Ethan I

A devotion of Psalm 89

A maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

The beautiful name Ethan means ‘enduring.’ It’s root word means constant, continual, perennial, permanent, as well as hard, mighty, and strong. Ethan the Ezrahite was known for his wisdom. Wisdom is not just heady prowess, but skill applied in real life situations. Come along with me and grow in Ethan qualities.

1 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

A trait to focus on as you grow in Ethan-likeness is constancy. No matter where you are in life, and no matter what is going on, life will find you singing. That is powerful.

Do you sing? Quietly, loudly, well, not so well, it doesn’t matter. Throughout scripture, God admonishes us to sing. It is an expression of the infilling and outflowing of Holy Spirit, Ruach, meaning breath. As a believer singing is one of your primary languages.

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,”

Ephesians 5:18-19.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God,”

Col 3:16.

If this is new territory for you, ask Holy Spirit to guide you in this realm as he breathes fresh breath into your lungs to be exhaled in song. It is a powerful state of existence. It pleases the Lord, and he uses it powerfully in and through your life to bless you and others. May you take this gift to your very deathbed. Sing to the young. Sing to your peers. Sing to the elderly. Your song is your comfort in the dark night, it is your celebration chant, it is your battle-cry. This is your story, Ethan, this is your song, praising your savior all the day long!

2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.

Mercy, chesed, is goodness, kindness, faithfulness. It is favor and beauty. That shall be set up and/or repaired forever in your life. Faithfulness, emunah, means firmness, steadfastness, truth, and stability. The heavens here, shamayim, refer to the visible heavens where we see clouds and celestial bodies. His mercy and faithfulness shall be permanently displayed in this lofty place to be seen by all, like an omnimax screen, and your singing is the sound track to that grand show.

Photo by Julia Volk on Pexels.com

3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,

4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

God was crazy about King David. God is crazy about you. That is why he chose you. Psalm 18 bears powerful testimony to this.

The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God of my salvation,

The God who executes vengeance for me, And subdues peoples under me.

He rescues me from my enemies; You indeed lift me above those who rise up against me;

You rescue me from a violent man.

Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, Lord,

And I will sing praises to Your name.

He gives great salvation to His king, And shows faithfulness to His anointed,

To David and his descendants forever.

Psalm 18:46-50

God, the permanent Rock of Ages who lives forever is exalted and exalts David and his descendants. His primary seed was Jesus Christ, and you are the fruit to whom he gives his great salvation and shows his emunah.

5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.

6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?

7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.

8 O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?

9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

O Lord, there is none like You among the gods, nor any works like Yours.

Psalm 86:8

Above the roar of many waters–the mighty breakers of the sea–the LORD on high is majestic.

Psalm 93:4

Who is like the LORD our God, the One enthroned on high?

Psalm 113:5

10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.

Rahab is the emblematic name for Egypt. It means to behave proudly, to act stormily or boisterously; arrogant. Egypt is symbolic for use of man’s strength, instead of God’s.

11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.

13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.

14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.

What joyful sound is this we blessed ones know? It is the marvel of constantly beholding his glory in creation and in the wonders that he constantly does. It is the sound of singing beneath the shadow of his wings when the world is going crazy. It is the melody of the bleating sheep behind our Shepherd, because we know his voice and we follow him. It is the tune of the light of favor upon us. Others cower, as they should, at the very thought of God looking at them. But not us, our hearts beat in joyful anticipation of breathing our last breath and beholding him face to face!

16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.

18 For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

Phil. 4:4

sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;

2 Cor. 6:10a

19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.

20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:

21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.

24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.

26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

Of these grand promises to David and to Jesus Christ, you are a favored beneficiary of the rock of your salvation! Hallelujah!

*wind image from https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=v2iUTkwb&id=08A08E5C4D20B84D293AAE31121C3586FE581439&thid=OIP.v2iUTkwbai0HK6RJLgdAogHaFj&mediaurl=https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.bf68944e4c1b6a2d072ba4492e0740a2?rik=ORRY%2foY1HBIxrg&riu=http%3a%2f%2fpre00.deviantart.net%2f1344%2fth%2fpre%2ff%2f2010%2f044%2fa%2fb%2felemental_sphere___wind__by_firststrawberrykiss.jpg&ehk=CEVphWPzibfX7U%2f4D7%2b%2bPvJqhmQ%2fXmRob6dq%2btEjuSk%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0&exph=774&expw=1032&q=Wind+Element&simid=608041470877001079&form=IRPRST&ck=F527E31F95B80935F2B88C88450A4ABF&selectedindex=13&adlt=demote&shtp=GetUrl&shid=6282bfcb-dccf-44c0-8e84-1642592f2407&shtk=RWxlbWVudGFsIFNwaGVyZSAtd2luZC0gYnkgZmlyc3RTdHJhd2JlcnJ5S2lzcyBvbiBEZXZpYW50QXJ0&shdk=Rm91bmQgb24gQmluZyBmcm9tIGZpcnN0c3RyYXdiZXJyeWtpc3MuZGV2aWFudGFydC5jb20%3D&shhk=83zpL2%2FpSqsHz7tmchEpBtpCSQomGzTEuhfRQoYxM0I%3D&shth=OIP.v2iUTkwbai0HK6RJLgdAogHaFj