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| 1 [[An Instructive Psalm, by Ethan the Ezrahite.]] The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, age-abidingly will I sing, To generation after generation, will I make known thy faithfulness with my mouth. |
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| 2 For I said, To times age-abiding, shall lovingkindness be built up, As for the heavens, thou wilt establish thy faithfulness therein. |
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| 3 I have solemnised a covenant, for my chosen one, I have sworn unto David my servant: |
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| 4 Unto times age-abiding, will I establish thy seed, And will build up, unto generation after generation, thy throne. [Selah.] |
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| 5 So shall the heavens praise thy wondrousness, O Yahweh,–Yea, thy faithfulness, in the convocation of holy ones. |
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| 6 For whom, in the skies, can one compare unto Yahweh? [Or] can one liken unto Yahweh, among the sons of the mighty? |
The mighty – Hebrew, El, signifying strong or powerful; applicable to any powerful being, especially to the most powerful, the Almighty Jehovah. R296:2
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| 7 A GOD inspiring awe in the circle of the holy ones, exceedingly, And to be reverenced above all who are round about him. |
To be feared – Not treated with irreverent familiarity. R2002:2[R2002:2]
When the people, contrary to the Law, looked into the Ark (symbol of the divine presence), and God punished them. R2002:6[R2002:6]
A feeling of profound respect, often mingled with awe and affection. R2002:3[R2002:3]
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| 8 O Yahweh, God of hosts! Who, like thee, is mighty, O Yah! With thy faithfulness round about thee: |
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| 9 Thou, rulest over the swelling of the sea, When the rolling waves thereof lift themselves, Thou, dost bid them be still: |
Raging of the sea – The restless masses of mankind. A318[A318]
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| 10 Thou, hast crushed–as one slain–Rahab, With thy strong arm, hast thou scattered thy foes. |
With thy strong arm – The power of Jehovah; in the highest sense, Jesus. E47
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| 11 Thine, are the heavens, Yea, thine, the earth, The world and the fulness thereof, Thou, didst found them; |
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| 12 The north and the south, Thou, didst create them,–Tabor and Hermon, with thy Name, shall shout for joy: |
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| 13 Thine is an arm with might, Strong is thy hand, High is thy right hand; |
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| 14 Righteousness and justice, are the establishing of thy throne, Lovingkindness and faithfulness, go before thy face. |
Justice – Jehovah's government is based on justice, not on mercy. R4980:6, R5857:1; OV229:4; SM661:1; R586:5
Justice must also be the foundation principle governing our lives, the foundation of all Christian character. R5431:5, R5857:1
Only after we have rendered justice are we at liberty to practice love towards another. SM354:1
The results of injustice will be more injurious to the doer than to the victim. R4500:6
Represented by the slab of the Mercy Seat, above which the glory of the Lord appeared in the Most Holy. T124
The basic principle of God's character. R2120:5
If God were an unjust God we could never depend on him. R5857:1
All the power, all the justice, all the wisdom of God must be used in accord with his own character, which is love. R5210:6
Its value manifested in the great expense at which God maintained it inviolate--the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. R1275:2*
Judgment – Equity. R769:2
Are the habitation – The foundation. Otherwise his creation would become filled with imperfect beings. E472
The just sentence against Adam would have stood forever had no acceptable substitute been found. E421
While love can guide divine justice, justice must rule. R5159:6
The principle which underlies all God's dealings with his creatures; God's unchanging business principle. R5884:1
Justice is the basis of love. R5266:1
Therefore the satisfaction of justice is the satisfaction of God. Q388:T
Therefore God cannot justly set aside his own laws. HG309:1
Throne – Empire. R5210:6
Mercy and truth – God maintains the even tenor of his rule of righteousness, but makes special provision for the sinner race through Christ Jesus. SM662:1
God's own character (love) and law (justice) are twin bulwarks, each as high and strong as the other. R2328:1
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| 15 How happy are the people who know the joyful sound! O Yahweh! in the light of thy countenance, shall they firmly march along; |
That know – Can distinguish the joyful sound of the heavenly message. R2569:3
The joyful sound – Turnah, Jubilee (Lev. 25:9), the Gospel. "Good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people." (Luke 2:10) R2569:5, R2568:3
Shout. Jubilee means "time of shouting" or "shout." R2025:3*
The "shout" (of encouragement) (1 Thes 4:16) should be understood to be the people's response to the Jubilee trumpet blown by the priests. R2026:2
The new song of Moses and the Lamb. R2569:6
They – Those whom God has blessed with a knowledge of Present Truth. R2570:1
Shall walk – In the narrow way of self-control and self-sacrifice, even unto death. R2570:4
In the light – Shall be his blessed people. R2570:4
In the path "that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Prov 4:18) R2570:4
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| 16 In thy Name, shall they exult all the day, And, in thy righteousness, shall they be exalted. |
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| 17 For, the beauty of their strength, thou art, And, in thine acceptance, shall our horns be exalted. |
Our horn – Horns are symbols of power. T42
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| 18 For, to Yahweh, belongeth our Shield, And, to the Holy One of Israel, belongeth our King. |
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| 19 Then spakest thou in vision of thy men of lovingkindness, and saidst–I have laid help upon a mighty one, I have exalted one chosen from among the people; |
Laid help upon – Because a sinless sacrifice was needed. E96
Accomplishing salvation through the Son--every feature is of the Father and by the Son. R3172:3
One that is mighty – Mighty to deliver from the power of death. SM116:2
Fully qualified. R3172:3
Primarily our Lord Jesus, but subsequently The Christ complete--Head and Body. R1936:2
"Mighty to save" --having both the right and power to call the dead to life, and the ability to instruct, discipline and lead back to the perfect estate. R3951:2, R713:2
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| 20 I have found David my servant, With mine own holy oil, have I anointed him; |
David my servant – Christ. The name David means "beloved." R1364:2
David's character was a beautiful type of Christ. R1936:5
Anointed him – In the following verses the "sure mercies" of David (Isa. 55:3) are enumerated. R1936:5, R1364:2
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| 21 With whom my hand shall be firm, Yea, mine arm, shall strengthen him; |
With whom my hand – Power, dominion, kingdom. R1936:4
Mine arm – Of support and strength. R1936:4
Strengthen him – To perform the great preparatory work of sacrifice. R1936:4
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| 22 No foe shall make exactions on him, Nor shall, a son of perversity, humiliate him; |
Afflict him – "All things shall work together for good to those who love God." (Rom 8:28) R1936:4
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| 23 And I will shatter, from before him, his adversaries, And, them who hate him, will I smite; |
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| 24 And, my faithfulness and my lovingkindness, shall be with him, And, in my Name, exalted shall be his horn; |
Shall his horn – Authority and power. R1936:4
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| 25 And I will set, in the sea, his hand, And, in the rivers, his right hand; |
In the sea – His power will in due time control all the restless, ungovernable masses of the world. R1936:4
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| 26 He, shall cry out unto me, My Father, thou art, My GOD, and my Rock of Salvation! |
Art my father – Realizing communion and fellowship with God even in the midst of their earthly trials. R1936:5
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| 27 Yea, I, will appoint him, firstborn, Most High to the kings of the earth! |
Him my firstborn – "The firstborn of all creation." (Col. 1:15) E87
Head of the "Church of the firstborn." (Heb. 12:23) R1936:5
The Logos was Jehovah God's first creative act as respects intelligent beings. SM491:2
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| 28 Age-abidingly, will I keep for him my lovingkindness, And, my covenant, hath been made steadfast for him; |
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| 29 Therefore will I appoint, to futurity, his seed, And his throne as the days of the heavens. |
His seed also – The redeemed and restored race of mankind. R1936:5
By redemption and regeneration. R1364:2
To endure for ever – They shall have everlasting life. R1936:5
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| 30 If his sons forsake my law, And, in my regulations, do not walk; |
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| 31 If, my statutes, they profane, And, my commandments, do not keep: |
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| 32 Then will I punish, with a rod, their transgression; And, with stripes, their iniquity: |
Then – During the Millennial age. A303
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| 33 But, my lovingkindness, will I not frustrate from them, Neither will I falsify my faithfulness; |
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| 34 I will not violate my covenant, And that which hath proceeded out of my lips, will I not alter: |
My covenant – The Abrahamic and the New covenants, particularly. R3109:2
Not break, nor alter – "I am the same, I change not." (Mal. 3:6) R3107:3
"That we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast." (Heb. 6:18, 19) R3109:3
The Lord would have his people similarly faithful to their covenants. R3109:5
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| 35 One thing, have I sworn by my holiness, Verily, to David, will I not lie; |
Not lie unto David – Unto Christ. R1936:5
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| 36 His seed, age-abidingly, shall remain, And, his throne, be like the sun before me; |
His seed – The genealogical records, as given by Matthew and Luke, prove that Jesus was the son of David. R944:1*
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| 37 Like the moon, shall it be established unto times age-abiding, And, a witness, in the skies, hath been made sure. [Selah.] |
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| 38 Yet, thou thyself, hast cast off, and rejected, Thou hast been wroth with thine Anointed One! |
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| 39 Thou hast cast down the covenant of thy Servant, Thou hast profaned, to the earth, his crown; |
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| 40 Thou hast broken down all his defenses, Thou hast laid his fortresses in ruins; |
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| 41 All the passers by the way, have plundered him, He hath become a reproach to his neighbours; |
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| 42 Thou hast raised the right hand of his adversaries, Thou hast gladdened all his enemies; |
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| 43 Yea thou hast turned the edge of his sword, Neither hast thou caused him to stand in the battle; |
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| 44 Thou hast brought to an end his splendour, And, his throne–to the ground, hast thou hurled; |
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| 45 Thou hast shortened the days of his youths,–Thou hast covered him with shame. [Selah.] |
Hast thou shortened – Prophetic of the painful circumstances of Jesus' sacrificial death. R1205:2
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| 46 How long, O Yahweh, Wilt thou hide thyself utterly? Shall thine indignation, burn like fire? |
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| 47 Remember how short-lived, I, am, Wherefore, in vain, hast thou created all the sons of Adam? |
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| 48 Who is the man that shall live, and not see death? That can deliver his soul from the hand of hades. [Selah.] |
His soul – Being. R205:4
Hand of the grave – Power of sheol, oblivion, death. E348, E365
It is not the body, but the being, soul, that dies. R205:4, R277:1
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| 49 Where are thy former lovingkindnesses, O My Lord? Thou didst swear unto David, in thy faithfulness! |
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| 50 Remember, O My Lord, the reproach of thy servants, I have carried in my bosom the insult of the peoples: |
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| 51 In that thy foes have reproached, O Yahweh, In that they have reproached the footsteps of thine Anointed One! |
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| 52 Blessed be Yahweh to times age-abiding, Amen, and Amen! |
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