A well-written song by Ethan the Ezrachite.
The Hebrew word for “well-written song” is מַ֝שְׂכִּ֗יל (maskil), meaning a song of instruction. The psalm was written by “Ethan” (a Levite, 1 Chronicles 15:17–18, and a wise person, 1 Kings 4:31) but the exact occasion of its writing is uncertain. Some theologies suggest that this song was written during the invasion of Judah by Shishak of Egypt (1 Kings 14:25) or the Babylonian Exile. The purpose of this song is to instruct Israel on how they are to handle their defeat by a foreign army.
89:1 I will sing continually about the Lord’s faithful deeds; to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness.
Ethan will continually sing this song of instruction to future Jewish generations. The main message of this song is that God is faithful. Unlike man, God keeps His promises.
89:2 For I say, “Loyal love is permanently established; in the skies you set up your faithfulness.”
In heaven in eternity past, God permanently established that He would possess a loyal love for Israel.
89:3 The Lord said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:
God established a permanent covenant with King David.
89:4 ‘I will give you an eternal dynasty and establish your throne throughout future generations.’ ” (Selah)
God promised David that his dynasty would last forever. Since David had died many years ago, and since Israel was about to be destroyed by Babylon, then it looked as though God was not going to keep His promise. However, Ethan reminded the congregation that this covenant was “eternal.” He asked the congregation to meditate and think about this eternal promise of God.
89:5 O Lord, the heavens praise your amazing deeds, as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.
All of the angels in heaven praised Jehovah, the covenant-keeping-promise-keeping God.
89:6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings, 89:7 a God who is honored in the great angelic assembly, and more awesome than all who surround him?
There are no angelic beings in the sky who can compare to Jehovah.
89:8 O Lord, sovereign God! Who is strong like you, O Lord? Your faithfulness surrounds you.
God is sovereign, meaning that He rules over all of creation. He is omnipotent, meaning that He possesses the power to accomplish any task that He desires. He is faithful, meaning that He will keep His promises. Even though Israel is going into captivity, God is still in control. He still has the power to deliver them. He is still faithful enough to keep His promises to David.
89:9 You rule over the proud sea. When its waves surge, you calm them.
Most of the ancient world believed in a demonic sea god called Poseidon. He possessed other names in different cultures. However, Ethan declared that God is the one who rules over the seas. Only God can calm their waves.
89:10 You crushed the Proud One and killed it; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
The Hebrew word for “Proud One” is רָ֑הַב (Rahab), which was another name for Satan (in reference to his demonic control over Egypt). Jehovah destroyed the demonic polytheism of Egypt with the Mosaic ten plagues. Each of these plagues discredited the different demonic gods of Egypt,
89:11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth. You made the world and all it contains.
The heavens and the earth belong to Jehovah, because He created them.
89:12 You created the north and the south. Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
Here is an important scientific principle which many skeptics overlook. North and South directions could only be meaningful on a spherical planet if there are north and south “poles” on it. These poles would have to be either geographic poles or magnetic poles (or both). God established these poles on the first day of creation.
89:13 Your arm is powerful, your hand strong, your right hand victorious.
Jehovah is omnipotent. He has the power to accomplish whatever He wants, including the keeping of His Davidic promise to David.
89:14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule.
The throne of Jehovah is built upon the foundation of equality, justice, love, and faithfulness.
89:15 How blessed are the people who worship you! O Lord, they experience your favor.
The people who worship Jehovah are blessed and favored.
89:16 They rejoice in your name all day long, and are vindicated by your justice.
The people who worship Jehovah rejoice in His name all day long. They are protected by the justice of God. Therefore, there is no need for the Jewish people to fear an attack of the enemy or the Babylonian Captivity. The Jewish prophets did tell the people that if they voluntarily accepted the Babylonian Captivity, they would live in peace. Those who stayed in Babylon died by either sword, famine, or disease (just as the prophets also predicted).
89:17 For you give them splendor and strength. By your favor we are victorious.
Those who worship Jehovah are given honor and strength to accomplish the divine tasks which they were appointed to complete for God. They will be victorious in accomplishing this divine task.
It is important to understand that all believers have been appointed a divine task by God. If they fulfill it, then they will receive rewards in heaven. If they do not fulfill it, then God will bring them home and give their task to another.
89:18 For our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Those who worship Jehovah are shielded by Him. The enemy will come against a believer who studies and applies biblical doctrine at the deepest level. Those who worship Jehovah serve Him as King. Those who do not worship Jehovah serve Satan as their King.
89:19 Then you spoke through a vision to your faithful followers and said: “I have energized a warrior; I have raised up a young man from the people.
God spoke to the Jewish people through prophets, such as Samuel. The prophets told the Jewish people that God raised up an energized warrior named David.
89:20 I have discovered David, my servant. With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.
David was anointed by oil to become the King of Israel.
89:21 My hand will support him, and my arm will strengthen him.
David will be energized by God. David will willingly serve God.
89:22 No enemy will be able to exact tribute from him; a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.
As the King of Israel, David was undefeated. He never lost a war. He never paid tribute to a foreign nation. No nation was ever able to humiliate and subdue Israel.
89:23 I will crush his enemies before him; I will strike down those who hate him.
David crushed all of his enemies. Saul could not defeat the Philistines, but David did.
89:24 He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love, and by my name he will win victories.
David experienced the faithfulness and loyal love of Jehovah. The success of David was not in the numbering of his armies, but in the promise of the Davidic Covenant.
89:25 I will place his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers.
David was good friends with King Hiram of the Phoenicians. David needed the Phoenician ship trade and King Hiram needed David’s protection. Israel controlled the land and sea trade during the reign of David and Solomon.
89:26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my father, my God, and the protector who delivers me.’
David called Jehovah his father and his God. Jehovah was the one who protected and delivered David from his enemies.
89:27 I will appoint him to be my firstborn son, the most exalted of the earth’s kings.
David was the firstborn son among all of the earth’s kings. David will rule over Israel as the co-regent of the Lord Jesus Christ during the Millennial Kingdom.
89:28 I will always extend my loyal love to him, and my covenant with him is secure.
Jehovah will always extend His loyal love towards David. God will always keep the Davidic covenant. God is different than men. God keeps His word.
89:29 I will give him an eternal dynasty, and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.
Jehovah will give David what every king wanted—an eternal dynasty. When the Lord Jesus Christ is born into the line of David, then He will rule over the Millennial Kingdom.
89:30 If his sons reject my law and disobey my regulations, 89:31 if they break my rules and do not keep my commandments, 89:32 I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club, their sin by inflicting them with bruises.
If the sons of the dynasty of David break the Mosaic Law (which they did), then Jehovah will spank them.
89:33 But I will not remove my loyal love from him, nor be unfaithful to my promise.
Jehovah will spank these rebellious Davidic kings, but He will never break the promises which He gave to David.
89:34 I will not break my covenant or go back on what I promised.
God is not like man. God keeps His promises. If any Amillennialist or Postmillennialist claims that the church has replaced Israel, then they are calling God a liar.
89:35 Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness, I will never deceive David.
God is holy. He keeps His vows. He made a promise to David and He will keep it. God will never deceive David.
89:36 His dynasty will last forever. His throne will endure before me, like the sun,
The Hebrew word for “forever” is עוֹלָם (olam), meaning a very long time. The dynasty of David will last for a very long time (1,000 years), because the Lord Jesus Christ will be born as the final King of Judah.
89:37 it will remain stable, like the moon, his throne will endure like the skies.” (Selah)
Just as the moon will exist forever, so will the throne of the Lord Jesus Christ last forever. Ethan asked the congregation to meditate and think about this biblical concept.
89:38 But you have spurned and rejected him; you are angry with your chosen king.
God the Father rejected the evil kings of Judah. He became angry with the anointed king and allowed them to be captured by the Babylonians.
89:39 You have repudiated your covenant with your servant; you have thrown his crown to the ground.
It appeared to Israel that God repudiated the Davidic Covenant when He allowed the kings of Judah to be taken into the Babylonian Captivity.
89:40 You have broken down all his walls; you have made his strongholds a heap of ruins.
The walls of Jerusalem were knocked down by the Babylonians. The strongholds of Judah were destroyed and reduced to heaps of rocks.
89:41 All who pass by have robbed him; he has become an object of disdain to his neighbors.
The city of Jerusalem was robbed and plundered. The neighboring nations of Israel looked down at Jerusalem in disdain.
89:42 You have allowed his adversaries to be victorious, and all his enemies to rejoice.
Jehovah allowed the Babylonians to become victorious over Jerusalem. All of the enemies of Israel shouted for joy when Jerusalem was destroyed.
89:43 You turn back his sword from the adversary, and have not sustained him in battle.
Jehovah allowed the sword of the Babylonians to bring death to the unbelieving majority which remained in Jerusalem.
89:44 You have brought to an end his splendor, and have knocked his throne to the ground.
When the city of Jerusalem was destroyed, then the splendor of Jehovah was destroyed. The throne of the kings of Judah was knocked to the ground.
89:45 You have cut short his youth, and have covered him with shame. (Selah)
The King of Judah was about to be killed in his young age. The defeat of Jerusalem brought great shame to the King of Judah.
89:46 How long, O Lord, will this last? Will you remain hidden forever? Will your anger continue to burn like fire?
How long will the kings of Judah be off from the throne of Jerusalem?
89:47 Take note of my brief lifespan! Why do you make all people so mortal?
Ethan the psalmist was about to die in his youth. He asked Jehovah why men had to die so young.
89:48 No man can live on without experiencing death, or deliver his life from the power of Sheol. (Selah)
All men will die. No one can deliver man from the grave. Ethan the psalmist asked the congregation to meditate and think about this biblical doctrine of death.
89:49 Where are your earlier faithful deeds, O Lord, the ones performed in accordance with your reliable oath to David?
Ethan asked Jehovah to perform some miracles so that His reliable oath to David could be fulfilled.
89:50 Take note, O Lord, of the way your servants are taunted, and of how I must bear so many insults from people!
The Babylonians were taunting and insulting the Jewish people. Ethan asked Jehovah to take note of these taunts and insults.
89:51 Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults; they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps.
The Babylonians were also insulting the anointed King of Judah just as they would insult a dog.
89:52 The Lord deserves praise forevermore! We agree! We agree!
Since Jehovah will keep His promise to David, then God deserves to be praised. This praise ends Book III.