Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 73. This is a wisdom psalm. God’s people should trust him even when it seems unbelievers do not suffer because of their sin. They should remember the contrasting outcomes of the lives of the arrogant and the faithful. The singer realized this while he was in the sanctuary of God, namely, at public worship. Psalm 73 is a companion to Psalm 49.
What does it mean to be “pure in heart”? Those who are pure in heart (73:1) love God wholeheartedly (Deut. 6:5). Their pursuit of purity and uprightness affects every area of life (Matt. 5:8).
PSALM—NOTE ON 73:1–3 God is good to Israel, but there seem to be arrogant people who enjoy prosperity.
PSALM—NOTE ON 73:4–12 This section describes the apparently carefree lives of the arrogant wicked of v. 3. Verse 12 summarizes the whole section.
PSALM—NOTE ON 73:13–15 All in vain have I kept my heart clean. The singer feels that it has been worthless to practice faithfulness. The faithful are stricken, all the day long, in contrast to the arrogant, who “are not stricken like the rest of mankind” (v. 5). The singer recognizes, however, that to put his bitter feelings into words would have betrayed the generation of your children, that is, would undermine others’ faith.
PSALM—NOTE ON 73:16–17 The inner conflict is made worse by how wearisome it is to understand this: it seems impossible. But when the singer goes into the sanctuary of God, where God’s people gather for worship, he finally sees the truth.
PSALM—NOTE ON 73:18–20 Here is “their end” (v. 17): God has set the arrogant in slippery places, so that they are destroyed in a moment. This likely refers to death.
PSALM—NOTE ON 73:21–28 Even when the singer harbored his bitter thoughts, God still had a firm hold on him: I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. During the singer’s earthly life, you guide me with your counsel (that is, with instruction from God’s Word), and afterward (that is, after the singer dies) you will receive me to glory. Thus the godly can be satisfied, because God is the strength of their heart and their portion forever.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 74. This psalm, a community lament, is a cry of anguish over the destruction of the temple. It recounts God’s mighty deeds in the past, especially the exodus. Past events are the basis for this prayer: do not let the Gentiles scorn the God who has done such mighty things.
PSALM—NOTE ON 74:1–3 the sheep of your pasture. For God’s people as his sheep, see 79:13; 100:3. The terms purchased and redeemed are taken from Ex. 15:13, 16. Israel is God’s own people, for whom he has done great deeds in the past. This makes the current disaster (Ps. 74:3) all the more painful.
PSALM—NOTE ON 74:4–8 Considering the importance that God himself has placed on the temple, it is horrific that the Gentiles have destroyed (profaned) it.
PSALM—NOTE ON 74:9–11 It is puzzling that God has not sent a prophet to instruct his people while they are in such dire distress. It is even more puzzling why God allows the enemy to continue to revile his name.
PSALM—NOTE ON 74:12–17 The next section recalls God’s mighty deeds from the past, in which he has worked salvation. These include the exodus from Egypt and the journey through the wilderness (vv. 12–15), and God’s creation and governance of the whole world (vv. 16–17). It is wrong for the Gentiles to disdain such a great God.
PSALM—NOTE ON 74:14 Leviathan here represents Egypt (see notes on Job 3:8; Isa. 27:1).
PSALM—NOTE ON 74:18–23 The psalm goes on to plead with God, remember this. There is no appeal to the people’s merit. Rather, the appeal is have regard for the covenant and defend your cause.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 75. This is a hymn of praise. It thanks God for the wondrous deeds he has done for Israel. It celebrates the fact that he is the judge of all the earth. He will, in his own time, put down the wicked and lift up the faithful.
PSALM—NOTE ON 75:1 The subject (we) is Israel. They are the ones to whom God’s name is near, and they are the people for whom God has done his wondrous deeds (e.g., the plagues of Egypt, the crossing of the Jordan River, defeating enemies).
PSALM—NOTE ON 75:2–5 judge. God’s judgment will be with equity. This fairness preserves the stability of God’s creation order (pillars).
PSALM—NOTE ON 75:4 Do not lift up your horn. The horn is a symbol of power. To lift it up is to make a public assertion of power. God warns the ungodly not to do this.
The horn could be a symbol of power and military strength, and thus to lift up or exalt it was to publicly assert power. God warns the ungodly not to lift up their horns (75:4), and promises that he will lift up the horn of the faithful.
PSALM—NOTE ON 75:6–8 This section takes up the idea of lifting up from vv. 4–5. Ultimately it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
PSALM—NOTE ON 75:10 God promises that he will lift up the horns of the righteous (see note on v. 4). To cut off the horns is to render powerless and to humiliate, which is what he will do to the wicked.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 76. This hymn celebrates Zion as the place God has chosen to dwell, and the capital of the people he has chosen to bless and protect. It is a companion to Psalms 46; 48; 87; 122. The congregation that sings this psalm will marvel at the privilege of going to Zion and worshiping there.
PSALM—NOTE ON 76:1–2 The Maker of heaven and earth, to whom all mankind belongs, has chosen one people, Judah (which represents all Israel), and one particular spot, called Salem (an old name for Jerusalem, Gen. 14:18) or Zion, to be his dwelling place.
PSALM—NOTE ON 76:3–9 The past-tense verbs show that this psalm is particularly geared to celebrating an occasion in which God protected Zion from Gentile invaders (broke, stripped, stunned). Verses 6–9 trace the victory to God’s rebuke, his judgment, and his plan to save all the humble of the earth (the faithful among his people).
PSALM—NOTE ON 76:10–12 The wrath of man shall praise you, that is, the way that God defeats their schemes leads people to acknowledge God’s rule. the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt. This probably means that the last futile efforts of human wrath are so insignificant that God could use them as a decorative accessory.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 77. This is a community lament. By referring to God’s “anger” (v. 9) the psalm acknowledges that the reason for the trouble may be some fault in the people (see Psalms 74; 79; 80). The repeated key words here are “remember” and “meditate” (77:3, 6, 11–12). The psalm moves from remembering and meditating on God (as the one who has made promises to his people), to remembering and meditating on how things once were better, to remembering and meditating on God’s mighty deeds of old that build confidence for his people’s future.
PSALM—NOTE ON 77:1–3 This section describes earnest prayer coming from a troubled heart. My hand is stretched out (to God) in a common posture of prayer (see 88:9; Job 11:13; 1 Tim. 2:8). The psalmist prays in private moments (in the night; see Ps. 77:4) as well as in public worship.
PSALM—NOTE ON 77:4–9 The agonizing question that keeps the singer awake at night (vv. 4–6) is whether God will spurn his people forever (vv. 7–9).
PSALM—NOTE ON 77:7–9 It does not offend God when his troubled people raise these questions. The answer is found in Ex. 34:6, which describes the enduring goodness of God toward his people. If God abounds in steadfast love, then it cannot cease. The key matter is the last line: has he done this in anger? God’s anger is a response to his people’s unfaithfulness, and will remain only if they refuse to repent.
PSALM—NOTE ON 77:10–20 I will appeal . . . to the years of the right hand of the Most High. This section focuses on God’s great deeds of the past, especially in the exodus and in the wilderness. If God did these things for his people before (deeds, wonders, work, and mighty deeds, vv. 11–12) to make known his might among the peoples (v. 14), he certainly has the power to do them again. This song helps God’s people to refresh their hope and renew their commitment to being a holy people. They are to be an attractive advertisement of the true God to the rest of the world.
PSALM—NOTE ON 77:20 flock. For the image of God’s people as sheep, and God as their Shepherd, see notes on 23:1; 74:1–3.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 78. This is a historical psalm (compare Psalms 105; 106), recalling events from Israel’s past. It shows how God persevered with his people, even when they disbelieved, and how he cleansed them by removing unbelievers from their midst. The emphasis is on the people as a whole and their obligation to embrace the covenant faithfully in each generation. Terms for “remember” and “forget” run through the psalm (78:7, 11, 35, 42; see v. 39, where God remembers). The psalmist hopes that those who sing this will never again forget. The psalm opens with its purpose statement (vv. 1–8), followed by several episodes of sin and unbelief. Each new section begins with “they sinned” or “they rebelled” (vv. 17, 32, 40, 56). The final section focuses on David as one of God’s great gifts to Israel (vv. 65–72).
PSALM—NOTE ON 78:1–8 The parable and dark sayings (v. 2) are not secret teachings. They are things that we have heard and known (v. 3), which must be passed on to the coming generation (v. 4). The OT describes the people of God as those whom God has chosen to receive his particular revelation (testimony and law, v. 5), which they have a responsibility to teach to their children, that the next generation might know God’s law (vv. 5–6; see Deut. 6:6–9). This teaching will help them not to be stubborn and rebellious (Ps. 78:8).
PSALM—NOTE ON 78:9–16 The first historical section recounts an otherwise unknown incident in which the Ephraimites . . . turned back on the day of battle. Presumably this was a battle in which all Israel was expected to participate, each tribe serving the others because of their bond as God’s people. Their failure, then, was not simply a failure in patriotism but also in brotherhood and faith. They did not keep God’s covenant because they forgot God’s works.
PSALM—NOTE ON 78:17–31 In spite of the deeds the people had seen, yet they sinned still more against God.
Zoan (78:12) is the ancient Egyptian city of Tanis, one of many cities in the area where the Israelites lived around the time of Moses. The city’s ruins were surveyed by Napoleon Bonaparte in the late 1700s.
PSALM—NOTE ON 78:32–39 The mighty works of God described in vv. 9–31 should have been enough reason for the people to be faithful, but they were not (v. 32). This section focuses on the many judgments the Lord used to lead his people to repent. When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly, yet their repentance was not deep and sincere (v. 36), so it did not last (v. 37; see v. 8). However, God did not destroy them because he is compassionate. He atoned for their iniquity (v. 38). He accepted their sacrifices and forgave them.
PSALM—NOTE ON 78:40–55 The next section goes back to the exodus, describing all the plagues God brought against the Egyptian oppressors (vv. 42–53). This is followed by a brief summary of the conquest of the Promised Land (vv. 54–55). God’s people continued to rebel because they did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe (see 77:15).
PSALM—NOTE ON 78:56–64 These verses describe the time of the judges, leading up to the capture of the ark and the death of Eli and his sons (vv. 60–64; see 1 Samuel 4). Just as before, they tested and rebelled against the Most High, and provoked him to anger. The Lord utterly rejected many of the Israelites for their unbelief.
PSALM—NOTE ON 78:65–72 God graciously answered Israel’s recurring pattern of sin by raising up David to be their king. the Lord awoke as from sleep. This is a bold image, conveying what the believer can feel when God stirs himself from apparent inactivity to take action on behalf of his suffering people (see 35:23; 44:23). The action that God took was to install a king. David was taken from the sheepfolds. The king is ideally a shepherd of his people (see 2 Sam. 5:2), caring for them, protecting them, and leading them in faithfulness to the covenant. David at his best did his work with upright heart and skillful hand, though he had his own moral failures.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 79. This is a community lament. It was occasioned by a great disaster, most likely the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. It has many similarities to Psalm 74. It recounts the violence and unbelief of the Gentile conquerors and asks God how long he intends to allow such things. Running through the psalm is a recognition that Israel should themselves be faithful to the covenant that they expect God to honor.
PSALM—NOTE ON 79:1–4 The first section chillingly describes the destruction that the nations (probably Babylon and its allies) have brought on God’s inheritance, that is, the land where his people dwell. They have defiled your holy temple, treating something holy as unclean, which is an act of violence against God. God’s people were supposed to be an advertisement to the Gentiles of how great and good Yahweh is, but instead they have become a taunt to our neighbors.
PSALM—NOTE ON 79:5–7 The right question is not, “How long will you let us suffer like this?” After all, they suffer because God is angry about their unfaithfulness. Rather, the question is, “How long will you allow the nations, who do not know you, to get away with what they have done?” Even though Jacob (that is, Israel) has been unfaithful, the Israelites still belong to the Lord.
How long? This question (79:5) occurs nearly twenty times in the Psalms, more than any other question. It is almost always associated with a psalm of lament, such as Psalm 79.
PSALM—NOTE ON 79:8–10 The singer now faces the basic problem: God’s people have been untrue to him and must seek his forgiveness. The psalm weaves two themes together. The first is the understandable desire for relief (we are brought very low; deliver us). The second is the desire, born of true faith, for God’s honor in the world (for the glory of your name, for your name’s sake, why should the nations say?). God’s reputation is tied to his people’s well-being, and their well-being cannot be separated from their faithfulness.
PSALM—NOTE ON 79:11–13 Verses 8–10 prayed for forgiveness. Here, the effect of that forgiveness is that God will preserve those of his people who are doomed to die. Verse 13 looks forward to the granting of forgiveness, and pledges that we your people . . . will give thanks to you forever.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 80. This is a community lament for a situation in which the people have received hard treatment from the Gentiles. It asks God to “restore us, let your face shine that we may be saved!” A notable feature of the psalm is its refrain, “Restore us, O [Lord] God [of hosts]; let your face shine, that we may be saved!” (v. 3; see vv. 7, 19). Verses 14–15 can be seen as a longer version of the refrain, explaining more fully what it would mean for God to restore his people and let his face shine.
PSALM—NOTE ON 80:1–3 A portion of the people needs God to stir up his might and come to save them.
PSALM—NOTE ON 80:1 Shepherd . . . flock. See notes on 23:1; 74:1–3.
PSALM—NOTE ON 80:3 Let your face shine recalls Aaron’s blessing (Num. 6:25).
PSALM—NOTE ON 80:4–7 The people cry because God is angry with his people’s prayers (which implies that they have been unfaithful, see 74:1). He has brought sorrows upon them, especially that they have become an object of contention for their Gentile neighbors (see 79:4). Faithful Israel ought to be the envy of the Gentiles, drawing them to the light by moral purity, social justice, and political stability (as in Psalm 79). Thus the current situation is a reversal of how things should be.
PSALM—NOTE ON 80:8–15 This is the longest stanza, with its image of God’s people as a vine for which God has cared and provided (see notes on Jer. 2:21; Ezek. 15:1–8). The branches of this vine were to give shade to everything within the borders of the Promised Land (see Ex. 23:31), which always included Gentile nations. The branches and shoots are therefore an image of the benefits that come to all who are under the rule of this people. It is God who has broken down the walls that had protected the vine from marauding and empire-building Gentiles (the boar). Psalm 80:14 appeals to God to look down from heaven and have regard for this vine again, that is, to restore it to its proper role in the world.
PSALM—NOTE ON 80:15 the son. Israel as a whole is God’s son (see Ex. 4:22–23; Hos. 11:1).
PSALM—NOTE ON 80:16–19 The final stanza continues the vine imagery from the previous section, describing the terrible deeds of the Gentile invaders: they have burned it (the vine) with fire; they have cut it down. For such an outrage against God’s own plant, may they perish at the rebuke of your face! The terms in v. 17, the man of your right hand and the son of man, probably refer to the people of Israel. Israel as a whole pledges itself to God. If he will let his hand be on Israel (that is, use his power on their behalf), then Israel will not turn back (again) from God and will call upon his name, that is, will exercise true faithfulness.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 81. This psalm resembles the OT prophets’ oracles, so perhaps it is best to think of it as a prophetic hymn. The primary function of the OT prophets is to challenge God’s people to covenant faithfulness. They tell of covenant blessings or punishments that will come, depending on the people’s response. This psalm reviews the basic history of the covenant, charges Israel with unfaithfulness, and urges them to once again embrace the covenant. God would then subdue Israel’s enemies.
PSALM—NOTE ON 81:1–3 The call to worship is a jubilant one. The people should shout for joy and play the various musical instruments (v. 2). The new moon and full moon are the beginning and middle of months in ancient Israel. This may show that the psalm was intended for the feast day of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23–25) and then Booths (Lev. 23:33–36).
PSALM—NOTE ON 81:4–7 The God of Jacob worked on behalf of his people to deliver them from slavery in Egypt (see Ex. 6:6).
PSALM—NOTE ON 81:8–10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt is very similar to the preface to the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:2). The basic warning, there shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god, summarizes the first two commandments (Ex. 20:3–6). The Lord wants his people to listen to him, to receive the covenant as an expression of his grace, to believe in him, and to live as he directs.
PSALM—NOTE ON 81:11–16 God’s people did not listen to his voice (v. 11), which led to sad consequences (v. 12). But God has not given up, and he addresses his people again with the opportunity to listen, to embrace the covenant, and to walk in God’s good ways (v. 13). The consequences of this genuine faithfulness would be victory over their enemies (v. 14) and fruitfulness for the land (v. 16).
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 82. Some call this a community lament since it addresses God directly with a request on behalf of the whole people (v. 8). Others call it a prophetic hymn (like Psalm 81), interpreting its address to the “gods” (82:6) as directed to unjust human rulers, whom God will judge. Both of these classifications have merit, which shows that one must use the psalm categories only in a general way. The psalm teaches that the people of God are called to aspire to be an ideal society, with their justice visible to all peoples, that all nations might come to know the true God (Deut. 4:5–8).
PSALM—NOTE ON 82:1 in the divine council; in the midst of the gods. These “gods” are said to “judge” among men (vv. 2–4) and to die like men (v. 7). It is best to see these as human rulers, who hold their authority as representatives of the true God (and therefore deserve respect; see 58:1; Rom. 13:1–7; 1 Pet. 2:13–17). Jesus seems to have read the psalm in this way, since in John 10:34–35 he cites Ps. 82:6, describing the “gods” as those to whom the word of God came, which means they were human.
PSALM—NOTE ON 82:2–4 judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked. The psalm does not specify whether the rulers are Israelites, or Gentiles ruling Israel as a subject state (as in the Babylonian or Persian Empires). Both the ideal Davidic king in Psalm 72 and the ideal Gentile ruler in Prov. 31:1–9 are called to protect the powerless from those who would harm them. Certainly the people of God should aim to embody this ideal.
PSALM—NOTE ON 82:5 When such people rule, the foundations of the earth (the moral principles that God instilled in the creation order) are shaken (see note on 11:3).
PSALM—NOTE ON 82:6 You are gods. See note on v. 1.
PSALM—NOTE ON 82:8 The psalm closes with a prayer that God will judge the earth. The basis of the request is that all nations belong to God already (you shall inherit all the nations). Perhaps this also alludes to 2:8, where the messianic king will have the nations as his heritage.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 83. This is a community lament, responding to a situation in which God’s people are threatened by Gentile enemies (vv. 6–8) who aim to destroy them. The psalm asks that God will make these enemies fail miserably, be put to shame, and perish—so that they might come to know the Lord. It is possible (see note on vv. 9–18) that the psalm assumes that Israel must defend themselves, and the prayer is for military victory. Christians use this psalm rightly when they ask God to defeat the enemies of their faith in such a way that even those enemies might come to seek God’s name.
PSALM—NOTE ON 83:1–8 The first section describes the Gentile coalition and their evil, crafty plans: let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more! Facing this danger, the people urge God, do not keep silence.
PSALM—NOTE ON 83:9–18 The basic request is that these enemies would utterly fail in their scheme. The ultimate reason for Israel’s existence is to serve God’s purpose of restoring true worship and authentic human life among all mankind. Therefore it is really for the good of these hostile Gentiles that they fail in their plan to destroy Israel.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 84. This is a psalm celebrating pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. It is very much like the hymns in praise of Zion as God’s special place (e.g., Psalm 122), although this one especially focuses on the delight of going to worship there. The purpose of singing this psalm is to cultivate that delight, to open the eyes and hearts of God’s people to the privilege of being a welcome guest in God’s own house. Wickedness offers no reward that can even remotely compare to the joy and pleasure of God’s house. The psalm has three parts, and in each part people are called “blessed” (84:4, 5, 12).
En-dor (83:10) is perhaps most famous for being home to a spiritual medium whom Saul consulted on the eve of his final battle (1 Sam. 28:7–25).
PSALM—NOTE ON 84:1–4 The song opens by describing God’s house, the central sanctuary in Jerusalem. It is lovely and delightful, because it is the Lord’s dwelling place. This is why the faithful soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD. This is where the worshiper actually meets the living God—no wonder his heart and flesh sing for joy. The marvel is that God’s house is a welcoming place. If even the sparrow finds a home there, and the swallow too, then the humble and faithful Israelite need not fear that God will turn him away.
PSALM—NOTE ON 84:5–9 Those who make the journey to Zion to worship are blessed. Their strength is in God, to sustain them on the way. The highways are in their hearts, which probably means that they actually want to go. Pilgrimage was required (Deut. 16:16), but it should never become mechanical or burdensome.
The word blessed (84:4, 5, 12, etc.) refers to someone who has received—or who will receive—something good from the Lord. It is not just a temporary feeling of happiness but a state of well-being in relationship to God.
PSALM—NOTE ON 84:10–12 The final section describes the person who trusts in the Lord. He sincerely prefers one day in God’s courts to a thousand anywhere else. He prefers even the lowest task of service in the house of my God to any gain he might have if he were to dwell in the tents of wickedness. The chief good thing, in this psalm, is to be welcomed in the temple. The faithful can enjoy other things only to the degree that they express the life of the upright. Such people are blessed indeed!
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 85. This is a community lament. It occurs at a time when God has shown his displeasure over his people’s unfaithfulness, perhaps by withholding fruitfulness from the land (vv. 1, 12). The people singing this are seeking forgiveness for the whole people (“us”), asking God to show the steadfast love and faithfulness he proclaimed in Ex. 34:6. Because God is righteous (Ps. 85:10–11, 13)—that is, reliable about his promises—the psalm closes with confidence.
PSALM—NOTE ON 85:1–3 The verbs in this section are all past tense, looking back to what God has done for the people. Forgave the iniquity recalls Ex. 34:7. Turned from your hot anger (see Ex. 32:12) implies that God forgave his people after they repented of serious unfaithfulness. God has done this in the past for his people, because he is exceedingly kind.
PSALM—NOTE ON 85:4–7 The next section appeals to the compassion God has claimed and shown, asking him to restore us again, that is, put away your indignation toward us. For God to be angry with us forever would be contrary to this revealed character. Therefore the people pray, show us your steadfast love (proclaimed in Ex. 34:6), and grant us your salvation.
PSALM—NOTE ON 85:8–9 Now the members of the congregation declare their patience in watching for God to act on their prayer. The song has shifted from the plural “we” to the singular “I”: let me hear. Each member is thus making this pledge. There is confidence that God will speak peace to his people, that is, he will agree to the reconciliation they have asked for in vv. 4–7. At the same time, the psalmist prays, let them not turn back to folly. The people who are appealing to God’s kindness should make sure that their repentance is genuine.
PSALM—NOTE ON 85:9 glory may dwell in our land. The “glory” is God’s special presence with his people (see note on 63:1–2); see Ex. 24:16 for the same expression.
PSALM—NOTE ON 85:10–13 The psalm closes with confidence that God will hear their prayer and give them what they ask. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet, that is, in God they are in harmony. God’s righteousness here is his reliability in keeping his promises (especially to his people), and therefore it guarantees the peace (see v. 8). They kiss each other like the affectionate greeting of relatives (e.g., Gen. 29:13; 45:15).
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 86. This is an individual lament in a situation in which “a band of insolent men seek my life” (v. 14). The psalm confesses that the Lord is “good and forgiving” (v. 5), acknowledging that the singer’s own sins may have contributed to his enemies’ plans. The psalmist explicitly grounds his request in Ex. 34:6, a fundamental confessional statement of the OT (Ps. 86:15; see vv. 5, 13). This is the only psalm of David in Book 3 of the Psalms.
PSALM—NOTE ON 86:1–7 The beginning of the psalm is a general call for help, without specifying the nature of the trouble. The person praying offers reasons that God should answer (see for in vv. 2–5). The first reason is the genuineness of his faith (v. 2); second is the earnestness with which he prays, relying on the Lord, not other gods (vv. 3–4); and third is the crucial confession of God’s benevolent character, as revealed in the Pentateuch (v. 5).
PSALM—NOTE ON 86:8–10 The psalm moves from there is none like you who is worthy of worship among the gods (that is, the angels and other heavenly beings), to you alone are God. This is why all the nations you have made shall come and worship before you. All human beings were made to know and love the one true God. God called Abraham so that his family would be the vehicle of bringing this knowledge to the rest of mankind (Gen. 12:3).
PSALM—NOTE ON 86:11 Teach me your way. See 25:12; 27:11 (and note on 25:4–5). The Bible regularly pictures the moral course of one’s life as a “way” or path, and one’s conduct as a “walk” or journey.
The words of Ps. 86:9 are incorporated into the song of the Lamb in Rev. 15:4. All nations, from all around the globe, will someday worship the Lord.
PSALM—NOTE ON 86:14–17 The last section of the psalm explains the source of the trouble: insolent men and a band of ruthless men. These people do not set you before them (that is, they have no respect for God). Therefore it is not surprising that they seek the faithful one’s life. But the faithful have not sinned, so they have no reason to worry that God will abandon them to enemies as a punishment. God is merciful and gracious, and therefore his faithful ones can trust him to forgive and to guard. The singer is bold and finishes by repeating his request.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 87. This is a psalm celebrating Zion as the chosen city of God. It looks forward to people of all nations—even nations that have been Israel’s enemies—becoming citizens of this city (carrying forward the ideas of 86:9).
PSALM—NOTE ON 87:1–3 The opening section describes Zion, the capital of God’s people, as the city God founded, the city whose gates the Lord loves, the city of God. Its location on the holy mount shows why it is so glorious: it is the place of the temple, where God’s people meet him.
PSALM—NOTE ON 87:4–6 The second section is startling. One expects a reference to those who know me, but the list is composed of Gentile nations. Yet, the Most High himself will establish Zion, in order to allow the peoples to be treated as born in her, as Israelites. When the people of God sing this psalm, they stay focused on their God-given purpose, to be a light for the Gentiles; see note on 86:8–10.
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 88. This is an individual lament. It is suited for a person who is so overwhelmed with troubles that even his friends shun him, and who suspects that the Lord has shunned him as well. The psalm does not specify the troubles, only that they feel like God’s punishment. Most laments close on a confidant note, but Psalm 88 has no explicit statement of confidence. However, there is insistent appeal to God (v. 1, “day and night”; v. 9, “every day”; v. 13, “in the morning”). The psalm instills a tough faith in its singers by reminding them to keep turning to God (the “God of my salvation,” v. 1), even during times when it seems that God does not answer.
Keeping a record of the population (87:6) was a very important task in the ancient world. In fact, sometimes entire cities were employed for this purpose. People who performed such royal duties were sometimes rewarded by being exempt from imprisonment and military service, and from having to pay taxes.
PSALM—NOTE ON 88:1–2 The psalm reflects an ongoing (day and night) and urgent (I cry out, my cry) circumstance.
PSALM—NOTE ON 88:3–9 The next section describes the trouble in general terms, focusing more on the feelings (my soul is full of troubles) than on the external circumstances. Your wrath lies heavy upon me. That is, “it feels like I am dying, and worse than that, dying under your wrath, with no hope either now or ever.” The members of the singing congregation are learning to keep coming to the Lord, even when they feel this way.
PSALM—NOTE ON 88:10–12 The mention of dying under God’s wrath (vv. 3–7) leads to the question: Do you work wonders for the dead? If one were to die under God’s wrath, then he could not anticipate any experience of God’s wonders, or any chance to praise him.
PSALM—NOTE ON 88:13–18 Darkness is the last word in the psalm. Yet the faithful know that there is no alternative but to keep seeking the Lord in prayer.
Abaddon (88:11) means “place of destruction.” In Rev. 9:11 Abaddon is king of “the bottomless pit.”
Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON 89. This is a community lament, but with a distinctive flavor. The people celebrate the Davidic kingship as God’s special gift to his people, but they also mourn the distress into which they have fallen. They interpret that distress as God’s wrath against his anointed king. They pray earnestly for God to bless his people by blessing their king with wisdom, goodness, and might.
PSALM—NOTE ON 89:1–4 In raising up David and his descendants to be kings for his people, God has displayed his steadfast love and faithfulness. These words, which recall Ex. 34:6, appear throughout the psalm (Ps. 89:1, 2, 14, 24, 28 [see esv footnote], 33, 49). Verses 3–4 refer to the events of 2 Sam. 7:8–16, God’s promise to David to establish his offspring forever. Because the promise is rooted in God’s enduring love for his people, and because it is a covenant, the term “forever” is important. If the covenant is forever, then why has humiliation come (Ps. 89:38–45)? But “forever” also means they can offer this prayer confidently, knowing that God will be true to his own word.
PSALM—NOTE ON 89:8–10 God is more mighty than any other being. He governs even the raging of the sea; to the people of that day, the sea represented humanly unmanageable chaos.
PSALM—NOTE ON 89:13–14 The pairing of God’s hand and his right hand refers to his power for the sake of his own people (see 74:11; 138:7).
Finding your way in the ancient world was often an inexact science. Without a compass or map, topographical features such as oases and mountains were heavily relied upon. The few maps available were often unreliable because they may have been produced to mark a kingdom’s boundaries rather than as a tool for navigation.
PSALM—NOTE ON 89:15–18 God has given his people a special place in his plan for the world. They are exalted, and God pledges his strength on their behalf.
PSALM—NOTE ON 89:19–37 The mention of the king’s role in Israel (v. 18) leads to the story of how David and his heirs came to be the royal family (1 Sam. 16:1–13) and what promises God made to them (2 Sam. 7:4–17).
PSALM—NOTE ON 89:19 Your godly one most likely refers to Nathan, who received God’s instructions by night in a vision (see 2 Sam. 7:17).
PSALM—NOTE ON 89:24–25 steadfast love. See v. 33; 2 Sam. 7:15. For hand and right hand, see Ps. 89:13, where it is God’s hand. The king also serves the people as God’s representative.
PSALM—NOTE ON 89:26–28 Father . . . firstborn. See 2 Sam. 7:14. Just as Israel is God’s “firstborn” (Ex. 4:22), so the king is the firstborn as he represents the people (see note on Ps. 2:7).
PSALM—NOTE ON 89:38–45 It looks and feels as if God has not kept his promises to the house of David (and thus to his people). This section repeats words from the preceding parts of the psalm to stress the feeling of betrayal. God’s anointed (v. 38) was his special choice (v. 20), but now God is full of wrath against him. The covenant (v. 39) should have meant security (v. 34), but God has renounced it. The king’s “right hand” (v. 42) should govern even the rivers (v. 25), but now God has exalted the right hand of his foes. David’s throne (v. 44) was to endure as long as the sun (vv. 29, 36), but now God has cast it to the ground. Rather than David’s heir being “the highest of the kings of the earth” (v. 27), now all the Gentiles triumph over him and his people (vv. 40–43). Although things seem bleak, the psalm is not hopeless. The current hardship may be God’s punishment of the king for unfaithfulness, and so it is a call to repentance.
PSALM—NOTE ON 89:46–51 There is great comfort in the promise of an enduring Davidic house. The people can be confident that their present low condition is not the end of their story. The appeal is to God’s steadfast love and faithfulness (v. 49, see note on vv. 1–4) as expressed in his oath to David (v. 24).