Daily Meditations

Psalm 89:45 An honest outpouring Psalm 18 was written by David and celebrates his deliverance from his mortal enemies. In Psalm 18 David reflects on his cries of help to the Lord but is also able to plead that there were moral grounds for His deliverance,  “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.”  v20. (Psalm 18:20-29 are worth reading in context.)  Ethan has not been able to claim the moral high ground here in Psalm 89, in fact he felt duty bound to draw attention to the consequences of forsaking God’s laws and failing to keep His commands. V30-32. So why is he so upset at the disaster that had overcome God’s chosen people? Why did Ethan not accept that the people had violated God’s decrees and failed to follow His statutes? I think it is because Ethan still had hope. He would not have bothered to pen this song if he did not feel that there was the possibility of redemption. Despite all that had happened, he

Psalm 89:43-44 Don't blame me! These verses contain more descriptions of the downfall of the House of David, for which the Lord God gets the blame! If we learn nothing else here, it is apparent that our God is broad-shouldered, when we turn on Him and blame Him for all our woes, He can take it! Let’s be sure, before we do this, that we can look in the mirror and plead innocence. What is extraordinary is that Ethan the Ezrahite does not appear to have gone down the road of penitence at all. All fingers are pointed at the Lord, He is the one who has brought about this calamitous situation, He has allowed, even caused, the downfall of David’s holy nation, it is God who is accountable. I was watching a news broadcast from Israel last night that included a visit to the old ruins of Jerusalem at the time of its destruction by the Babylonians, the time when we think this Psalm was written. The discoveries include a number of little statues or effigies of pagan gods, sufficient for archaeo

Psalm 89:42 Who is accountable? We have encountered the significance of the right hand before. It speaks of authority, power, governance and strength, it is the right hand of God that rises up against His enemies and that exalts the man or woman who trusts in Him. Jesus is pictured as being seated at God’s right hand, a place of exaltation and glory and to this day we use the phrase, “the right-hand man” to symbolise trust and a bond of integrity.  It is perplexing therefore to read Ethan’s words here, for he accuses the Lord God of exalting the right hand of David’s foes! In other words, the enemies of Israel have only attained their dominance and their ascendency by virtue of the Lord’s permission. “You Lord are the one who has allowed this, you have permitted the domination of our foes, they rejoice because you have allowed them to overcome us.” There is some truth in Ethan’s complaint, nothing happens unless God allows it and He certainly allowed Babylon to conquer the land of Isra

Psalm 89:40-41 Hatred of God's people The evidence was abundant. As had happened before and since, Jerusalem was in ruins because of marauding foreign invaders. Since David’s day right up to the time this Psalm was written, numerous Canaanite nations had tried it, the Assyrians had surrounded the city but miraculously withdrawn, now an invading army had succeeded in razing Jerusalem to the ground. The walls were broken down and in ruins, and many had broken through and plundered what had been David’s stronghold. It’s interesting to note that Ethan the Ezrahite makes his plea personal, in his mind it is David’s walls that have been ruined and it is David’s riches that have been plundered.   When dark experiences take us deep into despair, it is impossible to see a way through or to believe that restoration will ever take place. For Ethan this was the end, he could not foresee any kind of redemption for David’s city. In his mind therefore, it could only mean that God had broken His c

Psalm 89:38-39 The Lord does not break His promises It needs to be emphasized once again that God does not renege on His covenant promises. He does not change His mind; He never has mood swings, and He does not make adjustments because of changing circumstances. When He speaks it is with the breath of the eternal Word that cannot be broken.  The full text of the Davidic Covenant is set out in 2 Samuel 7 and the content of verse 14-15a is important if we are to understand the next few verses of Psalm 89. Speaking of Solomon and his successors the Lord says,  “I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him  …..” Ethan the Ezrahite views the disasters that have overtaken Israel and, at the time of writing, it looks as though God has indeed  “renounced the covenant and defiled the crown of David in the dust. ” Israel’s rebellion and sin, and

Psalm 89:35-37 God does not lie Some of the Psalms are written out of the depths of suffering, others are expressions of joy and thankfulness at the goodness of God. Many capture moments in time and describe actual events, and there are those that relate the history of God’s people and their relationship with Him. There are also prophetic Psalms, and this is definitely one of them! Ethan the Ezrahite was prepared to stake his entire reputation on the word of the Lord, that He would honour His covenant promises – forever! In attributing these words to the Lord, Ethan is putting God’s reputation on the line too, which is why it always pays to be careful before we publicly pronounce anything in God’s name.  It is an incredible statement that the Lord makes here, “ I have sworn by my holiness – and I will not lie to David.”  It’s a very serious matter to swear on the Bible, but God is prepared to put His whole character and name on the line here to assure the Jewish people that the house o

Psalm 89:34 His Word stands forever There is an important principle here that deserves some further attention. We don’t know who Ethan the Ezrahite really was although, in the introduction to Psalm 88, we mused over the possibility that he was an important Levite, a son of Korah, and possibly a leader of the Temple Choir. He was certainly a godly man for he speaks here the words of God as a reflection of the Covenant that God had made with King David. Here in this verse we see again the eternal nature of the Lord’s dealings with men, that when He makes a promise and establishes a covenant with us, it cannot be broken. So, says the Lord,  “I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.” We are able to check this out, with hindsight, and we can verify that David’s descendants have indeed inherited promises that will stand forever. The promises made to David were fulfilled through Christ Jesus and we are the beneficiaries to this very day and will continue to be blesse

Psalm 89:30-33 The Royal Grant The verses that now follow in this Psalm are complex for they have to do with Covenant -making and are not fully understood unless we understand the principles of their composition. Bear in mind that the Biblical Covenants were between God and man, and they contain contractual clauses that do not exist anywhere else. This is the Creator, the Being who holds the keys to life and death, who made us all but who could snuff us all out in a second, He it is who contracts with earthly men and requires our consent and compliance. The full text of the Covenant with David is set out in 2 Samuel 7:1-29. We need to read it and understand how seriously both parties accepted its terms. The Davidic Covenant was a Royal Grant made by God with no conditions attached. He promised to establish and maintain the dynasty of David no matter what happened. The throne of Israel would remain in his lineage forever. At the heart of the Covenant was a promise to bring David’s peopl

Psalm 89:28-29 Earthly and spiritual descendants These verses set out the eternal nature of the Kingdom of Messiah, and because He was to be a direct descendant of David, the promises applied to the Davidic line as well. That is why the Christ had to be born to two direct descendants of David and hence we have the genealogies of Joseph and Mary in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. That is why world politics were arranged so that these humble “nobodies” from Nazareth were summoned by the Roman Emperor to make their way to Bethlehem, the city of David, for a census. Thus, Jesus could be born in His ancestor’s hometown, and His earthly blood line could be traced back to the son of Jesse. In these verses the Lord makes a number of powerful promises:- ·        I will maintain my love to him forever ·        My covenant with him will never fail ·        I will establish his line forever ·        I will establish his throne as long as the heavens endure These promises could be made to both Dav

Psalm 89:27 The most exalted King I’m sure that you have already caught the undercurrents in this Psalm, that when the humble psalmist writes about the kingdom of David, he is actually celebrating the Kingdom of Jesus Christ! Perhaps they’re not undercurrents but overcurrents! How could a humble Levite understand that He was penning words that would exclusively apply to Messiah? The theme is one that we have encountered before, in Psalm 2:7-12, 45:6-9, 72:8-11, and Psalm 110 is dedicated to the future rule and reign of God’s Messiah. It’s as if time stood still in that David was somehow the embodiment of Christ, and that nothing happened in the time span between these two Kings. Reading this in context therefore, today’s verse is saying that in David God would appoint His firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. Prior to David’s time the promises were in place, the anticipation was there but now the seed was sown, the DNA existed, the lineage was established, now Messiah

Psalm 89:26 "You are my Father!" This is an extraordinary declaration of identity from a man who believed he knew God. It applies, of course, to David in his role as sovereign over Israel. What is extraordinary is that anyone could make such a claim and express it publicly, knowing that it was true. Yes, a mere mortal, a lad who was the shepherd of his human father’s sheep, could proclaim to the God who created the universe,  “You are my Father !” In addition, David could say,  “You are my God, You are the Rock, You are my Saviour.”  Look how personal these statements are. How dare any one individual make such claims of a Being so powerful and so mighty, who far surpasses the ways of men, and whose glory and grandeur are beyond our wildest imaginations? Think about it, no other religion that has ever existed has allowed its devotees to make such claims. How can any human being speak of God in these terms? Notice that the word Rock is in capital letters, this goes back to some

Psalm 89:25 The boundaries of the Kingdom This verse conjures up a picture of a giant towering over Israel. His left hand is over the Mediterranean Sea, and his right hand is over the Euphrates River; often referred to as “the rivers” in Scripture. In other words, the psalmist is describing the extent of King David’s realm. This imagery is used in other places in the psalms, for instance, Psalm 80 describes Israel as a vine, taking root in the Promised land,  “Its branches reached as far as the Sea, its shoots as far as the River. ” Psalm 80:11. In Exodus 23:31 the Lord says to Moses,  “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out before you.” There was only ever one condition and one obstacle to this conquest, the people must not do deals with the alien nations around them and under no circumstances should they worship their g

Psalm 89:24 Faithful love It’s that same old pairing once again! Faithfulness and love are the hallmarks of a genuine relationship with the Lord God. He who made the heavens and who scattered the stars in space, who created atomic particles, DNA and elaborate ecosystems that make the world such a glorious and wonderful place; He is a God of love and faithfulness to those who know Him. As we saw in verse 14, unbelievers must contend with His righteousness and truth, but for those who are children in the family of our God, faithfulness and love will accompany us all of our days. Please grasp this, you are dearly loved, and our God will never fail you. Just as He watches over the creatures upon the earth, He watches over us. He is faithful, but He loves us as well. His love is sacrificial and intense, He revealed it in all its glory at the cross, to show us how dearly loved we are. Let us never underestimate the depth and sincerity of His love. Most people in the world are striving to mak

Psalm 89:23 He has crushed our foes God’s covenant relationship with David is set out in 2 Samuel 7 and it’s well worth a read for some of the “clauses” are repeated here in this Psalm. That shows that the covenant was taken very seriously and that its contents were known to all. Verses 8-9 read as follows,  “Now then, tell my servant David, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth.”  God keeps His covenant promises, doesn’t He? And it’s true to say that the foreign nations around Israel were subdued during David’s reign and that of his son, Solomon. The boundaries of their land were extended and there was peace in the Middle East! Most believers do not need to be reminded that they are surrounded by enemies and that there

Psalm 89:22 We will not be overcome This is your God speaking to you David, “I will not let your enemies get the better of you – ever! They will not overcome you nor will you ever have to accede to their demands. The son of wickedness will not afflict you. Yes, you may find yourself in some dark places and you may even find that you are in fear of losing your life. But I will protect you, I will bring you through, the wicked will not afflict you. They may threaten, they may scheme and plot against you, but they will never be allowed to take your life.”  As we have seen from some of David’s earlier songs, he found himself in some pretty dark places! Some of his fear and grief was self-induced, he knew that he had broken God’s commands and that he was suffering for his own sin. Many of David’s psalms we have studied have him wallowing in anguish and fear because of the taunts and lies of his enemies, but not once were they allowed to threaten his life. He remained on the throne from the

Psalm 89:21 Where does our strength come from? We have already determined that David was God’s chosen appointment to the throne of Israel. The youngest of 8 brothers, David was very special to the Lord who said to Samuel,  “Do not consider his appearance or his height … the Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  1 Samuel 16:7. The boy became a man, who became the king, who constantly found himself threatened by his enemies and the object of innumerable plots and schemes to dethrone him. So how did David survive all of this? Because the Lord promised,  “My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.” We might argue, “Well that’s ok for David, but what about me?” I believe that those who are appointed by the Lord God receive the same care and protection. His mighty hand is there for us. The One who spoke the suns and moon and the stars into being, will use His hand to protect us. His mighty

Psalm 89:20 God's anointed This verse links with the previous one and those that follow. Notice that God is very active in the process of appointing David as His regent over the people: - ·        I have bestowed strength on a warrior v19 ·        I have raised up a young man from among the people v 19 ·        I have found David my servant v20 ·        I have anointed him with my sacred oil v20   The reason that this is worthy of our notice is because the Lord takes the credit for the appointment of the young king and He also wants us to know that He was involved in the whole process, from start to finish. It would be easy to read Samuel’s story and give him the credit for it all, however, Samuel’s role was to simply obey what the Lord told him to do.  My point is this, that God does work through those whom He can trust and who will listen and carry out His commands but, we should never lose sight of the fact that many appointments only come about because the Lord wills them. I th

Psalm 89:19 A man of God The Psalm moves on to specifically describe the calling and sovereign leadership of David. God spoke to Samuel in a vision as recorded in I Samuel 16. It was the Lord who sent Samuel to Bethlehem, who pointed out that a son of Jesse would be the anointed one. It was the Lord who said to Samuel, when David was brought before him,  “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”  V12. In 2 Samuel 7 we read the words of the prophet Nathan as given to him by God in a vision. Nathan’s prophecy included the instruction that David’s offspring would build a house for God, that David himself would be a great ruler and his kingdom would endure forever. This young man went on to fulfil the words spoken of him and he is still regarded as the greatest of all kings and we know, of course, that the eternal kingdom that was promised came through Yeshua, David’s descendant.  The prophetic vision we have just discussed was given to the “faithful people” of God. The Hebrew word here for

Psalm 89:18 The Holy One of Israel We are reminded here that whilst this Psalm could be viewed as a very personal description of God’s dealings with us, it was written primarily to describe Israel’s relationship with Him. This is a brief but very powerful account of God’s dealings with His people and particularly with the royal line. Central to the whole Psalm is the place held first by David, and then his successors. The fate of Israel lay in the hands of these God-appointed rulers, and they symbolised the spiritual state of the nation. It cannot be emphasized enough here, that the failure or success of the whole country lay in the hands of the appointed sovereign, if that person obeyed the Lord and sought His will for the people, they would prosper. If the king / queen was godless and rebellious, everyone suffered. That is why the long lists of kings in the book of second Chronicles describes their exploits with the addenda, “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,” or “He did

Psalm 89:17 Exalted by God! Yesterday’s verse presented us with the normal Christian life, those who believe in the Lord God and walk with Him are people of praise. All day long they rejoice in His name and celebrate His righteousness! I can think of a few believers who rarely, if ever, find joy in their walk with the Lord, can’t you? However, it’s not about others, this Psalm is asking how I measure up. Is my relationship with my God, so rich, so meaningful, so inspiring and so fulfilling that I just can’t stop praising Him. And if not, why not? The theme continues here in verse 17, those who know and love the Lord are completely overwhelmed by His glory and His strength. They cannot stop being in awe of Him and their lips are constantly expressing the joy that His presence brings. Liberated from the cares of the world, convinced by faith of their unity with Him, amazed by His creative power, His love and faithfulness, such people are living the life in the certain knowledge that they

Psalm 89:16 Rejoicing and celebrating - all day long! This is such a simple statement and so obviously self-explanatory, what can we add? Well, like so many of the simple statements of the Bible there is a deeper truth to enjoy. We are being told that there are two ways to acknowledge the protective love and care of Almighty God. Firstly, we can rejoice in His name all day long, and secondly, we can celebrate His righteousness. One of the main characteristics of a true believer is that they never stop praising the name of the Lord or the name of Jesus Christ. Their joy is infectious and exuberant, and it is always bubbling just beneath the surface waiting for expression. I first met this characteristic in the persona of a man who led my mother to believe in Christ. The man’s name was Dennis Brooks and he had a gentle joy that was permanent and even reflected in his face. He married late in life, to a lady called Gladys, from Gloucester, and my abiding memory as a young child was that w

Psalm 89:15 He is my God! This verse kind of sums up the whole truth of the relationship between mankind and God. It highlights those who choose to acknowledge His Being, who name Him as their God and who live their lives in the light of this truth. As a consequence, they come under the shelter of His immense wings, and they are protected and guided and provided for throughout their lives.  None of us has a full appreciation of who God is, how could we? He is beyond our wildest imaginations and yet we are vaguely aware that there is a Being who threw billions of galaxies into space and who also knows the intricate details of our DNA and the workings of every atomic particle in creation! This is the One whom we call God, and we are blessed simply by the knowledge of Him. But He takes it further, He revels in relationships, to find men and women who not only acknowledge His existence, His power and His authority, but who are prepared to acclaim Him. In other words, they are not ashamed t

Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice, love and faithfulness Well, we’ve met these pairings before haven’t we! Righteousness and justice, love and faithfulness. I don’t know about you but one of the twins sounds comforting and desirable but the other a little bit intimidating. We’ve spent several days reflecting on God’s physical power and the authority that He wields across the heavens and the earth. We’ve pondered over the boundaries of His empire and been bemused by the vastness of it all. In every way we find the Lord to be beyond reproach and His authority to be unquestionable. One of the reasons for this is that His righteousness is absolute, it is impossible to find fault with Him. Those who question His character, His methods or his strategy have no idea who or what they are talking about. There is no chink in His armour, there is no hint of wrongdoing, He is righteous in His thoughts, His words and every action. That is why He alone is entitled to head up the cosmic Department

Psalm 89:13 The hands of God Sometimes it helps us to envision God in human form, after all, He did appear in this way to a number of Old Testament characters and it is natural for all followers of Yeshua to imagine Him as a man like us. I think, that just browsing this Psalm alone, we have to admit that this God of ours is way, way, way beyond human characteristics and that His strength and power are phenomenal and incalculable. Remember, He only needed to speak to create light, to bring the earth into being and to put the sun, moon and stars into their places. So, yes, His arm is endowed with great power, and none can defy Him and get away with it, especially the Satan.  The Psalm seems to make a distinction between God’s left and right hands; the left is strong, His right hand is exalted. What does this mean? This Hebrew idiom for the right hand has two meanings:- ·        In one it symbolizes power and strength.  “Your right hand, Lord, has become glorious in power; Your right hand

Psalm 89:12 The north and the south At first sight, these verses seem to be just a sweeping generalisation of the boundaries that the Lord has set for Himself and the extent of His property. However, as ever, there is a bit more to it than that!  The north and the south refer to the northern and southern skies and all the visible (and invisible) constellations and stars. The term also embraces the earth, both the polar ice caps at either end and everything that falls in between. The Hebrew word for north here includes all that is dark and hidden, for the ancient peoples regarded the north as a place of gloom and darkness. By contrast, the south was bright, it housed the sun at its zenith and the south was light and warm. There is even some reference to the right hand in the original Hebrew words, in other words, all that the south encompassed displayed God’s glory and His power. The Mountains of Hermon and Tabor are the two highest peaks in Israel, Hermon a vast snow-capped range in th

Psalm 89:11 The earth is the Lords This verse is about ownership. Here are the Title Deeds to be stored in the Cosmic Land Registry. Should anyone ask, “Who do the heavens belong to? And who is the correct legal owner of the earth?” The answer, very simply, is God! Elohim is wholly, completely entitled, there are no caveats and there can never be any legal claim on His ownership, which makes the Satan’s attempts to wrest control all the more ridiculous. That is why he uses subterfuge, violence, lies, coercion, imitation and substitution tactics over and over again, he has no legal means of challenging God’s title. In order to be a god, he can only emulate what God has already done. Every human being across the world is constantly being asked to acknowledge who they accept as the rightful owner of the heavens and the earth. The clues are all there, in the creation processes, in the promised seedtime and harvest, in the unfolding beauty of the natural world, in the timely order of the or

Psalm 89:10 You crushed Rahab Some Bible commentators (and those who write footnotes in the NIV Study Bible), think that Rahab was a mythical sea monster. Again, I am bemused by their reasoning that the Lord God would introduce mythical elements into His Holy Scriptures! As we saw in Psalm 87:4 Rahab (whose name means the proud one), is most likely Pharaoh and Egypt. These people were broken by the plagues that devasted them, their livestock and their land and especially by the deaths of their firstborn sons. They were further crushed by God at the Red Sea and their carcasses washed up on the shore, lifeless, crushed, bruised and broken. God did this with no assistance from men, He did it easily and He did it to demonstrate His power, and also to show the Israelites that He would protect and guard them.  Rahab’s name gives us further clues as to what is going on here, for she is an analogy for the Satan. He too will be broken by God; his works will be destroyed, and his proud insolence

Psalm 89:9 Ruler of the surging sea The footnotes of my Bible, for some reason, describe this verse and its successor as “Poetic imagery borrowed from ancient Near Eastern myths of creation.” I wonder where the Near Eastern myths came from and why the Lord wanted them incorporated in His Holy Word!? Do we not have a God who brought order to a formless and empty planet, covered in darkness and deep waters? Genesis 1:2, 6-10. Was it not the same God who, during the time of Noah, caused the fountains of the deep to open up and bring torrential flooding as well as rain upon the earth? Did not Jesus demonstrate His origins and deity when He stood in a boat on the raging Sea of Galilee and commanded the wind and the waves to, “Be still”? Add to these accounts the events of the Exodus and the Red Sea, the crossing of the River Jordan, the terrifying ordeal of Paul and others in a boat on the Mediterranean and you begin to get the picture!  If our God is Ruler over the entire cosmos, if He spo

Psalm 89:8 Who is like Him? The past week (July 2023) has seen the European Space Agency, in conjunction with NASA, launch a new camera and telescope, on a mission called Euclid, to explore the dark universe. I quote “ Euclid will observe billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light-years to create the largest, most accurate 3D map of the Universe, with the third dimension representing time itself. This detailed chart of the shape, position and movement of galaxies will reveal how matter is distributed across immense distances and how the expansion of the Universe has evolved over cosmic history, enabling astronomers to infer the properties of dark energy and dark matter. This will help theorists to improve our understanding of the role of gravity and pin down the nature of these enigmatic entities. ”  This Psalm has prompted us to compare the Lord God with all other beings and to reflect on His power and authority in the heavens, so I guess Euclid may help with that! Who indeed is lik