Week 36: Psalms 106-108
Questions: Psalm 103-105
- Psalm 106: The cycle of sin is often described as beginning when God’s people forget God, both His works and His character (v.7). What steps do you take to be intentional about REMEMBERING God’s goodness and power? Take some time now to adore God for all He’s done–you can find much to adore in this psalm.
- Psalm 107: This psalm ends with the exhortation for the wise to consider the steadfast love of the Lord (v.43). When have you experienced the steadfast love of the Lord? Ask God to reveal His love to you in a deeper way than you currently know and take time to consider and praise Him for it.
- Psalm 108: What does it look like for God to be exalted in your life? (v.) Can you sing and make melody with all your being, giving thanks and praising Him for who He is and what He’s done? (v.2-3)
Devotion
Psalm 106 includes a long list of Biblically documented historical events where the Israelites, after they had been very publicly and miraculously saved by God, then corporately spit in His face with their blatant disobedience. They “rebelled,” “forgot his works,” “put God to the test,” “exchanged the glory of God,” “forgot God,” had “no faith,” “murmured” against Him, “did not obey the voice of the Lord,” “provoked the Lord to anger,” “served their idols,” “sacrificed their sons and daughters to the demons,” and “became unclean by their acts.” It goes on to say that “many times He delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes.”
Psalm 107 speaks a similar message but is interesting in that the people who rebel and suffer are anonymous, versus the clearly identified people of Psalm 106. Here we read of the “some” who wandered “hungry and thirsty,” “sat in darkness and in the shadow of death” due to their rebellion, who were “fools through their sinful ways,” and who “went down to the sea in ships” with some unspecified “evil” purpose in mind.
In all of these situations, God had every reason to completely abandon or destroy these people. They were far from deserving any measure of mercy due to their unmitigated defiance of a holy God. Yet, after the long description of the rejection of God in Psalm 106, it continues in verse 44 with a word (in many translations) that should bring us to our knees in worship: “Nevertheless.” Nevertheless, God “looked upon their distress,” (106:44) and “remembered his covenant.” (106:45). Psalm 107 conveys this same message through a phrase that appears five times: “he delivered them.”
While it is easy for us to look back through history and judge the Israelites for falling so far after witnessing God’s miraculous power first hand, we are ashamedly just like them and even worse since we have the privilege of knowing the full story of the cross. We have rebelled and put God to the test. We have frequently forgotten Him and lacked faith. We daily serve idols and murmur against Him when things don’t go our way. There is even greater evil than this in our hearts if we dare look. We deserve less than nothing, emptiness, and separation from Him. Nevertheless, the God who was, and is, and is to come is rich in mercy and has delivered us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As the Psalmist directs, “let [us] attend to these things, let [us] consider the steadfast love of the Lord” (107:43) and today bow before Him and “offer sacrifices of thanksgiving” for his amazing grace.
- David Pinkerton