PSALM 106
Joy comes when we honor the LORD verse 1- 3
Praise you the LORD – O give thanks to the LORD
for HE is good – for HIS mercy endures for ever
Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD?
Who can show forth all HIS praise?
Blessed are they that keep judgment
and he that does righteousness at all times
Joy comes in sharing prosperity with people of God verse 4- 5
Remember me – O LORD
with favor that YOU bear to YOUR people
O visit me with YOUR salvation
that I may see the good of YOUR chosen
that I may rejoice in the gladness of YOUR nation
that I may glory with YOUR inheritance
Joy comes when we are delivered from our enemies’ verse 6- 12
We have sinned with our fathers – we have committed iniquity
we have one wickedly
Our fathers understood not YOUR wonders in Egypt
they remembered not the multitude of YOUR mercies
BUT provoke HIM at the sea – even at the Red sea
NEVERTHELESS HE saved them for HIS name’s sake
that HE might make HIS mighty power to be known
HE rebuked the Red sea also – and it was dried up
so HE led them through the depths
as through the wilderness
HE saved them from the hand of him that hate them
and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy
and the waters covered their enemies
there was not one of them left
THEN believe they HIS words – they sang HIS praise
Joy leaves when we forget the LORD verse 13- 15
They soon forgot HIS works – they waited not for HIS counsel
BUT they lusted exceedingly in the wilderness
and tempted God in the desert
and HE gave them their request
BUT sent LEANNESS into their soul
Joy leaves when we rebel against leadership verse 16- 18
They envied Moses also in the camp
and Aaron the saint of the LORD
the earth opened an swallowed up Dathan
and covered the company of Abiram
and a fire was kindled in their company
the flame burned up the wicked
Joy leaves when we worship false gods verse 19- 23
They made a calf in Horeb – and worshipped the molten image
THUS they change their glory
to the similitude of an ox that eats grass
They forgot God their savior – which had one great things in Egypt
wondrous works in the land of Ham
and terrible things by the Red sea
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
Joy leaves when we don’t trust the LORD verse 24- 27
YEA – they despised the pleasant land – they believe not HIS word
BUT murmured in their tents
and hearkened not to the voice of the LORD
THEREFORE HE lifted up HIS hand against them
to overthrow them in the wilderness
to overthrow their see also among the nations
and to scatter them in the lands
Joy disappears when sin causes death verse 28- 31
They joined themselves also to Baal-peor
and ate the sacrifices of the dead
THUS they provoke HIM to anger with their inventions
and the plague brake in upon them
THEN stood up Phinehas – and execute judgment
and so the plague was stayed
and that was counted to him for righteousness to all
generations for evermore
Joy leaves when we anger the servant of the LORD verse 32- 33
They angered HIM also at the waters of strife
so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes
BECAUSE they provoke his spirit
so that he spoke unadvisedly with his lips
Joy leaves when we disobey the LORD verse 34- 39
They did not destroy the nations
concerning whom the LORD commanded them
BUT were mingled among the heathen – and learned their works
and they served their idols – which were a snare to them
YEA – they sacrifice their sons and their daughters to devils
and she innocent blood
even the blood of their sons and of their daughters
whom they sacrifice to the idols of Canaan
and the land was polluted with blood
THUS were they defiled with their own works
and went whoring with their own inventions
Joy leaves when selfishness is present verse 40- 46
THEREFORE was the wrath of the LORD kindled
against HIS people insomuch that HE abhorred
HIS own inheritance
and HE gave them into the hand of the heathen
and they that hated them rule over them
their enemies also oppressed them
and they were brought into subjection
under their hand
Many times did HE deliver them
BUT they provoked HIM with their counsel
and were brought low for their iniquity
Nevertheless HE regarded their affliction – when HE hear their CRY
and HE remembered for them HIS covenant
and repented according to the multitude of HIS mercies
HE made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives
Joy returns when we thank the LORD verse 47- 48
SAVE us – O LORD our God – and gather us from among the heathen
to give thanks to YOUR holy name
and to triumph in YOUR praise
BLESSED be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting
and let all the people say AMEN
Praise you the LORD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 “Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Mercy – 2617 חֶסֶד, חֶסֶד [checed /kheh·sed/] n m. From 2616; TWOT 698a, 699a; GK 2875 and 2876; 248 occurrences; AV translates as “mercy” 149 times, “kindness” 40 times, “lovingkindness” 30 times, “goodness” 12 times, “kindly” five times, “merciful” four times, “favour” three times, “good” once, “goodliness” once, “pity” once, “reproach” once, and “wicked thing” once. 1 goodness, kindness, faithfulness. 2 a reproach, shame. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: It is so gratifying when a person shows us mercy when we know that what we deserve is judgment! That was done on more than one occasion for me but one that I remember vividly was when I was a senior at Moody Bible Institute and I was struggling with Greek. I happened to see another student paper one day during a quiz and wrote down the answer. I had cheated! I waited until I was completely graduated from the school and in the ministry before the conviction of the Holy Spirit became too great. I wrote the professor and confessed my wrong. He could have failed me and made me re-do the entire course. Instead he forgave and encouraged me to continue to be tender to the Holy Spirit. Mercy in spite of failure. Favor when it could have been punishment. In this psalm the psalmist repeatedly reminds the people how God demonstrated mercy toward them in spite of their hardness and rebellion.
CHALLENGE: Today the Lord may be showing you mercy, will you recognize it and give him thanks? His goodness is real each and every day! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that does righteousness at all times. (6666 “righteousness” [tsadaqah] means adherence to what is required according to a standard, done justly, piety, virtue, blameless behavior, honesty, godliness, what is reliable, or innocence.)
DEVOTION: In Romans 3: 10 the Bible states that “There is none righteous, no, not one.” All humans are under sin. We all sin. We don’t go a day without sinning. So how can we do righteous acts as sinners?
The Bible says that we can only do it in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we give our life to the LORD in salvation we turn our life over to HIM and allow HIM to guide us and give us the strength through the ministry of the Holy Spirit to sin less. We will never be sinless because only Jesus was sinless while on this earth.
We have to turn our lives over to the LORD each moment of each day to sin less. If we ever claim that we have stopped sinning we are lying to ourselves and others.
God wants us to be individuals who work with HIM by asking for guidance each moment of each day and when we sin we ask for HIS forgiveness and HE will give it to us. The true is that we will struggle with sin all of our life until we meet HIM. It is because of HIM that we have the promise of salvation and a life in eternity with HIM.
Remember our goal is to continually give our every thought and action to HIM. It is not easy but that is the reason HE allows us to confess our sin and continue to have HIM help us each moment of everyday.
Remember if you meet someone who says that they are sinless – they are a liar. Too often we find self-righteous individuals who claim that they haven’t sinned in quite a while. Run away from them because they are the worst sinners.
CHALLENGE: Our goal each day is to stay close to the LORD and let HIM guide us into each thought and actions through prayer. We will never be sinless but we can sin less!
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: 15 And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. (7332 “leanness” [razown] means wasting, scantness, disease, or sickness.)
DEVOTION: The New Testament informs us that when the people of God sin there are consequences. It they don’t confess there are consequences. If they take communion without a soul search there are consequences. The three that are listed in I Corinthians are: weakness, sickness and pre-mature death. There are sins unto death according to I John. We are to pray for each other that this sin is not committed by a fellow believer.
The children of Israel were a group of people who had short memories. The forgot about God often. They rebelled against the LORD often. They murmured against the LORD in the wilderness. They were afraid to follow the LORD into the Promised Land. They didn’t destroy the people in the Promised Land but began following their religious practices. They were taken into captivity because of their sin. They cried out to the LORD and HE heard their prayers and sent individual to deliver them from captivity. But they continued to practice the worship of false gods. This angered the LORD.
Sometimes we ask the LORD for things that are not good for us. This happened to the children of Israel. They wanted food. The LORD had provided them manna to eat. That was not enough. They wanted more. They thought what they had in Egypt been better than what the LORD was giving them.
Dissatisfaction with what the LORD gives us causes us to displease the LORD. The children of Israel displeased the LORD enough for HIM to send a judgment of a wasting disease. People died. The account of what happened is found in Numbers 11. We should learn from the lessons the LORD gave to the children of Israel.
The LORD is to be praised. Why? Because HE is good. HE has protected HIS people throughout their history. This psalm sings about that history. Their history is mixed. They sing praises one minute and the next they are murmuring against the LORD. They are asking for things that they don’t need. The children of Israel asked for God to give them things that they didn’t need. They lusted for things that they didn’t need.
Sometimes we ask the LORD for things we don’t need. We need to watch what we ask for from the LORD. In the wilderness they thought they needed more than the LORD was providing. We tend to think the same way. We want more but it is never enough. Once we receive the LORD’S blessings, we forget that the LORD gave us the blessings and think we did it ourselves. Then we start acting like we don’t need God. This causes us to become spiritually sick. If we ask the LORD for things – and HE gives them – we need to THANK HIM.
IF we don’t follow this pattern we might find ourselves in the same condition as the children of Israel. There can cause sickness in our soul. There can come a wasting away of our faith and trust in the LORD.
Is our inner being wasting away with lust for things that the LORD doesn’t want us to have? We should pray for the LORD to guide us to the right things to ask for in our prayer life. Are we following this formula in our lives or the formula the children of Israel followed?
CHALLENGE: Contentment is hard to achieve in our lives. We need to be satisfied with the LORD’S provision for us. Encourage those we know to be content with they have. Discourage wanting more than what the LORD provides. Thank the LORD always for what we have. Sing to HIM your thanks!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 They envied Moses also in the camp, Aaron the saint of the LORD. (6918 “saint” [qadowsh] means set apart, holy, commanding respect, awesome, or a person who is morally pure, though possibly not to the exclusion of ritual purity.)
DEVOTION: Once we ask the LORD in confession to be our Savior we are declared righteous in the eyes of the LORD. HE is the one who can declare us righteous because HE looks at us through the sacrifice of HIS Son on the cross for our sins.
Once we are declared righteous in the eyes of we find that we can be called “saints” because of our standing with the LORD.
We are not perfect but we are forgiven and the LORD looks at us through the sacrifice of HIS Son on the cross.
In the Old Testament people were called holy because of their actions regarding the worshiping of the LORD through the commands of the Old Testament. This standing was always looking forward to the time when Jesus would die for the sins of the world.
Before our forgiveness through Christ the Bible tells us that there are “none righteous, no not one.”
God wants us to realize that our standing doesn’t mean that we can relax in our attitude toward sin because the devil never stops sending his followers to try to cause us to sin and to turn away from the LORD.
We have to be thankful for the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the angels HE puts around us to help us with our fight against the world the flesh and the devil. Without our daily prayer and study of the Bible we can stray from the LORD. HE doesn’t want that to happen and neither should we.
CHALLENGE: Keep close tabs on your relationship with the LORD through your daily study in HIS Word and prayer. Don’t give any foothold to our enemy.
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: 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. (8045 “destroy” [shamad] means exterminate, to be made unusable, annihilate, to lay waste, overthrown, or bring to ruin)
DEVOTION: Is it the responsibility of a leader to pray for the death of his people if they are not being obedient to the LORD? Should a leader go to the LORD
concerning the people he has been called to serve and ask the LORD to cause them to die off, so that, a new generation of believers could come along and
replace them and maybe serve the LORD better?
Here we have the LORD angry with HIS people and was going to cause them to all die and HE told Moses that HE would cause him alone to raise up a new nation
to serve HIM. Moses had a chance to get rid of all the grumblers and complainers in his congregation. He could have had another change to lead a group that might not have given him and the LORD a hard time.
However, he chose to pray for them instead of asking the LORD to end their existence. He prayed for them and asked the LORD to spare them. Do you think it
was easy for Moses to pray for this group of people? Would it be easy for you to pray for such a group of people? Yet we have individuals in all churches that are
just like these children of Israel. They are prone to complain and murmur just like the children of Israel.
Many believers think they are in a wilderness without any blessings when they are being fed and clothed and led in the right direction. Wrong thinking is affecting today’s Christians just like the believers in the Old Testament. We are not learning our lessons that we are commanded to learn from the Old Testament.
CHALLENGE: Learn for the lessons we have in the Word of God regarding HIS
direction and provision. Stop complaining!!! HE is leading you in the right direction right NOW even if it seems you are going through a wilderness!!!
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Give thanks verse 1, 47
Remember me O LORD verse 4
God heard their cry verse 44
Save us verse 47
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Praise verse 1, 2, 47, 48
Give thanks verse 1, 47
Sang praise verse 12
Phinehas verse 30
stayed the plague
Say AMEN verse 48
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Judgments verse 3
Covenant verse 45
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 2, 4, 16, 25,
34, 40, 47, 48
LORD is good verse 1
Mercy verse 1, 45
Mighty acts verse
Mighty power verse 8
Rebuked the Red Sea verse 9
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 14, 21, 47, 48
tempted God
Saint of the LORD verse 16
God their Savior verse 21
Wonderous works in the land of Ham verse 22
Wrath of the LORD verse 23, 40
Voice of the LORD verse 25
Overthrew Israel in the wildereness verse 26
Provoked to anger verse 29
Abhorred HIS own inheritance verse 40
LORD relented of judgment verse 45
LORD our God verse 47
Holy name verse 47
LORD God of Israel verse 48
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Devils (evil angels) verse 37
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Egypt verse 7, 21
Red Sea verse 7, 9
Enemy verse 10, 11, 42
Nations verse 27, 34
Worship of Baal-peor verse 28
Heathen verse 35, 41, 47
Idols of Canaan verse 38
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Sinned verse 6
Iniquity verse 6, 43
Wickedly verse 6
Understood not verse 7
Remembered not verse 7
Provoked LORD verse 7, 29, 32, 33, 43
Hate God’s people verse 10, 41
Forgot LORD verse 13, 21
Waited not for LORD’S counsel verse 13
Lusted rse 14
Tempted God verse 14
Leanness of soul verse 15
Envied verse 16
Wicked verse 18
Worship false gods verse 19, 28, 36- 39
Calf of Horeb
Worshipped molten image
Terrible things by the Red sea verse 22
Despising blessings of the LORD verse 24
Believed not HIS word verse 24
Murmured verse 25
Hearkened not verse 25
Sacrifices of the dead verse 28
Inventions verse 29, 39
Speak unadvisedly verse 33
Did not destroy nations verse 34
Mingled verse 35
Heathen verse 35, 41, 47
Learned evil works verse 35
Served their idols verse 36
Sacrificed sons and daughters to devils verse 37
Shed innocent blood verse 38
Defiled verse 39
Whoring verse 39
Provoked the LORD with their counsel verse 43
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Mercy verse 1, 7, 45
Blessed verse 3
Keep judgment verse 3
Righteousness verse 3
God’s people verse 4
Favor verse 4
Salvation verse 4, 47
Chosen verse 5, 23
Rejoice verse 5
Inheritance verse 5, 40
Deliverance verse 8, 10, 43, 47
Led verse 9
Redeemed verse 10
Believed verse 12
Saint verse 16
Savior verse 21
Righteousness verse 31
Covenant verse 45
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
God’s people verse 4, 40
God’s nation verse 5
Gave Israel their request but sent leanness
in their soul verse 15
Moses verse 16, 23, 32, 33
HIS chosen
Spoke unadvisedly with his lips
Aaron – saint of the LORD verse 16
Dathan verse 17
Company of Abiram verse 17
Calf in Horeb verse 19
Despised the pleasant land verse 24
LORD lifted up HIS hand against verse 26
Waters of strife verse 32
Did not destroy the nations verse 34
Mingled with the heathen verse 35
Israel verse 48
Sang – Praise you the LORD verse 48
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
God’s mercy endures for ever verse 1
Waters covered Israel’s enemies verse 11
Earth swallowed up Dathan verse 17
Earth covered company of Abiram verse 17
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QUOTES regarding passage
For all its exposure of man’s ingratitude, this is a psalm of praise, for it is God’s extraordinary longsuffering that emerges as the real theme. This is the basis of the final prayer (47), and this gives reality to the doxology that closes not only the psalm but the Fourth Book of the Psalter (Pss 90–106). (Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 411). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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This psalm complements Psalm 78 in its thematic approach to Israel’s history, revealing Israel’s unresponsiveness to all the mighty and good acts of the Lord. In its stress in Israel’s failure, it contrasts with Psalm 105, where the psalmist records the fidelity of God in his presence, protection, and providence.
The canonical place of this psalm after 105 moves the reader to reflection on the tenacity of human rebellion. The variation of hymn (vv. 1–2, 8–12, 43–46) and lament (vv. 6–7, 13–21, 24–39) moves the worshiper to praise the Lord. Kraus sees the hymnic element as setting the tone for the psalm (Psalmen 2:727), but Allen interprets it as “a communal complaint strongly marked by hymnic features” (p. 50).
The structural framework favors the hymnic genre because the history of Israel’s rebellion is set within a theological context of praise, prayer, and a look at God as the Savior and Judge. As in Psalm 105 the historical development is placed in a theological framework. (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 672). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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Psalm 106 is one of two psalms that go together. This means that although it is a somber note on which to end this section of the Psalter, it is nevertheless a realistic one. I pointed out in the last study that Psalms 105 and 106 represent two very different ways of telling the same story. Psalm 105 tells Israel’s story from the point of view of God’s faithfulness because of his covenant to Abraham and his descendants. Psalm 106 reviews the story from the point of view of Israel’s unfaithfulness to that same covenant and over the same period of history. (Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary (p. 854). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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The labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed. Think for yourself whether much of your sorrow has not arisen from someone speaking slightingly of you. As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal there will be those who will delight to offer affront to your idol. How then can you hope to have inward peace? The
heart’s fierce effort to protect itself from every slight, to shield its touchy honor from the bad opinion of friend and enemy, will never let the mind have rest. Continue this fight through the years and the burden will become intolerable. Yet the sons of earth are carrying this burden continually, challenging every word spoken against them, cringing under every criticism, smarting under each fancied slight, tossing sleepless if another is preferred before them. Such a burden as this is not necessary to bear. Jesus calls us to His
rest, and meekness is His method. The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort. (A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, 112.)
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