August 14th
Psalm 105
God
cares for his people
1: O give thanks unto the LORD; call
upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. 2: Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his
wondrous works. 3: Glory ye in
his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. 4: Seek the LORD, and his strength:
seek his face evermore. 5:
Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments
of his mouth; 6: O ye seed of
Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. 7: He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth. 8: He hath remembered his covenant
for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. 9: Which covenant he made with
Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; 10:
And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting
covenant: 11: Saying, Unto thee
will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: 12: When they were but a few men in
number; yea, very few, and strangers in it. 13: When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom
to another people; 14: He suffered
no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; 15: Saying, Touch not mine anointed,
and do my prophets no harm. 16:
Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of
bread. 17: He sent a man before
them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: 18: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: 19: Until the time that his word
came: the word of the LORD tried him. 20:
The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go
free. 21: He made him lord of
his house, and ruler of all his substance: 22: To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators
wisdom. 23: Israel also came into Egypt;
and Jacob sojourned in the land
of Ham. 24: And he increased his people
greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies. 25: He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly
with his servants. 26: He sent
Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen. 27: They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. 28: He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not
against his word. 29: He turned
their waters into blood, and slew their fish. 30: Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers
of their kings. 31: He spake,
and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts. 32: He gave them hail for rain, and
flaming fire in their land. 33:
He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their
coasts. 34: He spake, and the
locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number, 35: And did eat up all the herbs in
their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground. 36: He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of
all their strength. 37: He
brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble
person among their tribes. 38: Egypt
was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them. 39: He spread a cloud for a covering;
and fire to give light in the night. 40:
The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of
heaven. 41: He opened the rock,
and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river. 42: For he remembered his holy
promise, and Abraham his servant. 43:
And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness: 44: And gave them the lands of the
heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people; 45: That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws.
Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 106
Israel are prone to sin
1: Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks
unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2: Who can utter the mighty acts of
the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise? 3: Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth
righteousness at all times. 4:
Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit
me with thy salvation; 5: That
I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy
nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance. 6: We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity,
we have done wickedly. 7: Our
fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt;
they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea,
even at the Red sea. 8: Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might
make his mighty power to be known. 9:
He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried
up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. 10: And he saved them from the hand
of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. 11: And the waters covered their
enemies: there was not one of them left. 12:
Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. 13: They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:
14: But lusted exceedingly in
the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 15: And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their
soul. 16: They envied Moses
also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD. 17: The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the
company of Abiram. 18: And a
fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. 19: They made a calf in Horeb, and
worshipped the molten image. 20:
Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. 21: They forgat God their saviour,
which had done great things in Egypt;
22: Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and terrible things by the Red sea. 23: Therefore he said that he would
destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn
away his wrath, lest he should destroy them. 24: Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his
word: 25: But murmured in their
tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD. 26: Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow
them in the wilderness: 27: To
overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands. 28: They joined themselves also unto
Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. 29: Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and
the plague brake in upon them. 30:
Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed. 31: And that was counted unto him for
righteousness unto all generations for evermore. 32: They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it
went ill with Moses for their sakes: 33:
Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. 34: They did not destroy the nations,
concerning whom the LORD commanded them: 35:
But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. 36: And they served their idols:
which were a snare unto them. 37:
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, 38: And shed innocent blood, even the
blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols
of Canaan: and the land was polluted with
blood. 39: Thus were they
defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. 40: Therefore was the wrath of the
LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.
41: And he gave them into the
hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them. 42: Their enemies also oppressed
them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand. 43: Many times did he deliver them;
but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their
iniquity. 44: Nevertheless he
regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry: 45: And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented
according to the multitude of his mercies. 46: He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried
them captives. 47: Save us, O
LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy
holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.
Benediction
48: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye
the LORD.
Today we are reading two large Psalms, No 105 & 106.
Psalm 105 is a description of the coming kingdom in relation to Israel’s
history. The Psalmist begins and ends with an encouragement to praise the LORD.
Then between these exhortations he brings two reasons for praise. The first is
the covenant in its promise and the second is the covenant is its performance.
Then between these two thoughts the Psalmist brings two verses of song in which
he describes the journeying of those who are the objects of the promise. The
first verse speaks of the history of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac &
Jacob) and we read of three stages, the blessing of God, the affliction and the
mission of deliverance at the hand of Joseph. In the second verse we read of
the history of the nation and again we read of Gods blessing and affliction and
the mission of deliverance at the hand of Moses. He begins saying, Give thanks
to the LORD and call on his name and tell everyone the Lords deeds. Sing to him
– sing psalms to him. Talk of the Lords ways and glory in his name and may the
hearts of those that seek the Lord rejoice. He says Seek the Lord and his
divine enabling and seek his face forevermore. Remember the amazing things that
the Lord has done. The judgments of Christ will be seen in all the earth. He
says, God will not forget his covenant forever, even to a thousand generations.
These promises were given to Israel
when they didn’t even live in Canaan and were
very few in number. (Just an extended family of 70 people) God did not allow
anyone to do them any harm and he reproved kings in their favour. The LORD
said, do not touch my anointed and do not do any harm to my prophets. But the
Lord brought a famine on the land and broke the economy of food production. And
the Lord sent Joseph ahead of them who was sold as a slave and who they hurt
with chains when he lay in prison in irons. But his time came and the word of
God tried him. Pharaoh sent for him and liberated him and he made his lord of
all his house and ruler of all his kingdom. Joseph had total control over all
the princes of Egypt
to promote or execute at his will and to teach his senators the wisdom of the
Lord. The Lord brought Israel
into Egypt to live in Africa. And the people increased in number very greatly
and the Lord made them stronger than the Egyptians. And the LORD turned the
hearts of the Egyptians to hate the Israelites and to secretly oppress them.
Then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron who he chose. They demonstrated the signs of
God among the Egyptians and his wonders in Africa.
The Lord sent darkness yet they rebelled against the Lord. He turned the waters
into blood killing all the fish. There were the frogs, the flies, the lice, the
hail and fire, the vines, figs and trees were destroyed, then there were the
locusts and the caterpillars without number who ate every green leaf. Then in
the end he killed all the firstborn, the strength of Egypt. And the Lord brought them
out with the riches of Egypt
in silver and gold. Every single person was strong in body in all the tribes.
And the Egyptians breathed a sign of relief after they had gone because they
feared Israel.
And the Lord gave them a cloud in the day to cool them and a fire at night to
warm them. And the Lord fed them with quails and bread from heaven. The LORD
opened a rock and caused a river to flow out of it. The LORD remembered his
sacred promise to Abraham and he brought them out of Egypt as he had promised, with joy
and gladness. Then he gave them all Canaan to
live in so that they might live to keep the Mosaic Law. Praise the LORD. In
Psalm 106 we have another large Psalm which is an epilogue to this section of
the Psalms. It describes how the peace of God is lost and have valuable it is.
The structure of this Psalm is very interesting.
A.
Hallelujah
B. Encouragement to praise the Lord
C. Prayer
D. Sin
E. Mercy
F. Sin
G. Punishment
F. Sin
G. Punishment
H. Deliverance - Moses
F. Sin
G. Punishment
F. Sin
G. Punishment
H. Deliverance - Phinehas
F. Sin
G. Punishment
F. Sin
G. Punishment
H. Deliverance – ‘HE’
D. Sin
E. Mercy
C. Prayer
B. Encouragement to praise the Lord
A.
Hallelujah
So the Psalmist begins saying Give thanks to the Lord
because he is good and merciful forever. Who can say all that God has done? The
blessing of God is on all those who keep his law. He says, remember me and
deliver me so that I will be able to praise your name. Then the Psalmist brings
a long catalogue of the times when Israel forsook the Lord during
their history. Eight times are recorded when they turned away from the Lord.
It’s not pretty reading when the long list of departures from the Lord are laid
out. And the Lord brought very severe discipline on them and in their sorrows
they returned to the Lord their God and God delivered them again. The Lord
remembered his promises to Abraham and was full of mercy even in judgment. And
so this part of the Psalms ends with a benediction. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye
the LORD.
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