Although I have read the Bible through scores of times, Monday morning I read something I had missed. In Psalms 89, Ethan the Ezrahite, began with the words I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations (Psalm 89:1, KJV). Back in the day, we sang those words in church. Ethan extolled God’s faithfulness to all generations and how He made covenants and protected those He loved from the enemies. He wrote in verses 27-29 how the future Messiah would reign forever and ever.
Each time I read this; Ethan’s exultation of God’s greatness must have so captivated me I missed the sharp left corner in verse thirty-eight. Actually, I did that when driving and ended up in a different state!! Here Ethan wrote, But you have rejected, you have spurned; you have been very angry with your anointed one. You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust. You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins. All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors (Psalm 89:38-41, NIV). What!! After all the good things, he challenges God’s integrity. Have you ever experienced a tragic loss, feeling like all the wheels fell off your tricycle? You inadvertently question the integrity of God’s promises to you.
I find great insight if I ask myself after reading a Bible passage, 1) what does this tell me about God, His character, core values, and ways; 2) what does this tell me about me or humanity; and 3) what does what I have read tell me I need to do? The morning I read and later reread this passage a few times, it took me back a bit because I could not believe what it said about God. As I pondered, it occurred to me that I have felt like Ethan.
After David and his son Solomon’s reigns, Ethan’s reality was God’s promised dynasty slowly disintegrated. Eventually, Assyria or Babylon conquered the Hebrews and moved their elite to live in foreign countries. Given Ethan’s limited perspective of the events, what he wrote was true. I can understand why he wrote what he did given that limited perspective. So, what is the deal?
Perspective is critical when the wheels fall off our trike. When you are on top of a mountain, you can see other majestic mountain peaks, but not what is in the deep valleys between them. Your mind produces grandiose ideas. But when you hike into those valleys, you lose sight of that splendor even though the magnificent mountain tops are still there.
Hearing Jesus teach about the kingdom of God, His disciples’ biased imagination produced grandiose pictures of them ruling with Jesus when He took down the Roman government and set up this kingdom. You see this just before Jesus ascended; the disciples kept asking, Lord, are you going to free Israel [from Rome] now and restore us as an independent nation? (Acts 1:6, TLB). This sounds like Ethan. Even though he had prophesied, the Messiah would come and reign forever and ever (Ps 89:27-29), as well as God would discipline kings who would not obey His commandments (Ps 89:30-32); seeing only only God’s discipline in the valley, he lost perspective of the blessedness yet to come. It is so easy to put a selfish twist on what God promised and disregard what we already know about God’s holiness and justice.
Holy Spirit, PLEASE help me keep your bigger perspective as I journey through life’s mountains and valleys.
The contrast between (1) Ethan’s personally palmed promises expressed early in the passage (perhaps like New Testament disciples due to “biased imagination”) and his (2) contrasting communication of the realities God’s people have endured is clear.
And much more clear to me, Pastor Bob, with the light you have turned on this. I like how you used your trike and mountains to help us gain perspective. Thank you!
In this world we will have tribulation. It is a fallen world. Sometimes the pains I feel are the result of other’s fallenness (vv. 30-32). Sometimes because of my own. But He still loves us (v. 33).
Truly, it is His Kingdom. “Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen & Amen” (vs 52).
AMEN to PastorWine’s words and also Chaplain Robin Storer!