Psalm 89:49 Study Bible: Lord, where are your former loving kindnesses, which you swore to David in your faithfulness?

◄ Psalm 89:49 ►

Where, O Lord, is Your loving devotion of old, which You faithfully swore to David?

Where, O Lord
This opening phrase is a direct address to God, expressing a deep yearning and a sense of urgency. The Hebrew word for "where" (אֵי, 'ay) is often used in the context of seeking or searching, indicating a profound longing for God's presence and intervention. The invocation "O Lord" (יְהוָה, Yahweh) is a personal and covenantal name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. This phrase sets the tone for a heartfelt plea, acknowledging God's sovereignty and inviting His attention to the psalmist's distress.

is Your loving devotion
The term "loving devotion" translates the Hebrew word חֶסֶד (chesed), which encompasses God's steadfast love, mercy, and covenantal faithfulness. This word is central to understanding God's character in the Old Testament, reflecting His unwavering commitment to His people. The psalmist is recalling God's past acts of kindness and loyalty, seeking reassurance of His continued presence and favor.

of old
This phrase refers to the ancient times when God established His covenant with Israel and, specifically, with David. The Hebrew word קֶדֶם (qedem) signifies antiquity or the distant past, evoking memories of God's historical acts of salvation and faithfulness. It underscores the enduring nature of God's promises and the expectation that what He has done before, He can do again.

which You faithfully swore
The act of swearing an oath in the biblical context is a solemn and binding commitment. The Hebrew verb שָׁבַע (shaba) means to swear or make a vow, often invoking God's name as a witness. This highlights the seriousness and reliability of God's promises. The psalmist is reminding God of His own words, appealing to His integrity and the trustworthiness of His covenant.

to David
David is a central figure in the biblical narrative, representing God's chosen king and the recipient of the Davidic covenant. This covenant, as recorded in 2 Samuel 7, promised David an everlasting dynasty and a kingdom established by God. By invoking David, the psalmist is appealing to the specific promises made to him, which include the hope of a future Messiah. This reference serves as a reminder of God's long-term plan for His people and the ultimate fulfillment of His promises through Jesus Christ, the Son of David.

Persons / Places / Events

1. The Psalmist (Ethan the Ezrahite)
The author of Psalm 89, who is expressing a lament and questioning God's faithfulness in light of current circumstances.

2. David
The recipient of God's covenant promises, which included the assurance of an everlasting dynasty and God's steadfast love.

3. God's Covenant
The divine promise made to David, emphasizing God's loving devotion and faithfulness.

4. Israel
The nation that is experiencing turmoil and questioning the fulfillment of God's promises.

5. The Davidic Covenant
The specific promise God made to David, ensuring that his lineage would endure forever.

Teaching Points

Understanding God's Faithfulness
God's faithfulness is unchanging, even when circumstances seem contrary. Trust in His promises, as they are rooted in His unchanging nature.

The Role of Lament in Faith
Lament is a valid expression of faith. It allows believers to bring their doubts and questions before God, seeking understanding and reassurance.

The Importance of Covenant
God's covenants are foundational to understanding His relationship with His people. Reflect on how the New Covenant through Christ fulfills and extends these promises.

Hope in God's Promises
Even when God's promises seem delayed, believers are called to hope and trust in His ultimate plan and timing.

Reflecting on God's Past Faithfulness
Remembering God's past acts of faithfulness can strengthen our trust in His future promises.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the psalmist's question in Psalm 89:49 reflect a struggle between faith and doubt, and how can we apply this to our own spiritual journey?

2. In what ways does the Davidic Covenant serve as a foundation for understanding God's promises in the New Testament?

3. How can we use the practice of lament, as seen in Psalm 89, to deepen our relationship with God during times of uncertainty?

4. What are some examples from your own life where you have seen God's faithfulness, and how can these experiences encourage you in current challenges?

5. How does the assurance of God's unchanging nature, as seen in His covenant with David, provide comfort and hope in today's world?

Connections to Other Scriptures

2 Samuel 7
This chapter details the covenant God made with David, promising him an everlasting kingdom, which is the basis for the psalmist's lament in Psalm 89.

Isaiah 55
This passage reaffirms God's steadfast love and the sure mercies of David, connecting to the theme of God's enduring promises.

Lamentations 3
Offers a perspective on God's faithfulness and mercies, even amidst suffering, which parallels the questioning tone of Psalm 89.

Romans 11
Discusses God's faithfulness to His promises and His people, echoing the concerns of the psalmist about God's covenant with David.

Sermons

Ethan's Psalm	Samuel Cox, D.D.	Psalm 89:49
Former Mercies	D. Roberts.	Psalm 89:49
The Lovingkindnesses of God	Canon Liddon.	Psalm 89:49
A Majestic Song		Psalm 89:1-52
God's Promise to David and His Seed	C. Short	Psalm 89:1-52
The Uncovenanted Mercies of God	Samuel Cox, D.D.	Psalm 89:1-52

People

David, Ethan, Psalmist, Rahab

Places

Jerusalem

Topics

David, Earlier, Faith, Faithfulness, Former, Hast, Kindnesses, Love, Loving, Lovingkindnesses, Loving-kindnesses, Mercies, O, Oath, Steadfast, Swarest, Swear, Swore, Sworn, Truth, Unchanging

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Psalm 89:48

     5288   dead, the
     5454   power, God's saving
     6203   mortality
     9023   death, unbelievers
     9040   grave, the
     9540   Sheol

Psalm 89:47-48

9021 death, natural

Library

Continual Sunshine
'Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.'--PSALM lxxxix. 15. The Psalmist has just been setting forth, in sublime language, the glories of the divine character--God's strength, His universal sway, the justice and judgment which are the foundation of His Throne, the mercy and truth which go as heralds before His face. A heathen singing of any of his gods would have gone on to describe the form and features of the god or goddess who …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

December the Ninth National Blessedness
"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound." --PSALM lxxxix. 1-18. Blessed is the people who love the sound of the silver trumpet which calls to holy convocation! Blessed is the people who are sacredly impatient for the hour of holy communion! Blessed is the people "in whose heart are the highways to Zion." And in what shall their blessedness consist? In illumination. "They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance." The favour of the Lord shall shine upon them when they walk …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

September the Sixteenth the Steadfastness of the Lord
"My covenant shall stand fast." --PSALM lxxxix. 19-29. Such a divine assurance ought to make me perfectly quiet in spirit. Restlessness in a Christian always spells disloyalty. The uncertainty is born of suspicion. There is a rift in the faith, and the disturbing breath of the devil blows through, and destroys my peace. If I am sure of my great Ally, my heart will not be troubled, neither will it be afraid. And such a divine assurance ought to make me bold in will and majestic in labour. I ought …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

The People's Christ
We do not believe that Israel or Judah ever had a better ruler than David; and we are bold to affirm that the reign of the man "chosen out of the people" outshines in glory the reigns of high-bred emperors, and princes with the blood of a score of kings running in their veins. Yea, more, we will assert that the humility of his birth and education, so far from making him incompetent to rule, rendered him, in a great degree, more fit for his office, and able to discharge its mighty duties. He could …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855

The Blessing of God.
NUMB. VI. 22-27. We have already seen the grace of GOD making provision that His people, who had lost the privilege of priestly service, might draw near to Him by Nazarite separation and consecration. And not as the offence was the free gift: those who had forfeited the privilege of priestly service were the males only, but women and even children might be Nazarites; whosoever desired was free to come, and thus draw near to GOD. We now come to the concluding verses of Numb. vi, and see in them one …
James Hudson Taylor—Separation and Service

A vision of the King.
ONE of the most blessed occupations for the believer is the prayerful searching of God's holy Word to discover there new glories and fresh beauties of Him, who is altogether lovely. Shall we ever find out all which the written Word reveals of Himself and His worthiness? This wonderful theme can never be exhausted. The heart which is devoted to Him and longs through the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be closer to the Lord, to hear and know more of Himself, will always find something …
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

The City of God. Index of Subjects.
Abel, the relation of, to Christ, [1]299. See Cain. Abraham, the era in the life of, from which a new succession begins, [2]318; time of the migration of, [3]319, etc.; the order and nature of God's promises to, [4]320, etc.; the three great kingdoms existing at the time of the birth of, [5]321; the repeated promises of the land of Canaan made to, and to his seed, [6]321; his denial of his wife in Egypt, [7]322; the parting of Lot and, [8]322; the third promise of the land to, [9]322; his victory …
St. Augustine—On Christian Doctrine In Four Books.

Unity of Moral Action.
CAN OBEDIENCE TO MORAL LAW BE PARTIAL? 1. What constitutes obedience to moral law? We have seen in former lectures, that disinterested benevolence is all that the spirit of moral law requires; that is, that the love which it requires to God and our neighbor is good-willing, willing the highest good or well-being of God, and of being in general, as an end, or for its own sake; that this willing is a consecration of all the powers, so far as they are under the control of the will, to this end. Entire …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Letter Lv. Replies to Questions of Januarius.
Or Book II. of Replies to Questions of Januarius. (a.d. 400.) Chap. I. 1. Having read the letter in which you have put me in mind of my obligation to give answers to the remainder of those questions which you submitted to me a long time ago, I cannot bear to defer any longer the gratification of that desire for instruction which it gives me so much pleasure and comfort to see in you; and although encompassed by an accumulation of engagements, I have given the first place to the work of supplying …
St. Augustine—The Confessions and Letters of St

The Promised King and Temple-Builder
'And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, 5. Go and tell My servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build Me an house for Me to dwell in! 6. Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. 7. In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

"He is the Rock, his Work is Perfect. For all his Ways are Judgment. A God of Truth, and Without Iniquity, Just and Right is He.
Deut. xxxii. 4, 5.--"He is the rock, his work is perfect. For all his ways are judgment. A God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children. They are a perverse and crooked generation." "All his ways are judgment," both the ways of his commandments and the ways of his providence, both his word which he hath given as a lantern to men's paths, and his works among men. And this were the blessedness of men, to be found …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Atonement.
We come now to the consideration of a very important feature of the moral government of God; namely, the atonement. In discussing this subject, I will-- I. Call attention to several well-established principles of government. 1. We have already seen that moral law is not founded in the mere arbitrary will of God or of any other being, but that it has its foundation in the nature and relations of moral agents, that it is that rule of action or of willing which is imposed on them by the law of their …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Second Sunday in Lent
Text: First Thessalonians 4, 1-7. 1 Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk,--that ye abound more and more. 2 For ye know what charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication; 4 that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust, …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

The Justice of God
The next attribute is God's justice. All God's attributes are identical, and are the same with his essence. Though he has several attributes whereby he is made known to us, yet he has but one essence. A cedar tree may have several branches, yet it is but one cedar. So there are several attributes of God whereby we conceive of him, but only one entire essence. Well, then, concerning God's justice. Deut 32:4. Just and right is he.' Job 37:23. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Covenanting Provided for in the Everlasting Covenant.
The duty of Covenanting is founded on the law of nature; but it also stands among the arrangements of Divine mercy made from everlasting. The promulgation of the law, enjoining it on man in innocence as a duty, was due to God's necessary dominion over the creatures of his power. The revelation of it as a service obligatory on men in a state of sin, arose from his unmerited grace. In the one display, we contemplate the authority of the righteous moral Governor of the universe; in the other, we see …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

His Future Work
The Lord Jesus Christ, who finished the work on earth the Father gave Him to do, who is now bodily present in the highest heaven, occupying the Father's throne and exercising His priesthood in behalf of His people, is also King. To Him belongeth a Kingdom and a kingly Glory. He has therefore a kingly work to do. While His past work was foretold by the Spirit of God and His priestly work foreshadowed in the Old Testament, His work as King and His glorious Kingdom to come are likewise the subjects …
A. C. Gaebelein—The Work Of Christ

Assurance
Q-xxxvi: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH FLOW FROM SANCTIFICATION? A: Assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. The first benefit flowing from sanctification is assurance of God's love. 'Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.' 2 Pet 1:10. Sanctification is the seed, assurance is the flower which grows out of it: assurance is a consequent of sanctification. The saints of old had it. We know that we know …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Of the Name of God
Exod. iii. 13, 14.--"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." We are now about this question, What God is. But who can answer it? Or, if answered, who can understand it? It should astonish us in …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Poetical Books (Including Also Ecclesiastes and Canticles).
1. The Hebrews reckon but three books as poetical, namely: Job, Psalms, and Proverbs, which are distinguished from the rest by a stricter rhythm--the rhythm not of feet, but of clauses (see below, No. 3)--and a peculiar system of accentuation. It is obvious to every reader that the poetry of the Old Testament, in the usual sense of the word, is not restricted to these three books. But they are called poetical in a special and technical sense. In any natural classification of the books of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

How Shall one Make Use of Christ as the Life, when Wrestling with an Angry God Because of Sin?
That we may give some satisfaction to this question, we shall, 1. Shew what are the ingredients in this case, or what useth to concur in this distemper. 2. Shew some reasons why the Lord is pleased to dispense thus with his people. 3. Shew how Christ is life to the soul in this case. 4. Shew the believer's duty for a recovery; and, 5. Add a word or two of caution. As to the first, There may be those parts of, or ingredients in this distemper: 1. God presenting their sins unto their view, so as …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Firstborn.
"THE Firstborn" or "The Firstbegotten" is one of the names of our blessed Lord. It is applied to Him after His resurrection from the dead. As the Only Begotten He came into this world, the unspeakable gift of God to a lost and ruined world; after the accomplishment of His work on the cross He left the earth, He had created, as the Firstborn. As the Firstbegotten He is now in the highest heaven and as the Firstbegotten the Man of Glory He will be sent back to this earth and rule in power and glory. …
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

The First Commandment
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' Exod 20: 3. Why is the commandment in the second person singular, Thou? Why does not God say, You shall have no other gods? Because the commandment concerns every one, and God would have each one take it as spoken to him by name. Though we are forward to take privileges to ourselves, yet we are apt to shift off duties from ourselves to others; therefore the commandment is in the second person, Thou and Thou, that every one may know that it is spoken to him, …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Call of Matthew - the Saviour's Welcome to Sinners - Rabbinic Theology as Regards the Doctrine of Forgiveness in Contrast to the Gospel of Christ
In two things chiefly does the fundamental difference appear between Christianity and all other religious systems, notably Rabbinism. And in these two things, therefore, lies the main characteristic of Christ's work; or, taking a wider view, the fundamental idea of all religions. Subjectively, they concern sin and the sinner; or, to put it objectively, the forgiveness of sin and the welcome to the sinner. But Rabbinism, and every other system down to modern humanitarianism - if it rises so high in …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Being of God
Q-III: WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES PRINCIPALLY TEACH? A: The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. Q-IV: WHAT IS GOD? A: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Here is, 1: Something implied. That there is a God. 2: Expressed. That he is a Spirit. 3: What kind of Spirit? I. Implied. That there is a God. The question, What is God? takes for granted that there …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

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