Psalm 89 is an important psalm regarding the Davidic covenant. In 2 Samuel 7, the Lord promises David that his throne will be established forever: the Davidic covenant. This promise will find its fulfillment in Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus Christ), the descendant of David. At His birth, angels proclaimed Him to be the promised King of Israel. Immediately after his second coming on the Mount of Olives near the city of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:4), Jesus will take possession of his king’s throne in Jerusalem. Psalm 89 is about the Davidic covenant.
- Psalm 89: The Davidic Covenant
- 2 Samuel 7
- Personal covenant
- A summary of the promises
- Difference between King Saul and King David
- The consequences of the Davidic covenant
- God remains faithful to Himself and His Word
Psalm 89: The Davidic Covenant
2 Samuel 7
Psalm 89 is an important psalm regarding the Davidic covenant. The Davidic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. This covenant is recorded in 2 Samuel 7:8-16.
Now say to my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: I have taken you from the flock to lead my people Israel. I have supported you in everything you undertook, I have defeated all your enemies before you and I have established your name as one of the greats of the earth. I have assigned a territory to my people Israel. There I planted it and there it can now live fearlessly. It is no longer oppressed by evil nations, as it was when it first settled there and I appointed judges over my people Israel. I have given you peace by delivering you from your enemies. The LORD tells you that he will build you a house: When your life is over and you lie down with your ancestors, I will appoint your own son to succeed you, and I will make him a permanent king. He will build a house for my name, and I will ensure that his throne will never be shaken. I will be a father to him, and he to me a son; if he sins, I will chastise him with the rod and with the whip, as a father does, but he will never go out of favor with me, as Saul, whom I rejected because of yours. I promise you that your royal family will last forever and your throne will never be shaken.”
Although the Hebrew term for covenant (berit) does not appear in 2 Samuel, the above explanation as well as other Bible passages (cf. 2 Sam 23:5; Psalm 89:35; 132:12) make it clear that it is a covenant.
Personal covenant
The Davidic covenant was, as the name suggests, a personal covenant that God made with David. The covenant applies exclusively to David and his descendants. It is an unconditional covenant. It is God’s will that the royal house of David should last forever. Salvation history is related to it. Psalm 89 is a fully Messianic Psalm, because it speaks of this everlasting covenant with David, which only finds its ultimate validity and fulfillment in Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus Christ) (see Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 1:31-33; Acts 13:33-34; Hebrews 1:5, 5:5).
An interesting detail is that this Psalm, which speaks of an everlasting covenant between God and David, was written by Etan, which means ‘lasting, lasting’ (is God or Yahweh).
A summary of the promises
In Psalm 89 we find a summary of the promises God has made:
- I will maintain his dynasty forever, his throne as long as heaven lasts. (Psalm 89:29);
- If his sons turn away from my law, and do not obey my statutes, or break my statutes, or do not keep my commandments, then I will punish them for their iniquities, and punish their sins with stripes. But I will not take away my love from him, nor break my faithfulness from him (Psalm 89:31-34).
- I will not break my covenant, nor revoke my words (Psalm 89:35).
- Once I swore by my holiness, I will never break my word to David (Psalm 89:36).
The covenant with God is unchangeable and everlasting. For it is based on grace and not on law. It is anchored in the eternal faithfulness and holiness of God. Even if the descendants of David turn away from God’s Torah and do not keep His precepts and mitzvot, the covenant does not become null and void. It is an unconditional covenant. The psalm emphatically affirms God’s faithfulness to His covenant with David.
Difference between King Saul and King David
There are important differences between David and Saul, who was king before David. Saul was a king who wanted the people (1 Samuel 12:13) and David was a man after God’s own heart and appointed by Him to rule over His people Israel (2 Chronicles 6:5-6). In a prophetic sense, there is also an important difference between the anointing of Saul and the anointing of David as king. Saul uses a flask of oil and David uses a horn of oil. Unlike the oil jar, an oil horn is brittle and fragile. This refers to the fragility and unbreakability of the kingship of Saul and David respectively.
The consequences of the Davidic covenant
The Davidic covenant has the following implications:
- Israel must continue to exist as a nation.
- Israel as a nation must possess the land of Israel. So the Jews must return to the country and have their own state.
- Yeshua haMashiach must return.
- Afterwards there will be a kingdom in a literal sense.
God remains faithful to Himself and His Word
The Babylonian captivity and various military defeats form the background of the psalm. The throne had collapsed, there seemed to be no royal house anymore. Etan therefore wonders in despair whether God had broken His word. In Psalm 89:39-50, Etan no longer seems to understand God properly. What he experienced seemed to be at odds with what God had promised. Etan therefore cries out, “Where is your former love, O Lord? Did you not swear allegiance to David” (v. 50)?
But God is a God of faithfulness. About 2,000 years ago, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the royal city of David, as the adopted son of Joseph, a direct descendant of the kings of Judah, and therefore through him Jesus had the legal right to the throne of David. Jesus was the true son of Mary, who descended from David through Nathan’s birthline, making Jesus a descendant of David (Luke 3:23-38). In and through Jesus – who lives in the power of an imperishable life – the covenant has been maintained. Jesus will return to earth and take his rightful place on the throne of David. He will rule from the city of Jerusalem, because that is where David’s throne stood! It will be a Kingdom of peace (Ezekiel 34).
To Etan it seemed as if the pact had ended. All outward signs pointed to this. Nevertheless, in the final verse faith triumphs, although he does not yet have answers to his questions. He ends the Psalm with the passionate exclamation:
Blessed be the LORD forever. Amen, amen.
read more
- Messianic psalms point to person/office Messiah (Jesus)
- Messianic texts: Purpose, profession, importance of Messianic prophecy
- Messiah (Moshiach) both God and Man in Old Testament (OT)
- Messiah: meaning and proof Jesus promised Jewish Messiah
- Psalm 8 – What is man that you remember him? (Messianic)