Sermon Tone Analysis
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For many people, their praise towards God matches their mood.
When things are going well, they are happy and feel that God must be blessing them, if indeed they stop to think about him at all.
But when life gets difficult, they are more than just naturally upset—they are convinced God must not be as faithful as they thought.
Or perhaps they automatically begin to think that God must be punishing them for some reason.
This kind of thinking is not Biblical.
If a Christian thinks this way, they become what I call a “yo-yo” Christian.
Just like a Yo-yo goes up and down constantly, their spiritual life does the same.
When they’re up, they are vibrant and on fire for God.
When they’re down, they are not just unhappy, they are spiritually cynical and bitter.
It is natural to be upset in bad times, but our sorrow should never shake our ability to praise God.
Whether we are happy or sad, we should be always able to praise God for his constant faithfulness.
is a celebration of God’s eternal faithfulness.
It was written by an obscure musician hired by David.
His name was Ethan the Ezrahite.
Ethan wrote to celebrate God’s faithfulness to David at a time when it did not seem like God was being very faithful.
This is our third sermon investigating this beautiful Psalm.
In order to understand the third part, let us review the first two sections.
I. God is Faithful in his Character—Praise Him
What makes God’s faithfulness so great?
It is because of the Greatness of our Faithful God.
If a powerful world leader made you a promise, and you knew that they would certainly stick by their promise, then that would be incredible, right?
If you have a dog, you know that they are always loyal too.
But the faithfulness of the world leader is amazing, and the faithfulness of the dog is not, because of how great or little they are.
How do we see God’s greatness?
In heaven the angels stand in awe of him .
They have existed from the dawn of time, and have superhuman strength, wisdom, and intelligence.
Yet they are in such awe of God’s surpassing majesty that the cry “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord” never ceases day or night.
On earth he rules the raging sea .
From north to south, from east to west, all the earth shouts his faithfulness and power.
Even the Devil is no match for the overwhelming majesty of almighty God.
When humans are exalted to great power and majesty, they often become corrupt.
But not God.
He rules in perfect righteousness and justice .
Yet this righteousness does not have to be a threat to unworthy sinners like us, for he freely offers us the chance to become his people though his free gift of salvation.
When we become God’s People we share in God’s righteousness, glory, grace, and strength.
This is why Ethan writes
II.
God is Faithful to his Covenant—Trust Him
Because God is so great, even the smallest promise would be amazing.
But God’s promises are tremendously great.
He delights in making eternal Covenants with people.
A Covenant is a legally binding agreement sealed by a sacred vow.
God makes these covenants with individuals, or with Israel, but they have a way of spilling over to impact the entire world.
His Covenant with David is the one that this psalm focuses on .
God chose David and made him mighty because he is the kind of God who chooses the weak .
God protected David in all the many dangers he faced, because God delights in giving his people the victory.
God promised David’s Son such an exalted status, that only Jesus can fill it .
God gave him absolute authority over land and sea.
He became his Father, which means he inherits God’s stuff - everything; and means that he will chasten him but not abandon him .
God promised that David’s Son would be the highest possible authority, the firstborn of the kings of the earth.
Most of all, this Covenant was forever.
There was no possibility that God would ever change his mind .
III. God is Faithful even in Chastening—Wait for Him
God is always faithful.
But any Christian who has walked with God for a while can tell you that there are many times when it does not seem like God is faithful.
This is because God’s purposes are really long-term.
He can see the end of all things, but we are limited in time; we cannot see the end of the story.
So it is that God’s timing is often way longer than we think it should be.
God has guaranteed the Christian’s ultimate victory in Christ, but the details of the course of our lives are not so clear.
God did not promise skies always blue, life without trials.
But he has promised strength for today.
You might think that having direct prophecy would help you trust more, but this is not the case.
God had given specific direct prophecy about the line of David, but this is what made it even more confusing.
But it is when we cannot see God’s faithfulness that we most need to trust him.
Ethan tells us three kinds of difficulties where we need to continue to trust God for his faithfulness.
A. Look on God beyond your Troubles
Read
This is the first clue we get that not everything is well with God’s promises to David.
We find out that it seems like God has done exactly what the first part of the Psalm tells us he would never do.
That he has already praised God for his faithfulness even in such circumstances tells us that he has not given up on God.
But neither does he live in a dream-world that cannot be affected by life’s troubles.
So even though this last part of the Psalm is very dark, I do not think he wants us to leave depressed.
Instead, he wants us to understand just how dark things are, so that we can still trust God for his faithfulness even when the unimaginable happens.
God had promised that he would chasten David’s sons if they disobeyed.
But it is one thing to know this intellectually, and it is another to actually live it.
They were surprised and dismayed by the cost and fierceness of God’s anger .
When God was angry with another anointed leader of Israel, Moses was denied entrance into the promised land
When God cast off and rejected his temple during the exile, it was completely destroyed
When God rejected Saul, he removed him from being King of Israel
God’s anger had wider effects than just the King.
It impacted the whole nation.
When the enemy broke down walls and damaged fortifications, it was God who made it happen (v.
40).
When the nation lost so much prestige that outsiders began raiding and stealing from people, it was God who allowed it to happen (v.41).
When Israel lost battles and the enemy won, it was God who strengthened their foes and made them lose.
(v.
42-43) When the monarchy lost prestige, it was God who cast his throne to the ground.
(v.44)
When the King was shamed and prematurely aged, it was God who shortened his days and dishonored him.
(v.45)
But when in Israel’s history could this have happened?
If we understand the historical context, it will help us understand Ethan’s experience, which will both help us feel his pain and help us see how he could still trust God anyway.
The first things that comes to the mind of many students of Scripture is the captivity of Jehoiachin in 597 BC.
He was just 18 when he became king and reigned for only three months, which fits with his “days being cut short” ()
2 kgs
Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city, took the King captive along with the best of Israel
Plus the treasures of the King’s house and the Temple and the best citizens of Judah.
2 kgs 24:13-
This fits with the plundering by foreigners, the breaking down of walls, the exaltation of Israel’s enemies, losing the battle, and the loss of the prestige of the monarchy.
I have no doubt that this psalm was a huge encouragement for those who lived through this time.
Imagine what it would have been like to live through this.
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