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 in 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 him 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.
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.
- What is the Psalmist in this first Psalm calling on Israel to do?
- How does the second Psalm describe the righteous person?
- How does the Psalmist describe Gods hand of discipline?
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