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The prophetic singers of Psalm 89

I have often said that Leviticus is my favorite New Testament book. Those who view the law through New Covenant eyes will understand what I mean. Leviticus establishes the laws of the sanctuary, and we know that we are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:21, 22).

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the five books of Psalms, note that Psalm 1-41 is the Genesis Book; Psalm 42-72 is the Exodus Book; Psalm 73-89 is the Leviticus Book; Psalm 90-106 is the Numbers Book; and Psalm 107-150 is the Deuteronomy Book. Each book ends with a doxology. Most bibles provide us with the book numbers for each section, although they do not often correlate these sections to the five books of Moses.

The book of Leviticus is expressed and honored through music in the third book of Psalms, composed of Psalm 73-89. Psalm 73-83 is about the Sanctuary in relation to man, written exclusively by Asaph; Psalm 84-89 is about the Sanctuary in relation to God.

The entire first section of 11 psalms (Psalm 73-83) was written by Asaph, a priest of the line of Gershom, the oldest son of Levi (1 Chronicles 6:39-43). His name is also spelled Gershon in various places such as Genesis 46:11. Asaph wrote just one more psalm (Psalm 50) for a total of 12. Psalm 50 is part of the second book of Psalms, called the Exodus Book.

The second section (Psalm 84-89) was written by various composers, including Heman (Psalm 88) and Ethan (Psalm 89). Heman was descended from Levi’s second son, Kohath (1 Chronicles 6:33-38). Ethan was descended from Levi’s youngest son, Merari (1 Chronicles 6:44-47). These three were prominent members of the 288-member choir in David’s tabernacle (1 Chronicles 6:31; 25:7). Heman stood in the middle; on his right was Asaph (1 Chronicles 6:39); on Heman’s left was Ethan (1 Chronicles 6:44).

We know that David himself appreciated good music, so we can be sure that the voices in this prominent trio were among the best in Israel at the time. The songs (psalms) that they composed and sang spoke into the prophecies of the sanctuary (temple) and therefore also into our lives.

Their three names are also meaningful.

Heman means faithful, as his name is derived from aman, “faithful.” If we dive deeper and look at the meaning of each letter in his name, we see that it means “the deeds of flowing water of life,” a reference to John 7:38.

Ethan means enduring, strong. The letters in his name mean “A strong hand marking life with a cross,” a reference to Revelation 22:4 and Matthew 24:13.

Asaph means gatherer. The letters in his name mean “strong support by mouth (i.e., by his voice),” a reference to Psalm 100:1. Prophetically speaking, his voice gathered the people and unified them in praise by singing the “new song” (Revelation 14:3). Seeing that he wrote 12 psalms, which is the number of divine government, we may also relate his name to the prophecy of Christ in Genesis 49:10 KJV, “unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.”

Psalm 89 is the climax of the Leviticus Book of Psalms, written by Ethan. It correlates with the laws in Leviticus 18-27, by which the King was to rule His people. In an Old Covenant setting, this was King David. In a New Covenant setting, it is King Jesus. So Psalm 89 is a song of praise for God’s enduring covenant with the house of David and His faithfulness in fulfilling His promise. Psalm 89:1-4 says,

¹ I will sing of the lovingkindness [David] of the Lord forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness [Heman] with my mouth [Asaph]. ² For I have said, “Lovingkindness will be built up forever; in the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.” ³ “I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, ⁴ I will establish your seed forever and build up your throne to all generations.”

Later, we read in Psalm 89:34-36,

³⁴ My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. ³⁵ Once I have sworn by My holiness, I will not lie to David. ³⁶ His descendants shall endure [Ethan] forever and his throne as the sun before Me.

We see how the three great musicians in David’s tabernacle had prophetic names that spoke into Psalm 89 itself. God’s faithfulness (Heman) and endurance (Ethan), supported by the mouth and voice of Asaph are all pictured in the psalm. The song was meaningful to each of them. When they sang this song, there is no doubt that they saw themselves testifying about an aspect of God’s promise to David.