Pastor Billington's Blog

Psalm 89:38-45 “But you have rejected and spurned. You have been angry with your anointed. You have renounced the covenant of your servant. You have defiled his crown in the dust. You have broken down all his hedges. You have brought his strongholds to ruin. All who pass by the way rob him. He has become a reproach to his neighbors. You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries. You have made all of his enemies rejoice. Yes, you turn back the edge of his sword, and haven’t supported him in battle. You have ended his splendor, and thrown his throne down to the ground. You have shortened the days of his youth. You have covered him with shame. Selah.”

We’re reminded here that sin and faithlessness bring God’s displeasure and discipline. What is amazing is the fact that, although Jesus was perfect and never sinned, He may have experienced something very similar to what this passage describes. But He did it for us!

Hebrews 4:15 “For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.”

Matthew 27:45-46 “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?’ That is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ ”

1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

For additional worship: O Happy Day That Fixed My Choice

Psalm 89:29-37 “I will also make his offspring endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake my law, and don’t walk in my ordinances; if they break my statutes, and don’t keep my commandments; then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. But I will not completely take my loving kindness from him, nor allow my faithfulness to fail. I will not break my covenant, nor alter what my lips have uttered. Once I have sworn by my holiness, I will not lie to David. His offspring will endure forever, his throne like the sun before me. It will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky. Selah.”

David’s dynasty did fall on hard times because of sin, but God kept His promise:

Matthew 1:12-16 “After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim. Eliakim became the father of Azor. Azor became the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim. Achim became the father of Eliud. Eliud became the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan. Matthan became the father of Jacob. Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”

We are a part of His spiritual kingdom now, and we can trust God to keep His promises to us. He is faithful!

2 Peter 1:1-4 “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue, by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises…”

For additional worship: God Keeps His Promises (Stephen McWhirter)

Psalm 89:19-28 “Then you spoke in vision to your saints, and said, ‘I have given strength to the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people. I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil, with whom my hand shall be established. My arm will also strengthen him. No enemy will tax him. No wicked man will oppress him. I will beat down his adversaries before him, and strike those who hate him. But my faithfulness and my loving kindness will be with him. In my name, his horn will be exalted. I will set his hand also on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers. He will call to me, “You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation!” I will also appoint him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. I will keep my loving kindness for him forever more. My covenant will stand firm with him.’ “

“Saints” in verse 19 is literally “godly ones.” It could refer to Nathan and Samuel and God’s use of them to deliver His prophetic message. David was chosen to be the one to establish God’s kingdom and God promised that He would be his strength. The appointing of David as “firstborn” foreshadows the coming of Jesus Christ, and the promised everlasting covenant is fulfilled in Jesus too!

Revelation 1:5-6 “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood— and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

For additional worship: Jesus is King (Selah)

Psalm 89:14-18 “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loving kindness and truth go before your face. Blessed are the people who learn to acclaim you. They walk in the light of your presence, LORD. In your name they rejoice all day. In your righteousness, they are exalted. For you are the glory of their strength. In your favor, our horn will be exalted. For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.”

Why should we rejoice in God? He is righteous and just. He is loving, kind, merciful and genuine. We find strength in His favor. We are saved through Jesus’ righteousness. He is our king and shield! We need to revel in our relationship with Him and follow Him with our lives.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 “Because of him [God], you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, that, as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”

For additional worship: Christus Victor (Keith & Kristyn Getty)

Psalm 89:9-13 “You rule the pride of the sea. When its waves rise up, you calm them. You have broken Rahab in pieces, like one of the slain. You have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. The heavens are yours. The earth also is yours, the world and its fullness. You have founded them. You have created the north and the south. Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name. You have a mighty arm. Your hand is strong, and your right hand is exalted.”

God is Lord of the sea and Lord of the nations (Rahab may refer to Egypt). He rules the heavens and the earth; after all, He created them! He is mighty and worthy of praise!

Psalm 130:20-22 “Praise the LORD, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfil his word, obeying the voice of his word. Praise the LORD, all you armies of his, you servants of his, who do his pleasure. Praise the LORD, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul!”

For additional worship: All Creatures of Our God and King (Sovereign Grace Music)

Psalm 89:1-8 “A contemplation by Ethan, the Ezrahite. I will sing of the loving kindness of the LORD forever. With my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. I indeed declare, ‘Love stands firm forever. You established the heavens. Your faithfulness is in them.’ ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David, my servant, “I will establish your offspring forever, and build up your throne to all generations.” ‘ Selah. The heavens will praise your wonders, LORD, your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who amongst the sons of the heavenly beings is like the LORD, a very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, to be feared above all those who are around him? LORD, God of Armies, who is a mighty one, like you? The LORD, your faithfulness is around you.”

Why sing about God’s faithfulness? Because He established His covenant with David and promised to preserve His line. No-one is greater than the Lord. Even the angels (literally the “sons of God”) sing His praises. The Lord, the God of armies, is to be feared!

But what about David’s throne? What about his lineage? Was this promise forsaken? No!

Luke 1:31-33 “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’ He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”

His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom now, but will be a physical kingdom in the future.

Matthew 25:31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.”

For additional worship: I Will Sing Of The Mercies Of The Lord (Teresa A. Pash)

Psalm 88:13-18 “But to you, LORD, I have cried. In the morning, my prayer comes before you. LORD, why do you reject my soul? Why do you hide your face from me? I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up. While I suffer your terrors, I am distracted. Your fierce wrath has gone over me. Your terrors have cut me off. They came around me like water all day long. They completely engulfed me. You have put lover and friend far from me, and my friends into darkness.”

This section repeats some of the previous themes. The Psalmist earnestly cries out to God, but continues to feal abandoned and fearful.

This Psalm a lament, but it’s an even darker lament than we find anywhere else. I believe that it’s the only lament that doesn’t have a statement of hope or confidence in it. However, there is the reminder that when darkness comes, there is only one thing to do. Pray! “But to you, Lord, I have cried.” “I have cried day and night before you.” And why do we pray? Because all things are ultimately in God’s hands: He decrees or He allows. That means He is the one who can ultimately make things better.

For additional worship: Afflicted Saint, to Christ Draw Near (T4G Live IV)

Psalm 88:8-12 “You have taken my friends from me. You have made me an abomination to them. I am confined, and I can’t escape. My eyes are dim from grief. I have called on you daily, LORD. I have spread out my hands to you. Do you show wonders to the dead? Do the departed spirits rise up and praise you? Selah. Is your loving kindness declared in the grave? Or your faithfulness in Destruction? Are your wonders made known in the dark? Or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?”

Sounds a little like Job, doesn’t it? In pleading with God for rescue, the Psalmist points out that he can’t praise God if he’s dead!

Should we “bargain” with God? It’s probably not the best idea, but we certainly have something here that seems true to life. In our despair we may resort to any and all means to end our trouble. Better to praise God instead of bargaining with Him, regardless of the circumstances.

Daniel 3:16-18 “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, ‘Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If it happens, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.’ ”

For additional worship: Praise You in This Storm (Casting Crowns)

Psalm 88:1-7 “A Song. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. For the Chief Musician. To the tune of ‘The Suffering of Affliction.’ A contemplation by Heman, the Ezrahite. LORD, the God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you. Let my prayer enter into your presence. Turn your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of troubles. My life draws near to Sheol. I am counted amongst those who go down into the pit. I am like a man who has no help, set apart amongst the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more. They are cut off from your hand. You have laid me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths. Your wrath lies heavily on me. You have afflicted me with all your waves. Selah.”

Even when we know that we’ve done wrong; even when we know that we deserve punishment; even when our sinfulness is the root cause of our despair; even when we know that God is teaching us a lesson; who else are we going to go to in prayer? Confession and repentance are the only things that can make it right.

Psalm 51:1-4 “Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me. Against you, and you only, I have sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight, so you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.”

For additional worship: Again (Jeremy Camp)