Psalm 89: An Analysis
“God’s sovereignty confirms his gracious promises, promises that prompt prayer in dark times. The means by which Ethan seeks to lift his heart into the Lord is a mosaic of God’s redemptive attributes: strong love (vv. 1–4; Rom 8:37), creational might (Ps. 89:5–13, Jer. 31:35; Rom. 8:21), righteous mediation (Ps. 89:14, 18–29; Heb. 12:22–24), joy-giving presence (Ps. 89:15–17; John 3:29–30), and fatherly discipline (Ps. 89:30–37; Heb. 12:7). All of these traits have been fulfilled and climactically embodied in Christ, who embodies all of God’s promises (Rom. 1:1–6)” (The Gospel Transformation Bible, 735–736).
The aim of this post is to present a brief analysis of the structure and theology of Psalm 89 and to consider possible applications for the psalm in the corporate worship service.
Psalm 89: English Standard Version (ESV)
I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord
A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
89 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.”
3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah
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,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him?
8 O Lord God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O Lord,
with your faithfulness all around you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
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.
12 The north and the south, you have created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
16 who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
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.
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,
21 so that my hand shall be established with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him;
the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
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.
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
29 I will establish his offspring forever
and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my rules,
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod
and their iniquity with stripes,
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.
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
38 But now you have cast off and rejected;
you are full of wrath against your anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
you have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have breached all his walls;
you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All who pass by plunder him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
and you have not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his splendor to cease
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with shame. Selah
46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is!
For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
48 What man can live and never see death?
Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah
49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,
51 with which your enemies mock, O Lord,
with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.
52 Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Background:
Psalm 89, the last psalm of the third book, was written by Ethan. It is unclear who Ethan is or when this psalm was written. Gill offers some insight on the psalm’s purpose when he states that “ it is [a] ‘maschil,’ an instructive psalm, a psalm causing to understand; it treats concerning the covenant of grace, and the promises of it; and concerning the mercy and faithfulness of God, in making and keeping the same; and concerning the Messiah and his seed, his church and people; and the stability and duration of all these” (Exposition of the Bible).
The genre classification of this psalm is debated, and some even believe that the psalm was originally three separate psalms. Matthew Mitchell states that “earlier commentators viewed this dramatic shift as one of the signs of the psalm’s origin in two or three separate psalms, although more recent studies emphasize the thematic unity and integrity of the psalm” (Mitchell, 515). Mitchell believes the psalm to be an “angry lament” rather than genres attributed by other scholars such as a prophetic complaint or a royal psalm (Mitchell, 526–527). William Pohl argues that Psalm 89 is a messianic psalm that “encourages hope in a return for David in the midst of lament” (Pohl, 507–508).
Structure
James Ward thoroughly analyses the literary divisions of Psalm 89. He notes that it is difficult to place this psalm into “strophic arrangement,” but he states that “there are discernible groups of lines, however, which can be called strophes in a broad sense” (Ward, 324). His literary analysis shows that there are sections including:
- the introduction (2–5 [1–4 ESV, KJV, ect.][1])
- the hymn (6–19 [5–18])
- the oracle (20–38 [19–37])
- first section of lament (39–46 [38–45]
- and the final section of the lament (47–52 [46–51]) (Ward, 324–327).
In his literary analysis he finds that the psalm is one poem with connected parts. He notes some interesting literary devices. He shows parallelism in verses two and five [1,4] and three and five [2,4], and he claims that the climax of the psalm’s opening is verses 18–19 [17–18] with the “parallel terms our horn and our king” (Ward, 325). The last six verses are divided into two triplets. Ward states that “in each of these the third line (vss. 48, 52 [47, 51]) is a synonymous parallel to the second (vss. 47, 51 [46, 50]); while the middle line of each begins with the injunction Remember” (Ward, 326). The psalm can also be divided by content.
C. I. Scofield divides Psalm 89 into four parts. He argues the following division: first, “The covenant, though springing from the lovingkindness of Jehovah, yet rests upon His oath” (1–4), second, “Jehovah is glorified for His power and goodness in connection with the covenant” (5–18), third, Jehovah’s response (19–37), and fourth, the remnant’s plea (38–52) (Scofield, 643).[2] Notably, many scholars consider verse 52 to be a doxology at the end of book three rather than the closing verse of the psalm (The Pulpit Commentary, 238).
Theological Analysis
Since the structure of the psalm has been explained, I now turn to a brief theological analysis. In the introduction, God is praised for his faithfulness and his role in the Davidic covenant (The Pulpit Commentary, 238). The psalmist exalts the Lord’s mercy in verse one of the psalm, and in verse two he expresses God’s establishment of his [God’s] faithfulness. In verses three and four the psalmist writes of the Davidic covenant and its eternal establishment. This promise is messianic, pointing to Christ fulfilling the covenant (The Pulpit Commentary, 239).
The hymn (5–18) lauds God’s greatness “in heaven (vers. 5–7), in nature (vers. 9, 11, 12) and in the course of his rule on earth (vers. 10, 13–18)” (The Pulpit Commentary, 239). The oracle lauds God for the Davidic promises (19–37). Verses thirty-four to thirty-seven express that the covenant was sworn by the perfection of God, and it will last eternally.
The lament (38–51) suddenly changes the mood of the Psalm. In these verses, one may think that the Davidic covenant is broken. Seemingly “God is wroth with his anointed, has made void the covenant with him, profaned his crown and cast it to the Ground, turned the edge of his sword, and made him not to stand in the battle; he has laid his land open to the enemy, broken down its defences, brought its strongholds to ruin, given it as a spoil to all who pass by; he has set up the right hand of Israel’s adversaries, caused them to rejoice and triumph in Israel’s disgrace and suffering; he has covered the king in shame, and cut short the days of his youth” (The Pulpit Commentary, 241). In verse forty-six, the psalmist appeals to the almighty. He asks the Lord “how long” the trial will last, and he request the Lord to “remember.” From here the answer must be that the faithful Lord will fulfill his promises through the divine person Jesus Christ.
Application in Worship
Psalm 89 has many rich elements for corporate worship. The first thirty-seven verses include much that can be used during the exaltation and adoration portions of the liturgy, and the final doxology could be proclaimed as a response throughout the service. This psalm is great for congregational or responsive reading. For example, the pastor could read the odd verses and the congregation could read the even verses. Psalm 89 offers a great text for congregational song. Isaac Watts’s paraphrase,[3] divided into six sections, and Sternhold and Hopkins’ versification[4] are tools that pastors can use to sing this psalm. In conclusion, this messianic psalm provides rich nourishment for congregations when it is used in the liturgy. “Blessed be the Lord forever more. Amen and Amen (vs. 52).”
Bibliography
Chapell, Bryan ed. The Gospel Transformation Bible (ESV). Wheaton: Crossway, 2013.
Exell, Joseph S. and H. D. M. Spence ed. “Psalms” in The Pulpit Commentary vol. 8. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962.
Floyd, Michael H. “Psalm LXXXIX: A Prophetic Complaint about the Fulfillment of an Oracle.” Vetus Testamentum 42, no. 4 (October 1992): 442–57. http://aaron.swbts.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.aaron.swbts.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLA0000859043&site=ehost-live.
Gill, John. Exposition to the Bible. https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/psalms-89-introduction.html.
Henry, Matthew. “Job to Song of Solomon” in Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible new Modern Edition vol. 3. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, 1991.
Mitchell, Matthew W. “Genre Disputes and Communal Accusatory Laments: Reflections on the Genre of Psalm Lxxxix.” Vetus Testamentum 55, no. 4 (2005): 511–27. http://aaron.swbts.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.aaron.swbts.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLA0001488293&site=ehost-live.
Pohl, William C. “A Messianic Reading of Psalm 89: A Canonical and Intertextual Study.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 58, no. 3 (September 2015): 507–25. http://aaron.swbts.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.aaron.swbts.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLAiBCB160506001614&site=ehost-live.
Scofield, C. I. ed. The Classic King James Study Bible. Uhrichsville: Barbour Puvblishing.
Ward, James M. “Literary Form and Liturgical Background of Psalm 89.” Vetus Testamentum11, no. 3 (July 1961): 321–39. http://aaron.swbts.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.aaron.swbts.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLA0000685102&site=ehost-live.
[1] Ward’s translation seemingly numbers the verses differently than common translations such as the ESV and KJV. In this post, I bracket the common numbering as seen in the ESV and KJV.
[2] Michael Floyd provides a helpful outline of the psalm in his article “Psalm LXXXIX: A Prophetic Complaint About the Fulfillment of an Oracle” (448–449)
[3] < https://hymnary.org/browse/scripture/Psalms/89>
[4] < http://www.cgmusic.org/workshop/oldver_frame.htm>
