Ps. 89.3-4 (forever established)

I have made / a covenant obligation / to my chosen one
I have / sworn an oath / to my servant David
I will establish / your offspring / forever
and sustain / sustain your throne / from one generation to another. 

It has been supposed by some that these lines represent a type of insertion to a previous psalm that comprised verses 1-2 and then verses 5-6. I find it attractive, but somewhat irrelevant. However, the one interesting aspect to it is that if that is the case it actually enhances what theme we see developed in these verses. Here is what I mean: verses 1-2 are a praise of Yhwh’s ‘forever’ as enacted through his faithfulness and loyal love. Because it is ‘forever’ it can be praised “from one generation after another”. The liturgical chain can be sustained because the source of praise is itself constant and forever. In verse 2 the psalmist shifts his perspective: this ‘forever’ praise of Yhwh is one that flows from the perpetual heavenly realm. Yhwh’s faithfulness is ‘fixed’ in the heavens. So, when the psalmist praises and sees Yhwh’s faithfulness he is witnessing the establishment of heaven on earth. Now, if we skip to verse 5 the ‘heavens’ are again mentioned except now they too are entering into the praise. They (the “assembly of the Holy Ones”) now turn in the same direction as the psalmist: in liturgical praise to Yhwh. Now, what we see from just these verses (bracketing out the Davidic covenant) is that Yhwh’s faithfulness is something that inspires not only earthly praise but is something that heaven itself is overawed by. It represents a tremendous power (and joy) of such magnitude that even the heavenly beings are astonished by it and find in it a source of liturgical praise. 

Now, if we turn to our verses today, what we see is the Davidic covenant “inserted” into that momentum. Here is the amazing point: the Davidic covenant becomes the receptacle of this heavenly faithfulness. That which was to be proclaimed “from generation to generation” is now instantiated by covenant in the Davidic lienage: now that faithfulness will be ‘incarnated’ in them. Heaven will pour into the Davidic line. That overwhelming and astonishing power is now handed over to David, made present and abiding and forever. In other words, this is the kingdom of God. The Davidic house is ‘surrounded’ by heaven (both in the form of the psalm, verses 1-2 and 5-6, and in reality). Heaven is its bookends. It is as if a heavenly plant was transplanted to earth and made to grow in and through the Davidic line, beginning with the ‘mustard seed’ of David, and sustained by the heavenly covenant such that it would live in the forever of Yhwh’s heavenly faithfulness, generation after generation.