89:1ff This psalm was written to describe the glorious reign of David. God had promised to make David the mightiest king on earth and to keep his descendants on the throne forever (2 Samuel 7:8-16). But Jerusalem was destroyed, and kings no longer reign there. So these verses can only look forward, prophetically, to the future reign of Jesus Christ, David’s descendant. Verse 27 is a prophecy concerning David’s never-ending dynasty, which will reach its fulfillment and highest expression in Christ’s future reign over the world (see Revelation 22:5).
89:5 The congregation of the “saints” or holy ones generally refers to angels. In the courts of heaven, a host of angels praise the Lord. This scene is one of majesty and grandeur to show that God is beyond compare. His power and purity place him high above nature and angels. See Deuteronomy 33:2, Luke 2:13, and Hebrews 12:22 for more about angels.
89:14, 15 Righteousness, justice, mercy, and truth are the foundation of God’s throne; they are central characteristics of the way God rules. They summarize his character. As God’s ambassadors, we should exhibit the same traits when we deal with people. Make sure your actions flow out of justice, righteousness, mercy, and truth because any unfair, unloving, or dishonest action cannot come from God.
89:17, 24 “In thy favour our horn shall be exalted” means that David is promised to have God’s power to accomplish God’s will. Without God’s help, we are weak and powerless, inadequate for even the simplest spiritual tasks. But when we are filled with God’s Spirit, his power flows through us and our accomplishments will exceed our expectations.
89:34-37 In light of Israel’s continual disobedience throughout history, this is an amazing promise. God promised that David’s descendants would always sit on the throne (89:29), but that if the people disobeyed, they would be punished (89:30-32). Yet, even through their disobedience and punishment, God would never break faith with them (89:33). Israel did disobey, evil ran rampant, the nation was divided, exile came—but through it all, a remnant of God’s people remained faithful. Centuries later, the Messiah arrived, the eternal King from David’s line, just as God had promised. All that God promises, he fulfills. He will not take back even one word of what he says. God can also be trusted to save us as he promised he would (Hebrews 6:13-18). God is completely reliable.