Psalm 89 / 105

In verses 28-37, we first need to understand the term "horn." This refers to one's lineage, their coming genealogy, the family tree that will flow from them. A common perception of God's favor in the Old Testament was that one's family would be both numerous and prosperous. But we also need to remember that often God's promises are prophetic, speaking to the future and spiritual, meaning that the fulfillment of the promise is within a heavenly kingdom and not a natural one. And here, while there is certainly a temporal application to God's promise regarding David's political kingdom, the greater application is a spiritual one, the Kingdom of Heaven. Much of God's promise regarding the "horn" of David is referencing Jesus. Read Matthew 1:1-17 and find how Jesus if from David's line, his "horn."

Our inability to recognize the eternal perspective of much of God's promises can lead to disappointment. This is where verses 38-52 come in to play. David is lamenting the reality of his circumstances in light of his perceived promise from God. He is unable to reconcile is present life with the promises of God. But much of his disappointment is due to his lack of grasping the prophetic nature of God's promise. What if David had known what God was planning with his "horn." What temporal circumstances could have begun to displace his joy, his excitement? Nothing! As with Abraham, the promises of God to him seemed so much more grand than the temporal fulfillment Abraham witnessed...because their ultimate grandeur was to be fulfilled spiritually, not practically.

Psalm 105 is one of my favorite texts that speak to providence, God's had at work in history, advancing His divine will. Read this Psalm and see how many "He..." statements you can identify. For example, verse 41 reads, "He opened..." He is at work in your life equally intentional!

We too struggle with disappointment, but we need to view the reality of our moment in light of eternity. Too often we find our circumstances irreconcilable to what we perceive to be His promise to us...remember His promise is far beyond our generation, He is always working to fulfill the future and sometimes the tenor of our day feels incongruent with our expectation of Him, just as David expressed in Psalm 89.

In those moments, recall Isaiah 26:4, "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock eternal."

Pastor Fred