Psalm 89:19

Psalm 89:19 ¹⁹ Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one, And said: “I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.

Today we’re getting back to the covenant that God established with David. The “holy one” referred to in this verse is probably Nathan whom God used to deliver the covenant to David (See 2 Samuel 7:4-16). Let’s start our discussion there.

Look at what God tells David in 2nd Samuel 7:8-9

⁸…I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. ⁹And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth.

God chose David, not the other way around. God made David king, God protected David, God preserved David’s throne. We see God’s power and sovereignty beautifully demonstrated in his preservation of David. God did everything!

Today’s verse speaks exactly of that truth: God speaks, God chooses, God exalts.

The verse starts with “I have given help” – isn’t that where God always starts with us, help? We were dead in our trespasses and sins. It was God’s help that breathed life into dead bodies and enabled us to live. God has chosen to redeem mankind to Himself, He established the covenant with David as part of that plan.

Look at what Spurgeon says about God’s choice of David from The Treasury of David

David was God's elect, elect out of the people, as one of themselves, and elect to the highest position in the state. In his extraction, election, and exaltation, he was an eminent type of the Lord Jesus, who is the man of the people, the chosen of God, and the king of his church. Whom God exalts let us exalt. Woe unto those who despise him, they are guilty of contempt of court before the Lord of Hosts, as well as of rejecting the Son of God.

In David we see a type of Christ. There was nothing special about him, he was a sheepherder. As king he never forgot where he came from and he ruled his people from that place. Jesus was born poor and lived his life as a carpenter. He worked, was hungry, was tired and suffered in all ways as we do. He too is approachable by every man – He understands all of our hurts and needs and listens with an attentive ear.

Our verse today closes with “to be a ruler over My people”. Jesus did not come to earth so that we could be happy and healthy. He came to bring life to the dead and to restore His people to Himself. Let us never forget that our home is in heaven and we are to invite as many as we can to join us along the way. Let us live our lives "giving help to the mighty".