“O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.”
~ Psalm 89:8
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you say to your dad after you have done something that you were not to do and your dad punished you for what you did? Do you tell your dad – after you did not listen to what he wanted you to do and he punished you, that you think that he is a really great dad? Do you remind your dad – after you did not listen to what he wanted you to do and he punished you, about all the really neat things that he has done for you? Do you get upset with your dad – after you did not listen to what he wanted you to do and he punished you, about the punishment that he gave you that you do not think that you deserved? What would you say to God – if it was God Who punished you for not listening to Him and doing what He did not want you to do? Would you tell God – if you did not listen to what He wanted you to do and He punished you, that you think that He is a really great God? Would you remind God – if you did not listen to what He had wanted you to do and He punished you, about all the really neat things that He has done for you? Would you become upset with God – after you did not listen to what He wanted you to do and He punished you, about the punishment that he gave you that you do not think that you deserved? God punishes a guy, gal or kid as a consequence for not listening to Him and doing what He does not want him or her to do. This is something that God does as your Heavenly Father to demonstrate His justice. God about 3450 years ago gave Moses laws that He wanted His specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, to obey. God expected His specially chosen guys and gals to live by the laws that He gave them to obey. When you do not obey a rule in your home that your dad expects you to obey, what happens to you? Your grandpaa really hopes that your dad punishes you. If you grow up being disobedient to your dad, you are learning that it is okay to be disobedient to God. What does your dad do to punish you when you disobey a rule that he expects you to obey? Does your dad take away a privilege from you – such as watching TV or playing games on the computer? Or does your dad make you go to your room – where you are to stay? Or does your dad make you take a timeout – which means that you are to sit still in a chair in a corner until he says that you can get out of the chair? Or does your dad have something that he uses to spank you – which hurts, like a wooden spoon? Ask your dad what your grandpaa did to punish your dad when your dad . . .
Ethan was a Levite who probably about 2600 years ago was living in Jerusalem. Ethan was a good guy. Ethan found himself being caught up in a God driven punishment. Ethan may have found himself being a victim of the abject disobedience of God’s specially chosen guys and gals towards God. Ethan wanted to serve God but . . . God sent a Babylonian king – Nebuchadnezzar, to do in Judah and Jerusalem because almost all of His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Judah and Jerusalem had decided to do what they wanted to do instead of doing what He wanted them to do. God had Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army take away as captive slaves a good number of God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Judah and Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar also had Jehoiachin – who was at that time Judah’s acting king, carried away to Babylonia. Even though God’s specially chosen guys and gals deserved to lose everything that God had given to them, Ethan was really feeling in the pits after this happened. How would you feel if another country attacked and captured the United States and took all your friends away to their country as captive slaves? Your grandpaa is sure that you would not be happy if that happened to you. What would you do if that ever happened to you? What do you think that Ethan did after Judah and Jerusalem had been besieged and ravaged by Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army? Ethan scribed God a song. What Ethan wrote is called a maskil. Psalm 89 is the maskil that Ethan wrote. A maskil describes a psalm song that is an instruction song or a meditative ode on being obedient to God. The Psalm Book has thirteen maskils.
Ethan wrote his maskil in five parts. In the first thirty-seven verses and in the first three parts of his maskil, Ethan tells God how wonderful that He had been – especially during the time when David was living on the same planet Earth that you, your grandmaa and grandpaa and your dad and ma are living on at this time. Ethan over the next eight verses tells God how appalling that he thinks that God was when God rejected His specially chosen guys and gals and because God allowed an enemy nation take His specially chosen guys and gals to their country to be captive slaves. Ethan uses the next six verses in his maskil to ask God to remember the good times and to not let Himself be mocked or ridiculed by His enemies. Ethan urges God in these verses to have Himself always praised. Ethan – in verse 8, clearly conveys that he knows God when he wrote, “O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.” Ethan knows God as being faithful in loving the guys, gals and kids who He specially chose for Himself. Your grandpaa knows that God has given and blessed your dad and ma with two special kids who God will help your dad raise to be obedient to Him by believing in what His Son – Jesus Christ, did for you when Jesus was nailed to a crude cross where He suffered and died for your sins. The very last verse written in Ethan’s maskil is a praise verse which ends the Psalter’s Book III. Do you like it when your dad punishes you for not obeying him or your ma? Your grandpaa is quite sure that you really do not like to be punished but . . . you will not learn to obey God’s life rules if your dad does not teach you to obey his home rules.
Psalm 89 (216)