Psalms of the Wonder of God 84; 88-89

The following material is adopted from James’s Montgomery Boice’s 3 volume commentary on Psalms. Additional material from MacArthur Bible Studies, Psalms: Hymns for God’s People. Introductory material from Psalms of Grace, Philip Webb, editor. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

In the previous lesson, we reviewed several psalms connected to Asaph that are included in Book III of the Psalms. All of those psalms focused on certain aspects of God’s goodness. In this lesson, we will discuss three more songs from Book III, each written by a different author.

The first psalm that we will examine, Psalm 84, is connected to the sons of Korah, whom we discussed in lesson 4 of this study (Ps 42-44; 46-47). The second psalm, Psalm 88, was written by a man named “Heman the Ezrahite.” The third psalm that we will cover, Psalm 89, was written by an individual known as “Ethan the Ezrahite.” The book of 1 Kings gives us a clue about the identities of these men: “For [Solomon] was wiser than all men — than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations” (4:31, emphasis added). So Ethan and Heman were likely contemporaries of David and Solomon. They were known for their wisdom and, apparently, both men were also gifted musicians.

Importantly, Psalm 89 is an example of a “messianic psalm” — a psalm that directly foreshadows or points forward to the life and ministry of Jesus, the Messiah. Psalm 89 is considered one of these types of psalms because it points forward to the Messiah’s future identity as both a descendant of David (see verses 3-4) and the Son of God (see verses 26-27). There are many other messianic songs present in the Psalter, with Psalm 22 likely being the most prominent because of its detailed and graphic connections to Jesus’s crucifixion.

Psalm 84

This psalm is a prayer that seeks the presence of God. The psalmist declares his love for the dwelling place of Yahweh and expresses his desire to be there. Blessed are those who dwell at the altars of God — even the birds of the air! All who draw near to Yahweh find strength in Him. Therefore, the psalmist prays that God would look upon His anointed one. Blessed is he who dwells in the courts of Yahweh and trusts in God.

The Psalm of the Janitors

—This is a beautiful and poignant psalm

— It is longing for God’s house by the Son of Korah

At Parbar, Westward

— Donald Barnhouse tells a story of a prayer meeting where he asked each seminary student to give a Bible verse that had a special blessing

— One student never took anything seriously

When his turn came this student said quite solemnly “First Chronicles 26:18.” There was a pause while the others looked it up. Then, just as they were finding it, the young man blurted it out so rapidly that the words almost ran together: “At Parbar, westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar” (KJV). Everyone was puzzled. Then the seminarian quipped, “If you believe in the inspiration of the Bible, find some inspiration in that verse.” Fortunately, he later dropped out of seminary and took a secular position.

—Years went by and from time to time Barnhouse would remember that remark

— One day he came across 1 Chr 26:18 and decided to study it more intently

— He learned that in this context the sons of Levi were assigned to various places of service in the House of the Lord

— Aaron’s tribe was divided into twenty-four groups to maintain sacrifices at the altar (1 Chr 24)

— In chapter 25 the descendants of Aaron’s cousins Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun were divided into similar groups to conduct music

— And in chapter 26, from which this strange verse was lifted, was the record of the third branch of Levi’s tribe (Korah) who were chosen as gatekeeper or doorkeepers — or janitors, if you like

— The chapter goes on to record where each man was to serve

— Here is where Barnhouse’s story has bearing on the psalm

— Those who were appointed gatekeepers wrote this psalm as an expression of their joy in their work

Years later Barnhouse wrote, “Many times I have thanked God for the cynical twist in the mind of that fellow who tossed a seemingly nonsensical verse into the midst of a prayer meeting. he meant it for confusion, but the Lord meant it to me for good. For I learned later, as I probed into the depths of the Word of God, that God is interested in the simplest tasks of the simplest men

Sparrows and Swallows

— There is no allegory to be made of the sparrows and the swallows mentioned here

— The poet simply saw birds in the temple

— His point is that they made their home here and were secure with no fear of enemies

— Many people find their home in God and find their security in him

— Yet there are some poetic overtones to mention of the sparrows and swallows

1. Sparrows

—In the bible sparrows represent something that is almost worthless

— A farthing was the least valuable copper coin

— Two sparrows could be sold for a single farthing (Matt 10:29; Lk 12:6)

— Yet a sparrow found a home near God’s altar (v. 3)

— Will God not also provide a home for you, who are worth much more than a sparrow (Matt 10:29, 31)

2. Swallows

— Swallows are a symbol of restlessness

— It is a bird that is always in the air

— But when the time comes to mate and raise young, it builds a nest and settles down upon it to rest peacefully

— This is a picture of the soul apart from God and then in God

— Saint Augustine wrote, “Our hearts are restless till they test in thee”

Three Blessings

—A simple outline follows

— Those who live and work in the temple

— Those who are on their way to the temple

— Those who cannot get to the temple but place their faith in God

1. Those who dwell in the God’s house (v. 4)

—Even when the visible glory of God descended from the temple, ancient worshipers felt the presence of God

— It is why David wrote in Psalm 27 (v. 4)

“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.”

2. Those who are making their way to God’s house (v. 5)

—Many people could not live in Jerusalem and the psalmist does not forget those people (v. 5)

— The remainder of the stanza describes the pilgrims (vv. 6-7)

— They go through the Valley of Baca (“valley of weeping”)

— They go from strength to strength

— What a wonderful picture of the Christian life

Macarthur

(84:6) Valley of Baca:

Baca can be translated as “weeping” or “balsam tree.” The valley was an arid place on the way to Jerusalem.

They make it a spring:

The pilgrims traveling to a festival of worship at Jerusalem turn an arid valley into a place of joy.

(84:7) They go from strength to strength:

The anticipation of joyously worshiping God in Jerusalem overcame the pilgrim’s natural weariness in their difficult journey.

3. Those who trust God (v. 12)

—Blessed is the man who trusts in you (v. 12)

— It would be a mistake to think that the psalmist are preoccupied with a building or a festival

— Their delight is in God

Exploring the Meaning

We can find joy in God’s presence

Psalm 84 opens with a burst of gladness and expectation: “How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (vv. 1-2). What was the source of this elation? The psalmist was on his way to worship God at the temple. Like children in the backseat of a car, his very soul kept wondering, Are we there yet? He goes on to write, “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (v. 10). Note that it was not the temple itself that was the source of the psalmist's expectant joy. Rather, it was the opportunity to spend time in God’s presence — to sense the closeness of the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Sometimes, we may forget that we have an incredible opportunity when it comes to God’s presence. In Christ, we have ongoing and unlimited access to our heavenly Father. Let us never take such a gift for granted — and let us continually avail ourselves of this wondrous joy!

Psalm 88

This psalm is a lament in which the psalmist cries out to God during a time of deep anguish. He confesses that God is his salvation, praying to Him night and day. He has no strength, and his soul is in darkness because of the wrath of God. He continually calls upon Yahweh, choosing to trust Him amidst such troubles. In his solitude and afflictions, he cries out to God.

The Dark Night of the Soul

— The phrase “Dark Night of the Soul” is the title of a book written in the Middle Ages

— The Spanish Monk St. John of the Cross

— The Book’s title in English is The Ascent of Mount Carmel (1578-1580)

— It refers to the intense spiritual anguish in which the struggling, despairing believer feels he is abandoned by God

— This is what Psalm 88 describes

— It is unlike any other psalm

— It starts with God but ends ith “darkness is my closest friend”

By Day and by Night

— The only hopeful line in the psalm is the first one

“O Lord, the God of my salvation” (v. 1)

— But this is more of an address because the psalm immediately passes to the fact that he has been crying out to God “day and night”

— And for a very long time, since his youth (v. 1 5)

— Jesus reminded us that God will act quickly

— He told the story of the persistent widow (Lk 18:7-8)

— The problem is merely that God’s timing differs from our own

The Shadow of Death

— The psalm gets darker as it goes along

— The shadow of death is staring the psalmist in the face (vv. 3-5)

— His “soul is full of trouble” (v. 3)

— He is “drawing near the grave” (v. 3)

— He is “counted among” the dead (v. 4)

— He is “without strength” (v. 4)

— Finally, there is a description of death (v. 5)

— C. S. Lewis in his book Reflections on the Psalms has a chapter about the apparent Jewish lack of faith in the afterlife for those who are God’s

— They spoke of the grave as Sheol, the actual word behind the psalmist word “grave” in verse 3

— God has never left his people without hope, even though that hope was dimmer in the Old Testament than today

— Because we now stand on this side of the resurrection we know the promises of heaven

This Present Darkness

— What makes the darkness so dark is here God is though of as having caused the psalmist’s problems (vv. 6-9a)

— Notice the repeated complaints about God’s actions:

— You have put me in the lowest pit (v. 6)

— Your wrath lies heavily upon me (v. 7)

— You have overwhelmed me with all your waves (v. 7)

— You have taken from me my closest friends (v. 8)

— He does the same later on

— Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me (v. 16)

— It is worth noticing the similarities between Psalm 88 and Job

— Job was a godly man, a wealthy man, and all his possessions were suddenly taken from him

— His life became miserable, he condemned the day he was born and stared death in the face

— This is a close echo of what the psalmist is saying

— But the most important similarity is that God has caused Job’s suffering, if not directly, at least by permitting Satan to afflict him

— Job was unable to imagine why and that is the psalmist claim as well

— These similarities are so great, including even certain echoes of language that Franz Delitzsch has suggested that Job and the psalm might even be by the same author, Heman of Ezrahite

— The point of Job is that Job did not know himself what was going on

— Neither did the psalmist

— Both Job and Psalm 88 are present in Scripture to remind us that we do not necessarily know what God is accomplishing by our suffering, either

No Praises from the Dead

— The next stanza (vv. 9b-12) is where C.S. Lewis got one of his quotations showing that the ancient Jews did not reflect much on life beyond the grave

— Verse 10 seems to deny the resurrection

— Verses 11-12 seem to say that the dead are not even awake or conscious enough to remember God

This is not true, of course. But it is from the perspective of what we can see on earth unaided by specific revelation about the afterlife, which he psalmist did not have. Derek Kidner says, “From the standpoint of God’s congregation and his glory in the world, all that is said here is true. It is among the living that his miracles are performed, his praises sung, his constancy and acts of deliverance exhibited. Death is no exponent of his glory. Its whole character is negative: it is the last word in inactivity…silence…the severing of ties…corruption…gloom…oblivion. The New Testament concurs, calling it the last enemy.” Nothing is to be gained by denying this. It is not the whole truth; we know much more because of the New Testament and its revelation. But it is at least part of the truth and therefore rightly has its niche in Scripture.

A lifetime of Sorrows

— When the psalmist looks back he cannot recall any thing good (v. 15)

— Then he looks forward and it is even worse: all he sees is death, made more horrible by his present experiences of the wrath of God (vv. 15-16)

— The final word is “darkness”

Exploring the Meaning

The wonder of God’s presence sustains us even in dark times

As mentioned in this lesson, Psalm 88 is a lament — an outpouring of grief and sorrow. Written by Heman the Ezrahite during a period of intense pain, he cried out to God for both comfort and understanding. Yet there is a key theme woven throughout Heman’s writing that reveals and important truth. That theme is present in the beginning of the psalm: “O LORD, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry” (vv. 1-2). Later, Heman writes, “LORD, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my hands to You” (v. 9), and then again, “But to You I have cried out, O LORD, and in the morning my prayer comes before You” (v. 13). Even during his suffering and grief, Heman had the privilege of spending time in God’s presence — and he took advantage of that privilege. He approached God “day and night.” He cried out to God “daily” and “in the morning.” Even as he tried to understand his affliction, he was sustained by the wondrous and wonderful presence of God.

Psalm 89

Psalm 89 is a psalm of lament which seeks the steadfast love of Yahweh. The psalmist begins by praising God for His faithfulness to all generations. He has established His covenant with His people, and the heavens should praise Him. The psalmist rehearses the power of God to save and acknowledges the glory of His might. He recounts how Yahweh chose David and anointed him, establishing him as king. The psalmist then questions how long Yahweh will hide Himself. As the kingly crown has fallen into the dust, how long will the wrath of God burn? He prays that Yahweh would remember His anointed servant.

Great is Your Faithfulness

— God is utterly faithful

— What he promises he performs

— That is what Psalm 89 is about

God’s Covenant with King David

— This psalm is unusual in that the first part is a commentary on an Old Testament story (vv. 1-37)

— In 2 Sam 7 David decides to build a temple for God in Jerusalem

— The prophet Nathan told David that instead God would build a house for David — an everlasting dynasty (2 Sam 7:5, 11-16)

— This is a forever covenant with David (vv. 3, 28, 34)

— And the word forever appears in the psalm eight times (vv. 1, 2, 4, 28, 29, 36, 46)

The Mercies of the Lord Forever

— The theme of the psalm is faithfulness and forever and by the one use of the word covenant (vv. 1-4)

— The first verse (like the hymn) literally says, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever” (v. 1)

— “Mercies” suggests two things that “great love” does not

— Tangible blessings, not merely a favorable attitude

— And it suggests that there are many of these mercies

God’s Faithfulness Praised in Heaven

— The exposition begins with the next stanza (vv. 5-8)

— The angels praise God for his faithfulness (vv. 5, 8)

— They ask “who is like you” (v. 8)

— The answer: “You [alone] are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you” (v. 8)

— Isn’t it interesting that the angels in heaven are praising God for the very characteristic we are tempted to question him about here on earth?

God’s Faithfulness on Earth

— God’s power is particularly evident on earth (vv. 9-13)

— Faithfulness itself is not mentioned

— He is faithful because of his power

— He is faithful because he is our shield and sure defense (v. 18)

God’s Faithfulness with His People

— The writer now turns to the faithfulness of God toward his people (vv. 14-18)

— The attribute of God’s righteousness is introduced

— Without righteousness there can be no justice, which is the application of righteousness

— The final three attributes are introduced as possessions of God’s people

— Glory

— Strength

—Favor (that is, “grace”)

God’s Faithfulness to His Covenant

— The fifth stanza begins a commentary on 2 Samuel 7 (vv. 19-29)

1. God’s choice of David to be king (vv. 19-20)

— God’s covenants are established not based on anything we have done

— David was a young man when God chose him as king (1 Sam 16:1-13)

2. God’s strengthening of David for his work as king (v. 21)

— God equipped David for his was work as king

— God does not abandon us to our own strength to do his work

— Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5)

— Paul said, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13)

3. God’s protecting David from his enemies (v. 22)

— God protected David from his many enemies and he protects us as well

— To Jesus said to Peter, “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith would not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Lk 22:31-32)

4. God’s granting David victory over his enemies (v. 23)

— God promised to protect David but also gave him victory

— Paul said, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:56-57)

5. God’s exalting David to prominence among the kings of the nations (vv. 24-27)

— David had prominence but also a special relationship with God

— David said, “You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior” (v. 26)

— God would appoint David his “firstborn” (v. 27)

— We are “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:17)

Macarthur

(89:27) I will make him my firstborn

The firstborn child was given a place of special honor and a double portion of the inheritance (Gen 27; 2 Kin 2:9). However, in a royal grant covenant, a chosen person could be elevated to the level of firstborn sonship, and, thus, have title to a perpetual gift involving dynastic succession (Ps 2:7). Though not actually first, Israel was considered the firstborn among nations (Ex 4;22); Ephraim the younger was treated as the firstborn (Gen 48:13-20); and David was the firstborn among kings. In this later sense of prominent favor, Christ can be called the firstborn over all creation (Col 1:15), in that He is given the preeminence over all created beings as a man. As God, the Son eternally exists and reigns over creation as its Creator.

6. God’s extending the blessing to David’s sons (vv. 28-29)

— The promises given to David were to extend to his descendants forever

— This was fulfilled in Jesus, for he alone will rule forever on David’s throne

The faithfulness of God in Discipline

— The next stanza (the end of the first half) deals with what will happen to David’s descendants who drift into sin (vv. 30-37)

— They will be disciplined like a father disciplines a son (vv. 30-32; cf. Heb 12:4-11)

Where is Your Faithfulness?

—The first half of the psalm praised God for his faithfulness

— The second half of the psalm expresses the gap betwen the promise and reality

— This is the stark honesty of the psalmist telling God what he thinks he sees

More Than the End of an Era

— This stanza contains the first hint of disaster (vv. 38-45)

— The psalmist questions God’s faithfulness in keeping his covenant

— How could God be faithful when the king’s crown has been “defiled… in the dust” (v. 39)

— The walls have been “broken through” (v. 40)

— The city “plundered” (v. 41)

— The enemies of the king “exalted” (v. 42)

— The edge of the king’s sword “turned back” in battle (v. 43)

— And the royal “splendor” terminated (v. 44)?

God or Despair

— God is held responsible

— This not something random but caused by God

— If God is behind what happens, we can know that there is a purpose

— This is a choice between faith and despair

— The psalmist faces reality, but he faces it with God

The Saint’s Cry: “How Long, O LORD?”

— This is the eight and final stanza (vv. 46-51)

— Here we have his focused appeal: “How long, O LORD?” (v. 46)

— Believers ask this when they feel abandoned and when God does not act

— The saints ask this in Revelation (Rev 6:10)

— The cry is not unbelief

— On the contrary, it is a cry of faith; for it is to God, and it is looking for an answer

Two Pleas for God to Act

— This is not a passive man writing

— He is not interested in a theoretical answer

— No, the psalmist wants God to act now in his lifetime

The shortness of human life (vv. 46-48)

— The psalmist knows that God’s timing is his own

— Human life is “fleeting” (v. 47)

— He knows that he will die if God does not hurry (v. 48)

Macarthur

(89:45) Days of his youth…shortened:

This is a figure for the relative brevity of the Davidic dynasty. The dynasty was cut off in its youth.

(89:46) Hide yourself forever:

By God’s seeming refusal to answer prayer and restore the Davidic kingship, it seemed as though God was hiding Himself. Of course, the discipline of disobedient kings had been foretold (see verse 32). According to the prophets, God would eventually restore Israel and the Davidic throne in an earthly kingdom (see Hosea 3:4-5). Never in the Old Testament is there a sense that this Davidic promise would be fulfilled by Christ with a spiritual and heavenly reign.

The dishonoring of God by his enemies (vv. 49-51)

— This is the same argument Moses used when God threatened to destroy the people in the wilderness (Ex 32:12)

— If we are praying selfishly, our pleas have little force with God

— But we are on firm ground when we can say, like Paul, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me” (Rom 15:3; cf. Ps 69:9)

God’s Irrevocable Covenant

I cannot end this treatment of God’s faithfulness and the way in which God seemed to have broken the covenant by allowing the throne of David to be overthrown without calling attention to Paul’s handling of the same problem in Romans 9-11. Paul’s concern is not identical; he knew that the kingdom of David has been established forever in the reign of Jesus Christ. He is concerned with the salvation of Israel instead. Nevertheless, the covenant is the matter of the question and he introduces it explicitly when he combines the coming of Jesus with the Jews’ salvation, quoting from Isaiah (Rom 11:26-27; Is 59:20-21; 27:9). Paul’s argument in Romans is that in time “all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:26), precisely because God made a covenant with them and God is faithful to his covenants.

— The attributes of God that formed the earlier covenants should encourage us today

— J. I. Packer in his popular book, Knowing God, lists six area:

1. God’s life does not change

— Created things have a beginning and end but God does not

— God does not grow old or grow stronger

—He cannot change for the better, and he certainly cannot change for the worse

2. God’s character does not change

— One of the most repeated passages in the Bible is found in Exodus ( Ex 34:6-7)

— This is what God was like in the in the days when God brought the Jews out of Egypt

— He is the same today (kind, gracious, forgiving, and holy)

3. God’s truth does not change

— The truths in the Bible do not change

— What we read in the pages of holy Scripture is as right and true today as ever

4. God’s ways do not change

— He causes some to hear the gospel and come to repentance

— He leaves others to unbelief

5. God’s purposes do not change

— What God does he planned in eternity

— What he has planned in eternity will be carried out in time

6. God’s Son does not change

— Most blessed of all is that Christ does not change

— “He is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Heb 7:25)

When the great protector Oliver Cromwell was dying, he was overcome with spiritual darkness and depression, and in his despair he asked his chaplain, “Tell me, is it possible to fall from grace?”

“No,” said his minister. “It is not possible.”

“Then I am safe,” said Cromwell, “for I know that I was once in grace. I am the poorest wretch that ever lived, but I know that God has loved me.”

Exploring the Meaning

God alone is worthy of praise

In Psalm 89, Ethan contemplates what feels like a conundrum. God had chosen Israel as His covenant people and promised to bless David’s descendants forever. Yet as Ethan looked at his world, he saw Israel divided and David’s dynasty in tatters. How could he reconcile those two truths? As he wrestled with these ideas, Ethan began his contemplation on what he knew was solid ground: that God is sovereign and worthy of praise. Like Ethan, we will best deal with the issues of our day when we focus first on the wonder and glory of God and choose to praise Him. God alone is worthy of praise, and we receive strength and steadfastness when we ground ourselves in worship. Incidentally, Ethan never found a resolution in his psalm to his questions about God’s sovereignty and the plight of Israel. He left the matter open for future resolution. However, with the benefit of history, we can see the answer to his question today, namely, Jesus Christ. Through Christ, therefore, God has partially fulfilled His promise to Israel and will one day restore them as a nation in the promised land.

Additional Resources

Boice, J. M. (n.d.). Psalms. Vol 1: Psalms 1-41. Baker Books.

MacArthur, J. (2023). Psalms. Hymns for God’s People. Harper Christian Resources.

C. H. Spurgeon. The Treasury of David, Vol 1a, Psalms 1-26.

Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy: The Inferno, trans. Dorothy L. Sayers (Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1951).

Webb, P. (Ed.). (2022). Psalms of grace. The Master's Seminary Press.

Donald Grey Barnhouse, “The Christian and the Old Testament,” booklet 86 in the series of Broadcasts Notes issued to supporters of the Bible Study Hour (Philadelphia: Bible Study Hour, 1959)

Augustine, The Confessions, book 1, paragraph 1, in Basic Writings of Saint Augustine, vol 1, ed Whitney J. Oates (New York: Random House, 1948)

Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms, vol. 3, trans Francis Bolton (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, n.d.)

Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150: A Commentary on Books III-V of the Psalms (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1975)

J. I. Packard, Knowing God (Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity, 1973)