Psalms 89:9

And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. -Inasmuch as the value of a promise depends on the power and the faithfulness of the promiser, the Psalmist sets forth these attributes as especially belonging to God (Psalms 89:5), and infers hence, the blessedness of the people who are the objects of His promises (Psalms 89:15). This whole part consists of fourteen verses-the general introduction in three verses (Psalms 89:5); the body of the subject in seven (Psalms 89:8); and the conclusion ...

9._Thou governest the pride of the sea. _I have already observed that what the prophet has hitherto spoken generally concerning the power of God, is to be referred to the miracle of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, which he now celebrates in express terms. According to the interpretation of some, God is said to still the impetuous waves of the sea, because he does not suffer it to break forth and overflow the whole world by a deluge. But I would read the 9th and 10th verses connectedly, and would understand the prophet as speaking of the Red Sea, which God divided to make a way for the chosen tribes to pass over. The Psalmist adds immediately after, that all _the land of Egypt was overthrown as a wounded man _By these words he magnifies the grace of God, which was displayed in the deliverance of the Church. He intended, there can be no doubt, to set before his own mind and t...

5-14 The more God's works are known, the more they are admired. And to praise the Lord, is to acknowledge him to be such a one that there is none like him. Surely then we should feel and express reverence when we worship God. But how little of this appears in our congregations, and how much cause have we to humble ourselves on this account! That almighty power which smote Egypt, will scatter the enemies of the church, while all who trust in God's mercy will rejoice in his name; for mercy and truth direct all he does. His counsels from eternity, and their consequences to eternity, are all justice and judgment....

Verse Psalms 89:9. _THOU RULEST THE RAGING OF THE SEA_] Whoever has seen the sea in a storm, when its waves run what is called _mountain high_, must acknowledge that nothing but omnipotent power could rule its raging. _WHEN THE WAVES THEREOF ARISE, THOU STILLEST THEM._] Thou governest both its _flux_ and _reflux_. Thou art the Author of _storms_ and _calms_. There may be a reference here to the passage of the Red Sea, and the strong wind that agitated its waves at that time; as the next verse seems to indicate....

THOU RULEST THE RAGING OF THE SEA - The pride; the anger; the lifting up of the sea. That is, when the sea is raging and boisterous; when it seems as if everything would be swept away before it, thou hast absolute control over it. There is, perhaps, no more impressive exhibition of divine power than the control which God has over the raging waves of the ocean: and yet this was the power which Jesus exercised over the raging sea of Galilee - showing that he had the power of God. Mark 4:39. WHEN THE WAVES THEREOF ARISE - In the lifting up of the waves; when they seem to raise themselves up in defiance. THOU STILLEST THEM - At thy pleasure. They rise no higher than thou dost permit; at thy command they settle down into a calm. So in the troubles of life - the storms - the waves of a

EXPOSITION At first sight, a psalm of praise; but, in reality, one of expostulation and complaint. The praises of God are sung in the opening section (Psalms 89:1); they culminated in the Davidical covenant. But this covenant has been "made void," annulled. The existing state of things is directly contrary to all its promises (Psalms 89:38-19). How long is this to continue? Does not God's faithfulness require the deliverance of Israel and of the Davidical house from their calamities, and their speedy restoration to his favour (Psalms 89:46-19)? Psalms 89:52 is no part of the psalm, but the doxology which

THOU RULEST THE RAGING OF THE SEA,.... The power, pride, and elation of it, when it swells, and foams, and rages, and becomes boisterous, and threatens vessels upon it with utter ruin and destruction; but the Lord, who has it under his dominion and government, restrains it; he has made and can manage it, and he only: his power over it is seen in assigning it its place, and ordering the waters of it to it when first made; in placing the sand for its boundary by a perpetual decree, which it cannot pass; by commanding the stormy wind to lift up its waves, and by making the storm a calm, and the waves thereof still; see Psalms 107:25, instances of this were at the universal deluge, and at the Red sea: WHEN THE WAVES THEREOF ARISE, THOU STILLEST THEM; when the sea lifts up its waves, and both lift up their voice, and make a noise, and roar, the Lord hushes them, and makes t

Psalms 89:1. Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. That is to say, an instructive Psalm, written by or for one Ethan, one of the great singers of David's day. He sings of the covenant, the covenant with David, ordered in all things and sure. There is no higher theme for song than the covenant of God's grace, one marvels that it has not oftener been sung by those who are the gifted children of poetry. Psalms 89:1. _I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever:_ Another subject might wear out, but this glorious topic will never be exhausted, Here is a theme which we can sing of in eternity as well as in time. Let others choose what subject they may, «I will sing of the mercies of Jehovah for ever.» Psalm

Psalms 89 God's Faithfulness: His Oath-bound Covenant with David _ 1. Jehovah's faithfulness (Psalms 89:1)_ 2. His covenant with David (Psalms 89:19) 3. The ruin and desolation (Psalms 89:38) 4. How long, Lord? Remember! (Psalms 89:46) A Maschil of Ethan, a Merarite (1 Chronicles 6:44; 1 Chronicles 15:17). The greater pa

LXXXIX. THE COVENANT WITH DAVID. The Ps. may be divided thus: Psalms 89:1. The promise made to David (2 Samuel 7). Yahweh is all-powerful, so that He can, faithful so that He will, fulfil His word. Psalms 89:19. The promise considered at greater length. Observe the sobriety of tone. It is David's dynasty, not David himself, which is to endure for ever, and the kingdom promised is not world-wide but limited to the old boundaries, viz. the Euphrates and the Egyptian frontier. Psalms 89:38. In spite of this great promise Israel is in abject misery, and the time is short, for human life is soon over. The Ps. is generally admitted to be post-exilic. The sceptre had already ...