John Calvin Commentary Psalms 89:14

"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne: Lovingkindness and truth go before thy face." — Psalms 89:14 (ASV)

Righteousness and judgement are the place of thy throne. These praises serve more effectively to confirm the hope of true believers than if the Divine power alone had been presented to our view. Whenever God is mentioned, we ought to apply our minds chiefly to those attributes of His nature that are particularly suited for establishing our faith. This is so that we do not lose ourselves by fruitlessly indulging in subtle speculations, through which foolish people, though they may provide themselves with mental diversion, make no progress toward a true understanding of who God is.

The prophet, therefore, referring to the regalia and pomp of kings, declares that righteousness and judgment are the pillars of the throne on which God sits resplendent in sovereign majesty, and that mercy and truth are, as it were, His heralds.

It is as if the prophet had said: “The ornaments with which God is adorned, instead of being a robe of purple, a diadem, or a scepter, are that He is the righteous and impartial judge of the world, a merciful father, and a faithful protector of His people.”

Earthly kings, because they have nothing in themselves to obtain authority and dignity, are under the necessity of borrowing from elsewhere what will endow them with it. But God, having in Himself complete self-sufficiency and needing no other assistance, displays to us the splendor of His own image in His righteousness, mercy, and truth.