Psalm 89 — 90
ally aiding the enemy (vv. 42–43)! But the glory had once more departed from the temple (v. 44; see 1 Sam. 4:21–22; Ezek. 8:1–4; 9:3; 10:4, 18; 11:22–23) because the leaders had turned their backs on the Lord and turned to idols. It appears that verse 45 applied especially to King Jehoiachin, who was but eighteen years old when he became king and reigned for three months and ten days (2 Kings 24:8). He became a captive in Babylon for thirty-seven years.
bringing the Messiah into the world, and He would come through the family of David. (Be sure to refer to 2 Sam. 7:1–17, for vv. 19–29 are a summary of the promises the Lord made to David.)
In a sovereign act of grace, the Lord elected David to be king of Israel (vv. 19–20). Their first king, Saul of Benjamin, was never supposed to establish a dynasty because he was not from the royal tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10). David had proved himself before the Lord even before he stepped out on the stage of history and killed Goliath (1 Sam. 17:32–37). He had been faithful over a few things, and now the Lord would promote him to greater things (see Matt. 25:21). The Lord who elected David also equipped him to fight battles, lead the army, and build the kingdom (vv. 21–23). Even as a youth, he was known for his military prowess. The Lord exalted David, because David was a humble man who would not promote himself (vv. 24–27). Indeed, God helped David to expand the borders of the kingdom so that it reached from the Mediterranean Sea on the west to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers on the east (see Ex. 23:31). It was David's close relationship to the Lord and his desire to exalt the Lord alone that made him a success (v. 26). David was the eighth son in Jesse's family (1 Sam. 16:13), but God made him His firstborn, the honored son who received the greatest inheritance. David's greater Son, Jesus Christ, was also called "the firstborn" (Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15, 18; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 1:5). If David was "the highest of the kings of the earth" (v. 27 nasb), then he was "king of kings" like our Savior (see Rev. 17:14; 19:16). Finally, the Lord established David and promised him a throne and a dynasty forever (v. 4; 2 Sam. 7:13, 16, 24–26, 29, 31), a promise fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
God's Faithfulness Will Never Cease—Wait for Him (vv. 46–52) Ethan looks ahead (vv. 46–48) and asks the painful question, "How long, O Lord?" (See 6:3 for other references.) Surely he knew the prophecy of Jeremiah that the people would be in exile for seventy years and then permitted to return to their land (Jer. 25:1–14; 29:4–14), but when you are in the midst of the storm, you long for God to deliver you as soon as possible. To Ethan, it all seemed so futile. Life is short, all people will die, and God's people had to spend their days in exile. Then Ethan looked back (v. 49) and asked what had happened to the great lovingkindnesses the Lord had shown to David. But God's love had not changed; it was Judah's love for the Lord that had waned. Like any good parent, God shows His love to His children either by blessing their obedience or chastening them for their disobedience, but in either situation, He is manifesting His love.
Finally, Ethan looked around and felt keenly the reproaches of the enemy (vv. 50–51). The king of Judah was now a common prisoner in a foreign city! No doubt Jehoiachin was paraded shamelessly in Babylon as living proof that the gods of Babylon were greater than Judah's God. How the Babylonians must have enjoyed following the parade and taunting the captive Jews, especially the anointed king!
God Is Faithful in His Chastening (vv. 39–45) Again, Ethan faced the question: "If God did so much for David, why did his throne and crown fall in defeat and disgrace?" The answer: because the terms of His covenant declare that the same Lord who blesses the obedient will also chasten the disobedient. The principle applied not only to David's successors on the throne (vv. 30–37; 2 Sam. 7:12–15) but also to the nation of Israel collectively (Deut. 28). "For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights" (Prov. 3:12 nkjv; Heb. 12:3–11). Because of their disobedience and self-will, many of the kings of Judah were chastened by the Lord, but the Lord never broke His promise to David. The "witness" in verse 37 is probably the Lord Himself in heaven (see nasb), but the constancy of the heavenly bodies is also a witness to the faithfulness of the Lord's promises (Gen. 8:20–22; Jer. 31:35–36; 33:19–26).
Verse 52 is not a part of the original psalm but forms the conclusion of book III of The Psalms (see 41:13; 72:18–19). But it expresses a great truth: no matter how much we suffer because of the sins of others, and no matter how perplexed we may be at the providential workings of the Lord, we should still be able to say by faith, "Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!" And our fellow sufferers ought to respond with, "Amen and amen! So be it!"
That's the way of trust—faith in the faithfulness of the Lord.