Psalm 89
A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite
Taken at face value, the Hebrew term maskil should mean “[for] making wise.” But of the thirteen psalms that bear this name (32, 42, 44-45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88-89, 142) several aren’t really “wise-making” and quite a few that should be given this kind of title don’t have it. Perhaps maskil should be translated “skillful,” either because of the skillful poetry or because of the original musical skill required, the way High School solo and ensemble pieces are graded class A, B and C.
Psalm 89 is the final psalm in Book III (verse 52 is the doxology for the whole book), and like so many of the psalms in this section, we have an author named who is not David. There are two men named Ethan who might be the author, assuming that they are not the same man. One was a Levite (1 Chronicles 15:17) and the other was from Judah (1 Kings 4:31; 1 Chronicles 2:6). Levites could be found in any tribe since they had no ancestral territory of their own. John the Baptist’s father was a Levite from Judah (Luke 1:39, 65). The meaning of “Ezrahite” here is “Son of Zerah,” one of Judah’s sons (Genesis 46:12). This Ethan may also have been known as Jeduthun (1 Chronicles 25:6). If so, he was also a prophet or seer (2 Chronicles 35:15).
1 I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’” Selah
The selah in a Psalm (the new edition of the NIV places the selahs in the footnotes) marks a place for reflection; the musical value is lost to us. It could have been a change in key, or in which voice was singing. It could indicate a refrain or an interlude of some kind (the Hebrew word selah means “lift up”). But in each case, the musical change—whatever it might have been—would cause the listener to reflect on the last words spoken or sung. In this case, the selah asks us to reflect on the promise God made to David about his line lasting into eternity. This was not just a promise to David, but to all mankind: It’s a prophecy about Christ. His throne is firm throughout all generations; his love endures forever.
5 The heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD?
Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 O LORD God Almighty, who is like you?
You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
It might not jump out at us, but the phrase “the heavens proclaim your wonders” is remarkable. The angels are as awed by the power and the miracles of God as we are; perhaps even more so. Many of the men and women who saw miracles happen were unmoved or unimpressed (Exodus 7:22). But the angels in heaven know how awesome the Lord is. When he works, they watch. When he speaks, they listen. What a lesson they teach us, who too often turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Almighty.
9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
Verse 9 stands out like a prophecy of Jesus calming the storm: “He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm” (Luke 8:24). Psalm 107:29 says the same thing: “He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.”
In Job 26:12 we also have the sea associated with something called Rahab: “By his power he churned up the sea, by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.” Rahab was a name from Ugaritic mythology, a legendary sea monster in the south, at least once associated with the Red Sea. It is “the name of a monster that represents the chaos of the sea” (Brug: Psalms Volume I, p. 118). Ethan the author of the psalm isn’t saying that he puts any faith in Ugaritic fiction, but he’s comfortable using that name as a synonym for the sea and its waves the way we would use a term like “Davy Jones’ Locker.”
Tabor is a small mountain (1,886 feet) in Galilee, where the Judge Deborah and the Israelites won a victory (Judges 4:14). Mt. Hermon is considerably taller (9,232 feet) and is in the far north of ancient Israel. In our time, Mt. Hermon is the border point between Lebanon and Syria and has occasionally been claimed by Jordan and Israel. There is a permanently garrisoned UN outpost on Mt. Hermon. The use of Tabor and Hermon (verse 12b) to represent “north and south” (verse 12a) in a parallel expression is a clue that perhaps this Psalm was written during the period of the divided kingdom, at the end of Ethan’s life, while Rehoboam was King of Judah and Jeroboam I was King of Israel. For us, the references underscore the work of Christ that was especially centered in Galilee. Both of these mountains are possible sites for Jesus’ transfiguration.
13 Your arm is endued with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. (NIV)
Verse 13 is a good example of the way the Bible talks about God’s unlimited power. As one of our Dogmatics (advanced doctrine) textbooks puts it: “As man commonly uses his right hand for most of the things he does, so the attribute by which God does his work, namely, his unlimited power, or his omnipotence, is figuratively called his right hand. To describe God’s omnipotent and omnipresent dominion, Scripture says (Psalm 118:15-16): ‘The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly….” Or, Psalm 89:13: “Thou hast a mighty arm; strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand” (Pieper Christian Dogmatics Vol. II p. 329). The right hand of God is the seat (or better, the authority and use) of his almighty power, and the ascended Christ occupies that seat and that authority. Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father, and by this phrase the creeds agree with Scripture, that Christ has all the power of God, equal and coequal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ has completed the work given to him by God the Father: John 17:4: “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do” [NRSV], and: “It is finished,” John 19:30.
We praise him because of what he has accomplished, and especially for the forgiveness we could never have achieved, but which he worked out with his mighty power, and yet by setting that power aside to submit himself to death, even death on a cross.
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. His wife, Kathryn, attended Chapel from 1987-1990 while studying Secondary Education (Theater and Math) at UW-Madison. Kathryn’s father, John Meyer, was also the first man to serve as a Vicar at Chapel.
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