God Keeps His Promises
Notes
Transcript
Due to the length of this Psalm - we’re going to dive right in. I make no promises on time this morning.
Psalm 88 was a dark Psalm. On Wednesday night, we discussed how difficult it is to find any glimmer of hope in this Psalm. However, earlier this summer I had mentioned that these Psalms were not arranged randomly but with intention. And thus the darkness of Psalm 88 leads directly into Psalm 89. This isn’t the upbeat song on an album after a heart wrenching ballad to help you wipe away the tears. The follow up response that comes from Psalm 89 is not a punch on the shoulder, telling you to cheer up, things will get better. The Psalm ends with a lot of questions that are different ways of saying “Where are you God?”
The background of much of this Psalm is the question “Has God forgotten the promises that he has made to David?” This Psalm is at the end of book three. Just as a reminder, book 3 - is the DARK book of the Psalm - as it anticipates the exile from Jerusalem. We read of the temple being destroyed, great sorrow, and of the seeming collapse of the Davidic Kingdom.
The writer of this Psalm is Ethan. Who along side Heman who was wrote last week’s psalm is mentioned in 1 Kings 4:31. Where both of them are used as a standard for wisdom - only to state that Solomon is wiser. Ethan could have either lived at the same time as Solomon and if so he is watching the beginning of the split of the Kingdom involving the Plot from Rehoboam. OR Ethan lived at the same time as the writer of 1 Kings and he’s watching the kingdom literally collapse as Jerusalem is destroyed.
For the sake of time, rather than addressing this verse by verse I will tackle this by section.
1. verses 1-4 - Faithful to his Covenant
2. vv. 5-18 - Faithful to his Character
3. vv. 19-37 Faithful to his Chosen
4. vv. 38-48 Faithful to the Castoff
5. vv. 49-52 Faithful to the faithless
Faithfulness to his Covenant
Faithfulness to his Covenant
1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. 2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
He begins by declaring his dedication to the Lord and his desire to make known the love of God to the generations of the earth. He opens the Psalm with the very thing that was absent from the previous Psalm: praise.
One of the most significant parts of this praise is God’s faithfulness. And this continues to be a theme throughout this Psalm. Even as the Psalmist is facing national collapse he remembers God’s faithfulness…
And this first section deals with God’s faithfulness to his covenant.
Following the praise of verses 1-2, verses 3 and 4 give us context concerning the complaint and the lament of the Psalm.
The psalmist reminds God of his covenant to David in 2 Sam. 7.
And in 2 Sam. 7, David releases that he, the king, lives in a temple and the ark of the covenant resided in a tent. So David determines to build God a house, a temple, and instead the Lord tells David that he will bless him with an offspring who is always on the throne.
It’s not that God has forgotten - God is all knowing. He doesn’t forget. However, the reason why the Psalmist is doing this is because given the current circumstances it seems as if God has indeed forgotten. The Psalmist is seeking to reconcile his theology and his. As we will read later in the Psalm the kingdom is in turmoil.
This is important to understanding the rest of the Psalm since the Psalmist is asking following this… have you forgotten your covenant? Why are these terrible things happening to us? Have you forgotten us?
What they are experiencing is not the Lord forgetting his promises to David - but the Lord remembering his other promises. God promised them in Deuteronomy 28 that if they are not faithful to his commands then he will discipline them and bring his wrath upon them.
And God is faithful to his word… and faithful to his character…
Faithful to his Character
Faithful to his Character
The second section that we will look at today is in verses 5-18.
Verse 5 is a statement concerning all of creation revealing and praising God. This section brings the focus to the greatness of God, and his power of creation.
Take note of verses 5-6:
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! 6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
The Psalm speaks of the greatness of God, and his uniqueness… or his holiness…
8 O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?
Part of the Lord’s uniqueness is that his is uniquely faithful. The Psalmist knows that God is the most faithful - Who is mighty like - who is clothed in faithfulness?
Verse 9 speaks of him ruling the raging of the sea.
9 You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
This has a bit of a double meaning to it. On the one hand there is the basic reading of the verse - God rules over the sea. However, the sea in the ANE, the world of the Old Testament often conveyed chaos and disorder. So there’s this subtle statement here of God on the one hand ruling over the literal seas and oceans and waters, but also God ruling the chaos. This shows the Psalmists understanding that God is sovereign over all creation. It’s in verse 8 right above this that the Psalmist speaks of the Lord’s great might. Verse 10 speaks of God destroying Rahab, a dragon or a sea-monster.
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
God owns all of creation. The fullness of the earth is the Lord. The Psalmist here is demonstrating God’s faithfulness in his power and his might - but also that he rules over all creation. God is faithful in his care for his creation, and in his sovereign rule and guidance of creation.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
The psalmist is intentionally front loading this passage with reminders of God’s righteousness, justice, steadfast love and faithfulness.
Teach yourselves in times of joy and comfort of God’s goodness so when sorrow and tragedy come that which you have learned is ready to comfort you.
Faithfulness in Chaos - would be an appropriate sub-point here as that is a significant theme in this Psalm…
As the Psalmist concludes this second section he makes the transition to the reason for his lament.
17 For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted. 18 For our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
We’ve have seen the language of the horn being exalted before in Psalm 75:10…
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
It is a reference to the power of a nation. However, in this circumstance it is specifically referring to what is spoken of in verse 4 and in verse 19.
Faithful to His Chosen
Faithful to His Chosen
19-37
Verses 19-20 make clear that the nation that he is speaking of is the nation of Israel/Judah - but more specifically he is referring to the Davidic Throne.
19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: “I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. 20 I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him,
The vision In verse 19 is another reminder of 2 Sam 7. Yet it also provides callbacks to other parts of David’s life as well.
And in the following verses we have a repetition of what was promised in 2 Sam 7. The promise to peace from his enemies in 22-24.
26-27 - repeats that Promise that God made to David that God will be a father to the Davidic King.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ 27 And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
I just want to jump too far ahead - since I want us all to see the tension of the lament in the immediate context - as he sees the kingdom splitting - he’s reciting all of this back to God to ask - what is happening? Where are you? Have you forgotten these promises? And the obvious answer is no.
BUT… All this language finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ Jesus - as the Davidic covenant finds its fulfillment in Christ. We know that God hasn’t forgotten them - because we’ve seen the cross and the empty tomb. The Psalmist doesn’t know that yet. And even so, his language anticipates the Christ. And v. 27 is LOADed with Christological implications.
Firstborn
Firstborn - This is language that Paul picks up in Colossians 1:15, 18 where Paul describes Jesus as the firstborn from of all creation, and the firstborn from the dead. This isn’t a statement of origin but rather a statement of rank. Jesus is first in all things. He is preeminent. Ps 89:27 helps us to understand that Colossians 1 cannot be refer to Jesus being created (as mormons and JW will read Colossians 1) but the Psalmist statement here clearly does not refer to a beginning but a status. He is greatest of Kings - He is the King of Kings.
(If the Psalmist knew all this then he wouldn’t be writing this lament - but he’s a few hundred years early - though it further goes to show that even though the world around the Psalmist is seemingly falling apart God does indeed keep the promises that the Psalmist is asking about.)
My wife and I have been slowly watching through The Lord of the Rings movies and there is this scene near the beginning of the first film in the Fellowship of the Ring where Frodo calls Gandalf late and Gandalf responds with “A wizard is never late, nor is he early, Frodo Baggins, he arrives precisely when he means to.”
There may be moments in time where it seems as if the Lord is late to fulfill his promises - but he is never late - he does exactly as he means to. And his fulfillment is always at the perfect fullness of time.
Looking back to the text of Psalm 89:28…
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him.
Another reminder of God’s steadfast love and the covenant made to David, and the promise for his steadfast love to the promised Davidic King. VV30-35 bring in the promised punishments for Israel’s disobedience. That if they fail to keep the covenant he will discipline them, and remove them from the land. There is a sense in which it might seem like 2 Sam 7 and Deut 28 contradict each other. How can God keep his promises to David, if he is also faithful to the promises of wrath that he made to the people before them entered into the land?
The answer to that question is that he will do both. But in Ps 89:35
35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.
There is no tension. Especially as the promise to David includes a promise of discipline.
36 His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me. 37 Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah
As certain as the sun rises each morning, the promised offspring of David will be on the throne. As far as the reality of our lives the only thing we can promise will happen each day, regardless of what ever climate change fear mongers tell us, is that the sun will rise in the morning.
The testimony of the sun and the moon are as sure as the promised king reigning forever. Which we can additional assert that as certain the the sun will rise tomorrow morning we can be certain the King Jesus will return.
Faithful to the Castoff
Faithful to the Castoff
38-45 is where the Psalmist finally gets to the point that I have been hinting at all morning.
READ 38-45.
God has castoff his people and rejected them. The crown has fallen, the enemy has won. All hope is lost.
It seems as if all is for not. This is what the people of God are feeling following the fall of the kingdom - when in 586 BC the city of Jerusalem was destroyed, and into the exile and even in the intertestamental period.
44 You have made his splendor to cease and cast his throne to the ground.
But this happens because God is indeed faithful to his characteristics. He previously warned them that they would face judgement if they did not keep the covenant.
But God does not remove from them his steadfast love, nor is he false to his faithfulness… he is working in the falling of the kingdom here so that at the right time the promised king might be born to a virgin in a manager.
Though the temple has fallen the greater temple is Jesus, God in the flesh, dwelling among us. And much like the first temple was destroyed in 586 BC as an act of God pouring out his judgment on the people - so Christ as he was on the cross had the judgment of God poured out upon him. And it pleased the Father to crush his chosen anointed son. And on the cross the crowd looked upon the crucified messiah - cast off and rejected - hearing him proclaim “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?”
Did Ps 89:45 run through their minds?
45 You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with shame. Selah
Their king had fallen. He had a crown of thorns rather than a crown of gold. Passers by plundered him as they cast wages for his garments. He became a scorn to his neighbors - those who shouted Hosanna at his triumphal entry shouted crucify at his trial.
Though the temple fell and the Davidic kingdom appears to have been forsaken - God is faithful to keep his promises to David through Jesus.
Through the tragedy of the cross comes our salvation - through the cross our King is crowned. He died, rose again and is enthroned forevermore.
Faithful to the Faithless
Faithful to the Faithless
The Psalm ends in the way that it begins where are the first four verses of the psalm speak of the steadfast love of God, the Psalm ends by also speaking of the steadfast love of God. But the tone is seemingly different. Any hope that was present in the opening stanza is gone. Book three of the Psalms ends in despair. Look at those final questions:
How Long O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?
Where is your steadfast love of old? Are you still faithful?
And much like last week’s Psalm - there are various aspects that many of us can relate to in this Psalm.
As we have already seen, God was indeed faithful to his covenant. Though the kingdom split, and the temple fell, through the people were thrown into captivity, their loved ones died, taken of the land - then brought back to the land but under the rule of another nation… King Jesus was born. Lived a life of perfect obedience to free us from the slavery of sin. He paid the debt that we owed for our sins. He bought us with a price - that price was his blood.
One commentary that I read supplied this summary for the Psalm: “The most important time to believe that God’s promises never fail are when they seem to have failed.”
David Platt, Matt Mason, and Jim Shaddix, Exalting Jesus in Psalms 51-100 (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2020), 349.
As we look at this Psalm we should be reminded that God keeps his promises. He is always faithful. Even when we don’t have faith - God is still faithful. Through cancer or calamity, miscarriage or misery, depression or divorce, holocaust or homelessness, God is always faithful. We may not understand his faithfulness, we may feel as if he has abandoned us - but our feelings do not negate his faithfulness.
God will keep all of his promises.
Recall what promises God has made to us.
Christ has told us that he will never leave us nor forsake us.
He has promised that he is working all things according to his will. He is working all things for our good and for his glory. He will not break a bruised reed, or quench a lightly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice (Isaiah 42:2-3).
Jesus has promised that he will return and that when he does he will wipe away every tear. And yet there are moments in this life when we feel like another Psalmist in Psalm 42:3
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”
Our tears have become our food - we are so overwhelmed with sadness that it is as if the only thing we eat are the tears that drop from our eyes. So even when you are drowning in tears - remember that Jesus will wipe every tear away. And that God always keeps his promises.
We live in a broken world - but Jesus has promised that he is making all things new.
And as we eagerly await his return we can delight in the words of the Psalmist here that those who believe in Jesus know who was referred to in Ps 89:27:
27 And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
Jesus, the firstborn of all creation. The one in whom all things were made. Jesus the firstborn from the dead - the only one in whom we find our redemption. There is salvation in no one else.
Jesus is the high of the kings of the earth.
Come Quickly Lord Jesus.