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Part 3: A Lament over the current state of the Davidic Dynasty (vs. 38–52)
Psalm 89 is a royal psalm by the choir of Ethan the Ezrahite. also called Jeduthun, who was a Levitical worship singer as well as a prophetic seer and a counselor to King David (1 Chr 16:41–42, 25:1–6; 2 Chr 5:12, 35:15). This royal psalm’s first section is that of a hymn to Yahweh for His faithfulness (1–18). The second section is an oracle on the promises and the covenant with David (19–37). The third section is a lament over the current sad state (to the writer) of the Davidic dynasty (38–51). See 2 Sam 7:4–17 for the prophecy on which this psalm is reflecting.
The Preface to the NASB states: “One of the titles for God is Lord, a translation of Adonai. There is yet another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH (Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 42:8). This name has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great sacredness of the divine name. Therefore, it has been consistently translated LORD.” See the preface of your Bible version on the proper name of God in the Old Testament. Every time you read “Lord,” think adonai (Master, divine one) and every time you read LORD, think Yahweh (pronounced Yahveh, the eternally present covenant keeping God). The author is deliberately emphasizing something by his choice of each name, so you do not want to ignore the difference.
I. The Davidic Covenant is invisible (vs. 38–45)
A. Notice the “But You” of verse 38, there is a contrast from the oracle and hymn
B. David’s sons, starting with Solomon strayed from covenant faithfulness
C. The covenant relationship is broken, but not by God
D. But this author wants God to intervene and restore what the kings broke
E. This lament prayer has powerful and emotional verbs: cast off, rejected, spurned, full of wrath, renounced, defiled, broken down, brought to ruin, put an end to, cast to the ground, cut short, covered with shame
F. This language is so strong, many Bible students think this was written during the exile when King Jehoiachin was deported and wore prison garments for 37 years (2 Kgs 24:8, 25:27, 29; Lam 1:10–12, 2:8)
G. God’s full wrath is for unbelievers, unrepentant, unsubmissive, rebels and His Son in the place of sinners who will believe, repent, and submit
H. The anointed one, High priest, prophet, or King. Here it is clearly the King, David’s son Anointed One in Hebrew is masiach which we transliterate also as Messiah. In Greek it is christos which we transliterate as Christ. So, when the NT says, “Jesus Christ” it is the same as the Hebrew Yesh’ua ha masiach, Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One. His name Yesh’ua means salvation, his name/title Messiah or Christ means “anointed one.” His title Lord shows that He is God and he is the Master.
Is this man Coniah [Jehoiachin] a despised, broken pot, a vessel no one cares for? Why are he and his children hurled and cast into a land that they do not know? O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the LORD: "Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah." (Jer 22:28–30 ESV)
In what sense is he childless if he has children taken to captivity? No direct descendant will rule as king over Judah or Israel.
Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel . . . Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah (Mat 1:10–12, 16 NASB).
Joseph had royal blood through Solomon but could not rule nor his biological sons.
Mary genealogy was from David through his son Nathan, whose line was not cursed the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David (Luke 3:31 NASB)
The coming Messiah needed to be a son of David, but not through the cursed line of Jehoiachin, but the right to rule came through the cursed line. So, when Joseph adopted him as his son, as an adopted son He earned the right to rule without the genetic passing of the curse, as his blood line was under David through Nathan by His biological mother, Mariam’s genealogy. As the Son of God, He also retained the right to rule, as He did before His human birth in Bethlehem.
I. Yeshua the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ) took the Father’s full wrath in your place
J. God’s promise was that David’s lineage would survive any circumstances
On that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant, declares the LORD, and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts. (Hag 2:23 NASB)
Zerubbabel survived the Babylonian exile and returned to Jerusalem as a governor and was in the line of Joseph of Nazareth (Matt 1:12–17). God's mercy displayed
K. God promised to bring the covenantal curses on any Jew who was not loyally devoted to Him, faithfulness matters
L. God kept both of these promises by removing the wicked kings while simultaneously preserving the family line
M. If God would allow the enemies of Israel to destroy the Davidic covenant, what hope would Israel have of them not also violating the Abrahamic covenant to the people?
N. Periods of chastisement are confusing and fearful times
II. A Prayer for restoration of the Davidic Dynasty (vs. 46 –51)
A. These questions for God reveal the intensity of the authors pain and fear
B. This author wants the promises of the Davidic Covenant to be visibly restored during
his lifetime
C. The people are perishing under the persecution
D. The kingdom of God’s disarray brings dishonor to God among the pagans
E. The pagans are mocking the King of the Jews
F. Remember, things are not always what they appear to be or “feel” like
III. The Doxology of praise to Yahweh (vs. 52)
A. This verse concludes the 3rd book of Psalms
B. This lament also ends in faith and praise to Yahweh for who He is
Lessons to live by:
• Don’t ever let liberal propaganda steal the substitutionary atonement from you. Jesus offered himself as a wrath bearing sacrifice (a propitiation to God) in our place
• Sometimes it may not “feel” or “appear” like God is keeping His promises because we can’t see behind the scenes. This is where faith come in beyond what we see
• Honesty with God in our prayers should lead us to end in praise and adoration of His greatness as revealed in the Bible
• We too will suffer persecution, though we are heirs of the promises (1 Pet 4:4)
