Let’s look at the first half of verse 1, the first half of verse 2, and verse 14 in today’s text: “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever...” (v. 1), “I have said, ‘Mercy shall be built up forever...’” (v. 2), and “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face.” (v. 14). The psalmist has resolved to sing and praise God’s mercy forever because he believes that God will act mercifully toward His people eternally (Park Yun-sun). So, how has God acted mercifully toward His people? He chose us in Jesus Christ. Look at verse 3 of today’s passage: “You said, ‘I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David…’” We have become "God’s chosen" ("My chosen one") because of God’s eternal love. Of course, in this passage, it refers specifically to "David, My servant," but as seen in Ephesians 1:4, both you and I are part of God’s chosen people, selected in His eternal love. Therefore, as those chosen by God, we must rely on His mercy (Psalm 89:14, Park Yun-sun). To live trusting in God's mercy is to believe, experience, and enjoy the fact that He loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us (John 3:16). As Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” we must live trusting in God’s eternal mercy, having experienced the love of Jesus on the cross.

Secondly, the God whom the blessed look to and rely on is a faithful God.

Look at the second half of verse 1, the second half of verse 2, verse 5, and verse 8 in Psalm 89: “... and with my mouth will I make Your faithfulness known to all generations.” (v. 1b), “... You have established Your faithfulness in the heavens.” (v. 2b), “The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.” (v. 5), and “O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.” (v. 8). The God in whom the psalmist relied is the faithful God who, in His eternal love, remains faithful to His chosen people in fulfilling His covenant (Park Yun-sun). Even though His chosen people, Israel, may break the covenant, the faithful God will remain steadfast in His covenant. God's faithfulness is unchanging. The reason for this is that it is securely fulfilled in the heavens without any disturbance (Park Yun-sun). God made a covenant with His servant David, whom He chose in His love, and He swore to him: “I will establish your descendants forever, and build up your throne to all generations.” (v. 4). This divine oath is connected to the covenant given to David through the prophet Nathan, as reflected in 2 Samuel 7:16: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever.” This covenant is actually a prophecy of the global salvation blessing that will come through Christ (Isaiah 55:3-5) (Park Yun-sun). God, who is faithfully bringing about this covenant, with His unchanging faithfulness, meaning His perfect reliability (Isaiah 25:1), has saved His chosen people in Jesus Christ and continues to save them today. Therefore, like the psalmist, we must make God’s faithfulness known to all generations with our mouths (Psalm 89:1). In other words, we must praise God’s faithfulness (v. 5). I am reminded of Hymn 447, "O Faithful God": “O faithful God, my Father, always with me, I fear no more. Your love never changes, You keep me, yesterday, today, and always the same.” (Chorus) “O faithful God, O faithful God, You show mercy every day, You provide everything I need, O faithful God, my Savior.”

Thirdly, the God whom the blessed look to and rely on is the Creator God.

Look at Psalm 89:12: “The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.” This verse shows that not only did God create all the territories of Israel, both north and south, but even the distant mountains of Tabor (in Judah) and Hermon (in the region of Syria) are His creation. In other words, there is no region that God has not created (Park Yun-sun). The Creator God, who created the heavens and the earth, also made the Red Sea part for the people of Israel to cross on dry ground when He saved them from Egypt (verses 9-10). In other words, the Creator God reigns over even the sea, making the Red Sea like dry land, so that the Israelites could safely cross it. The psalmist confesses this about the Creator God: “The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all its fullness, You have founded them.” (verse 11). The God whom he relied on for salvation is the God who created the entire world. Yes, our God of salvation is the Creator God. This Creator God still governs nature and, just as He saved the Israelites from Pharaoh and the Egyptian army during the Exodus, He continues to move and govern nature while saving His chosen people today. Therefore, like the psalmist, we should rejoice in the name of our Creator God for our salvation. In other words, we must praise the name of our Creator God. I am reminded of Hymn 40, "This Is My Father’s World": (verse 1) “This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears, all nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres.” (Chorus) “This is my Father’s world, O let me ne'er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.”

Fourthly, the God whom the blessed look to and rely on is the Almighty God.

Look at Psalm 89:6, 8a, 10, and 13: “For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord?” (verse 6), “O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O Lord?” (verse 8a), “You crushed Rahab like one who is slain; You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.” (verse 10), and “You have a mighty arm; strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.” (verse 13). Our God of salvation is the Almighty God. He is the God who can surely deliver us from affliction. With His mighty arm, He scatters His enemies (verse 10) and saves His people. A prime example of this is when God defeated the Egyptians and delivered the Israelites at the Red Sea. The Israelites experienced the power of the Creator God, His saving power. That is why the psalmist confesses: “For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted.” (verse 17). This means that the Lord is the source of our strength, the one who we can boast about (Park Yun-sun). Our Lord is the source of our strength, and because of Him, we gain strength. Since He is the glory of our strength, we are the blessed ones. Those of us who experience God's saving power are truly the blessed ones.

Finally, the fifth and last point: The God that the blessed ones look to and rely on is the Holy God.

Look at Psalm 89:18: "For our shield belongs to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel." The psalmist says that the king of Israel belongs to the Holy Lord. And he confesses that this Holy God is the "shield" for Israel, protecting them from their enemies. Furthermore, the Holy God is the one who judges the wicked. It is this Holy God who saves us from the wicked. He also loves us, and His love is a holy love. When we sin against God, He disciplines us with the rod of love. He is faithful even in disciplining us with love. This God, who is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, reveals His holiness both to us and to the wicked. By looking to and relying on this Holy God, you and I are the blessed ones.

This morning, while praying in the early morning prayer service, I was reflecting on this message. As I prayed for my brothers and sisters in the Lord, I had a longing to hear "a joyful sound," the joyful news that God will save us. If only we could hear the good news that the Lord will save us… Tonight, while praying for my loved ones, let us pray fervently together: “God, make us blessed.” Let us pray together: “God, we want to hear the good news that You will save us.” “God, please deliver us.” Let us pray together to our God.

 

 

 

With a deep longing to hear the "joyful sound,"

 

 

Pastor James' Sharing
(After singing the hymn "Our Savior Who Took Our Sins" and praying with the brothers and sisters in the Victory Presbyterian Church pastoral room)