The Word Am I

The Book of Psalms

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- Chapter 89 -

I will sing of his love forever

1
The understanding of Ethan the Ezrahite.
2
I will sing the mercies of the Lord in eternity. I will announce your truth with my mouth, from generation to generation.
3
For you have said: Mercy will be built in the heavens, unto eternity. Your truth will be prepared there.(a)
4
I have set up a covenant with my elect. I have sworn to David my servant:
5
I will prepare your offspring, even in eternity. And I will build up your throne, from generation to generation.
6
The heavens will confess your miracles, Lord, and also your truth, in the Church of the saints.
7
For who among the clouds is equal to the Lord? Who among the sons of God is like God?
8
God is glorified by the counsel of the saints. He is great and terrible above all those who are around him.(b)
9
O Lord, God of hosts, who is like you? You are powerful, Lord, and your truth is all around you.
10
You rule over the power of the sea, and you even mitigate the movement of its waves.
11
You have humbled the arrogant one, like one who has been wounded. You have scattered your enemies with the arm of your strength.
12
Yours are the heavens, and yours is the earth. You founded the whole world in all its fullness.
13
You created the north and the sea. Tabor and Hermon will exult in your name.
14
Your arm acts with power. Let your hand be strengthened, and let your right hand be exalted.
15
Justice and judgment are the preparation of your throne. Mercy and truth will precede your face.
16
Blessed is the people that knows jubilation. They will walk in the light of your countenance, O Lord,
17
and they will exult in your name all day long, and they will be exalted in your justice.
18
For you are the glory of their virtue, and in your goodness, our horn will be exalted.
19
For our assumption is of the Lord, and it is of our king, the holy one of Israel.(c)
20
Then you spoke in a vision to your holy ones, and you said: I have stationed help with the powerful one, and I have exalted the elect one from my people.
21
I have found my servant David. I have anointed him with my holy oil.
22
For my hand will assist him, and my arm will fortify him.
23
The enemy will have no advantage over him, nor will the son of iniquity be positioned to harm him.
24
And I will cut down his enemies before his face. And those who hate him, I will turn to flight.
25
And my truth and my mercy will be with him. And his horn will be exalted in my name.
26
And I will place his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
27
He will invoke me: “You are my father, my God, and the support of my salvation.”
28
And I will make him the first-born, preeminent before the kings of the earth.
29
I will preserve my mercy for him eternally, and my covenant for him faithfully.
30
And I will set his offspring from generation to generation, and his throne like the days of heaven.
31
But if his sons abandon my law, and if they do not walk in my judgments,
32
if they profane my justices, and if they do not keep my commandments:
33
I will visit their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with a beating.
34
But I will not scatter my mercy from him, and I will not do harm to my truth.
35
And I will not profane my covenant, and I will not make void that which proceeds from my lips.
36
I have sworn by my holiness one time: I will not lie to David,
37
his offspring will remain for eternity. And his throne will be like the sun in my sight,
38
and, like the moon, it is perfected in eternity, and it is a faithful witness in heaven.
39
Yet, truly, you have rejected and despised, you have pushed away, my Christ.
40
You have overthrown the covenant of your servant. You have profaned his sanctuary on earth.(d)
41
You have destroyed all his fences. You have made his territory dreadful.
42
All who pass by the way have plundered him. He has become a disgrace to his neighbors.
43
You have exalted the right hand of those who oppress him. You have brought joy to all his enemies.
44
You have diverted the help of his sword, and you have not assisted him in battle.
45
You have torn him away from cleansing, and you have smashed his throne down to the ground.
46
You have reduced the days of his time. You have flooded him with confusion.
47
How long, O Lord? Will you turn away unto the end? Will your wrath flare up like a fire?
48
Remember what my substance is. For could you really have appointed all the sons of men in vain?
49
Who is the man that will live, and yet not see death? Who will rescue his own soul from the hand of the underworld?
50
O Lord, where are your mercies of antiquity, just as you swore to David in your truth?
51
Be mindful, O Lord, of the disgrace of your servants (which I have sustained in my sinews) among many nations.
52
With these, your enemies have reproached you, O Lord; with these, they have reproached the commutation of your Christ.(e)
53
Blessed is the Lord for all eternity. Amen. Amen.

Footnotes

(a)88:3 The text literally means ‘in them,’ but ‘them’ refers to ‘the heavens.’ The translation of ‘there’ makes this reference clearer, since English does not generally refer to Heaven as ‘them.’(Conte)
(b)88:8 The word ‘consilio’ in Latin can refer to either a deliberative group (council) or to a process of deliberating and giving advice (counsel). But in translating the Latin into English, one must choose within that broad range of meaning. The Latin word has a broader range of meaning than English words that could be used to translate. In this case, the translation is ‘counsel’ because God is more glorified in the deliberations, decisions, and advice of those who are holy than he is glorified by meetings of councils.(Conte)
(c)88:19 All of the resurrected faithful will be assumed into a new Heaven after the general Resurrection.(Conte)
(d)88:40 Overthrown the covenant, etc:All this seems to relate to the time of the captivity of Babylon, in which, for the sins of the people and their princes, God seemed to have set aside for a while the covenant he made with David.(Challoner)
(e)88:52 This last part of the verse refers to the trans-substantiation, that is, to the consecration of bread and wine to become the body and blood of Christ. The word ‘commutation’ refers to changing one thing into another. The commutation that gives us Christ in the Eucharist is called trans-substantiation. The doctrine of trans-substantiation is true doctrine, but the terminology itself is superfluous. Another term could be used to describe the same truth.(Conte)

I will sing of his love forever

1
I will sing of the loving kindness of the LORD forever. With my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2
I indeed declare, “Love stands firm forever. You established the heavens. Your faithfulness is in them.”
3
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David, my servant,
4
‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build up your throne to all generations.’” Selah.
5
The heavens will praise your wonders, LORD, your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
6
For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the heavenly beings is like the LORD,
7
a very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, to be feared above all those who are around him?
8
LORD, God of Armies, who is a mighty one, like you? The LORD, your faithfulness is around you.
9
You rule the pride of the sea. When its waves rise up, you calm them.
10
You have broken Rahab in pieces, like one of the slain. You have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11
The heavens are yours. The earth also is yours, the world and its fullness. You have founded them.
12
You have created the north and the south. Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
13
You have a mighty arm. Your hand is strong, and your right hand is exalted.
14
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loving kindness and truth go before your face.
15
Blessed are the people who learn to acclaim you. They walk in the light of your presence, LORD.
16
In your name they rejoice all day. In your righteousness, they are exalted.
17
For you are the glory of their strength. In your favor, our horn will be exalted.
18
For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19
Then you spoke in vision to your saints, and said, “I have given strength to the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people.
20
I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil,
21
with whom my hand shall be established. My arm will also strengthen him.
22
No enemy will tax him. No wicked man will oppress him.
23
I will beat down his adversaries before him, and strike those who hate him.
24
But my faithfulness and my loving kindness will be with him. In my name, his horn will be exalted.
25
I will set his hand also on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers.
26
He will call to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation!’
27
I will also appoint him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
28
I will keep my loving kindness for him forever more. My covenant will stand firm with him.
29
I will also make his offspring endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
30
If his children forsake my law, and don’t walk in my ordinances;
31
if they break my statutes, and don’t keep my commandments;
32
then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
33
But I will not completely take my loving kindness from him, nor allow my faithfulness to fail.
34
I will not break my covenant, nor alter what my lips have uttered.
35
Once I have sworn by my holiness, I will not lie to David.
36
His offspring will endure forever, his throne like the sun before me.
37
It will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah.
38
But you have rejected and spurned. You have been angry with your anointed.
39
You have renounced the covenant of your servant. You have defiled his crown in the dust.
40
You have broken down all his hedges. You have brought his strongholds to ruin.
41
All who pass by the way rob him. He has become a reproach to his neighbors.
42
You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries. You have made all of his enemies rejoice.
43
Yes, you turn back the edge of his sword, and haven’t supported him in battle.
44
You have ended his splendor, and thrown his throne down to the ground.
45
You have shortened the days of his youth. You have covered him with shame. Selah.
46
How long, LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? Will your wrath burn like fire?
47
Remember how short my time is, for what vanity you have created all the children of men!
48
What man is he who shall live and not see death, who shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?(a) Selah.
49
Lord, where are your former loving kindnesses, which you swore to David in your faithfulness?
50
Remember, Lord, the reproach of your servants, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the mighty peoples,
51
With which your enemies have mocked, LORD, with which they have mocked the footsteps of your anointed one.
52
Blessed be the LORD forever more. Amen, and Amen.

Footnotes

(a)89:48 Sheol is the place of the dead.
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