|
|
Psalm 89 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
In similar fashion to Psalm 88, the writer here boldly introduces some deep theological questions. He records some of our deepest fears and most troubling mysteries about God.
But you are angry with your chosen king; you have deserted and rejected him. 39 You have broken your covenant with your servant and thrown his crown in the dirt.
Psalms 89:38-39 GNB
LORD, will you hide yourself forever? How long will your anger burn like fire? 47 Remember how short my life is; remember that you created all of us mortal! 48 Who can live and never die? How can we humans keep ourselves from the grave?
Psalms 89:46-48 GNB
Lord, where are the former proofs of your love? Where are the promises you made to David? 50 Don’t forget how I, your servant, am insulted, how I endure all the curses of the heathen. 51 Your enemies insult your chosen king, O LORD! They insult him wherever he goes.
Psalms 89:49-51 GNB
Wow. In my opinion, these are the three most severe questions directed at God thus far in the Psalms. 1) The psalmist is accusing God of breaking His covenant. 2) He questions God’s silence by reminding Him that our lives are finite. At the worst, this is an assault on God’s sovereignty. At best, it’s a struggle with His timing. 3) The psalmist questions God’s love and His followthrough with all of His promises to David. It is an elaboration of the first question and a reminder that God’s enemies have triumphed.
So, where do we begin? Let’s start by analyzing these questions. The first reality we must consider is that all of us have entertained these same thoughts at one point or another. Even if we didn’t verbalize them, God knows our heart. A glaring issue with many in ministry today is the inability to permit seekers to engage with these types of questions. We would typically tell people not to ponder such things because we know they aren’t really true. “Just have faith,” we would say.
But to me, this is not an issue of faith. The psalmist wholeheartedly believes that God has made these promises. He has vowed to rescue and deliver. He has promised to be faithful and just. He has promised to love. The psalmist, by faith, believes these promises, yet, cannot reconcile how they are true. His present reality demonstrates the opposite. So, in my opinion, the questions themselves actually demonstrate an active faith that wants to know God deeper.
A lack of faith would be someone not asking these questions. The psalmist’s faith is what compels him to dig and wrestle. “Show me how this is fulfilling Your covenant.” “Show me how You are just in this situation.” “Show me Your love when I cannot feel it.” We have all prayed these difficult prayers at some point! Maybe you are there now? I would encourage you to wrestle! Lament with genuine emotions and bring your concerns to His throne. He can handle them.
The attitude here is not one that questions God because He’s evil or wrong, but one that believes God is good and is wrestling with seeing His goodness unfold in the present situation. It is not a selfish plea for something outside of Scripture, but a request that appeals to what God has already promised will occur.
The beauty of Jesus’ sacrifice is that He became the tangible answer to all of these questions. He is the fulfillment of God’s covenant. He is the payment for sin which takes us beyond the grave and into eternity. He is the proof of God’s love. The joy of this reality is that we can look back and see how God was faithful to all the questions that were asked of this psalmist at the time of his writing. In the same way, the questions that we are asking Him today about His promises will one day be worked out according to His mercy and power. He will be faithful to answer us and bring about His glory just the way He has promised.