Psalm 89:1
I will sing of the loving devotion of the LORD forever; with my mouth I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations.
I will sing
The phrase "I will sing" indicates a personal commitment to vocal praise. In the Hebrew text, the word used is "אָשִׁירָה" (ashirah), which is a form of the verb "שִׁיר" (shir), meaning to sing. Singing in ancient Israel was a common form of worship and expression of joy. It was often accompanied by musical instruments and was a communal activity. The act of singing here is not just a personal expression but a declaration of intent to publicly proclaim God's goodness.

of the LORD’s
The term "LORD" in the BSB is a translation of the Hebrew "יְהוָה" (YHWH), the sacred and personal name of God revealed to Moses. This name signifies God's eternal existence and His covenant relationship with His people. The use of "LORD" emphasizes the personal and covenantal nature of the relationship between the psalmist and God. It is a reminder of God's faithfulness and His unchanging nature.

loving devotion
"Loving devotion" translates the Hebrew word "חֶסֶד" (chesed), which is a rich term encompassing love, kindness, mercy, and faithfulness. It is a key attribute of God, often associated with His covenantal faithfulness. Chesed is not just an emotional feeling but an active, steadfast love that is loyal and enduring. It is a central theme in the Old Testament, highlighting God's unwavering commitment to His people.

forever
The word "forever" in Hebrew is "עוֹלָם" (olam), which denotes eternity or an indefinite, unending duration. This emphasizes the eternal nature of God's loving devotion. It reassures believers that God's love and faithfulness are not temporary or conditional but are everlasting. This eternal perspective provides hope and assurance to the faithful.

with my mouth
The phrase "with my mouth" underscores the importance of verbal expression in worship. In the Hebrew culture, speaking or singing aloud was a way to affirm and reinforce one's beliefs. It also served as a testimony to others. The mouth is seen as an instrument of praise, and the act of speaking or singing is a way to actively participate in worship and declare God's goodness to the world.

I will proclaim
"I will proclaim" translates the Hebrew verb "אוֹדִיעַ" (odiya), which means to make known or declare. This is an active and intentional act of communication. The psalmist is not just singing for personal edification but is making a public declaration. This proclamation serves as a witness to others, spreading the knowledge of God's faithfulness and encouraging others to trust in Him.

Your faithfulness
"Your faithfulness" refers to the Hebrew word "אֱמוּנָה" (emunah), which means firmness, steadfastness, or fidelity. It is a key attribute of God, highlighting His reliability and trustworthiness. God's faithfulness is a foundation for the believer's trust and hope. It assures us that God will fulfill His promises and remain true to His word.

to all generations
The phrase "to all generations" translates the Hebrew "לְדֹר וָדֹר" (ledor vador), meaning from generation to generation. This emphasizes the continuity and perpetuity of God's faithfulness. It is a reminder that God's promises and His loving devotion are not limited to one time or group of people but extend throughout history to all who come after. This provides a legacy of faith and hope for future generations, encouraging them to trust in the same faithful God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ethan the Ezrahite
Traditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 89, Ethan was a wise man during the time of King Solomon. His wisdom is noted in 1 Kings 4:31.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel, whose loving devotion and faithfulness are central themes in this Psalm.

3. Israel
The nation to whom the promises of God’s loving devotion and faithfulness were originally given, serving as the context for the Psalm.

4. Generations
The Psalmist emphasizes the transmission of God’s faithfulness across all generations, highlighting the enduring nature of God’s promises.

5. Davidic Covenant
The backdrop of Psalm 89, which reflects on God’s promises to David and his descendants, ensuring a perpetual dynasty.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Praise
The Psalmist begins with a commitment to sing of the LORD’s loving devotion. This teaches us the importance of regularly praising God for His attributes and works.

Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness
We are called to actively proclaim God’s faithfulness to others, ensuring that His deeds and character are known to all generations.

Understanding God’s Loving Devotion
The Hebrew word for loving devotion, "chesed," implies a steadfast, covenantal love. Recognizing this helps us trust in God’s unchanging nature.

Generational Impact
Our testimony of God’s faithfulness can have a lasting impact on future generations, encouraging us to share our faith accounts with our children and community.

Reflecting on God’s Promises
Reflecting on the promises God has made, such as those in the Davidic Covenant, strengthens our faith and assures us of His ongoing commitment to His people.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the concept of "chesed" (loving devotion) in Psalm 89:1 deepen your understanding of God’s character?

2. In what ways can you actively proclaim God’s faithfulness in your daily life?

3. How does the promise of the Davidic Covenant in 2 Samuel 7 relate to the themes of loving devotion and faithfulness in Psalm 89?

4. What are some practical ways you can ensure that the knowledge of God’s faithfulness is passed down to future generations?

5. Reflect on a time when you experienced God’s faithfulness. How can this testimony encourage others in their faith journey?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 34:6-7
This passage describes God’s character as merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, which parallels the themes of loving devotion and faithfulness in Psalm 89:1.

2 Samuel 7:12-16
The Davidic Covenant, where God promises David that his throne will be established forever, is a foundational promise that undergirds the themes of Psalm 89.

Lamentations 3:22-23
These verses speak of the steadfast love and mercies of the LORD, which are new every morning, echoing the enduring faithfulness mentioned in Psalm 89:1.
A Singer in the DarkR. Tuck Psalm 89:1
God's FaithfulnessS. Conway Psalm 89:1, 2, 5, 8
A Majestic SongPsalm 89:1-52
God's Promise to David and His SeedC. Short Psalm 89:1-52
The Uncovenanted Mercies of GodSamuel Cox, D.D.Psalm 89:1-52
People
David, Ethan, Psalmist, Rahab
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
2, 89, Clear, Contemplation, Ethan, Ezrahite, Faith, Faithfulness, Forever, Generation, Generations, Gt, Instruction, Kind, Kindness, Lord's, Love, Loving, Lovingkindness, Loving-kindness, Lt, Maschil, Maskil, Mercies, Mouth, O, Proclaim, Sing, Song, Steadfast
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 89:1

     1060   God, greatness of
     5167   mouth
     7960   singing
     8665   praise, reasons

Psalm 89:1-2

     8331   reliability

Psalm 89:1-4

     2078   Christ, sonship of

Psalm 89:1-37

     5089   David, significance

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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