¹I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; to all generations I will make known Your [God’s] faithfulness with my mouth … ³⁸But You have cast off and rejected, You have been full of wrath against Your anointed … ⁴⁹Where are Your former lovingkindnesses, O Lord, which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?

The Lord anointed King David as the standard by which all succeeding kings in his dynasty were compared. Unfortunately, except for a few, they didn’t do too well. Yet, in his glory, God does not abandon them even as He chastises them. He loves His people so much that He brings judgment to refine them through conviction and repentance. In verses 1-17, God’s kingship and sovereignty are displayed. In verses 19-37, His promises to King David and his downline that ruled after him are in focus. Few followed that godly man who extolled the Word of God and lived by its every word (see Psalm 19:7-11, written by David). Finally, in verses 38-51, we read of God’s divine and the writer’s lament as he gives words to all who are convicted of their sin and desire to turn back to the Lord. While the immediate context of this psalm has to do with ancient Israel’s kings, the message to us today is that God is sovereignly great, and His promises toward us are unfailing, even when we stray from Him. He will chastise us to bring us back in line with His perfect ways.

The inscription indicates this psalm was authored by Ethan the Ezrahite, a man noted for his wisdom. If King Solomon occupied the highest tier of wisdom by himself, the next tier was populated by Ethan and two others, all famous for their wisdom (1 Kings 4:30-31). The psalm reflects what might be called wisdom literature, setting the context for the lament in light of God’s glorious reign and His commitment to the Davidic dynasty.

God is not ashamed to display the failure of those He anoints to ministry; this does not speak of any shortcomings or failings on God’s part but shows the problem to be with us. Yet, the Lord always keeps His promises, even when we fail. This is poignantly illustrated in His dealings with the kings of Israel: God guarantees His word to those called to be His people, even when He judges them. That is a lesson we need today, for we often are like the Davidic kings, wandering from God’s promises and trusting in other things.

The text begins memorably (in the words of the NKJV version): “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,” a sentiment that appears in many hymns and songs today. The Hebrew word here is “hesed,” translated in most modern versions as “lovingkindness.” Hesed refers to God, whose name is Yahweh (reflected in the English word “Lord,” using small caps in our English translations”). His love is a covenant-keeping commitment to His people. His words are His bond, and He always keeps His word! So, the psalmist begins by acknowledging that the Lord is the unending and faithful center of his life. This is not only a cognitive assertion, but singing reveals His affection for the Lord. No matter what happens, he will focus on and hold tightly to God’s promise of lovingkindness, His mercy. Like the psalmist, we ought also to center our lives on God’s love for us, to the point that we can’t help but spread the good news—God, first and foremost, loves us!

Some think that in the OT, God used the fear of judgment as the primary motivation for obeying Him, but that is not what He desired. The writer of this psalm wisely understood that our starting point in reconciling with God must begin with His promise to love His people. The apostle John’s statement is true for all time: “Perfect love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18). Our lives, whether in the OT or the NT context, must not focus on our faithfulness or our love for Him, or even our obedience out of fear. We must focus on His love for us. As the apostle John wrote, “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Even in God’s judgment and chastisement, we must not miss this point. As the apostle wrote:

Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? (Rom. 2:4)

[Excursus: In examining this text, we notice the wise man Ethan also assuming the role of a prophet speaking on God’s behalf. Ancient Hebrew did not use quotation marks, so we must read carefully to see the changing perspective of who is speaking in this psalm. The author sometimes speaks directly to God as in prayer (verses 1-2, 5-18, 38-52), and at other times he addresses the reader as God’s mouthpiece (verses 3-4, 19-37). This interplay is not uncommon in Psalms.]

Given that the starting point is God’s lovingkindness, we see God’s majestic sovereignty in creation—He is incomparable (vss. 5-10) and exalted above all (vss. 11-18). The Lord raised up David as king exemplar to represent God’s loving covenantal rule among His people. His descendants were to carry on that anointing (vss. 19-29). As such, God promised severe consequences if the dynastic descendants of God did not follow in David’s faithfulness (vss. 30-37).

The lament comes from failing to represent God’s rule well (vss. 38-45). God was “angry” because they had “spurned the covenant” God had made with David. And so, rightly, the psalm brings to the fore the response of all godly believers when confronted with the facts of spiritual failure: lament! When Ethan writes, “How long, O Lord? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire?” (vs. 46), he is expressing the anguish of his heart, for he apparently lives in a time when he has seen the judgment of Israel because of the unfaithfulness of the kings. We can see the hints of Solomonic wisdom in verses 47-48 about the futility (“vanity”) of life without God’s active loving presence (as perceived). In verse 49, he calls on the same lovingkindness as in verse 1, which he began with. The psalmist not only writes these words as his lament but also because he feels and carries in himself “the reproach” of the people. He identifies with, feels deeply for, and assumes the plight of all who are suffering because of God’s judgment on unfaithfulness (vss. 50-51). That judgment is termed “the reproach of “Your enemies,” and it refers to the surrounding nations that warred with Israel. The sins of Israel’s kings were the cause, but the people allowed themselves to be led, so they shared in the reproach.

So, how does the psalm lift us up rather than cause a spiral into depression? By faith, we see in here both words and a perspective for dealing with our own spiritual failings when we fall back from trusting in the Lord wholeheartedly. We can call upon His promise to show lovingkindness. We should not appeal based on our assertions to revive our spiritual life. No. That is a formula for failure, for it reveals the doomed self-reliance that leads us away from the Lord in the first place. We think we can solve our spiritual failure through great resolve and obedience. True, we need to be obedient, but not motivated by what is in us, but by what is in God—his loving faithfulness to us.

[The final verse of this psalm is generally seen as a conclusion to what is called Book 3, comprised of Psalms 73-89.]

Lord, thank You for your unfailing love for me, especially as I lament my spiritual failure to love You with my whole heart, mind, and strength. I will sing of your mercies forever!