Psalm 89 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 89 Short Summary:

Psalm 89 begins with the author recalling the history of the covenant God made with David and his descendants. God promised to establish the throne of David forever and care for his children so long as they followed His law. The second half of the chapter describes a period of crisis during which the descendants of David were anxiously awaiting God to keep the promises He had made to David and deliver them from their trouble.

Psalm 89 Summary

AUTHOR:

• Psalm 89 was written by Ethan the Ezrahite.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• Acts 13:22 is not a direct quote but similar to Psalm 89:20.

THEMES:

• God’s covenant with David to establish his throne forever.

• The descendants of David awaiting God’s salvation during a period of crisis.

DEFINITIONS:

• Covenant (89:3) – An agreement between two or more parties.

• Rahab (89:10) – Another name for Egypt (see also Psalm 87:4).

• Tabor and Hermon (89:12) – Notable mountains near Israel that the people of David’s day would have been familiar with.

• Horn (89:17) – A bull’s horns are a symbol of his strength. The Bible occasionally uses the term “horn” in a similar way but regarding men. A person’s horn is their strength.

OUTLINE:

• GOD’S PROMISE TO ESTABLISH DAVID’S THRONE (89:1-4):

  • Ethan wanted to sing about God’s faithfulness so all generations would know about it.

  • Specifically, he wanted everyone to know about God’s promise to establish the throne of David forever.

  • God said to David, “I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generation.”

• GOD’S POWER TO KEEP HIS PROMISE (89:5-18):

  • The psalmist had no doubt that God was powerful enough to keep His promise. He dedicated this section to talking about the awesomeness of God.

  • He talked about how the heavenly beings praise God because He is the greatest among them.

  • There was no one in heaven or on earth comparable to God.

  • God’s greatness was not exclusive to heaven, it also extended to the earth.

  • God was in control of the seas, the nations, and the mountains.  

  • His throne was one of righteousness and justice, and those who honored Him as king received rich blessings.

• MORE DETAILS ABOUT GOD’S COVENANT WITH DAVID (89:19-37):

  • In this section, the psalmist recalled the history of God’s selection of David to be king and God’s promises to him and his descendants.

  • God spoke to His prophets about David, how He had chosen him to lead Israel, and how divine power would aid David’s rule and exalt the kingdom.

  • David wouldn’t forget the Lord, he would remain faithful to Him, crying, “You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation” (89:26).

  • God was going to make David the “firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth” (89:27).

  • In addition to blessing his personal reign, God was going to establish David’s throne forever (see verses 1-4).

  • That said, God did warn David’s descendants that He would discipline them if they broke His law. He would punish them, but He would never break His covenant with David.

• THE CURRENT CRISIS OF GOD’S PEOPLE (89:38-52):

  • In verse 38, the tone of the psalm changes, shifting from talking about the greatness of God to the current crisis faced by the people of God (David’s descendants).

  • The exact crisis they were facing is unclear. We don’t know when exactly this psalm was written, but the trials they were facing tempted them to question if God was really going to keep His promises.

  • Their enemies were getting the better of them, they felt like God’s wrath was on them, and they felt like the throne of David had been thrown to the ground in dishonor.

  • The psalmist wanted to know how long God was going to tolerate this. How long was it going to take for God to keep His covenant with David’s people.

  • The psalmist was struggling with these questions, but he still concluded the psalm by blessing the Lord.

  • The final words of the psalm read, “Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen” (89:52).

APPLICATION:

• Some people use Colossians 1:15 to argue Jesus isn’t God, that He is a created being.

• Col 1:15 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

• But to understand this verse, we have to understand the way the author is using “firstborn.” I would argue he used it in the same sense as the author of Psalm 89.

• God was going to make David the “firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth” (89:27).

• We know for certain David was not the firstborn of his family (1 Samuel 16:11).

• In these ancient cultures, the firstborn was the most honored among the sons, and it is in this sense that the author was using the term.

• David was honored above all. Jesus is due more honor than any created thing.

• If you read the verses immediately following Col 1:15, it becomes clear that Jesus was not part of the creation, rather He was the creator of all things.  

• This verse is talking about the honor due to Jesus in comparison to the rest of creation.