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Many psalms that begin with complaint and prayer end with joy and praise, but this begins with joy and praise and ends with sad complaints and petitions; for the psalmist first recounts God's former favours, and then with the consideration of them aggravates the present grievances. It is uncertain when it was penned; only, in general, that it was at a time when the house of David was woefully eclipsed; some think it was at the time of the captivity of Babylon, when king Zedekiah was insulted over, and abused, by Nebuchadnezzar, and then they make the title to signify no more than that the psalm was set to the tune of a song of Ethan the son of Zerah, called Maschil; others suppose it to be penned by Ethan, who is mentioned in the story of Solomon, who, outliving that glorious prince, thus lamented the great disgrace done to the house of David in the next reign by the revolt of the ten tribes. I. The psalmist, in the joyful pleasant part of the psalm, gives glory to God, and takes comfort to himself and his friends. This he does more briefly, mentioning God's mercy and truth (Ps 89:1) and his covenant (Ps 89:2-4), but more largely in the following verses, wherein, 1. He adores the glory and perfection of God, Ps 89:5-14. 2. He pleases himself in the happiness of those that are admitted into communion with him, Ps 89:15-18. 3. He builds all his hope upon God's covenant with David, as a type of Christ, Ps 89:19-37. II. In the melancholy part of the psalm he laments the present calamitous state of the prince and royal family (Ps 89:38-45), expostulates with God upon it (Ps 89:46-49), and then concludes with prayer for redress, Ps 89:50,51. In singing this psalm we must have high thoughts of God, a lively faith in his covenant with the Redeemer, and a sympathy with the afflicted parts of the church.

This psalm is entitled "Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite." In the margin this is rendered, "A Psalm for Ethan the Ezrahite to give instruction." On the word Maschil, see the notes at the title to Psalm 42:1-11. As both Heman (Psalm 88 title) and Ethan, in the title before us, are mentioned as Ezrahites, it would seem that they were of the same family, and were probably brethren. Ethan and Heman, in connection with Zimri, and Calcol, and Dara, five of them in all, are mentioned as "the sons of Zerah," grandsons of Judah, 1 Chronicles 2:6. If these were the persons referred to, and if they were the authors of these two psalms, then the period of the composition of these psalms was laid far back in the history of the Hebrew people, far anterior to the time of David. Compare 1 Chronicles 2:6-12. It is hardly probable, however, that they were composed at so early a period in the Jewish history; and there are some things in this psalm, which cannot be reconciled with such a supposition (compare Psalm 89:3, Psalm 89:20, Psalm 89:35, Psalm 89:39, Psalm 89:49), and which make it certain that it was either composed by David, or after the time of David. The probability, therefore, seems to be that these names, "Heman" and "Ethan," were either the names of some persons subsequent to the time referred to in 1 Chronicles 2:6, (see General Introduction, Section 2((5)); or that these their names were given to classes of "the sons of Korah" who had charge of the music, and that the psalms were composed by some persons of those classes. As thus composed, they might be spoken of as the psalms of Heman and Ethan.

There are no certain methods of ascertaining when the psalm before us was composed, or what was the occasion of its composition. DeWette supposes that it must have been written about the time of the exile, as the family of David is represented in the psalm as dishonored and dethroned - and yet before the exile, as there is no mention of the destruction of the city and temple. He accords, therefore, with the opinion of Venema that it was not far from the time of the death of Josiah, 2 Chronicles 35:20-24. The author he supposes to be either a successor of David - an humbled monarch - or, someone who personates the king, and who represents the calamity of the king as his own. Hengstenberg also supposes that it was composed between the time of the death of Josiah and the Babylonian exile. There is a strong probability in the psalm itself that it was composed at such a period, but it is impossible to determine the exact time, or the precise occasion. The burden of the psalm is, that most precious promises had been made to David of the perpetuity of his throne, but that now these promises scorned to fail; that reverses and calamities had come which threatened to overturn his throne, and to bring his kingdom to an end. His "crown" had been "profaned" and "cast to the ground." See Psalm 89:38-44.

The psalm consists properly of three parts:

I. The promise made to David in respect to the perpetuity of his throne, Psalm 89:1-37. The illustration of this occupies a considerable part of the psalm.

II. The fact that this promise seemed to be disregarded; that the "covenant" had been "made void;" that the "crown" had been "profaned," and "cast to the ground," Psalm 89:38-45.

III. An earnest plea for the divine interposition in the fulfillment of the promise, and the restoration of the divine favor and mercy, Psalm 89:46-52.

The psalmist shows God's great mercy to the house of David, and the promises which he had given to it of support and perpetuity, vv. 1-37; complains that, notwithstanding these promises, the kingdom of Judah is overthrown, and the royal family nearly ruined, Psalm 89:38-45; and earnestly prays for their restoration, Psalm 89:46-52.

It is most probable that this Psalm was composed during the captivity. Of Ethan and Heman we have already seen something in the introduction to the preceding Psalm; see also the parallel places in the margin. The title should probably be translated, - To give instruction to Ethan the Ezrahite. The Chaldee has, "A good instruction, delivered by Abraham, who came from the east country." The Septuagint and Ethiopic have Nathan the Israelite; the Arabic has Nathan the Israelite.

The Psalm divides itself into two grand parts; the first extends, verses 1-37, in which the psalmist shows God's mercy to the house of David, and the promises which he has given to it of support and perpetuity. The second part begins with Psalm 89:38, and ends with the Psalm; and in it the author complains that notwithstanding these promises, the kingdom of Judah is overthrown and the royal family ruined; and he entreats the Lord to remember his covenant made with that family, and restore them from their captivity.

INTRODUCTION TO Psalm 89

Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. Who this Ethan was is not certain. Kimchi takes him to be the same with Ethan the wise man, a grandson of Judah, 1 Kings 4:31. But seeing he lived some hundreds of years before the times of David, it is not likely that he should be the writer of this psalm; for David is made mention of in it, which could not be, unless it can be thought to be by a spirit of prophecy; which indeed is the opinion of Doctor Lightfoot (k), who takes this Ethan to be the penman of this psalm; and who

"from the promise, Genesis 15:1 sings joyfully the deliverance (of Israel); that the raging of the Red sea should be ruled, Psalm 89:9, and Rahab, or Egypt, should be broken in pieces, Psalm 89:10, and that the people should hear the joyful sound of the law, Psalm 89:15, and as for the name of David in it, this, he says, might be done prophetically; as Samuel is thought to be named by Moses, Psalm 99:6, which psalm is held to be made by him; or else might be put into it, in later times, by some divine penman, endued with the same gift of prophecy, who might improve the ground work of this psalm laid by Ethan, and set it to an higher key; namely, that whereas he treated only of bodily deliverance from Egypt, it is wound up so high as to reach the spiritual delivery by Christ; and therefore David is often named, from whence he should come.''

There was another Ethan, a singer, in David's time; and it is more probable that he is the person, who might live to the times of Rehoboam, and see the decline of David's family, and the revolt of the ten tribes from it; or perhaps it was one of this name who lived in the times of the Babylonish captivity, and saw the low estate that David's family were come into; to which agrees the latter part of this psalm; and, in order to comfort the people of God, he wrote this psalm, showing that the covenant and promises of God, made with David, nevertheless stood firm, and would be accomplished: the title of the Septuagint version calls him Etham the Israelite; and the Arabic version Nathan the Israelite: the Targum makes him to be Abraham, paraphrasing it

"a good understanding, which was said by the hand of Abraham, that came from the east.''

But whoever was the penman of this psalm, it is "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: many passages in it are applied to the Messiah by Jewish writers, ancient and modern; and Psalm 89:20 is manifestly referred to in Acts 13:22.

LXXXIX.

This long psalm comes evidently from a time of great national depression and trouble. The idolatries that led to the Captivity, and the Captivity itself, are already in the past, and the poet can think only of the splendid promises of God to the race, and the paradox that while made by a God of truth and faithfulness, they have yet been broken; for Israel lies prostrate, a prey to cruel and rapacious foes, and the cry, “How long?” goes up in despair to heaven. The “servant” and “anointed” (Psalm 89:38-39) need not necessarily be a prince of the house of David—Rehoboam or Jehoiachim, or another; but the whole nation individualised and presented in the person of one of the Davidic princes, as in that of David himself (Psalm 132:17). The time of the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes suits best all the conditions presented by the psalm. The poetical form is nearly regular, and the parallelism well marked.

Title.—For “Maschil” see title, Psalms 32.

Ethan the Ezrahite.—Probably to be identified with the man mentioned (1Kings 4:31) as among the celebrated sages surpassed by Solomon, and called Ezrahites, as being of the family of Zerah (1Chronicles 2:6; see Note to title to last psalm). Probably when the titles were prefixed this sage had become confused with Ethan (or Jeduthun), the singer.

This Psalm presents, with singular force and pathos, the dilemma which must have perplexed many a pious soul in the Exile. On the one hand, the assured lovingkindness and faithfulness of God and His explicit promise of an eternal dominion to the house of David; on the other hand, the sight of the representative of that house a discrowned exile, and his kingdom plundered and desolate. How could the contradiction be reconciled?

The Psalm consists of an introduction, followed by three main divisions. Its argument may be traced as follows.

i. The Psalmist’s purpose is to celebrate the lovingkindness and faithfulness of Jehovah, which he is persuaded are eternal and unlimited. They have been manifested in the covenant with David, and the solemn proclamation of that covenant is given as from the mouth of God Himself (Psalm 89:1-4).

ii. After this introduction, marked off as such by a musical interlude, the Psalmist proceeds to celebrate the praise of Jehovah, dwelling especially upon the power and faithfulness which are the double guarantee for the performance of His promises. Heaven and the angels praise Him, for they know that there is none like Him (Psalm 89:5-7); He manifests His sovereignty in nature and in history as the Creator and Ruler of the world, and His moral attributes of righteousness and judgement, lovingkindness and truth, are the climax of His glory (Psalm 89:8-14). Happy the people who have such a God, and whose king is the special object of His choice and care (Psalm 89:15-18).

iii. The mention of the king forms the transition to the next division, which is a poetical expansion of the promise to David recorded in 2 Samuel 7. On that memorable occasion Jehovah had solemnly covenanted to strengthen and support the king of His choice, to give him victory over all his enemies, to extend his dominion to the boundaries foretold of old, to adopt him as His firstborn and make him supreme over the kings of the earth, to give eternal dominion to his seed after him. Though the sins of his descendants might demand punishment, the divine covenant that his seed and his throne should endure for ever, would be sacred and inviolable (Psalm 89:19-37).

iv. Having thus confronted God with His own promises, the Psalmist proceeds to confront Him with the actual state of things which is in glaring contradiction to those promises. He has abandoned king and people to defeat, disgrace, ruin (Psalm 89:38-45). Remonstrance is followed by earnest pleading. Life is short. If relief come not soon, the Psalmist cannot live to see the proof of God’s faithfulness, and meanwhile he and all God’s servants are forced to endure the contemptuous insults of their heathen conquerors (Psalm 89:46-51).

Thus the motive of the Psalm is the contradiction between God’s character and promises on the one hand, and the fate of the king and people of Israel on the other hand. The keywords of the Psalm are lovingkindness and faithfulness, each of which occurs seven times (Psalm 89:1-2; Psalm 89:5; Psalm 89:8; Psalm 89:14; Psalm 89:24; Psalm 89:28; Psalm 89:33; Psalm 89:49). Cp. also faithful (Psalm 89:28; Psalm 89:37), I will not be false (Psalm 89:33), I will not lie (Psalm 89:35), covenant (Psalm 89:3; Psalm 89:28; Psalm 89:34; Psalm 89:39), oath (Psalm 89:3; Psalm 89:35; Psalm 89:49). Love moved Jehovah to enter into the covenant with the house of David: faithfulness binds Him to keep it. The enthusiastic praises of Jehovah’s majesty (Psalm 89:5 ff.), and the detailed recital of the splendour and solemnity of the promise (Psalm 89:19 ff.), serve to heighten the contrast of the king’s present degradation, while at the same time they are a plea and a consolation. Can such a God, is the Psalmist’s argument, fail to make good so solemn a promise? How the contradiction is to be solved is left entirely to God. Hope does not yet take the shape of prayer for the advent of the Messianic king.

The Psalm was probably written during the Exile. It can hardly be earlier than the destruction of Jerusalem and the downfall of the Davidic kingdom, and on the other hand there is nothing to indicate that it is later than the Return from Babylon. Psalm 89:38 ff. receive their most natural interpretation if it was written while Jehoiachin was still a dishonoured captive in Babylon, i.e. before b.c. 561. For they seem to speak of an individual who is the representative of David and bears the title of Jehovah’s anointed, and yet is actually dethroned and dishonoured; and the feeling of bitter disappointment which they breathe was more natural when the fall of the kingdom was comparatively recent, than it would have been after the Return, when at least the dawn of hope had begun, and a step had been taken towards the solution of the problem which perplexed the Psalmist. Psalm 89:14 a is borrowed in Psalm 89:2 of the Restoration hymn, Psalms 97.

The theory that the Psalm was written after the conquest of Judah by Shishak in the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:25 ff.; 2 Chronicles 12:2 ff.) is wholly improbable. The language of Psalm 89:38 ff. must refer to something more than a temporary disaster, however serious: moreover use is certainly made of Psalm 80:12 in Psalm 89:40-41, and possibly of Psalms 74, 79 in Psalm 89:41; Psalm 89:46; Psalm 89:50-51, Psalms which cannot well be earlier than the Fall of Jerusalem.

The exilic date is supported by the parallels in Jeremiah 33:21-22; Jeremiah 33:26, and Ezekiel 34:23-24; Ezekiel 37:24-25, the only passages in prophecy where the phrase ‘David my servant’ is used (except Isaiah 37:35 = 2 Kings 19:34). Cp. too Ezekiel 34:29; Ezekiel 36:6; Ezekiel 36:15 with Psalm 89:50-51; the conjunction of ‘lovingkindness’ and ‘faithfulness’ in Lamentations 3:22-23; and the lament over the capture of ‘Jehovah’s anointed’ in Lamentations 4:20.

The choice of this Psalm as a Proper Psalm for Christmas Day is doubtless due to its containing the recital of the great Messianic promise to David. But the whole Psalm, and not merely that part of it, is appropriate, for the Incarnation was the true solution of the Psalmist’s perplexity, as the supreme demonstration of the lovingkindness and faithfulness of God in the fulfilment of His promises. Cp. Luke 1:32 f.

On Ethan the Ezrahite see Intr. to Psalms 88.

Ps 89:1-52.

Of Ethan--(See on

Ps 88:1,

title). This Psalm was composed during some season of great national distress, perhaps Absalom's rebellion. It contrasts the promised prosperity and perpetuity of David's throne (with reference to the great promise of

2Sa 7:12-17),

with a time when God appeared to have forgotten His covenant. The picture thus drawn may typify the promises and the adversities of Christ's kingdom, and the terms of confiding appeal to God provided appropriate prayers for the divine aid and promised blessing.

1. mercies--those promised

(Isa 55:3; Ac 13:34),

and--

faithfulness--that is, in fulfilling them.

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever - Particularly how the "mercy" was manifested in the promise made to David; the solemn covenant made with him in respect to the perpetuity of his throne. The appointment of David to the throne was an act of mere mercy or favor, since he was not in the royal line, and had no claim to the crown. It will be seen, also, that if it be supposed that the covenant with David, and the promise therein made to him, was intended to include the Messiah as descending from him, there was a still higher reason for celebrating the "mercies" of God, inasmuch as all mercy to our world comes through him.

With my mouth - Not merely in my heart, but with words. The meaning here is that he would make a record which might be used evermore as the language of praise.

Will I make known thy faithfulness - In the fulfillment of these promises. He felt assured that they would be fulfilled. Whatever appearances there might be to the contrary, the psalmist had no doubt that God would prove himself to be faithful and true. See the notes at Isaiah 55:3, on the expression, "the sure mercies of David."

To all generations - Margin, as in Hebrew, generation and generation. He would make a record which would carry down the remembrance of this faithfulness to all future ages.