Psalm 119:90 NKJV
90
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.
The Unchanging Nature of God’s Promises
My Notes
God is untouched by the passage of time. His faithfulness is not limited to a single lifetime—it stretches from one generation to the next, embracing the children and grandchildren of those who walk in His covenant and obey His commands. Though His promises are ancient, they remain and are enduring, never diminished by the centuries. The Lord’s faithfulness is eternal.
David understood that the established word of God was a living testimony to His unwavering faithfulness—a faithfulness that spans all generations.
We see this truth clearly in the preservation of Scripture. Countless works of ancient literature have vanished, known only by passing references in other texts. But the Bible has not only survived—it flourishes. Its endurance is unmatched.
This brings fresh meaning to two powerful declarations from Scripture:
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“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
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“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
There is a profound parallel between God’s word and His works: both are steadfast, unchanging, and sure. The same word that brought the universe into being is the word preserved in Scripture. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,” and by Him who is called THE WORD. As we witness the laws of nature holding firm, we are reminded that God will remain true to His covenant and will never let the faith of His people be in vain.
The earth, firmly established, reflects the faithfulness of God. Its rivers still flow, its flowers still bloom, its treasures remain hidden in land and sea. From age to age, its beauty and bounty endure. So it is with the word of God—His gracious promises remain unchanged, speaking life and hope to every generation.
SUMMARY
Psalm 119:90 emphasizes God’s enduring faithfulness across generations, signifying that His promises remain relevant and unchanging despite the passage of time. The commentaries below highlight that God’s faithfulness is not only demonstrated in the past but continues to uphold His covenant with those who follow His commandments. David compares the stability of the earth with God’s word, both enduring and governed by divine command. God’s creation, resilient in its order, reflects His unchanging nature, offering assurance that His faithfulness will sustain believers like the earth itself.
Note about the letter Lamed ל. The website https://www.abarim-publications.com/Hebrew_Alphabet_Meaning.html defines the meaning of the letter Lamed ל as: The verb למד (lamad) means learn or teach. Derivative תלמיד (talmid) means scholar (hence Talmud), and derivative מלמד means ox goad. The letter lamed is said to look like such a device, and when Jesus says to Saul, “it is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14), He may hint at Saul’s learning rather than coercion.
……..Bill
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“Thy faithfulness is unto all generations.” This is an additional glory: God is not affected by the lapse of ages; he is not only faithful to one man throughout his lifetime, but to his children’s children after him, yea, and to all generations so long as they keep his covenant and remember his commandments to do them. The promises are ancient things, yet they are not worn out by centuries of use, for the divine faithfulness endureth forever. He who succored his servants thousands of years ago still shows himself strong on the behalf of all them that trust in him.
“Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.” Nature is governed by fixed laws; the globe keeps its course by the divine command, and displays no erratic movements: the seasons observe their predestined order, the sea obeys the rule of ebb and flow, and all things else are marshaled in their appointed order. There is an analogy between the word of God and the works of God, and especially in this, that they are both of them constant, fixed, and unchangeable. God’s word, which established the world, is the same as that which he has embodied in the Scriptures; by the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and specially by him who is emphatically THE WORD. When we see the world keeping its place and all its laws abiding the same, we have herein assurance that the Lord will be faithful to his covenant, and will not allow the faith of his people to be put to shame. If the earth abideth, the spiritual creation will abide; if God’s word suffices to establish the world, surely it is enough for the establishment of the individual believer.
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Enduring Word
Your faithfulness endures to all generations: The psalmist believed that the settled word of God was a demonstration of the faithfulness of God, and that faithfulness extends across all generations. (Guzik)
i. We recognize the truth of this when we look at generations past. We trace the line of the amazing faithfulness of God to each generation, despite the worst impulses and works of man. (Guzik)
ii. We recognize the truth of this when we consider generations present and future. The present and future often look gloomy; we wonder where the great men and women of God are who were seen in previous generations. Yet we should not fear; Your faithfulness endures to all generations. (Guzik)
iii. We recognize the truth of this when we consider how God has preserved His word through the generations. There are many great works of ancient literature that are lost; one author or another makes mention of them, but we have no text that has survived to our day. The Bible not only survives; it thrives. (Guzik)
iv. “Throughout much of this time, the Bible was an object of extreme hatred by many in authority. They tried to stamp it out, but the text survived. In the early days of the church, Celsus, Porphyry, and Lucien tried to destroy it by their arguments. Later, the emperors Diocletian and Julian tried to destroy it by force. In some periods of history, it was a capital offense to possess a copy of the Bible. Yet the text survived.” (Boice)
You established the earth, and it abides. They continue this day according to Your ordinances: The word of God itself (Your ordinances) is what established the earth and caused it to abide. The earth and all of creation began with a word from God (Genesis 1); it is no surprise that they are also sustained and endure according to the word of God. (Guzik)
i. This gives new understanding to two wonderful statements of Scripture:
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away (Matthew 24:35). (Guzik)
ii. These passages put the word of God outside the created world and indicate that the word of God is more permanent and enduring than creation itself. Since the created world came into being by God’s word and is sustained by His word, this makes perfect sense. (Guzik)
iii. “He establishes the world and it abideth. Let us be confident then. Whenever God means to break his word and change his ordinances, we may expect to find this earth go steaming into the sun, or else it will rush far off into space, nobody knows where. But while it keeps its place, what have you and I to worry about? Is it not the sign that the Lord will keep us also?” (Spurgeon)
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Albert Barnes
Thy faithfulness – The accomplishment of thy promises.
Is unto all generations – Margin, “to generation and generation.” From one generation to another. The generations of people change and pass away, but thy promises do not change. They are as applicable to one generation as to another; they meet every generation alike. The people of no one age can lay any exclusive claim to them, or feel that they were made only for them. They are as universal, as much adapted to the new generations that come upon the earth, as the light of the sun, ever-enduring, is, or as the fountains and streams, which flow from age to age.
Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth – Margin, “Standeth.” It is firm. The earth thus established or made firm is an illustration of thy faithfulness, and of the stability and permanence of thy promises. It is the same from generation to generation, with its rivers, streams, and fountains; with its fruits and flowers; with its balmy air and its sweet prospects; with its riches of gold and silver; with its pearls and diamonds; with its treasures of land and ocean. So is the word of God – so are the gracious promises which he has addressed to people – the same in every age.
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John Gill
Thy faithfulness [is] unto all generations,…. Or “to generation and generation”; to his people in every age, fulfilling his word, supplying their wants, giving them new mercies every morning and every day; never leaving and forsaking them, according to his promise: his faithfulness never fails, it endures for ever, and is exceeding great and large indeed; see Lamentations 3:23;
thou hast established the earth, and it abideth: laid the foundation of it so firm and sure, that it cannot be removed: and though one generation has passed after another, the earth abides where it was, and will do for ever; and as firm and stable, and never failing, is the faithfulness of God, which this is designed to illustrate. So some supply it, “as thou hast established the earth,” see Psalm 24:2.
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Matthew Henry
“They have continued to this day, and shall still continue to the end of time, acting according to the ordinances which were at first given them; for all are thy servants; they do thy will, and set forth thy glory, and in both are thy servants.” All the creatures are, in their places, and according to their capacities, serviceable to their Creator, and answer the ends of their creation; and shall man be the only rebel, the only revolter from his allegiance, and the only unprofitable burden of the earth?
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Miscellaneous Comments
“It abideth.” Creation is as the mother, and Providence the nurse which preserveth all the works of God. God is not like man; for man, when he hath made a work, cannot maintain it: he buildeth a ship, and cannot save it from shipwreck; he edifies a house, but cannot keep it from decay. It is otherwise with God; we daily see his conserving power, upholding his creatures, which should confirm us that he will not cast us off, nor suffer us to perish (since we are the works of his hands) if we so depend upon him, and give him glory as our Creator, Conserver, and Redeemer.
—William Cowper.
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Cross-References
Ecclesiastes 1:4 (KJV)
4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
Psalm 104:5 (KJV)
5 Who laid the foundations of the earth,
That it should not be removed forever.
Psalm 148:6 (KJV)
6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever:
He hath made a decree which shall not pass.
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Closing Thoughts
The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; The Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: The world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. Psalm 93:1 (KJV)
Lamed ל: Saved by the word settled in heaven.
89
Forever, O Lord,
Your word is settled in heaven.
90
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.
91
They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
For all are Your servants.
92
Unless Your law had been my delight,
I would then have perished in my affliction.
93
I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have given me life.
94
I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.
95
The wicked wait for me to destroy me,
But I will consider Your testimonies.
96
I have seen the consummation of all perfection,
But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
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