Psalm 89 (88):27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Beloved, let us grasp the essence of this psalm that I am about to explain, by God’s grace, regarding our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Take heart, for He who has promised is faithful to fulfill all His words. Our confidence rests not on our own merits but solely on His grace. In my view, the name attributed to the author, Ethan the Israelite, holds significance. Indeed, his name conveys strength. No individual in this life finds true strength apart from the hope found in God's promises; in our own capacities, we are frail, yet in His mercy, we are fortified. The psalmist begins with the declaration, I will sing of Your mercies, O Lord, forever; with my mouth, I will proclaim Your truth to every generation, Psalms 88:1.

He states, Let my members serve the Lord, for I speak of Your truth. When I declare Your truth, I must obey; to act contrary is to deny my service. Speaking from You and speaking from myself are distinct: one is wholly Yours, while the other is merely mine. Let us observe the faithfulness he exhibits and the graces he celebrates. For You have decreed: ‘Grace shall be established forever’ Psalm 87:2. This is what I declare: this truth is what my mouth proclaims. You have asserted that you do not build to destroy; while some are destroyed and not rebuilt, others are restored after being demolished. Had Jeremiah not written, ‘Behold, I have appointed you to uproot and to rebuild’ Jeremiah 1:10, one might question this. Those who once worshipped false images could not firmly stand in Christ, perishing due to their previous errors. Should some not have faced destruction to allow for restoration, the scripture would not say, ‘He will tear down without rebuilding’.

The concepts of mercy and faithfulness are intertwined. You have proclaimed, Mercy shall last forever; Your truth shall be established in the heavens, where mercy and truth coexist, as the Lord's dealings embody both mercy and truth. The fidelity of God's promises doesn't manifest without the preceding mercy that forgives sins. Many prophecies were made to the people of Israel, who descend from Abraham, and these people multiplied so that God's covenants would be fulfilled among them; yet His grace has not been withheld from the Gentiles, whom He placed under the guidance of angels, while maintaining Israel as His chosen people. The apostle speaks to both groups, highlighting God's mercy and truth, referring to Christ as the minister of the circumcision for God's truth to affirm the promises made to the patriarchs. Romans 15:8. Observe how God has remained true; He has not forsaken His people whom He foreknew. In reminding us of the Jews' fall, the apostle reassures us of God’s unwavering choice: God has not rejected His people, whom He foreknew; for I too am an Israelite. Romans 11:1-2. If the bulk of Israel is like thistles, what about the wheat? The truth of God is realized in believing Israelites, who have formed a wall of circumcision alongside the cornerstone. This stone would not serve as a cornerstone without the addition of another wall, the wall that pertains to the grace of God. Hence, the apostle declares that Jesus Christ is the minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, confirming the promise made to the fathers, so that Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. Romans 15:8-9.

Thus it is appropriately stated, Your truth shall be established in the heavens, as the Israelites, called to be apostles, reflected heavens, declaring the glory of God, just as it is written, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Even though they were taken from this realm before the Church encompassed the earth, their words have reached the world’s corners, leading us to rightly conclude that You will establish Your truth in the heavens filled with their testimonies.

You declared: ‘I have made a covenant with My chosen’ Psalm 88:3. What covenant is this but a new covenant, renewing us for an inheritance filled with expectation and love, which compels us into a new song? The psalmist continues, I have sworn to David my servant. His unwavering confidence speaks to his understanding, for his lips testify to the truth! I speak boldly; since You have declared, if Your words embolden me, how much more will Your oath give me strength! God's oath is the assurance of the promise's fulfillment. Man is rightly cautioned against swearing Matthew 5:34 because of the potential for deception and the risk of perjury. However, God alone can swear without error, for He is unfailing.

Let us examine what God has sworn: I have sworn, He declares, to David my servant; I will establish your offspring forever. Psalm 87:4. What is David’s seed but that of Abraham? And of Abraham’s seed, it is declared, and to his seed, which is Christ. Galatians 3:16. Christ, the Head of the Church, the Savior of the body Ephesians 5:23, is indeed the seed of Abraham and thus David. But are we not also considered Abraham’s seed? We surely are! As the apostle states, ‘If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.’ Galatians 3:29. In this framework, we may understand the meaning behind the psalmist’s assertion, ‘I will establish your seed forever,’ not only referring to Christ’s flesh, born of the Virgin Mary, but also to all of us who believe in Him, for we are members of this Head. The body cannot be separate from the Head; if the Head is eternally in glory, so too will the members be, ensuring Christ remains one forever.

I will establish your seed forever, and I will uphold your throne from generation to generation. His words of ‘forever’ signify the continual lineage; as previously expressed, With my mouth I will always proclaim Your truth to every generation and kindred. What does ‘generation to generation’ indicate? It references every age, where repetition emphasizes the passage of time through various generations. Perhaps it can be understood as two generations—this present bodily generation and the future resurrection of the dead. Here Christ is heralded, to be believed in now and beheld in the future. I will uphold your throne from generation to generation. Christ presently reigns within us; if He were not enthroned in our hearts, we would not be ruled by Him, and without His governance, we would face downfall. Thus, He resides within us, governing us, and awaits another generation, which will arise from the resurrection. Christ will rule over His Saints eternally. God has promised it, He has spoken it, and if that were not sufficient, God has sworn it.

Consequently, as the promise is trustworthy—not rooted in our merit but in His mercy—none should hesitate to declare what they believe unwaveringly. May this power inspire our hearts, hence Ethan’s name, strong in spirit. Let us proclaim God’s truth, His promises, His pledges, and, amid these affirmations, glorify Him, becoming as Heavens. Lord, even the heavens celebrate Your marvelous works. Psalm 88:5. The heavens do not commend their own merits but Your wondrous deeds, O Lord. In every act of mercy towards the lost, in the justification of the unrighteous, what do we extol but the extraordinary works of God? Praise Him for raising the dead; praise Him even more for redeeming the lost. What grace! What mercy! Witness a man, once engulfed in drunkenness, transformed into a beacon of sobriety; a man, previously a prisoner of excess, now radiating temperance; one who yesterday blasphemed God, now extolling His praises; a once slavish spirit now worshipping the Creator. Such radical transformations reveal the marvelous works of Him who renews us into His likeness.

Who among the clouds can be compared to You, O Lord! Psalm 88:6. Is it the praises of heaven or their rain? Are preachers so certain that no being among the clouds can rival the Lord? It seems perplexing, brethren, to suggest that the clouds do not compare to their Creator. Do the stars among the heavens, higher than the clouds, compare to the Lord? How can the sun, the moon, the angels, or the heavens be deemed comparable? Therefore, when the psalmist questions, ‘Who is He among the clouds?’, it indicates profound praise. We can interpret these clouds as truth proclaimers—prophets and apostles heralding God’s word. If we acknowledge clouds as carriers of truth, we must first determine why they are identified as clouds. The same beings are described as both heavens and clouds; heavens symbolize the brightness of truth, while clouds illustrate the flesh’s obscurities, for all clouds bear the shadow of mortality and are transient. In speaking of these fleshly obscurities, the apostle reminds us, ‘Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time until the Lord comes, who will reveal the things hidden in darkness.’ 1 Corinthians 4:5.

You may perceive what a person voices, but the heart remains concealed; what emerges from the cloud is visible, while what resides within it is not. To whom can pierce the cloud's veil? Consequently, clouds emerge as fleshly truth-bearers. The Creator came in the flesh... We, too, are called clouds due to our corporeal form, sharing the responsibility of heralding truth through the rains of the clouds, yet our flesh arrives through one means, His through another. We, too, are termed sons of God, yet He is the Son of God in a unique sense. His cloud was born of the Virgin, and He is the eternal Son, consubstantial with the Father. Who among the clouds could ever resemble the Lord? And who among the sons of God might approach Him in stature? Let the Lord Himself determine if He can unearth anyone comparable. Who do men refer to me as, the Son of Man? Am I not recognized as such because of my presence and actions among you? However, have I been seen as common? When questioned about who I am, they reply enigmatically; some identify Me as John the Baptist, others Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Numerous clouds and sons of God are mentioned here; being called sons of God only because of their righteousness, as indicated by their character as speakers of divine truth. ‘What do the clouds signify about Me?’ He asks; going further, He challenges, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Peter, advocating for all, responds, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ Matthew 16:13-16—not as those lesser sons of God who do not equate to You; You have come in the flesh, not as clouds that cannot reach Your stature.

God is truly to be revered in the assembly of the righteous and held in awe by all who surround Him. Psalm 88:7. God is omnipresent; thus, who surrounds Him? For to claim Him as bounded by anything would contradict His infinite nature. He chose to take on flesh in a singular place—to live among a specific people, to be crucified, resurrected, and ascended at a certain location. When this occurred, Gentiles were present with Him. Had He only been contained to that location, His greatness and fear would diminish; instead, through His preaching and the sending forth of His name, global of His servants shaped His magnitude and terrified those around Him.

O Lord God of Hosts, who is like You? Your truth, Almighty God, surrounds all Psalm 88:8. Great is Your might: You fashioned the heavens and the earth, with everything contained within; yet Your mercy, which reveals Your truth to those nearby, stands even greater. Had Your presence been confined to the place chosen for You to be born, suffer, resurrect, and ascend, the truth of God's promise would have been only partially fulfilled, affirming what was promised to the patriarchs. However, the pledge that Gentiles would glorify God for His mercy, Romans 15:9, could only be realized if Your truth was both declared and extended outward from the place of Your manifestation. From that location, You thundered from Your cloud and sent forth other clouds to rain upon the Gentiles. Verily, by Your power, You have accomplished what You have declared: ‘From now on, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven’ Matthew 26:64.

He will address me as ‘My Father, you are my God.’ Once more, the Incarnate One refers to the Father as His God, declaring, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God’ (John 20:17). This is in line with the Prophet’s words, who, while prophesying the birth of a Child, called Him the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father (Is. 9:6).

The Lord Jesus is described by the apostle as ‘the firstborn from the dead’ (Col. 1:18). He ascended (cf. Heb. 7:26) into heaven, triumphing over all the kingdoms of the earth.

None of these matters came to fruition either during the reign of David or under the magnificence of Solomon; for neither David nor Solomon commanded the waters, nor were they acknowledged as the firstborn of God, nor did they possess sovereignty over all rulers. Aquila renders it as the greatest among the kings of the earth, and Symmachus similarly interprets it. If these declarations do not apply to David or Solomon, and God's promise remains true, then the Jews are indeed blind for failing to honor Him who descended from David according to the flesh, who reigns over both land and sea, and who transcends all monarchs.

The expression seems to be missing, suggesting that it should convey: He will refer to me as: You are my Father! In what instance does David refer to God as his Father? There is no such instance; however, Christ frequently calls Him Father throughout the Gospels. As both God and our Advocate, this aligns with the teachings of the holy Cyril and Isychius. Jesus proclaimed to Magdalene, “I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God” (John 20:17).

It is not the believer who possesses the right to make such a plea by their own merit, but it is through the grace of the Savior, who has made us His siblings and shaped us in His image. He has therefore instructed us to pray, ‘Our Father which art in heaven’ (Matt. 6:9). He is ‘My God and the defender of my salvation.’ While God, in His grace, has taken on the role of our Father, we continually recognize Him as the God and Advocate of our salvation. Acknowledging the oppression we face from the devil and how those bound by the flesh are vanquished by the spiritual adversary, He became our Advocate, identifying our foe as His own and sharing in our experience. These words form the essence of our appeal; what promises does He extend to us through them?

Through these statements, it is evident that the primary honor bestowed upon King David is being recognized as the son of God. While God also grants this esteemed title to other rulers whom He has appointed, as demonstrated in Psalm 81, where it states, ‘I say, Ye are Gods, and sons of the Highest, all of you,’ here there is a unique declaration regarding His chosen monarch, indicating a special form of adoption. Furthermore, we will observe shortly how God elevates David above other earthly kings, for they do not reign in the same heavenly domain. This particular honor of being called the son of God is uniquely conferred upon David, singularly in the entire world.