Psalms 89:5

GOD'S GRACIOUS MERCIES EXTOLLED

"And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Jehovah;

Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

For who in the skies can be compared unto Jehovah?

Who among the sons of the mighty is like unto Jehovah,

A God very terrible in the council of the holy ones,

And to be feared above all them that are round about him?

O Jehovah God of hosts,

Who is a mighty one, like unto thee, O Jehovah?

And thy faithfulness is round about thee.

Thou rulest the pride of the sea:

When the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain;

Thou has scattered thine enemies with the arm of thy strength.

The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine:

The world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

The north and the south, thou hast created them:

Tabor and Herman rejoice in thy name.

Thou hast a mighty arm;

Strong is thy hand and high is thy right hand.

Righteousness and justice are the foundations of thy throne:

Lovingkindness and truth go before thy face.

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound:

They walk, O Jehovah, in the light of thy countenance.

In thy name do they rejoice all the day;

And in thy righteousness are they exalted.

For thou art the glory of their strength;

And in thy favor our horn shall be exalted.

For our shield belongeth unto Jehovah;

And our king to the Holy One of Israel."

The poetry here is highly imaginative, having a single design, namely, that of extolling the Majesty and Power of God.

"The assembly of the holy ones" (Psalms 89:5). "This is a frequent term in the Old Testament as a reference to Israel as God's Old Testament church."[6]

"Among the sons of the mighty" (Psalms 89:6). This refers to the mighty men of earth, its kings, rulers and dictators. "The mighty" in this passage cannot refer to angels, because angels do not reproduce themselves and therefore have no `sons.'

"The council of the holy ones" (Psalms 89:7). This imagery here is that of a great legislative body, such as a congress, but the figure of speech cannot be pressed beyond the picture of God's being surrounded in heaven by the "living creatures" before the throne and the countless hosts of mighty angels. In no sense whatever, is there any kind of "council" with whom God has any need either to discuss or consult regarding his plans, or from whom he has any need to seek approval of his holy purposes.

"Thou rulest the pride of the sea" (Psalms 89:9). Some scholars find references here to mythological stories of ancient times; but there is no need to import anything like that into this text. The miracle of the Red Sea Crossing, continually in the mind of every Israelite, would have been instantly remembered upon the reading of a verse like this.

"Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces" (Psalms 89:10). "Rahab here is a well-known scriptural reference to Egypt, as in Psalms 87:4."[7] Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne (Psalms 89:14). Hebrews 1:8-9, while not a direct quotation, certainly has the same message as this.

"Our shield belongeth unto Jehovah" (Psalms 89:18). This was a popular conceit of Israel. Their true and only shield was "God"; and their wicked monarchy, at the time of writing this psalm, was in the act of demonstrating to all Israel that it was not the "perfect system" they had imagined when they demanded that God allow it. The Holy Spirit overruled the psalmist's words here, so that they are indeed true. Not merely Israel's king but everything in heaven and upon earth belongs to God; however the psalmist might have been thinking that their earthly monarchy itself was some kind of "shield" for Israel. That myth would perish in the person of Zedekiah.

AN ELABORATION OF GOD'S PROMISE TO DAVID

The next nineteen verses are given over to a rehearsal of God's promises to David through Nathan in 2 Samuel 7. With true poetic license the psalmist also embellished and extended them.

"The first ten verses of this section pertain particularly to David; and the last nine are applicable to the Davidic dynasty."[8]