PSALM PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 89:1. This is a community lament, but with a distinctive flavor. The people celebrate the Davidic kingship as God’s special gift to his people, but they also mourn the distress into which they have fallen. They interpret that distress as God’s wrath against his anointed ki... [ Continue Reading ]
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 89:8 God is more MIGHTY than any other being. He governs even the RAGING OF THE SEA; to the people of that day, the sea represented humanly unmanageable chaos. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 89:13 The pairing of God’s HAND and his RIGHT HAND refers to his power for the sake of his own people (see Psalms 74:11; Psalms 138:7). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 89:15 God has given his people a special place in his plan for the world. They are EXALTED, and God pledges his STRENGTH on their behalf. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 89:19 The mention of the king’s role in Israel (v. Psalms 89:18) leads to the story of how David and his heirs came to be the royal family (1 Samuel 16:1) and what promises God made to them (2 Samuel 7:4). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images [ Continue Reading ]
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 89:24 STEADFAST LOVE. See v. Psalms 89:33; 2 Samuel 7:15. For HAND and RIGHT HAND, see Psalms 89:13, where it is God’s hand. The king also serves the people as God’s representative. ⇐ ⇔... [ Continue Reading ]
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 89:26 FATHER... FIRSTBORN. See 2 Samuel 7:14. Just as Israel is God’s “firstborn” (Exodus 4:22), so the king is the firstborn as he represents the people (see note on Ps. 2:7). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for [ Continue Reading ]
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 89:38 It looks and feels as if God has not kept his promises to the house of David (and thus to his people). This section repeats words from the preceding parts of the psalm to stress the feeling of betrayal. God’s ANOINTED (v. Psalms 89:38) was his special choice (v. Psalms 89:... [ Continue Reading ]
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 89:46 There is great comfort in the promise of an enduring Davidic house. The people can be confident that their present low condition is not the end of their story. The appeal is to God’s STEADFAST LOVE and FAITHFULNESS (v. Psalms 89:49, see note on vv. 1–4) as expressed in his... [ Continue Reading ]