I. (89:1–4) The Covenant with David: Steadfast Love and Faithfulness. The theme of this opening section is straightforward: in raising up David and his line to be kings for his people, God has displayed his “steadfast love” and “faithfulness.” These words, which evoke Exodus 34:6, appear throughout Psalm 89 (vv. 1, 2, 14, 24, 28 [cf. ESV mg.], 33, 49).586 Verses 3–4 refer to 2 Samuel 7:8–16: God’s promise to David to “establish” his “offspring forever.” The promise is rooted in God’s enduring love to his people and is a “covenant” and an oath or sworn purpose (v. 3); therefore, the term “forever” (v. 4) should receive its full weight. This sets up the “problem” that occasioned the psalm, namely, the humiliation that has come to the people ruled by David’s heir (vv. 38–45). It also provides the confidence by which God’s people can offer this prayer: they are asking God to be true to his own word.

II. (89:5–14) God Is above All Other Powers. This section offers praise to God, the Maker and Ruler of both the material creation and the angels. The following section (vv. 15–18) will explore the marvel for Israel, that this God has pledged himself especially to them and their king. The OT frequently dwells on this special privilege of Israel (e.g., Ex. 19:5; Deut. 10:14–15).

The parallelism of Psalm 89:5 makes clear that the praise being invited in the heavens is that given by “the holy ones.” These are what we know as the angels (Job 15:15; Dan. 4:13; 8:13; Mark 8:38; Acts 10:22; Rev. 14:10), pictured as an “assembly” (Ps. 89:5) or “council” (v. 7), surrounding God and doing his will (cf. 1 Kings 22:19; Job 1:6; 2:1; Ps. 103:20–21). They are also called “heavenly beings” (“sons of God,” ESV mg.; cf. comment on 29:1–2). The Lord is exalted above these most exalted of all creatures and worthy of their praise—and, thus, how much more is he worthy of human praise.

In 89:8 the rhetorical question invites the response: there is none as “mighty” as the God of Israel. He governs even the “raging of the sea” (v. 9; unmanageable chaos to an Israelite) and the powers that dwell in it. “Rahab” seems likely to be a name for Egypt, seen as a great world power (cf. comment on 87:4–6; the name seems to derive from a mythical sea monster and thus portrays Egypt that way).

As the Lord is the creator of all, all things—the heavens, the earth, the world and all that is in it—are his (cf. 24:1–2). Indeed, everything from the north to the south (everywhere) is his creation, and the noteworthy mountains Tabor and Hermon will “joyously praise [his] name” (89:12). Tabor is the prominent mountain in the Jezreel Valley, while Hermon is at the northern end of Israel. The most impressive features of the landscape acknowledge the greatness of their Creator.

Not only does God have exceeding might, being able to do his will, but he is characterized by “righteousness,” “justice,” “steadfast love,” and “faithfulness” (v. 14). These all point to his reliability, his keeping of his promises, his patient and enduring care even for people who are unworthy of them.587

III. (89:15–18) God’s Special Favor to Israel. It is no wonder that the song moves on to glory in the privileges of being God’s “people,” to whom God has given revelation (the “festal shout” is uttered in worship; cf. 27:6; 33:3). The section makes the transition from the universality of God’s rule over his world to the particular privileges Israel had received from him.

God’s people also have the “light of [his] face” to guide their “walk” (their conduct and life’s orientation) and have received his “name” (the unveiling of his character, which is what Ex. 34:6–7 is). Further, they have a special place in God’s plan for the world: they are “exalted,” and God pledges his “strength” on their behalf. The “shield” here is the “king,” whose task is to protect the people by representing them before God, embodying covenant faithfulness (cf. 84:9). Although the “shields” of all nations belong to God, Israel’s king enjoys a distinctive role, just as Israel enjoys a distinctive role for the sake of the world. (On “the Holy One of Israel” and its connections to Isaiah cf. the discussion of the Davidic “servant” in the Section Overview and Outline; cf. also comment on 71:22–24.)

IV. (89:19–37) God Promised an Enduring Dynasty to David. The mention of the king’s role in Israel (v. 18) leads to the account of how the line of David came into the kingship and the promises God made to that line. The psalm draws on the history of David’s anointing (1 Sam. 16:1–13) and God’s oath to David (2 Sam. 7:4–17).

Several aspects of the description here show the special role of the Davidic king. For example, just as Israel’s horn is exalted (Ps. 89:17), so is David’s (v. 24).588 Further, the Lord has a secure throne (v. 14), and so does David (v. 29). Similarly, David’s successful hand and right hand (v. 25) echo those of the Lord (v. 13). As explained above (cf. Section Overview and Outline), the Davidic kingship occupies a unique role by which the king is to embody the people. Here he also comes to share some of God’s role; this is partly because Israel is God’s agent of blessing to the rest of the world and partly because the ultimate end of the Davidic kingship, a throne “established forever” (2 Sam. 7:16), stretches beyond the possibilities for any king of whom we read in Samuel and Kings. We come to expect an eternal person, the ultimate Anointed One. Christians note that themes such as this make it no surprise that the Messiah would be an actual divine person.

This section tells the story of God’s choice and installation of David as king. The “godly one” to whom God “spoke in a vision” (v. 19) is probably Nathan (2 Sam. 7:17). As the ESV explains, some Hebrew manuscripts have the plural, “godly ones” (cf. ESV mg.), which would then refer to both Nathan and Samuel (1 Sam. 16:1–3).589 The account of God’s choosing David, and the reasons why, appears in 1 Samuel 13:14; 15:28.

God’s purpose for David’s dynasty is that the Davidic king would govern Israel in accordance with his intentions for them: they would be secure from enemies who would suppress them and their faith (Ps. 89:22–23), and he would extend his rule to encompass all peoples (vv. 24–25; cf. 72:8), in fulfillment of the Abrahamic calling (Gen. 12:2–3).590 He is to embody the people’s sonship to God (vv. 26–27; cf. Ex. 4:22–23), which also means that he is to be exemplary in his piety and faithfulness.

The NT calls Jesus the “firstborn,” portraying him as the exalted heir of David who represents his people (Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15, 18; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 1:5); he is the one who fulfills the prospect of being the “highest of the kings of the earth” (Ps. 89:27; Rev. 1:5; 19:16), and, according to Matthew 28:18–19, he is now bringing the Gentiles to acknowledge this.

The permanence, security, and success of the Davidic dynasty ensure it will not fail but will indeed achieve God’s purposes (Ps. 89:28–29). At the same time, this does not mean that the particular occupants of the throne will be successful regardless of their faithfulness; neither does it imply that the dynasty can never go into obscurity, as it did during the exile (vv. 30–37). The Lord had explained this to David from the start (cf. 2 Sam. 7:14–15; 1 Kings 2:4). A good example of this is King Ahaz, whose lack of genuine trust in the Lord led to the people’s suffering and his own judgment but not to the end of the Davidic line (Isa. 7:1–17).591 Psalm 89:36–37 describes the everlasting endurance of the Davidic line in terms that remind us of 72:5, 17, and thus they point forward to the ultimate heir in the line of David, as Psalm 72 does. The lineage did survive, though its heir Zerubbabel was only a “governor” (Hag. 1:1); even so, God kept his promise (Hag. 2:23; cf. Matt. 1:12–16; Luke 3:23–27).

V. (89:38–45) But Now You Have Renounced Your Promises to David. With all this glorious background, the psalm moves to its current situation: it looks and feels as if God has forsaken his promises to the house of David (and thus to his people).

This section takes up words from the preceding parts of Psalm 89 in order to stress the feeling of reversal. God’s “anointed” was his special choice (v. 20), but now God is “full of wrath against” him (v. 38). The “covenant” that should have meant security (v. 34) God has “renounced” (v. 39). The king’s “right hand” should govern even the rivers (v. 25), but now God has “exalted the right hand of his foes” (v. 42). David’s “throne” was to endure as long as the sun (vv. 29, 36), but now God has “cast [it] to the ground” (v. 44). Rather than the reigning heir of David’s being the “highest of the kings of the earth” (v. 27), now all the Gentiles triumph over him and his people (vv. 40–43).

Although this description sounds bleak, the psalm is not hopeless. In recognizing that the current situation seems to express God’s “wrath against [the] anointed” (v. 38), it looks back to verses 30–32. This current hardship may be God’s chastisement upon the king for unfaithfulness, and thus a call to repentance.

VI. (89:46–51) O Lord, Show Your Steadfast Love by Restoring David’s Throne. There is great comfort in the promise of an enduring Davidic house, and thus the present low estate of God’s people is not the end of their story. Yet the faithful pray that even now God may see fit to relieve the hardship. Each generation of the faithful knows that its time is short (vv. 47–48), and it yearns to see some foretaste of God’s ultimate vindication of his promises to his people.

It feels wrong for God’s people, whose king is eventually to rule all the kings of the earth (v. 27), to be subject to the “insults of all the many nations” (v. 50), so that the Gentiles “mock the footsteps of [God’s] anointed” (v. 51). The prayer here reflects that feeling of wrongness, as God’s people, in asking “How long?” (v. 46), are insisting that the trouble has gone on long enough—the confidence does not lead to indolence.

The appeal is to God’s “steadfast love” and “faithfulness” (v. 49, cf. comment on 89:1–4) expressed in his oath to David (v. 24), not to any claims of merit.

VII. (89:52) Doxology Concluding Book 3. Cf. comment on 41:13.

I. (90:1–2) The Lord Is Eternal. The Lord is the “dwelling place,” the home and refuge, of his people “in all generations,” because he himself is eternal. He has been God since “before” the creation. That God is the Creator is assumed. That the Lord has always been God indicates that he always will be and will not change, which then provides the basis for the request.

The image for creation is that of giving birth: “the mountains were brought forth” as if they were a child, and the Lord “formed” (as a mother in the womb) the earth and the world. This image implies most naturally that the world had a beginning and did not produce itself. The imagery goes well with the traditional notion of creation out of nothing, although in a poem the philosophical aspects of the notion are not commented on.

II. (90:3–6) But Man’s Life Is Fleeting. In contrast to God’s eternity, human life—even the longest imaginable (“thousand years”; v. 4)—is insignificantly brief. The images of a “watch in the night,” a “flood,” a “dream,” and “grass” all convey the idea of something that is here one moment and then gone before the next (cf. Job 14:1–2; Ps. 103:15–16; Isa. 40:6–8; James 1:11).594

The psalm evokes God’s sentence in Eden on the sin of Adam and Eve (Ps. 90:3), which means that a fleeting lifespan is due to the entry of sin into the world and is not an inherent part of being human. Even though the word “dust” here (Hb. dakkaʾ) is not the same as that in Genesis 3:19 (ʿapar, the ordinary word), the coupling of “return” with a word for loose soil makes the reference to Genesis clear. Further, the expression “children of man” (Ps. 90:3) is rightly rendered; at the same time, the word for “man” is ʾadam, which Genesis uses as a proper name, Adam (Gen. 2:20; cf. ESV mg.).

III. (90:7–11) We Are Brought to an End by Your Wrath. The people of God reflect on the unfaithfulness of past generations (who harbored “iniquities” and “secret sins”; Ps. 90:8), which resulted in God’s “anger” and “wrath” (vv. 7, 9, 11). These are “before” God, in his presence, which contrasts with the prayer that he not remember them (25:7; 79:8). This section repeats three synonyms to denote God’s anger: “anger” (Hb. ʾap; 90:7, 11); “wrath” (khemah; v. 7), and “wrath” (ʿebrah; vv. 9, 11). In context there is little difference between the words; the idea is that the whole body of God’s people suffers from the presence and influence of its unfaithful members, and God’s judgments that purge them from his people are hard even for the faithful to endure. Hence the whole people experience “toil and trouble” during their brief span of life.595

Verse 10 gives an ordinary lifespan (“seventy,” or as much as “eighty”); many live fewer years (violence, accident, disease), and a few live longer (Joseph, Gen. 50:26; Moses, Deut. 34:7; Joshua, Josh. 24:29). In any case, this is much briefer than a “thousand years” (Ps. 90:4), let alone than God’s eternity.

IV. (90:12–17) Teach Us Wisdom and Establish Our Work. Now the song turns from description to prayer: the verbs all invite God to take some action. These considerations of verses 1–11 lead to eager prayer for God to guide his people in faithful living (v. 12), to draw near to them and make them glad (vv. 13–15), and to bless their endeavors (vv. 16–17).

The first request is to teach his people to “number our days”: if the “years of our life” (v. 10; lit., the “days of our years”) are so few, then the wise should be ever mindful of this and seek not to have their days pass away under God’s wrath (v. 9). “Wisdom” here, as typically in Proverbs, is skill in the art of godly living, and its place is indeed in the “heart,” the center of one’s thinking, desiring, and choosing (Prov. 2:10; 4:23); it is coupled with the proper “fear” of God (Pss. 90:11; 111:10; Prov. 1:7; 9:10; 14:2). Wisdom in Proverbs also orients toward the well-being of the whole community of God’s covenant people, the focus of this psalm.

Psalm 90 then moves on to request further that God would “return” and “have pity on [his] servants” (v. 13)—to come back to them, to turn from his anger (cf. Ex. 32:12). They pray that God would “satisfy” them “in the morning” (Ps. 90:14); this is probably a metaphor in which the current situation is the night and the singers look eagerly for the light of morning (cf. 30:5; 46:5; 59:16; 130:6; 143:8), the time when God will make his “steadfast love” clear to his people. They will then be able to “rejoice and be glad all [their] days,” those days and years that are so few—too few to be wasted with provoking God’s wrath (90:15)!

Verse 16 prays that the Lord would show his “work” and his “glorious power” to his servants—that is, that he would display his love toward his people and thereby enable them to flourish. Indeed, the prayer goes beyond the present generation to include “their children”; God made his covenant with Abraham and with his offspring (who must themselves embrace the covenant), and the OT faithful seek to continue the people through their own pious children (78:3–8; 103:17; 145:4). In light of this, 90:17 prays that the Lord’s “favor” might rest upon the people. Perhaps (cf. ESV mg.) we should take the word as “beauty” (Hb. noʻam; cf. 27:4): God’s own beauty is on display through his faithful servants. The “work of our hands” is the work God’s people do in pursuit of their calling (Deut. 14:29; 16:15; 24:19), and the psalm finishes by asking God to “establish” it, that is, to make it the enduring reality of their short lives.