he gave me a life, so I gave him a hand

The Word for today:
Psalm 89:38-52

mark this: Psalms 89:27
I will make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

Shelley just walked into the room and asked me why I'm clapping.

I was singing the first verse of Psalm 89, accompanied by a catchy little melody and some happy clapping:
I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever;
I will sing (clap clap clap); I will sing (clap clap clap);
I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever;
I will sing of the mercies of the LORD.
With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness, thy faithfulness;
With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

The emotional shift from Psalm 88 to Psalm 89 makes us feel as if we are at the mercy of the waves.

Psalm 88 is the darkest corner of the Bible, literally ending in darkness. It takes Jesus from the cross to hell, then leaves him there:
For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life draws near to the grave.
I am counted with those who go down to the pit;
I am like a man who has no strength,
Adrift among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And who are cut off from Your hand.
You have laid me in the lowest pit,
In darkness, in the depths. (Psalms 88:3-6)

But not for long. Stepping into Psalm 89, he's alive again--the firstborn:
I will make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. (Psalms 89:27)

Jesus became, in resurrection, the firstborn from the dead. He was always alive as the Son of God, but in resurrection he is the firstborn of those who were dead in sins and are now alive in Christ:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

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Psalm 89 is all about what Bible scholars call the Davidic Covenant (which can be found in 2 Samuel chapter 7). The covenant with David is the is the most important promise in the Old Testament. It promises that a descendant of David will be king forever!--
When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (2 Samuel 7:12-13)

Psalm 89 confirms that promise:
I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.
Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness--and I will not lie to David--
that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun. (Psalms 89:34-36)

Taken together, Psalms 88 and 89 form a picture of the gospel:
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; he was buried; and he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Psalm 88 is the death and darkness of hell. But Psalm 89 is resurrection and sunlight. That, Shellster, is why I'm clapping!

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