Psalm 89. God’s Promises are Certain
David had been established as King in Israel and he wanted to build a temple for the Lord to show his devotion to him. However the prophet Nathan was sent to him to deny this request because David had been a soldier and shed much blood. Nathan goes on to explain that this privilege would be given to his offspring. :
“When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” 2 Samuel 7:12-16
In 1 Chronicles 17:13; 1 Chronicles 22:9-10; 1 Chronicles 28:6, this prophecy is applied to Solomon. Solomon did go wrong and was punished appropriately. So in one respect this was fulfilled by Solomon, David’s son through Bathsheba, who was a man of peace (Hebrew Shlomo, from shalom) who did build the first physical temple in Jerusalem. but there is another meaning here.
However Nathan is talking about a Kingdom that will perish ‘forever’. This is emphatic as the word ‘forever is repeated three times. More than that this king will reign eternally and he will be known as the ‘Son of God’. God will ‘establish his kingdom’, it would seem that this king will be more important than even David. The use of the phrase ‘raise up’ to describe this king is surely significant. This prophecy was deemed important as it is repeated in 1 Chronicles, finishing with the words,
“I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’” 1 Chronicles 17:14
The apostles, having been trained by Jesus, taught that these verses were about Jesus, the son of god, the Messiah.
“For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’ Or again,’I will be his Father, and he will be my Son’?” Hebrews 1:5
In Peter’s Pentecostal sermon he said:
“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.” Acts 2:29-31
While Solomon built a temple of stone, Jesus is seen as building a spiritual “house" - the Church or the people of God. Jesus described himself as the temple of God.
The phrase in the middle of this prophecy appears to be a problem:
“When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.” 2 Samuel 7:14
When Samuel and his descendants ‘do wrong’ they would be appropriately punished but the wording is more severe that this. Multiple hands are punishing him.
Hebrew word for 'When' in ‘When He sins’ could also be translated ‘if’. When we remember that the New Testament teaching that Jesus bore our sins in his body this passage can refer to Jesus, God’s eternal King who died ‘to bear the sins of many’.
“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28
“He (Jesus) became sin' for us” 2 Corinthians 5:21
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
So this verse does prophetically refer to Jesus bearing the sins of others and receiving the "stripes" (flogging) of men for their sake.
Psalm 89
This psalm is a prayer that mourns the downfall of David’s dynasty and is a plead for its restoration. The psalm was written by Ethan the Ezrahite who is mentioned in 1 Kings 4:31 as being a very wise man who lived at the time of King Solomon. He had noticed that although outwardly the kingdom was successful there were indications of things going wrong.
The psalm divides into two sharply different parts. Verses 1–37 are a gloriously positive reflection on the character of God and His covenant with David. Verses 38–51 are a lament that God not only has rejected the house of David but seems to have broken His promises. Taken as a whole, the psalm presses the question,
“How is it that the faithful God seems in history to have broken faith with His people? What is He doing in history?”
The psalm begins with Ethan describing what the effect of his faith is, his heart is full of praise and he longs that others should know about the Lord.:
“I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations”
The Lord has committed himself by oath
“You said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one.’” Psalm 89:3
This refers back to the covenant God made with David:
“I have sworn to David my servant,’I will establish your line for ever and make your throne firm through all generations.’” Psalm 89:4
The psalmist then depicts the scene of the Lord in heaven (Psalm 89:5-8) being praised and worshipped. There his faithfulness is admired and all in heaven are full of awe of him. In verses 9 to 13 he moves to god’s power on earth. The stormy seas, the emblem of the chaotic and uncontrollable, are governed by God and calmed by Him. The Lord controls history, even mighty Egypt (Rahab) could not stand against him. We are then reminded of God’s power in creation.
He then moves on to the character of God:
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” Psalm 89:14
This awesome loving God. He must be treated with the honour he deserves:
“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness.” Psalm 89:15-16
This is a great description of a genuine Christian. They have recognised who God is and live their lives in his presence. They are so grateful that they cannot keep the news of the gospel to themselves.
The psalm now moves to God’s covenant with King David (Psalm 89:19–28) who was both God’s servant and his anointed king. David was a man after God’s own heart:
“ . . . the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people.” 1 Samuel 13:14
“After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ Acts 13:22
These are the sort of people God wants.
The psalmist then brings us up with a start. He explains that god speaks in visions that God’s faithful people understand. This is similar to the reason Jesus spoke in parables:
“Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: . . .” Psalm 89:19
He then explains that this prophecy is about David and he describes God’s relationship with him in the past tense. Remember David would have died by the time this psalm was written:
“‘I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have raised up a young man from among the people.I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him.” Psalm 89:19-20
The writer is drawing a comparison between King David and someone in the future. Notice that the tense now moves into the future tense. This king will overcome all opposition and God will be with him. His ‘horn’ or strength will be established by God’s love.
“My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him. The enemy will not get the better of him; the wicked will not oppress him. I will crush his foes before him and strike down his adversaries. My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted.” Psalm 89:21-24
His rule will be world-wide:
“I will set his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers.” Psalm 89:25
Then this prophetic Psalm becomes extraordinary as this future king will be the Son of God and his relationship with god will be eternal:
“He will call out to me, “You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Saviour.” And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.I will maintain my love to him for ever, and my covenant with him will never fail. I will establish his line for ever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.” Psalm 89:26-29
This is not talking about a people but a person. God will ensure that his line continues for ever.
God forces that some of this King’s offspring will turn their backs on the Lord:
“If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging” Psalm 89:30-32
Notice that the psalmist does not say who will receive this punishment that those who fail to follow what God requires deserve. Surely this is why the gospel writers emphasise how Jesus was flogged, he accepted this on behalf of his people.
The psalmist then returns to the permanent relationship the Lord will have with his Son:
“. . . but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness - and I will not lie to David - that his line will continue for ever and his throne endure before me like the sun;it will be established for ever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.” Psalm 89:33-37
Note what is certain, the promise of God is inviolable. He has given his word in the Bible. This is why Jesus is called ‘the Word of God’. The Son and what God says are inseparable. God has promised that his people, the followers of His Son will continue for ever and more than that, they will live forever - heaven awaits them.
Rejection
This all sounds ideal but there is a shock coming
“But you have rejected, you have spurned, you have been very angry with your anointed one.You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust.” Psalm 89:38-39
Who is the anointed one who now bears the anger of God? The following verses make it clear that this is a relatively young King of God’s people.
“You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins. All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbours. You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice. Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword and have not supported him in battle. You have put an end to his splendour and cast his throne to the ground. You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame.” Psalm 89:40-45
Who could this be? King Saul, David’s predecessor wan’t young and his strongholds were not plundered. The Hebrew text specifically refers to a single individual, namely the Davidic king (the "anointed one," or mashiach), although this individual can represent the nation of Israel as a whole. celebration of this psalm ends suddenly and dramatically. The God who had guaranteed his everlasting covenant to his people appears to be rejecting his King and hence his people. In anger, He has cast off and rejected the house of David.
God has renounced His covenant with David and the royal crown—the symbol of rule and authority—has been thrown away into the dust. David’s strongholds—including perhaps the holy city—have been ruined. His enemies mock his house, steal from it, and utterly defeat it. The Lord now exalts the hand of the enemy as he once exalted David’s hand (v. 25).
The judgment of Deuteronomy 28:15–68 has fallen on the house of David. All his majesty and power have come to an end. These are the facts of the calamities that have fallen on the house of David in history are shattering.
“You have renounced the covenant with your servant” Psalm 89:39
God’s people had been repeatedly warned
““If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging.” Psalm 89:30-32
Now this judgment on sin has come on God’s Messiah. This young king died in shame in his youth.
Hope
This remarkable psalm realises that this judgment is not final. There is still hope because God remains a God who is full of love and grace. The psalmist moves from God’s people to himself. He understands the horror of being rejected by God for eternity and his life is increasingly short. We will all die and come face to face with God
“How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all humanity! Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave?” Psalm 89:46-48
This is a dilemma we all face. We will al die and face God’s judgment. What hope do we have?
“Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?” Psalm 89:49
Our hope ever lies in the love of God, his character and in the promise he gave to King David and his heirs. Then comes a remarkable prophecy. It is the Messiah, the Anointed One who now speaks. The Chosen King now sees himself as the suffering servant:
“Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked, with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.” Psalm 89:50-51
This suffering servant was to be taunted and mocked. He was a descendant of David. This can be none other than Jesus. Our hope, in spite of our rebellion against God is because David’s son became the suffering servant who took on himself the wrath of God. It is because of this ‘good news’ that the psalmist and those who share his understanding can say at the end, as at the beginning of the psalm:
“Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.” Psalm 89:52
Psalm 89 is referred to in the New Testament focusing both God’s power and the Davidic covenant, the fulfilment of the Messianic promise in Jesus..
“You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm”. Luke 1:51 quotes Psalm 89:10
“I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him” Acts 13:22 alludes to Psalm 89:20
These references are used to highlight both God's strength and solving of man’s problem of sin by Jesus Christ. The essential gospel is the same in both the Old Testament and the New Testament and Psalm 89 proves this.
