Today I
continued meditating on Psalm 89 as a prelude to what is revealed in Revelation
4. In the midst of this tribute to God’s throne, the writer refers
to the covenant that God made with David that he would have a never-ending
throne, and exalts God for this covenant.
God
had told David that his “steadfast love
will not depart from him”,[1] meaning, from David’s offspring. That meant that, no matter what
would happen in the history of Israel, God would be working to keep David’s
throne as an everlasting throne.
The
greatest fulfillment of this covenant was that God sent his Son, Jesus Christ,
to come into the world through the house and line of David, so that he could
take David’s throne, lift it up above all earthly things, and make it a
glorious, eternal throne, where he would rule forever.
One
of the reasons that God gave us Revelation in pictures is that it is much
easier to call to mind a picture than a theological description. If all we ever
understand is this glorious picture in Revelation 4 as it is spoken from the
mouth of God, and we never know for sure who the twenty-four elders are, or
what these four angelic beings really represent, or why the Holy Spirit is
pictured in a seven-fold way, as torches of fire before the throne of God, and
why God is pictured in descriptive terms that contain no confining boundaries
or borders, we can still marvel at the wonders of what the heavenly throne-room
looks like in contrast to all the pathetic pictures of God’s enemies trying and
failing to stand against God.
With
that glorious picture of the heavenly throne room etching itself in my mind, I
was drawn to the psalm-writer’s reference to God’s throne a millennium earlier.
He wrote: “Righteousness and justice are
the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before
you.”[2]
If
we picture God on his throne, what we see beneath the throne, as the foundation
on which the throne of God sits securely, are “righteousness and justice”. This means that we will see God act in
righteousness and justice no matter what things look like here and now. No
matter how many memories we have of people succeeding in injustice against us,
it will not stay that way. No matter how much we see unrighteousness rising up
against our God, it is the righteousness of God that will triumph.
What
proceeds out of the throne of God, that goes before God at all times, is his “steadfast love and faithfulness”. This
brings to mind his relationship to his people. If we were his enemies, then his
righteousness and justice would be a terror to us. However, if we are the ones
he has loved with an everlasting love,[3] then his righteousness and justice are our greatest security. If we
are the ones with whom he has made a covenant, then his faithfulness to that
covenant, his faithfulness to relate to us in righteousness and justice
according to that covenant, is our greatest hope and security.
When we see
how these four qualities work together, righteousness and justice as the
foundation of God’s throne, and steadfast love and faithfulness the expression
of his throne, we have a summary of everything we need to know that God is
greater than all his enemies, and will absolutely accomplish every covenant
promise he has made to his children because no one is able to stop him. He
cannot change, and no one can thwart his plans.
While
this is the truth, the reality at all times, it does not always feel that way
here below. So, Ethan, the psalm-writer, after highlighting the wonderful ways God
had expressed his righteous and holy and loving covenant with David in times
past, now laid out his complaint before God.
49 Lord,
where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you
swore to David? 50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are
mocked, and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations, 51 with
which your enemies mock, O Lord, with which they mock the
footsteps of your anointed. (Psalm 89)
Ethan was going
through something that left him feeling distant from the realities of God. He
tells God that his servants were presently being mocked and insulted by many
nations. He tells God how he was bearing this mocking and insulting in his
heart. It felt to him like the enemies were victorious against God’s anointed,
the King.
It is
fascinating that he wrote so much of this Psalm in praise of God’s goodness and
grace, while going through something that was missing out on those expressions
of God. When he asks, “where is your
steadfast love of old,” he never once denied that God’s love was steadfast.
He only wondered where it was, since it was not helping the King and his
servants at this time. He remembered what God’s faithfulness had sworn to
David, but did not know why things were different at this moment.
This touches
my heart because it invites me to express the same kind of thoughts to God. Our
praise to God for his unfailing love, his unwavering faithfulness, his justice,
and righteousness and holiness, is not dependent on our circumstances. There
will often be times when the world looks victorious even though it is defeated.
Jesus will be crucified, Paul will be thrown into one prison after another,
Christians will be burned at the stake, falsely accused, rejected by families,
and all kinds of other injustices that one would think deny the goodness and
mercy of God; but the children of God know in our hearts what things look like
in heaven. God is ruling from his throne. He is ruling in justice and
righteousness. He expresses himself in unfailing love and faithfulness. We keep
our eyes and minds on these heavenly things[4]
even while the earthly things show the thrashing around of the red dragon that
is furious that his time is so short.[5]
It is actually
very significant how Ethan concludes his Psalm right after presenting his
lament to God regarding not seeing his love and faithfulness expressed in the
presence situation. He wrote, “Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.”
(Psalm 89:52)
Ethan’s
cry was not a complaint that God had changed, but only that he was troubled by
the success the enemy was having over the King and his servants. In reality,
God was still blessed, and worthy of praise. It cannot be otherwise since God
never changes. Circumstances hide his love and faithfulness from our
experience, but heaven is still gloriously filled with the full expressions of
all his infinite and eternal glory and grace.
The
encouragement to me in this is simply that I want to keep praising God for what
is true about his throne-room no matter how much I experience people hurting
me, rejecting me, slandering me, mocking me, or anything else that the world
may do to God’s servants. John was told to write the words of the revelation
down in order “to show to his servants
the things that must soon take place.” (Revelation 1:1). Before showing us
pictures of the kinds of things that will characterize history up to Jesus’
coming, John was given the revelation of heaven to remind us what is true about
God’s throne while the world deteriorates from bad to worse.[6]
Fact:
“Righteousness and justice are the
foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.”
(Psalm 89:14) Faith responds to this with faithfulness while all the bad things
God said would happen unfold according to his will. God’s children are on the
right side of his righteousness and justice, so we wait for that blessed day
Paul describes this way:
“16 So we
do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is
being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing
for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the
things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are
seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”[7]
With our eyes
set on God’s glorious throne, let us press on in faith and faithfulness,
because today’s troubles will be long forgotten in our experience of the
eternal pleasures that are at his right hand.[8]
From my heart,
Monte
© 2013 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
© 2013 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
[1]
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will
raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will
establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will
establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and
he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with
the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love
will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before
you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.
Your throne shall be established forever.’” 17 In accordance with all these
words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. (II
Samuel 7)
[2]
Psalm 89:14
[3]
Psalm 103:17; Isaiah 54:8; Jeremiah 31:3; Romans 8:31ff
[4]
Colossians 3:2
[5]
Revelation 12:12
[6]
II Timothy 3
[7]
II Corinthians 4
[8]
“You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm
16:11)
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