivers.
v26 He (David) will say to me, "You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock that makes me safe".
v27 Also, I will make him (as) my first born (son).
(He will be) the most high of the kings of the earth.
v28 I will always give him my kind love
and my *covenant with him will have no end.
v29 One of his family will always be king,
as long as there are skies (above us).
v30 - v31 If his *descendants:
• do not listen to what I am teaching them
• and do not obey my *laws
• say that my *laws are bad
• and do not do what I tell them (to do)
v32 I will *punish their *sin with a stick
and the wrong things they do with a *whip.
v33 But I will not take my kind love from him (David)
and I will not *break any of my promises.
v34 I will not *break my *covenant (with him)
or change any of my promises.
v35 At one time I made a promise.
Because I am *holy I will not *lie to David.
v36 His *descendants will always continue
and his *kingdom will go on as long as the sun (shines).
v37 Like the moon, it will always be there.
From the sky, it will see everything that happens". *SELAH
What Psalms 89:19-37 means
In this part of the psalm, Ethan remembers the promises that God made to David. He said that all God’s people could see God in a *vision, verse 19. A *vision is *like a dream. They could also hear what God said. He told them that David was to be their king. In those days they made someone king by "*anointing" them. This means "pouring oil over them". They made the oil from *olives, which grew on the trees in Israel. (They still do!) In verse 21 (and verse 13), the hand and arm of God mean the things that he does on the earth. In verse 24 we read about a *horn again. It is a *horn on the head of an animal that makes it look strong. In verse 17, it was the people that God made strong. Here it is David that God makes strong. The hands over the seas and rivers, verse 25, mean that David is strong in these places. Verse 26 tells us that David will call God "My Father". In the *Old Testament, the king thought of God as Father for his people; in the *New Testament, each Christian thinks of God as Father. The "first born son", or oldest son, verse 27, had twice as much from his father as the other sons. "Most high" is also a name for God, but here used for the king. This is a part of the psalm that makes Christians think about Jesus. That is why they have sung it at Christmas for centuries. In verses 32-33, it is not David that God *punishes, but his *descendants.The Problem
Psalms 89:38-52
v38 But you have said "no" to your *anointed (king).
You have turned away (from him)
because you have become angry with him.
v39 You have *broken the *covenant with your servant.
You threw his *crown to the ground and made it dirty.
v40 You have broken all the walls (round his city).
You have destroyed all his strong places.
v41 Everyone that goes near him robs him.
Everybody that lives near him laughs at him.
v42 You have made all his enemies strong,
you have made them all happy (because they beat him).
v43 You made the edge of his *sword *blunt
and you have not given him help in war.
v44 You have taken away his authority as king
and you threw his *throne on the ground.
v45 He does not look *like a young man any more.
You have dressed him in *shame. *SELAH
v46 *LORD, how long (will this continue)?
Will you always hide yourself?
Will your great *anger (always) burn like a fire?
v47 Remember that my life is so short!
Have you *created people for no reason?
v48 What man can live and not die?
Who can save himself from the power of *Sheol (death)?
v49 *Lord, where is the kind love (that you gave us) in past times?
Where are the special promises that you made to David?
v50 Remember, *Lord, that people have *scorned your servant.
Many countries have said bad things to me.
v51 *LORD, your enemies laugh at the king that you have chosen.
They *scorn him everywhere he goes.
v52 Always *praise the *LORD! *Amen and *amen!
What Psalms 89:38-52 means
In the first 18 verses, the *psalmist tells us how great God is. In verses 19-37, he tells us what God promised to David. Now, in verses 38-45, he tells us that God has not done what he promised. In verses 46-51, he prays that God will do something. (Verse 52 is not part of the psalm. It finishes Book 3 of The Psalms.) The servant in verses 39 and 50 is the king. Some Bible students think that the king speaks in verses 50-51. The psalm does not answer the problem. There is no answer until Jesus came to earth. Remember... Jesus was a *descendant of David!Did Ethan write all Psalms 89?
Many Bible students think that Psalms 89 is three psalms in one! Ethan was one of David’s singers. He could not have known about Nebuchadnezzar, who lived 500 years later. Bible students explain this by saying:• Ethan wrote the first part, verses 1-18. At this time, both Tabor and Hermon (verse 12) were in the land David's *descendants ruled. Later, they were not.
• Someone else wrote the next part, verses 19-37. This was maybe 400 years after David ruled Israel. Maybe Josiah was king.
• A third person wrote the last part, verses 38-51. This was after Nebuchadnezzar had beaten the *Jews. He took their king (Jehoiakin) to Babylon. Jehoiakin was not king any more.
Something to do
1. If you have a Bible, read what God promised to David. You will find it in 2 Samuel 7.2. When God does not answer when you pray, read this psalm, then read in the *New Testament about Jesus! Then wait for your answer.
3. Count how many times the special word "kind love" comes in this psalm. (The word is "Hesed" in *Hebrew.)
kingdom ~ the country that has a king.
kingdom ~ the country that has a king.
heaven ~ the home of God.
prayer ~ words that you say when you pray.
maskil ~ a psalm that teaches you something.
Lord ~ a name for God; it means he has authority, or "master"; Adonai in Hebrew. Look also at LORD below.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God. In Hebrew it is Yahweh or Jehovah. Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the names of God.
Adonai ~ Lord or master; (or better, my Lord or my master) in Hebrew.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke when they wrote the Psalms of David.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the covenant.
Yahweh ~ the covenant name for God. Most Bibles translate it LORD with 4 capital letters. It means something like "I am" or "always alive".
Jehovah ~ how some languages say Yahweh, one of the names of God in Hebrew.
Jew ~ someone who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
like ~ another word for "as".
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the covenant.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ someone who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Jew ~ someone who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Yahweh ~ the covenant name for God. Most Bibles translate it LORD with 4 capital letters. It means something like "I am" or "always alive".
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the covenant.
Lord ~ a name for God; it means he has authority, or "master"; Adonai in Hebrew. Look also at LORD below.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God. In Hebrew it is Yahweh or Jehovah. Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the names of God.
like ~ another word for "as".
Adonai ~ Lord or master; (or better, my Lord or my master) in Hebrew.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke when they wrote the Psalms of David.
Jehovah ~ how some languages say Yahweh, one of the names of God in Hebrew.
Jew ~ someone who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
heaven ~ the home of God.
praise ~ say how great somebody is; or, words that say how great someone is.
wonderful ~ great and surprising.
holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy, the land where he lives with his people is also holy because he is there.
angels ~ spirits that live in heaven with God.
spirits ~ they are alive, but we cannot see them. There are good spirits usually known as angels. Bad spirits (known also as evil spirits, or demons) do not live in heaven now, but in the air round us. Satan is their leader.
heaven ~ the home of God.
Satan ~ the leader of the bad spirits, known also as the Devil and Lucifer.
like ~ another word for "as".'sons of God ~ they live with God in heaven.
heaven ~ the home of God.
righteousness ~ what you have when you are righteous.
righteous ~ very good (only God is really righteous). God says that the people that love and obey him are righteous. Sometimes we say that they are "the righteous", meaning "righteous people". Look after Psalm 5 in Book 1 of The Psalms of David for more about the word "righteous".
glory ~ something that shines very much, maybe heaven: God has glory because his righteousness shines from inside him.
heaven ~ the home of God.
righteousness ~ what you have when you are righteous.
righteous ~ very good (only God is really righteous). God says that the people that love and obey him are righteous. Sometimes we say that they are "the righteous", meaning "righteous people". Look after Psalm 5 in Book 1 of The Psalms of David for more about the word "righteous".
grace ~ when someone (here God) is kind and forgives when he does not have to forgive.
forgive ~ take away the results of sin. (But look in the notes on Psalm 85:2).
sin ~ not obeying God, or what you do when you do not obey God.
horn ~ hard bone on head of animal, showing it is strong; look at the note on Psalm 75:4.
shield ~what a soldier holds over himself to stop things hitting him.
holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy, the land where he lives with his people is also holy because he is there.
psalmist ~ the person that wrote a psalm (or psalms).
monster ~ a very large animal.
created ~ made (as only God can make).
jargon ~ special words.
wicked ~ very, very bad.
conquer ~ beat in a war.
descendants ~ children, grandchildren, and so on; people in your family that live after you are dead.
laws ~ the rules in a country. In Psalm 78, the rules in the first 5 books of the Bible.
punish ~ hurt someone because they have not obeyed the rules.
sin ~ not obeying God, or what you do when you do not obey God.
whip ~ something to hit people and animals with.
break ~ (in Psalm 89:33, 34) not do (what you said you would do).
lie ~ say words that are not true.
vision ~ like a dream.
like ~ another word for "as".
anoint ~ pour olive oil on.
olive ~ a fruit.
olive ~ a fruit.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Christ’s birth.
holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy, the land where he lives with his people is also holy because he is there.'New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about the things that Jesus did and taught and about the church [see church].
anointed ~ with (olive) oil poured on.
olive ~ a fruit.
broken ~ (in Psalm 89:39) not done (the past of ‘break’).
break ~ (in Psalm 89:33, 34) not do (what you said you would do).
crown ~ a special hat that a king wears.
sword ~ a long, sharp knife that soldiers use to fight people with.
blunt ~ not sharp.
throne ~ a special seat that a king sits on.
shame ~ a bad feeling when we have done wrong.
anger ~ what you feel when you are angry.
Sheol ~where Jews said that you went when you died.
Jew ~ someone who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Lord ~ a name for God; it means he has authority, or "master"; Adonai in Hebrew. Look also at LORD below.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God. In Hebrew it is Yahweh or Jehovah. Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the names of God.
Adonai ~ Lord or master; (or better, my Lord or my master) in Hebrew.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke when they wrote the Psalms of David.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the covenant.
Yahweh ~ the covenant name for God. Most Bibles translate it LORD with 4 capital letters. It means something like "I am" or "always alive".
Jehovah ~ how some languages say Yahweh, one of the names of God in Hebrew.
Jew ~ someone who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
like ~ another word for "as".
scorn ~ laugh in a bad way at someone.
amen ~ we agree!
amen ~ we agree!
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke when they wrote the Psalms of David.
Jew ~ someone who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.