Psalm 89:32 Komentář

Many psalms that begin with complaint and prayer end with joy and praise, but this begins with joy and praise and ends with sad complaints and petitions; for the psalmist first recounts God's former favours, and then with the consideration of them aggravates the present grievances. It is uncertain when it was penned; only, in general, that it was at a time when the house of David was woefully eclipsed; some think it was at the time of the captivity of Babylon, when king Zedekiah was insulted over, and abused, by Nebuchadnezzar, and then they make the title to signify no more than that the psalm was set to the tune of a song of Ethan the son of Zerah, called Maschil; others suppose it to be penned by Ethan, who is mentioned in the story of Solomon, who, outliving that glorious prince, thus lamented the great disgrace done to the house of David in the next reign by the revolt of the ten tribes. I. The psalmist, in the joyful pleasant part of the psalm, gives glory to God, and takes comfort to himself and his friends. This he does more briefly, mentioning God's mercy and truth (Psa 89:1) and his covenant (Psa 89:2-4), but more largely in the following verses, wherein, 1. He adores the glory and perfection of God (Psa 89:5-14). 2. He pleases himself in the happiness of those that are admitted into communion with him (Psa 89:15-18). 3. He builds all his hope upon God's covenant with David, as a type of Christ (v. 19-37). II. In the melancholy part of the psalm he laments the present calamitous state of the prince and royal family (Psa 89:38-45), expostulates with God upon it (Psa 89:46-49), and then concludes with prayer for redress (Psa 89:50, Psa 89:51). In singing this psalm we must have high thoughts of God, a lively faith in his covenant with the Redeemer, and a sympathy with the afflicted parts of the church. Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 89 Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. Who this Ethan was is not certain. Kimchi takes him to be the same with Ethan the wise man, a grandson of Judah, Kg1 4:31. But seeing he lived some hundreds of years before the times of David, it is not likely that he should be the writer of this psalm; for David is made mention of in it, which could not be, unless it can be thought to be by a spirit of prophecy; which indeed is the opinion of Doctor Lightfoot (k), who takes this Ethan to be the penman of this psalm; and who "from the promise, Gen 15:1 sings joyfully the deliverance (of Israel); that the raging of the Red sea should be ruled, Psa 89:9, and Rahab, or Egypt, should be broken in pieces, Psa 89:10, and that the people should hear the joyful sound of the law, Psa 89:15, and as for the name of David in it, this, he says, might be done prophetically; as Samuel is thought to be named by Moses, Psa 99:6, which psalm is held to be made by him; or else might be put into it, in later times, by some divine penman, endued with the same gift of prophecy, who might improve the ground work of this psalm laid by Ethan, and set it to an higher key; namely, that whereas he treated only of bodily deliverance from Egypt, it is wound up so high as to reach the spiritual delivery by Christ; and therefore David is often named, from whence he should come.'' There was another Ethan, a singer, in David's time; and it is more probable that he is the person, who might live to the times of Rehoboam, and see the decline of David's family, and the revolt of the ten tribes from it; or perhaps it was one of this name who lived in the times of the Babylonish captivity, and saw the low estate that David's family were come into; to which agrees the latter part of this psalm; and, in order to comfort the people of God, he wrote this psalm, showing that the covenant and promises of God, made with David, nevertheless stood firm, and would be accomplished: the title of the Septuagint version calls him Etham the Israelite; and the Arabic version Nathan the Israelite: the Targum makes him to be Abraham, paraphrasing it "a good understanding, which was said by the hand of Abraham, that came from the east.'' But whoever was the penman of this psalm, it is "maschil", an instructive psalm, a psalm causing to understand; it treats concerning the covenant of grace, and the promises of it; and concerning the mercy and faithfulness of God, in making and keeping the same; and concerning the Messiah and his seed, his church and people; and the stability and duration of all these: many passages in it are applied to the Messiah by Jewish writers, ancient and modern; and Psa 89:20 is manifestly referred to in Act 13:22.

Nevertheless, my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him,.... Or "make it void" (k), not from Christ, who always was, and ever will be, the dear Son of his love, even while he was obeying, suffering, and dying; nor from all those that are in him, loved and chosen in him, from everyone of his spiritual seed, who are all dear sons, and pleasant children; and the love of God to his people is in Christ; and therefore there can he no separation from it; nor will it ever depart from them, or be utterly or at all taken from them, as to that itself, though sometimes the manifestations of it are withdrawn from them; but the love of God itself is invariable and unchangeable; see Rom 8:38, nor is it removed when God afflicts and chastens his people; for his chastenings are from love, and in love; the reason why he chastens them is because he loves them, and he loves them while he is chastening them; he visits and comforts them, sympathizes with them, supports them, and supplies them, and makes all things work together for their good, Rev 3:19, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail; in making good his engagements to Christ, in keeping the covenant made with him, and in fulfilling his promises to his people; and even when he afflicts them, it is in faithfulness to them; nor will he suffer them to be afflicted above what they are able to bear, and will support them under it, and deliver out of it, Psa 119:75 or "I will not falsify in my truth" (i); or falsify his word; he is faithful that has promised, who will do it, yea, notwithstanding the unbelief of his people, Heb 10:23. (k) "not irritam faciam", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus. (i) "neque faciam mendacium" ("neque fallam", Montanus) "in veritate mea", Pagninus; "neque mentiar aut fallam in veritate mea", Michaelis.

These things we suffer by our own fault and our own deserving, even as the divine judgment has forewarned us, saying, "If they forsake my law and walk not in my judgments, if they profane my statutes and keep not my commandments, then will I visit their transgressions with the rod, and their iniquities with stripes." It is for this reason that we feel the rods and the stripes, because we neither please God with good deeds nor atone for our sins. Let us of our inmost heart and of our entire mind ask for God's mercy, because He Himself also adds, saying, "Nevertheless my loving-kindness will I not scatter away from them." Let us ask, and we shall receive; and if there be delay and tardiness in our receiving, since we have grievously offended, let us knock, because "to him that knocketh also it shall be opened," if only our prayers, our groanings, and our tears, knock at the door; and with these we must be urgent and persevering, even although prayer be offered with one mind.

The Lord certainly would not exhort to repentance unless he promised pardon to the penitent. In the Gospel the Lord says, “Just so, I tell you, there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine just who have no need of repentance.” Since it is written, “God is not the author of death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living,” certainly he, who wishes no one to perish, desires sinners to do penance and to return to life again through penance. And there, through Joel the prophet, he cries out and says, “And now says the Lord, your God, return to me with your whole heart, at the same time with fasting, and weeping and mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and he softens the sentence inflicted against malice.” In the Psalms we read also of the censure and of the clemency of God, at the same time, threatening and sparing, punishing that he may correct and saving when he has corrected. “I will visit,” he says, “their crime with a rod and their guilt with stripes. Yet my kindness I will not take from them.”

Not without reason was [the soul] given horns and hoofs, to bruise all the sheaves of the threshing floor, like the calf of Libanius, for, unless the sheaves are bruised and the straw winnowed, the corn within cannot appear and be separated. Let the soul that would advance in virtue first bruise and thresh out its superfluous passions that at the harvest it may have its fruits to show. How many weeds choke the good seed! These first must be rooted out, so that they will not destroy the fruitful crop of the soul.The careful guardian of the soul then sees how he may restrain [the soul] in its pleasures and cut off its desires, to prevent it being overwhelmed with delight in them. The correction of the father who does not spare the rod is useful, that he may render his son’s soul obedient to the precepts of salvation. He punishes with a rod, as we read: “I shall punish their offenses with a rod.” Therefore, one who with a rod strikes an Israelite’s soul on the cheek instructs that one by the Lord’s punishment in the discipline of patience. No one who is chastened and corrected need lose hope, for one who loves his son chastises him. No one should despair of a remedy.

This is a strong pledge of the promise of God. The sons of this David are the children of the Bridegroom; all Christians therefore are called His sons. But it is much indeed that God promises, that if Christians, that is, "If his children forsake My law, and walk not in My judgments" [Psalm 89:30]; "if they profane My statutes, and keep not My commandments" [Psalm 89:31]; I will not spurn them, nor will I send them away from Me in perdition: but what will I do? "I will visit their offenses with the rod, and their sin with scourges" [Psalm 89:32]. It is not the mercy of one that calls them only; but also that chastises and scourges them. Let therefore your Father's hand be upon you, and if you are a good son, repel not chastening; for "what son is there, to whom his father gives not chastening?" [Hebrews 12:7] Let Him chasten him, so long as He takes not from him His mercy: let Him beat him when obstinate, as long as He does not disinherit him. If you have well understood the promises of your Father, fear not to be scourged, but to be disinherited: "for whom the Lord loves He chastens: and scourges every son whom He receives." [Hebrews 12:6] Does the sinful son spurn chastening, when he sees the only Son without sin scourged? "I will visit their offenses with the rod." Thus too the Apostle threatens: "What will you? Shall I come unto you with a rod?" [1 Corinthians 4:21] Let not pious sons say, if You are coming with a rod, come not at all. For it is better to be taught with the Father's rod, than to perish in the caresses of the robber.

Contrasting man's frailty with God's eternity, the writer mourns over it as the punishment of sin, and prays for a return of the divine favor. A Prayer [mainly such] of Moses the man of God-- (Deu 33:1; Jos 14:6); as such he wrote this (see on Psa 18:1, title, and Psa 36:1, title). (Psa. 90:1-17) dwelling-place--home (compare Eze 11:16), as a refuge (Deu 33:27).