Scripture Reading : Psalm 89
Theme : God’s Forever Faithfulness to Christ and His People
- The Faithfulness of God (1–4). This psalm is attributed to “Ethan” (a Levite, 1 Chron. 15:17–18, and a wise person, 1 Kings 4:31). He lived during David’s time. God is faithful. This means He will absolutely do what He promised to do. If He doesn’t, then He is not perfectly faithful. His reputation/honor will be ruined. The psalmist specifically praises God’s faithfulness to fulfill His covenant with David, that is, to make one of David’s son to rule forever (2 Sam. 7:5–16). This son is the Messiah.
- The Sovereignty of the Faithful God (5–18). Not only is God faithful, He is also powerful, therefore He can be faithful to His promises. God rules both heaven and earth (v. 11). In heaven, He is a God who rules above all heavenly beings/angels/sons of God in the heavenly council (cf. Ps. 82:1). These angels rule over the nations, but God rules over them (Col. 1:16). On earth, He rules over the nations. Most likely, the sea in v. 9 is referring to the nations (cf. Rev. 17:15) and Rahab refers to the dominate nation, which was Egypt at the time (cf. Ps. 87:4). Since God rules over heaven (angels) and earth (nations), He is the joy of believers. He is their ultimate shield/protection (v. 18).
- The Promises of Davidic Covenant (19–37). This section recounts the details of the Davidic covenant in 2 Sam. 7:12-17 and 1 Chron. 17:11-15. God will be faithful to the Messiah and His offspring/subjects/people. Messiah will be firstborn/preeminent among all kings on earth because He will rule over them (Col. 1:15). God will also be faithful to the Messiah’s people/believers. He will be faithful to guard them so that even when they sin, God will discipline them for the purpose of correcting and restoring them (Heb. 12:6).
- Prayer for God to Remember Covenant (38–52). However, in light of king David’s current setback (perhaps referring to David’s temporary exile by his son Absalom), the psalmist’s faith in God’s faithfulness is weakened. How can God fulfill His promise if David is exiled or defeated? Therefore he prays for God to be faithful and fulfill His covenant with David.
Praying the Scripture
God will always be faithful and fulfill His promise. It is easily for heaven and earth to disappear than for God to break a promise (Matt. 5:17-18). However, God’s plan may not unfold as we expect. Like the psalmist, we will wonder how God will fulfill His promise if king David himself is currently defeated. It is natural for humans to doubt whenever there are setbacks. But God is always faithful and He works in ways that we don’t expect, just as Jesus’ disciples had doubts when they saw their Messiah crucified. Therefore, to overcome human weakness, it is important for believers to have faith in God’s promise instead of our current situation. This is why hope (which means faith about God’s future promise) is so important. It is our hope that strengthens our resolve to follow Jesus, despite trails, setbacks and whenever you feel like God is not going to win (1 Peter 1:13). Pray that you will grow in your hope of your inheritance, that is, God’s kingdom on earth when Jesus rules over the nations from Israel. Hope is important to overcome human weakness. Pray for God to strengthen your hope/faith about the future.
经文：诗篇89
主题：神对基督与祂子民永恒的信实
- 神的信实（1-4）。这首诗是“以探”写的（利未人，代上15:17-18；有智慧的，王上4:31）。他生活在大卫的时代。神是信实的。这表示祂绝对会成就祂所应许的事，否则祂不完全是信实的。这样，祂的名/尊荣将受损。诗人明确地赞美神必成就祂与大卫之约的信实，也就是立大卫的其中一个儿子永远作王（撒下7:5-16）。这位儿子就是弥赛亚。
- 信实之神的主权（5-18）。神不但是信实的，也有大能，因此祂能忠于祂的应许。神掌管天地（11节）。在天，祂是掌管所有天庭之灵的神（参：诗82:1）。这包括管理列国的天使，而神统治它们（西1:16）。在地，祂治理列国。第九节的“海”大有可能指的是诸国（参：启17:15），而拉哈伯指的是主导国，即当代的希腊（参：诗87:4）。既然神掌管天（天使）地（列国），祂是信徒的喜乐。祂是信徒最大的盾牌/保护（18节）。
- 大卫之约的应许（19-37）。这段经文重述了记载在撒母耳记下7:12-17与列王纪上17:11-15中有关大卫之约的细节。神必终于弥赛亚以及祂的后裔/臣子/子民。弥赛亚将是万君之首，因为祂要统治他们（西1:15）。神也要以信实对待弥赛亚的民/信徒。祂会信实地保守他们，叫他们即便犯了罪，也要受到管教，使他们能改正过来，复兴他们。
- 求神纪念约定（38-52）。然而，由于大卫正面临危机（或许是因押沙龙而遭遇的暂时流亡），诗人对神的信心变为软弱。倘若大卫遭流亡或被击败，神要如何成就自己的应许呢？因此他祈求神忠于并成就祂与大卫所立的约。
用经文祷告
神由始至终是信实的，必然成就祂的应许。相比之下，天地废去比神食言更容易（太5:17-18）。可是，神的计划不一定按我们的想法展开。我们与诗人一样，会怀疑若大卫当时遭击败，神会如何成就祂的应许。当眼前有障碍时，我们很容易质疑神。但神一直都是信实的，并以出乎意料的方式行事，就如耶稣的门徒看到他们的弥赛亚被钉十字架的时候，也质疑神。因此，为要胜过人类的软弱，信徒要站立在神的应许里，而不是所遇的处境。这就是为什么盼望（即对神有关未来之应许的信心）如此重要。我们的盼望能使我们立志跟随耶稣，尽管途中遇到种种挫折，或认为神不会胜出（彼前1:13）。祷告你会在你基业中的盼望增长，也就是当耶稣从以色列统治万国后在地上的国度。盼望能胜过人类的软弱。祷告神会坚定你对未来的盼望/信心。
