Psalm 106:1–48 (ESV):
Praise the Lord!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,
or declare all his praise?
3 Blessed are they who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times!
4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
help me when you save them,
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that I may glory with your inheritance.
6 Both we and our fathers have sinned;
we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wondrous works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry,
and he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe
and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them was left.
12 Then they believed his words;
they sang his praise.
13 But they soon forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,
and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked,
but sent a wasting disease among them.
16 When men in the camp were jealous of Moses
and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,
17 the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
and covered the company of Abiram.
18 Fire also broke out in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.
19 They made a calf in Horeb
and worshiped a metal image.
20 They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his promise.
25 They murmured in their tents,
and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
scattering them among the lands.
28 Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
29 they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stayed.
31 And that was counted to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever.
32 They angered him at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account,
33 for they made his spirit bitter,
and he spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They did not destroy the peoples,
as the Lord commanded them,
35 but they mixed with the nations
and learned to do as they did.
36 They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons;
38 they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus they became unclean by their acts,
and played the whore in their deeds.
40 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
and he abhorred his heritage;
41 he gave them into the hand of the nations,
so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their purposes
and were brought low through their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
when he heard their cry.
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant,
and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
46 He caused them to be pitied
by all those who held them captive.
47 Save us, O Lord our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!
People are rebellious. They find reasons to follow one another rather than God all the time. The temptation to want to fit in, to be like others is powerful and can wreck your life.
The Israelites kept looking around at the lives of others and they were jealous. Jealous of the way other nations could live, the allowances others had in different religions, and they were jealous of each other. This, every time, lead to sin, rebellion, and death. The pattern repeats in different circumstances and during different generations, it is historical and generational. The human propensity is to sin and rebel. Yet this is not the way of the true God-follower.
The true followers of God, as depicted here in Psalm 106, like Moses and Aaron keep focussed on remembering who God is. They speak of God's deeds and character, they speak to Him and humble themselves before Him. Even when a multitude is against them. They also continually pray for those who seek their harm for their salvation. They keep focused on who they know God to be and act in response to His holiness and steadfastness. Even in the face of rebellion, harm, confusion and disaster, these two keep humbling themselves before God, and so they are known as obedient, godly men. They demonstrate something of the resilient love and forgiveness of God as they seek God to save the people time and again. Moses and Aaron are committed, loyal, loving and obedient examples of how to follow God, it wasn't easy for them. People are too eager to give up God to go the way of others, like the rest of Israel, to try to become powerful, in control of their own lives, or live as others do. Each and every time in ends up as a huge mess and God has to intervene because God continues His steadfast love and demonstrates His forgiveness and power to all, even when people have disregarded and abandoned Him. He forgives and He deals with sin. Again and again He has to deliver the nation of Israel, even just in the lifetime of Moses, and He continues to do so for all who repent.
‘Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. 44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry.’ God never gives up on His people. Although they disappoint Him, run after other things, disobey, rebel, sin, and end up in disastrous situations, God still looks upon their distress. Still He hears when they cry. God’s steadfast, resilient love endures forever. He will never stop caring about His people. His love and forgiveness never run out.
You can come to Him today and repent, and be confident that again God will forgive you, even if He has done so already a million times already. His love for you is enough to cover everything you have ever done and will do. You can know the joy of His forgiveness and restoration, if that is what you choose. This does not mean that you should sin just so that you can feel that love and forgiveness, for, ‘blessed are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times’. It was better for Moses and Aaron because they loved God faithfully. They were set apart and favoured throughout the nations journey to the Promised Land due to their faithfulness, resilient love and humility before God. They did not suffer plague, being consumed by fire or being swallowed by the ground. They were at no risk of that because they were obedient. In fact, instead, when the nation rebelled, they were used by God to bring about the restoration of God to others, they were the vessels through which God chose to demonstrate His judgement, grace and mercy because they kept faithful to Him. Surely, better to continue as a righteous one than suffer the poverty and depravity and judgement of the rebellious.
Today consider;
- Is your love for God resilient?
- Are you struggling to continue the way of the righteous? If so, be warned that if you go another way, you will provoke the anger of God.
- Have you sinned and rebelled and want to return to God? Then humble yourself and pray, for God loves to demonstrate His steadfast love and forgive.
Remember God's deeds, His character and His resilient love and choose today what you will follow; your own sinful desires, the others around you, or those who follow Christ and enjoy living in the resilient love of God.
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