Thoughts on Psalm 119:89-90
Whenever I am driving around town, there’s a shop that always catches my eye. It’s called Mattress FIRM. I’m not sure why they have chosen to emphasize the word firm (complete with a sweeping underscore on the logo), because some people like soft mattresses. A lot of people don’t like the word firm. It sounds unyielding and inflexible, which in 2018 is not something that is not a popular term. Soften your approach; have a little more grace. But the word firm is not a negative, because given proper context, it is an essential concept. Foundations have to be firmly anchored and strong to hold the weight of a building or it would sink into the ground and collapse. Cars must be firmly welded and bolted together or they would fly apart at high speeds. And personally, I don’t think a firm mattress is a bad thing.
In verse 89, the psalmist says that the Word of the Lord is firmly fixed, which is literally translated, “to take a stand, to be positioned or appointed.” Before the world existed, God’s word was appointed and positioned in the heavens above; it has taken a stand over us, essentially (John 1).
In verse 90, the psalmist continues by speaking of the enduring faithfulness of the Lord, who established the earth and it abides. It stands firm. When I hear the word established, what comes to my mind is something that has been set down firmly, with purpose. It has a foundation, intentionality, and strength. And that’s exactly what the Greek word “kun” indicates: that it is firm, secure, stable, fixed, ordered.
So in just these two verses, we get a sense that the psalmist is moved by the way that God has intentionally positioned his Word in the heavens — like a line of demarcation, they are a code of morality and truth above us — yet this Word interacts with us.
The Word of the Lord is firm. It’s trustworthy. It’s established. It’s intentional. It’s living. It’s transcendent. He established the earth as a place of security, as a foundation on which we can stand as we interact with Him and His Word.
As I read this I started singing one of my favorite hymns.
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
Edward Mote