Psalm 89
If the author is the wise man Ethan of Solomon's reign (1 Kings 4:31), then verses 39–45 describe the invasion of Shishak and the Egyptian army recorded in 1 Chronicles 12, which occurred during the reign of Solomon's son Rehoboam. But this invasion did not mean the end of the Davidic dynasty, which is the major theme of this psalm. However, the invasion and captivity of Judah by the Babylonians did mean the end of the Davidic dynasty, so this psalm could have been written after that crisis by an unknown "Ethan." Young King Jehoiachin had already been taken captive to Babylon and Zedekiah, his uncle, named king in his place (2 Kings 24), and Jeremiah had announced that none of Jehoiachin's sons would ever sit on David's throne (Jer. 22:24–29). What, then, becomes of God's covenant that promised David a throne forever (vv. 3, 28, 34, 39; and see 2 Sam. 7)? Does Jehovah no longer keep His promises? The faithfulness of the Lord is the major theme of this psalm (vv. 1, 2, 5, 8, 14, 33, 49). Of course, God's great promises to David have their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Son of David (Luke 1:26–38, 68–79). The psalm gives us four assurances about the faithfulness of the Lord.
If any people on earth have a right to praise God, it is the nation of Israel, God's chosen people. They had a holy land, given to them by God, a royal dynasty chosen by God, and the light of the holy law that guided their steps in the ways of the Lord. They had a holy priesthood to serve them and bless them (v. 15; see Num. 6:24–26), men who would blow the trumpets to signal the special holy days and feasts ("the joyful sound"; see 81:1). In verse 18, "our shield" (nasb, niv) refers to their king (84:9), now in captivity. In many Jewish synagogues today, verses 15–18 are recited on their New Year's Day after the blowing of the shofar.
God Is Faithful to His Covenant—Trust Him (vv. 19–29) From verse 19 to verse 37, it is the Lord who speaks and reminds us of what He did for David. The question in the mind of the writer was probably, "If You did so much for David, why then did You break Your covenant and reject us?" What was the vision and to whom was it given? God gave Samuel the message that David would succeed Saul (1 Sam. 13:13–15; 16:1–13), and He gave Nathan the message that David would not build the temple but would have a "throne forever" and a "house" (family) built by the Lord (2 Sam. 7:1–17). The Lord may have led Ethan to rehearse this important information because the generations living after the exile needed to know it. Israel had a tremendously important ministry to fulfill in
God Is Faithful in His Character—Praise Him (vv. 1–18) The psalm opens on a joyful note of worship with praise to God from the psalmist (vv. 1–4), in heaven (vv. 5–8), and on earth (vv. 9–13), and especially from the people of Israel (vv. 14–18), who rejoice in the Lord all day long (v. 16). The psalmist sings (v. 1), the angels praise (v. 5), and even the mountains sing for joy (v. 12). Ethan praised the faithfulness of God's character (vv. 1–2) and His covenant (vv. 3–4), about which he has much to say (vv. 3, 28, 34, 39). Because he wanted to instruct and encourage the coming generations (see 78:1–8), Ethan wrote down his praise and his