Commentary - Psalm 89:5-18

Bird's-eye view

This section of Psalm 89 is a majestic flight of praise, a necessary prelude to the hard questions Ethan the Ezrahite will ask later in the psalm. Before he brings his covenantal lawsuit before God, he must first establish the character of the one he is addressing. This is not some petty tyrant, but the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. The praise here is not detached flattery; it is the very foundation of his argument. He begins with the heavenly court, moves to God's raw power over creation, and culminates in the nature of God's throne and the blessedness of the people who live under such a king. This is doxology with a purpose. It establishes that God is both infinitely powerful and immovably faithful. His power is not arbitrary, and His faithfulness is not weak. The two go together, and this is the bedrock of our confidence, even when circumstances seem to scream the opposite.

Ethan is setting the stage. He is reminding God, and more importantly, reminding himself and the people, of who God is. This is a crucial discipline for saints in every age. Before we bring our laments, our petitions, our confusions, we must first anchor ourselves in the truth of God's revealed character. The God who is praised in the assembly of the holy ones is the same God who stills the raging sea, and He is the same God whose throne is established on righteousness and justice. This is the God we are dealing with, and so we can come to Him with boldness, even with our hardest questions.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 89 is a Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite, and it stands as one of the great covenantal psalms. It wrestles with the apparent contradiction between God's sworn oath to David (vv. 1-4, 19-37) and the current disastrous state of the Davidic monarchy (vv. 38-51). This section, verses 5-18, functions as the theological heart of the psalmist's appeal. It is a profound meditation on the nature of God, which serves as the ground for both the celebration of the covenant and the lament over its seeming failure. Ethan is not just complaining into the void; he is making a case before the Judge of all the earth, and this section is his statement of the court's unimpeachable character.

Verse by Verse Commentary

v. 5 The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Yahweh; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

The praise begins in the highest place, the heavens. This is not the meteorological heavens, but the celestial courts. The object of praise is twofold: God's "wonders" and His "faithfulness." His wonders are His mighty acts, His miracles, the things that make you gasp. But His faithfulness is His covenant character, His utter reliability. It is one thing to be powerful, but it is another thing entirely to be powerfully faithful. The assembly of the holy ones, the angelic council, sees both and erupts in praise. This is their constant occupation. They are not bored, because the wonders never cease and the faithfulness never wavers.

v. 6 For who in the sky is comparable to Yahweh? Who among the sons of the mighty is like Yahweh,

This is a rhetorical question, and the answer is a resounding "No one." The psalmist scans the entire sky, the realm of spiritual beings ("sons of the mighty," a term for angels), and finds no peer, no rival, no competitor. This is foundational monotheism. In a world teeming with gods and spiritual powers, the God of Israel is in a category all by Himself. He is not the chief angel; He is the Creator of the angels. He is not the greatest of the gods; He is the only God. This absolute uniqueness is essential. If God had a rival, His promises would be contingent. But because He is incomparable, His word is final.

v. 7 A God greatly dreaded in the council of the holy ones, And fearsome above all those who are around Him?

The proper response in the presence of this incomparable God is dread, a holy fear. This is not the cowering fear of a slave before a tyrant, but the awestruck reverence of a creature before the Creator. Even the holy ones, who have never sinned, feel this dread. They are not chummy with God; they are in awe of Him. He is "fearsome" above them all. This is a necessary corrective to our modern, casual, buddy-buddy approach to God. True intimacy with God does not eliminate fear; it is grounded in it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it is also the constant condition of the angelic host.

v. 8 O Yahweh God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Yah? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

Again, the rhetorical question, driving the point home. "Yahweh God of hosts" emphasizes His command over all the armies of heaven. "Mighty Yah" is a shortened, intimate, yet powerful name for God. And then we have this beautiful phrase: "Your faithfulness also surrounds You." It is like a garment He wears, or an aura that emanates from Him. It is not something He puts on and takes off. It is part of His very being. Everywhere He is, His faithfulness is. You cannot encounter God without encountering His faithfulness. This is a profound comfort. His faithfulness is not a distant attribute; it is an immediate reality.

v. 9 You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.

From the heavens, the psalmist turns to the earth, and specifically to the sea. In the ancient world, the sea was a symbol of chaos, disorder, and untamable power. But for Yahweh, it is a pet on a leash. He "rules" its swelling. When the waves, in their arrogance, rise up, He simply stills them. This is not a struggle for Him. Think of Jesus asleep in the boat, who wakes and rebukes the wind and the waves, and there is a great calm. This is the same God. His sovereignty is not just theoretical; it is practical and absolute, extending even to the most chaotic forces in creation.

v. 10 You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain; You scattered Your enemies with Your strong arm.

Rahab here is not the harlot of Jericho. It is a poetic name for Egypt, the great world power that stood as God's enemy. It can also refer to a primeval sea monster, another symbol of chaos. God crushed this enemy "like one who is slain." It was a decisive, final blow. He did it with His "strong arm." This is anthropomorphic language, of course, but it communicates a vital truth. God's power is personal and direct. He engages His enemies and defeats them utterly. The exodus from Egypt is the great historical demonstration of this truth, and it serves as a paradigm for all of God's saving acts.

v. 11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and its fullness, You have founded them.

This is the basis of His authority. Why can He rule the sea and crush His enemies? Because He owns everything. The heavens and the earth are His by right of creation. "You have founded them." He is not a squatter; He is the architect and builder. This is the ultimate property right. Because He made it all, it all belongs to Him. This includes "the world and its fullness", every person, every animal, every mountain, every atom. There is no corner of reality that is outside of His ownership and therefore outside of His authority.

v. 12 The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon sing with joy at Your name.

He specifies the extent of His ownership. From north to south, it is all His. Then he personifies two prominent mountains in Israel, Tabor and Hermon. They "sing with joy" at His name. Creation is not neutral or silent. It is a choir, and its song is praise to its Creator. When we see a majestic mountain, we are seeing a bass singer in God's choir, belting out the glory of God. This is not sentimental poetry; it is a theological statement about the nature of reality. The world is charged with the grandeur of God, and it responds to Him in joyful praise.

v. 13 You have a mighty arm; Your hand is strong, Your right hand is exalted.

The psalmist returns to the theme of God's power, using the imagery of an arm and hands. The "mighty arm" speaks of His ability to act decisively in history. The "strong hand" speaks of His grip, His ability to hold and to save. The "exalted right hand" is the hand of victory and authority. This is the God who acts, who saves, who rules. He is not a deistic clockmaker who wound up the world and let it go. He is an active, engaged, powerful King, and His hand is on the tiller of history.

v. 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

This is one of the most important verses in the Psalms. God's power is not naked power. His throne, His rule, is not based on sheer might, but on a moral foundation: righteousness and justice. Righteousness is the standard of what is right; justice is the application of that standard. God's rule is always in conformity with His perfect character. And leading the way, like heralds before a king, are "lovingkindness and truth." Lovingkindness is His covenant loyalty, His steadfast love (hesed). Truth is His faithfulness, His reliability. So God's rule is a perfect blend of moral integrity and relational faithfulness. He is a good King.

v. 15 How blessed are the people who know the loud shout of joy! O Yahweh, they walk in the light of Your face.

Given the character of this King, what is the condition of His people? They are "blessed." This is not just a feeling of happiness; it is a state of objective well being. They are the people who "know the loud shout of joy," the teruah, the sound of trumpets and shouting that accompanied worship and celebrated the presence of the King. To know this shout is to be a part of the covenant community. And the result? "They walk in the light of Your face." This is a beautiful metaphor for living in God's favor, guidance, and intimate presence. It is to live with the sun of His approval always shining upon you.

v. 16 In Your name they rejoice all the day, And by Your righteousness they are exalted.

Life in the light of God's face is a life of continual joy. "In Your name they rejoice all the day." Their joy is not in their circumstances, but in their God. His name represents His character, and that is the unshakable source of their rejoicing. And they are "exalted," lifted up, not by their own righteousness, but by His. This is a profoundly gospel truth. Our standing, our exaltation, comes not from what we do, but from who He is and what He has done. We are lifted up by a righteousness that is not our own, the righteousness of God which is ours by faith.

v. 17 For You are the beauty of their strength, And by Your favor our horn is exalted.

God is not just the source of their strength; He is the "beauty" of their strength. He makes their strength a glorious thing. Our strength, on its own, can be ugly, brutish, and proud. But when our strength comes from God, it is adorned with His beauty. "By Your favor our horn is exalted." The horn is a symbol of strength and power, like the horn of a wild ox. Our strength is magnified and made effective not by our own effort, but by His "favor," His grace. It is all of grace.

v. 18 For our shield belongs to Yahweh, And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

The conclusion of this section of praise brings it back to the Davidic king. "Our shield," meaning our protector, our king, "belongs to Yahweh." The earthly king is not autonomous. He is God's man, appointed by God and dependent on God. He is "our king," but he belongs "to the Holy One of Israel." This sets the stage for the rest of the psalm. The king, and the covenant attached to him, is God's project. Therefore, when the king is in trouble, it is God's problem. Ethan has masterfully laid the groundwork for his appeal. He has praised God for His incomparable power and His unshakeable faithfulness, and has tied the earthly king directly to this God. Now, he is ready to ask the hard questions.

Application

First, our worship must be grounded in the truth of who God is. Before we rush in with our shopping lists of petitions and our litany of complaints, we must do what Ethan did. We must rehearse the majesty, the power, the sovereignty, and the faithfulness of God. This recalibrates our perspective. It reminds us that our problems, as big as they are to us, are small to the one who stills the raging sea. True worship is theological. It is not about generating a certain feeling, but about declaring certain facts about God.

Second, we must understand that God's power and His goodness are inseparable. His throne is founded on righteousness and justice. He is not an arbitrary cosmic force. This means we can trust Him, even when we do not understand His ways. His power is always wielded in perfect righteousness and guided by covenant love. This is the anchor for our souls in the storms of life. When the waves are high, we remember that He rules them, and that His rule is good.

Finally, our identity and security as believers are found entirely outside of ourselves. We are blessed because we walk in the light of His face. We rejoice in His name. We are exalted by His righteousness. Our horn is exalted by His favor. Our shield, our true king, is Jesus Christ, who belongs to the Holy One of Israel. This is the great relief of the gospel. We do not have to generate our own righteousness or strength. We receive it as a gift. Our job is to know the joyful shout, to walk in the light, and to rejoice all the day in the name of our great God and King.