Ethan

Great Is His Faithfulness

Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty and your faithfulness surrounds you.  Psalm 89:8

Identified as a temple musician during David’s reign, Ethan the Ezrahite was also considered one of the wisest men in Solomon’s kingdom (See 1 Chronicles 15:16–19; 1 Kings 4:31). One psalm is attributed to Ethan, a song that celebrates God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.

When Ethan wrote Psalm 89, he may have been living through the disintegration of Solomon’s kingdom, shortly after the ten northern tribes crowned Jeroboam king and the two southern tribes crowned Rehoboam. Ethan was a musician, so instead of complaining, he poured his pain and puzzlement into this song.

Ethan knew the covenant God established with David: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). In Psalm 89:19–37, he highlights God’s avowals of unending faithfulness and unconditional love. But as Ethan witnessed the chaos around him, he wondered what had happened to the “forever” in God’s promises to David. In Psalm 89:44 he writes, “You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground.” He then asks, “Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?” (v. 49).

Many of the psalm’s verses seem to indicate that God has dissolved his covenant with Israel and abandoned his people (vv. 38–45). Yet at the beginning of the psalm, Ethan praises the very attributes he later indicates are missing: “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; With my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations” (v. 1). And the final words of the psalm are “Praise be to the Lord forever” (v. 52).

How can Ethan praise God’s faithfulness and love in verses 1–37 and then mourn their loss in verses 38–51? The answer is profound: what Ethan sees doesn’t alter what he knows. He knows God is faithful, but he wants to see the evidence of God’s faithfulness.

We all feel like Ethan did sometimes. We want to see the fulfillment of God’s promises. However, faith requires more of us. The forever of God’s character is the foundation of genuine faith. He never changes. Therefore, like Ethan, we can be sure God will keep every promise even though we may not ever see their fulfillment in our lifetime.

Can you, like Ethan, praise God for his faithfulness and love despite your current pain or puzzlement?

DIG DEEPER

Read Hebrews 11:32–40. Why are all these people commended in verse 39? Does that comfort you or frustrate you?

How is Ethan’s testimony in this psalm an illustration of Hebrews 11:1?

Read 1 Chronicles 15:16-19 and 1 Kings 4:29–31. What do these verses suggest about the kind of man Ethan the Ezrahite was?

Denise K. Loock

This devotion is part of our series Not-As-Famous Men and Women of the Bible.

*Note: This devotion appears in a slightly different form in Open Your Hymnal: Devotions That Harmonize Scripture with Song. Order a copy on Amazon.