Psalm 89 A Contemplation of Ethan the Ezrahite.

 ¹I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever;

With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.

²For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever;

Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.”

³“I have made a covenant with My chosen,

I have sworn to My servant David:

⁴‘Your seed I will establish forever,

And build up your throne to all generations.’ ” Selah

⁵And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;

Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.

⁶For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord?

Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord?

⁷God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,

And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.

⁸O Lord God of hosts,

Who is mighty like You, O Lord?

Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

⁹You rule the raging of the sea;

When its waves rise,

You still them.

¹⁰You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain;

You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

¹¹The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;

The world and all its fullness,

You have founded them.

¹²The north and the south,

You have created them;

Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.

¹³You have a mighty arm;

Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.

¹⁴Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Mercy and truth go before Your face.

¹⁵Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!

They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.

¹⁶In Your name they rejoice all day long,

And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

¹⁷For You are the glory of their strength,

And in Your favor our horn is exalted.

¹⁸For our shield belongs to the Lord,

And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁹Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one,

And said: “I have given help to one who is mighty;

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

²⁰I have found My servant David;

With My holy oil I have anointed him,

²¹With whom My hand shall be established;

Also My arm shall strengthen him.

²²The enemy shall not outwit him,

Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

²³I will beat down his foes before his face,

And plague those who hate him.

²⁴“But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,

And in My name his horn shall be exalted.

²⁵Also I will set his hand over the sea,

And his right hand over the rivers.

²⁶He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,

My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

²⁷Also I will make him My firstborn,

The highest of the kings of the earth.

²⁸My mercy I will keep for him forever,

And My covenant shall stand firm with him.

²⁹His seed also I will make to endure forever,

And his throne as the days of heaven.

³⁰“If his sons forsake My law

And do not walk in My judgments,

³¹If they break My statutes

And do not keep My commandments,

³²Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,

And their iniquity with stripes.

³³Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him,

Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.

³⁴My covenant I will not break,

Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

³⁵Once I have sworn by My holiness;

I will not lie to David:

³⁶His seed shall endure forever,

And his throne as the sun before Me;

³⁷It shall be established forever like the moon,

Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah

³⁸But You have cast off and abhorred,

You have been furious with Your anointed.

³⁹You have renounced the covenant of Your servant;

You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

⁴⁰You have broken down all his hedges;

You have brought his strongholds to ruin.

⁴¹All who pass by the way plunder him;

He is a reproach to his neighbors.

⁴²You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries;

You have made all his enemies rejoice.

⁴³You have also turned back the edge of his sword,

And have not sustained him in the battle.

⁴⁴You have made his glory cease,

And cast his throne down to the ground.

⁴⁵The days of his youth You have shortened;

You have covered him with shame. Selah

⁴⁶How long, Lord?

Will You hide Yourself forever?

Will Your wrath burn like fire?

⁴⁷Remember how short my time is;

For what futility have You created all the children of men?

⁴⁸What man can live and not see death?

Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave? Selah

⁴⁹Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses,

Which You swore to David in Your truth?

⁵⁰Remember, Lord, the reproach of Your servants

How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,

⁵¹With which Your enemies have reproached, O Lord,

With which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed.

⁵²Blessed be the Lord forevermore! Amen and Amen.

Preamble: “Ethan the Ezrahite, (his name means permanence), is the man whom God choose to bring forth His Word for us in this Psalm. He was from the tribe of Judah, and he was a wise counselor, singer/musician and possibly a prophet in David’s court. Of note of him is that Solomon is compared to him in terms of exceeding even him in wisdom (1 Kings 4:31).

 Commentary

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever;

With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.”

Ethan opens this Psalm by declaring his desire to sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; to make known the Lord’s faithfulness to all generations. Ethan than was a worshipper of the Lord. His words reflect not only his own hearts desire but the hearts of us all who believe in the Lord.

Vs. 2 For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever;

Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.”

Knowing the Lord in truth gives Ethan and us all full confidence that His, “Mercy shall be built up forever.” For this is God’s ultimate desire, that while doing justice He can show mercy to us all who believe in Him. For this is what the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished for us all who believe in Him, God’s everlasting mercies being freely extended to us all who repent and believe. His faithfulness than He has established in the very heavens, where there is no end!

s. 3-4 ³“I have made a covenant with My chosen,

I have sworn to My servant David:

⁴‘Your seed I will establish forever,

And build up your throne to all generations.’ ” Selah

Ethan now recalls God's Word to His servant David. His promise to preserve his seed and his throne forever. For the Lord has chosen David and He swore to him to establish his seed (i.e., offspring) forever. Which must be first seen as the Lord Jesus Christ who as the Son of Man was descended through David's lineage. Therefore God's Promise to establish David’s throne forever was done for the Lord Jesus Christ to Reign from forever. What an honor than for Davis to have been chosen to be the man from which God would establish His Son’s very Throne. 

Vs. 5 “And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;

Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.”

Ethan now marvels at the Lord’s wonderous works, saying, “the heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.” For the Lord does many wonderous things in the sight of men, here by preparing His own Sons Throne through mortal man, but more to the point He redeems sinful men and women through Christ Jesus as the Son of Man! sinners like you, like me, like David. Therefore, the very heavens themselves will declare the Lord’s faithfulness in the assembly of His saints.

Vs. 6 For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord?

Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord?

The Lord has no equal, no one in the heavens can be compared to Him. He is the I AM. For there was nothing before Him and there can be nothing without Him. He is above all gods, all spirits, all religions, all theologies, all philosophies, all cultures, all sciences, everything. And as for the mighty on earth, they are all mere mortals whose lives He sustains or takes away according to His own Will. None then can be likened to Him. 

Vs. 7 “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,

And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.”

Therefore, “God is to be greatly feared in the assembly of saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.” (Consider Lev. 10:3). It is then incumbent upon us as His redeemed people to do this. To make our places of worship and prayer, places where He is greatly feared and highly esteemed. Where reverence of His person is first and foremost, especially in our Sunday services. Now this begins by having Him in highest regard in our hearts. 

 Vs. 8-10 ⁸O Lord God of hosts,

Who is mighty like You, O Lord?

Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

⁹You rule the raging of the sea;

When its waves rise,

You still them.

¹⁰You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain;

You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

 The Lord God of hosts (i.e. the heavens) alone is the Mighty One, the Only One we are to fear. For His faithfulness surrounds Him, and we as His creation in heaven and on earth are the recipients of it! For He alone rules the raging seas whose power we observe, He alone stills them. And as for Rahab, the mighty Egyptian empire which at its peak was thought unbreakable, He broke and cast it down like one who is slain, for when He did it has never regained its strength and it never will, for He commanded that it should never rise again to rule the nations (Ezekiel 29:13-16; 30:15-19; 32:15-21 etc.). And as with Egypt, the Lord our God scattered all His enemies with His mighty arm, all nations are nothing before Him, none can be compared to Him, or withstand Him! (consider Isaiah 34:1-4; 40:17-18). 

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;

The world and all its fullness,

You have founded them.

¹²The north and the south,

You have created them;

Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.

The Lord having created everything then owns everything, all things are His, the heavens and the earth, the world and all its fulness. For He founded them, the north, and the south He created them. Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon (two infamous mountains in Israel) then rejoice in His Name, for He raised them up and gave them their glory. Therefore, He is exalted in them!

Vs. 13 “You have a mighty arm;

Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.”

Mighty then is the arm of the Lord, and strong is His hand, and high is His right hand, all which speaks to His Sovereign Awesome Power! The Lord neither bows nor cowers before anybody or anything!

Vs. 14 “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Mercy and truth go before Your face.”

And as for His Works, Righteousness and Justice are the foundations of His throne. Mercy and Truth go before His face. No one in heaven and earth is like Him. Perfectly Just in all His judgments and decisions. For He is not swayed or moved to compromise His Words perfect principals (while maintaining mercy and truth) like mortal men, rulers, kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers are.

Vs. 15-17 “Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!

They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.

¹⁶In Your name they rejoice all day long,

And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

¹⁷For You are the glory of their strength,

And in Your favor our horn is exalted.”

¹⁸For our shield belongs to the Lord,

And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Blessed are we who know the joyful sound of His praise yes, but more to the point His voice in His Word (consider John 10:1-5). Therefore, we walk O Lord, in the light of Your countenance, for it is You who guides us. And in Your Name, the Lord Jesus Christ’s Name, which is the Name above every name (Eph. 1:15-21), we rejoice all day long! For by Your Name we are saved, brought into the New Covenant with Yourself, and in Your Righteousness we are exalted, lifted on high, into Your very Presence! For it is the Lord who is the glory of our strength, who in His favor now towards us strengthens us (vs. 15-17). “For our shield belongs to the Lord, And our king to the Holy One of Israel.” Now in verse eighteen Ethan recalls that Lord is the defender of Israel the nation, and that Israel's king belongs to the Holy One. Strong statements then for God's intercession on their behalf. 

Vs. 19 “Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one,

And said: “I have given help to one who is mighty;

I have exalted one chosen from the people.”

Now in recalling God’s speaking to His holy one, is Nathan recalling how God spoke to Samuel to anoint David king; however, as the verse goes on to say, “I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.” Cannot be referring to David, and must be referring to the Lord Jesus, because David was a mere youth, a shepherd boy when chosen by God, and though God did exalt David from amongst the people, his being raised up was for His own Son’s very Person and Throne.

Vs. 20-24 ²⁰I have found My servant David;

With My holy oil I have anointed him,

²¹With whom My hand shall be established;

Also My arm shall strengthen him.

²²The enemy shall not outwit him,

Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

²³I will beat down his foes before his face,

And plague those who hate him.

²⁴“But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,

And in My name his horn shall be exalted.

The psalm now returns to God’s raising up David after God’s rejection of Saul. For Saul was the king the people wanted, whom God then gave them, but Saul proved himself unfaithful to God, and so David was the man God chose and raised up for them. Therefore the Lord God sent His servant Samuel the prophet to anoint David, the youngest of Jessies sons, to be Israel’s king. These verses then reveal an astounding amount of faithfulness that God has shown to His chosen servant David. Notice it was God who promised to establish David by His hand, that it was His arm that strengthened him, that it was He who made sure that the enemy could not outwit him, and that the sons of wickedness would not afflict him. For it was God who beat down his foes before his face, and it was God who plagued those who hated him. David’s then being established as king and subduing the nations around Israel was not by his own doing, but God’s (vs. 20-23). Therefore, these things were done for David according to God’s Promises spoken to him (see 2 Samuel 7:1-17), Indeed God's faithfulness and His mercy as He promised him was with him, and in the Lord's Name, David's horn ( a metaphor for strength or longevity) was exalted. 

Vs. 25-27 ²⁵Also I will set his hand over the sea,

And his right hand over the rivers.

²⁶He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,

My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

²⁷Also I will make him My firstborn,

The highest of the kings of the earth.

Once again the Psalm moves into the realm of God's Son. For in all these verses there is a clear indication of the Lord Jesus Christ through David The setting of his hand over the sea and his right hand over rivers speaks to one’s kingdom’s sovereign domain (vs. 25), and in this God’s Promise to Christ is now known (Luke 1:33). God declaring that he would cry to Him, “You are my Father My God…,” is seen in both of their lives (vs. 26). That God would make him His firstborn is God saying that He would treat him as a first-born son with all of the rights and privileges of being so. And we know that this applies to Christ in the most profound ways (Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15, 18; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 1:5). Again, that God would make him the highest of the kings of the earth clearly moves beyond David, to Christ (Phil. 2:9-11; Rev. 19:16 etc.).

Vs. 28-29 “My mercy I will keep for him forever,

And My covenant shall stand firm with him.

²⁹His seed also I will make to endure forever,

And his throne as the days of heaven.”

And so God’s promises of mercy to David and of His Covenant standing firm with him (2 Samuel 7:15-16) must be seen reaching well beyond him to Christ. For David’s seed is fulfilled in Christ and His Kingdom and Throne will have no end (Luke 1:33).

Vs. 30-32 ³⁰“If his sons forsake My law

And do not walk in My judgments,

³¹If they break My statutes

And do not keep My commandments,

³²Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,

And their iniquity with stripes.

The Psalm now moves back to David and his house with a warning, that God would punish their unfaithfulness. For His covenant with David did not mean that his descendants could ride on his coattails with immunity. No, they themselves had a responsibility to God, just as David had. Thus, if they do not walk in God’s judgments and they break His statutes, and do not keep His commandments, then God Promised that He would punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes. All which is seen in the legacy and lives many of Judah's kings who came after David, kings who God rejected (Ezekiel 43:9).

Vs. 33-37 ³³Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him,

Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.

³⁴My covenant I will not break,

Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

³⁵Once I have sworn by My holiness;

I will not lie to David:

³⁶His seed shall endure forever,

And his throne as the sun before Me;

³⁷It shall be established forever like the moon,

Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah

Turning away from them, and returning to God’s covenant with David, Nathan recalls God’s Promise to never take His lovingkindness away from him, nor allow His faithfulness to fail. For even when David’s posterity went astray, God Himself preserved His throne because of His Promise to him (see 1 Kings 11:26-40, vs. 36; 1 Kings 15:1-5, vs. 4; 2 Kings 8:10 etc.). That David’s seed (i.e., offspring) would endure forever is again clearly pointing to Christ, who as the Son of Man came through David’s lineage. Same with his throne enduring as the sun before Him, that it shall be established forever like the moon and like the faithful witness in the sky, all then ultimately speaks to the Lord Jesus Christ, His people, His Throne.

Vs. 38-39 ³⁸But You have cast off and abhorred,

You have been furious with Your anointed.

³⁹You have renounced the covenant of Your servant;

You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

The frustration of Ethan the Ezrahite now is heard, for the Babylonians had invaded the land of Judah, overthrew Jerusalem, and destroyed its Temple. However, these things were done according to Word of the Lord spoken to His people through His prophets, who warned them night and day that their continuing in their idolatry and faithfulness to Him would only lead to their own captivity and Jerusalem’s plundering. Thus, at that time it must have seen to them that God had renounced the covenant of his servant, that He had removed his throne forever. Nonetheless as we know God did not do that, Jeremiah’s 70-year prophecy of their captivity also assured their being returned to their land, and thus God continuing His promise to David to establish his throne forever. Which brings us to David’s lineage which comes right down to Jesus Christ born in Bethlehem, to Mary the virgin betrothed to Joseph whose lineage traces right back to David (see Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38). In Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior then God has fulfilled His Word and Covenant to David. For it is in Jesus Christ that David’s throne will be perpetuated forever!

Vs. 40-45 ⁴⁰You have broken down all his hedges;

You have brought his strongholds to ruin.

⁴¹All who pass by the way plunder him;

He is a reproach to his neighbors.

⁴²You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries;

You have made all his enemies rejoice.

⁴³You have also turned back the edge of his sword,

And have not sustained him in the battle.

⁴⁴You have made his glory cease,

And cast his throne down to the ground.

⁴⁵The days of his youth You have shortened;

You have covered him with shame. Selah

If nothing else then in these verses you should learn that God’s chastisement of either individuals or nations does not then mean His abandonment of them. For though God raised up the Babylonians to bring Judah and Jerusalem to desolation; for all their crimes and the defilement and abominations that they themselves committed in His holy land, city, and temple (see Ezekiel 8:1-18; Ezekiel 9:9-10 etc.). He did not abandon them, but He let them reap the consequences of all their sins as testified too here in these verses and many, many, others (read the Book of Lamentations). And this happened to them all because they would not listen to Him (Jeremiah 2:4-37; 11:7-8; 25:1-14 Seventy-year prophecy; 25:15-17; 44:4-6 and on it goes). Thus David here is being used here for e metaphor for the nation. 

Vs. 46 “How long, Lord?

Will You hide Yourself forever?

Will Your wrath burn like fire?”

In seeing his beloved nation and people brought so low, Nathan can only ask, how long, Lord? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire? (vs. 46). Basically when will their chastisement end? But we know that the Lord only relents when His people repent, when they humble themselves and they confess that they have sinned, and they turn, or return to Him.

Vs. 47-48 ⁴⁷Remember how short my time is;

For what futility have You created all the children of men?

⁴⁸What man can live and not see death?

Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave? Selah

Ethan’s plea for the nation, and here for himself continues, for he is not a proud man, nor a self sufficient man, for knows how short his time is down here; he knows its not of his own strength or hand to either save himself, or preserve himself. thus, he asks Our Eternal Lord to remember this as well. Indeed, in his troubled state he only sees his life as futility, just as Job did in his. Nonetheless greater things await us all who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ no matter what our lives circumstances maybe down here. For on that Day death shall be shallowed up by life, and darkness by light! All sorrow and sadness than shall flee away forever! Which should compel us all to be ready for our lives end down here and when our eternities begin. For what we do down here will affect our eternities forever (John 5:24-30), better than to repent and believe while we can then continue in one’s indifference and unbelief and then only be faced with a most sorrowful darkened eternal end.

Vs. 49 “Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses,

Which You swore to David in Your truth?”

Once again God’s covenant with David is brought forth as a means of justification for the nation, as a means of God being merciful to them all. Now as strong as that covenant was, it by no means comes near the New Covenant God has made with us all who believe in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. For God’s lovingkindnesses, His mercies, His grace can now come freely to us all because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us all, amen.

Vs. 50-52 ⁵⁰Remember, Lord, the reproach of Your servants

How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,

⁵¹With which Your enemies have reproached, O Lord,

With which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed.

⁵²Blessed be the Lord forevermore! Amen and Amen.

Finally, in asking for the Lord’s deliverance, Ethan asks that the Lord remember the reproach that His servants have born for Him, how he himself daily bears in his bosom the reproach of many peoples. How they reproach him for his faith in Him, even reproaching the footsteps of God’s anointed. Thus, there is no fear of God in any of them, nonetheless they will fear Him! Therefore, in closing lets us say, let us know and believe that faith in the Lord always triumphs over evil, thus we can all say, “Blessed be the Lord forevermore! Amen and Amen.”

 Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.

 

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Psalm 88 A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath Leannoth.” a Contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite.

 ¹O Lord, God of my salvation,

I have cried out day and night before You.

²Let my prayer come before You;

Incline Your ear to my cry.

³For my soul is full of troubles,

And my life draws near to the grave.

⁴I am counted with those who go down to the pit;

I am like a man who has no strength,

⁵Adrift among the dead,

Like the slain who lie in the grave,

Whom You remember no more,

And who are cut off from Your hand.

⁶You have laid me in the lowest pit,

In darkness, in the depths.

⁷Your wrath lies heavy upon me,

And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah

⁸You have put away my acquaintances far from me;

You have made me an abomination to them;

I am shut up, and I cannot get out;

⁹My eye wastes away because of affliction.

Lord, I have called daily upon You;

I have stretched out my hands to You.

¹⁰Will You work wonders for the dead?

Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah

¹¹Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?

Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?

¹²Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?

And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

¹³But to You I have cried out, O Lord,

And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

¹⁴Lord, why do You cast off my soul?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

¹⁵I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth;

I suffer Your terrors;

I am distraught.

¹⁶Your fierce wrath has gone over me;

Your terrors have cut me off.

¹⁷They came around me all day long like water;

They engulfed me altogether.

¹⁸Loved one and friend

You have put far from me,

And my acquaintances into darkness.

Preamble: If Job had written a Psalm during his troubles this would be it. For there are many parallels between his own sufferings and what is declared here, and maybe yours as well. Now Heman was one of the chief singers in David's choir, so what do you do when a worship leader falls into a deep state of despair?

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 “O Lord, God of my salvation,

I have cried out day and night before You.”

²Let my prayer come before You;

Incline Your ear to my cry.

The Psalm opens with a strong declaration of faith in the Lord, who is the God of my salvation, and hopefully your as well. It however quickly moves into their distress. For day and night they have cried out before the Lord without their prayer being seemingly heard or answered. Therefore, in deep supplication they ask that their prayer come before our God, and He incline His ear to them. Now some may ask why are there seasons in our lives when our prayers seemingly go unheard or unanswered? To which I have no simple answer, but which I will respond by saying that during Job’s own sufferings God never abandoned him, and through his sufferings God not only exposed and rebuked some deeply held but wrong beliefs by Jobs friends, (which were a common theology back then, and sadly even now on why people suffer), but ultimately He brought about Job’s own change by these things by exposing his own sinfulness to him, (something that righteous people often have a hard time seeing in themselves), and through Jobs sufferings God has brought about great comfort and understanding to innumerable generations of His own children whom He also patiently suffers with. But enough of that back to the Psalm. 

Vs. 3-5 ³For my soul is full of troubles,

And my life draws near to the grave.

⁴I am counted with those who go down to the pit;

I am like a man who has no strength,

⁵Adrift among the dead,

Like the slain who lie in the grave,

Whom You remember no more,

And who are cut off from Your hand.

Their appeal to God continues as they declare to Him that very depths of their despair, saying that their soul is full of troubles, and that their very life has now drawn near to the grave (Vs. 3). These then are not exaggerations, but declarations of someone hanging on for dear life! For by their own words people have already written them off, considered them as good as dead, while they themselves find no mortal strength to carry on (vs.4). They have even begun to see themselves in that light, like one adrift among the dead, cast away with the slain in the grave; like those whom God remembers no more, who are cut off from His hand (vs. 5). It is all very depressing language, but it is what they are feeling in their sorrowful plight, and so they are expressing their feelings truthfully to God, for this is what they need to do to keep themselves afloat.

Vs. 6-9 ⁶You have laid me in the lowest pit,

In darkness, in the depths.

⁷Your wrath lies heavy upon me,

And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah

⁸You have put away my acquaintances far from me;

You have made me an abomination to them;

I am shut up, and I cannot get out;

⁹My eye wastes away because of affliction.

Lord, I have called daily upon You;

I have stretched out my hands to You.

The Psalmist now sees God as having laid all of this upon them. For it is hard to see God favoring one when one is faced with such a dark and ominous plight with no answers for it. And so here we see the Psalmist expressing that, just like how Job expressed his own sense of being abandoned by God. And yet as we know with Job God did not abandon him. Nonetheless in their despair they only see God as having laid them in the lowest pit, in a place of darkness, far into the depths (vs. 6). For the Psalmist feels that they are now under God’s wrath, that waves of His Judgment and wrath have taken hold of them (vs. 7). As evidence of this they now declare to God that He has also put all their acquaintances far from them, that He has made him an abomination to them (consider Job 19:13-20). They feel so helpless in their circumstances, they even feel that they have been shut up with no way out (vs. 8). Even their eye wastes away because of their affliction, and yet he has daily called upon the Lord, he has stretched out his hands to Him in prayer, he has not abandoned God. 

Vs. 10-13 ¹⁰Will You work wonders for the dead?

Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah

¹¹Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?

Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?

¹²Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?

And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

¹³But to You I have cried out, O Lord,

And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

The Psalmist now turns from declaring his own despair and plight to now questions, questions from a humbled heart meant to move the Lord to his relief and defense. 

Verse ten “Will You work wonders for the dead?

Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah”

The answer is no. Death in O.T. times meant the end of all connection with the living, at least as far as having and enjoying their fellowship, for in Sheol there is no provisions for fellowship with God or man. However, in the N.T. because of Christ’s death on the Cross and Resurrection from the dead our mortal death is not our end, just our beginning with Him and all His saints, all of our believing loved ones who went before us, together again in heaven forever!

Their appeal continues, saying,

“Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?

Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?”

Again, the answer is no. Sheol in the O.T. is the place of silence and darkness, it is the grave, there is no joy or singing there. Therefore, their appeal to the Lord to restore them is based upon their desire to continue to declare the Lord’s lovingkindness and faithfulness even though they have been severely tested by Him. For they have not abandoned their faith in Lord during all of this. For they continue to cry out to the Lord and make their prayers to Him every morning (vs. 13).

 Vs. 14-16 ¹⁴Lord, why do You cast off my soul?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

¹⁵I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth;

I suffer Your terrors;

I am distraught.

¹⁶Your fierce wrath has gone over me;

Your terrors have cut me off.

The questions asked in verse fourteen cannot be answered by me, yet they are the honest expressions of someone who is being greatly afflicted, someone who believes in the Lord, and yet whose life from their youth has seemingly been a life of suffering. And yet once again they find themselves suffering terrors, which they rightly or wrongly attribute to the Lord. For as we know with Job who went through the same, the Lord was not the author of his troubles, Satan was. And so sadly in their distraught state they conclude this Psalm by saying that God’s fierce wrath has gone over them and that His terrors have cut them off. It seems then that that they believe all is lost, and yet they could only see what God has planned for the rest of their life what would have written, would it be the same dark gloomy end? I know in my own life that there have been seasons, many years in it when it seemed to me (and others as well) that all was lost, and yet here I live today decades later, held up and held onto by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yes, today as I enter my senior years, my life is more fuller and more abundant than it has ever been at any point previously in it. Amazing! All I can say is thankyou Lord for all that you have done and continue to do, even when I do not immediately see it or perceive it, for You have kept me and sustained me through it all! For You Lord are always working all things together for my (our) good, amen!

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.

Psalm 87 A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song.

 ¹His foundation is in the holy mountains.

²The Lord loves the gates of Zion

More than all the dwellings of Jacob.

³Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah

⁴“I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me;

Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia:

‘This one was born there.’ ”

⁵And of Zion it will be said,

“This one and that one were born in her;

And the Most High Himself shall establish her.”

⁶The Lord will record,

When He registers the peoples:

“This one was born there.” Selah

⁷Both the singers and the players on instruments say,

“All my springs are in you.”

Commentary

Vs. 1-3 ¹His foundation is in the holy mountains.

²The Lord loves the gates of Zion

More than all the dwellings of Jacob.

³Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah

This Psalm celebrates the city of God, not only Zion on earth, but the heavenly Jerusalem that is come (see Rev. 21:1-26)! It opens with a declaration that God’s foundation is in the holy mountains, for He has founded it there and made holy the place where He resides (Vs. 1). Of course, then He loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob (i.e., Israel), because from the beginning, long before David by will of God even set his heart upon it, God knew it and choose it so that His dwelling would be there. And because this is where God will reside on earth with redeemed mankind (see Rev. 21:1-4), glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God!? For again God’s Presence there completely sanctifies and will beautify it forever!

Vs. 4 “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me;

Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia:

‘This one was born there.’ ”

Having glorifying His Place, now both Rahab (i.e., Egypt) and Babylon are mentioned as being known by God. Now these were the two greatest Gentile kingdoms in the ancient era, also mentioned are Israel’s arch nemesis Philistia, here aligned with Tyre and Ethiopia, which apparently have also turned to the Lord in faith, for the Lord says of them to His people of them, “This one was born there.” These then must be some of the nations of Christ’s Millennial Reign that He will Reign over.

Vs. 5 And of Zion it will be said,

“This one and that one were born in her;

And the Most High Himself shall establish her.”

Zion is now singled out as the spiritual birthplace of not only nations, but many people, for individuals from all nations shall flow to Zion seeking the Lord and they shall find Him (consider Isaiah 2:1-4). For it will be the Most High Himself who shall establish her.

Vs. 6 The Lord will record,

When He registers the peoples:

“This one was born there.” Selah

All people then who come home to Christ shall be recorded in God’s Book. They shall be known by Him, for God shall declare them as His own when He registers the peoples, saying, his one was born there.” And so, even in midst of the Old Testament hostilities, God was not only preparing His Sons Kingdom, but also foretelling us of the many peoples, His former enemies, who will be registered as His own during Christ's Reign. The invitation to new and everlasting life through the Lord Jesus Christ then goes out to everybody here and now, to believe Him and receive Him for yourselves!

Vs. 7 Both the singers and the players on instruments say,

“All my springs are in you.”

With the Lord's heavenly Jerusalem descended on earth as the capital of the world, as the pinnacle city of His Kingdom, it will be a place of perpetual joy and singing. None of the sorrows and tragedies that the earthly Jerusalem knew will be known by anyone there. Everyone there will say, "All my springs are in you.”

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.