Psalm 89:38-45
Two days ago we saw the psalmist praising God for His creation, for His power, for His righteousness and justice. Then yesterday the psalmist recounted God’s covenant with David: My faithfulness and My steadfast love shall be with him, and in My name shall his horn be exalted. (v. 24) But today the psalmist turns everything that he said earlier upside-down, leveling a host of serious charges against God for what He has done. In today’s eight verses, the psalmist uses a direct challenge, “You have…” thirteen times, each of these charging God with an abandonment of His promises to David and His descendants. It is a harsh denouncement.
I truly wonder how God receives a blast like this, when the psalmist gets angry with Him for what he imagines that God has done. Or maybe make it more personal – have we ever gotten angry with God, yelled at Him in our frustration for His failing to act on our behalf? Does He continue to look at us with that deep, deep love that we cannot measure or even imagine?
We’ll see the psalmist softening tomorrow. But for today his about-face from the previous two days is striking!!