Reflections on Psalm 106

 

Psalm 106 (Contemporary English Version)


1. We will celebrate and praise you, LORD! You are good to us, and your love never fails.
   
2. No one can praise you enough for all of the mighty things you have done.
   
3. You bless those people who are honest and fair in everything they do.
   
4. Remember me, LORD, when you show kindness by saving your people.
   
5. Let me prosper with the rest of your chosen ones, as they celebrate with pride because they belong to you.
   
6. We and our ancestors have sinned terribly.
   
7. When they were in Egypt, they paid no attention to your marvelous deeds or your wonderful love. And they turned against you at the Red Sea.
   
8. But you were true to your name, and you rescued them to prove how mighty you are.
   
9. You said to the Red Sea, "Dry up!" Then you led your people across on land as dry as a desert.
   
10. You saved all of them
    
11. and drowned every one of their enemies.
    
12. Then your people trusted you and sang your praises.
    
13. But they soon forgot what you had done and rejected your advice.
    
14. They became greedy for food and tested you there in the desert.
    
15. So you gave them what they wanted, but later you destroyed them with a horrible disease.
    
16. Everyone in camp was jealous of Moses and of Aaron, your chosen priest.
    
17. Dathan and Abiram rebelled, and the earth opened up and swallowed them.
    
18. Then fire broke out and destroyed all of their followers.
    
19. At Horeb your people made and worshiped the statue
    
20. of a bull, instead of you, their glorious God.
    
21. You worked powerful miracles to save them from Egypt, but they forgot about you
    
22. and the fearsome things you did at the Red Sea.
    
23. You were angry and started to destroy them, but Moses, your chosen leader, begged you not to do it.
    
24. They would not trust you, LORD, and they did not like the promised land.
    
25. They would not obey you, and they grumbled in their tents.
    
26. So you threatened them by saying, "I'll kill you out here in the desert!
    
27. I'll scatter your children everywhere in the world."
    
28. Your people became followers of a god named Baal Peor, and they ate sacrifices offered to the dead.
    
29. They did such terrible things that you punished them with a deadly disease.
    
30. But Phinehas helped them, and the sickness stopped.
    
31. Now he will always be highly honored.
    
32. At Meribah Spring they turned against you and made you furious.
    
33. Then Moses got into trouble for speaking in anger.
    
34. Our LORD, they disobeyed you by refusing to destroy the nations.
    
35. Instead they were friendly with those foreigners and followed their customs.
    
36. Then they fell into the trap of worshiping idols.
    
37. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons
    
38. and to the gods of Canaan. Then they poured out the blood of these innocent children and made the land filthy.
    
39. By doing such gruesome things, they also became filthy.
    
40. Finally, LORD, you were angry and terribly disgusted with your people.
    
41. So you put them in the power of nations that hated them.
    
42. They were mistreated and abused by their enemies,
    
43. but you saved them time after time. They were determined to rebel, and their sins caused their downfall.
    
44. You answered their prayers when they were in trouble.
    
45. You kept your agreement and were so merciful
    
46. that their enemies had pity on them.
    
47. Save us, LORD God! Bring us back from among the nations. Let us celebrate and shout in praise of your holy name.
    
48. LORD God of Israel, you deserve to be praised forever and ever. Let everyone say, "Amen! Shout praises to the LORD!"

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Both this psalm and the previous recount much of the same period of Israel's history, though Psalm 105 started with Abraham whereas this one starts with the Egyptian bondage. By piecing the two together more detail is provided regarding the history of this period. But the two psalms have different purposes. Psalm 105 recalls God's blessings and this one recalls Israel's rebellions and sin. My reflection on Psalm 105 pointed out the wisdom of recording a people's journey with God, referring to His blessings and and to the lessons learned. I believe the same is true of recording a people's journey of sin and rebellion and how God has exercised His mercy and restoration for the people. There is a sad note to this psalm, though, because it is evident from verse 47 that Israel has at this point not recovered from her latest punishment for her sin. The people are scattered to various nations and the writer prays that they might be gathered once again so they may, "give thanks to Your holy name and rejoice in Your praise." Whether or not this record of Israel's history of sin and rebellion was beneficial to them, I pray it might be beneficial to those who read it today, including myself. As I read it I wonder how a people could experience God's blessings in such marvelous ways and repeatedly return to their rebellion. But then I have to turn the reflection on myself and ask how I might be similar in my own actions. May this type of reflection benefit me by helping me be more inclined to focus on God's blessings when difficulty strikes and less inclined to turn away from Him as if He has not helped me in the past with such difficulties.

This psalm gives a good picture of God's dealings with His people. He is patient and merciful but His patience is not indulgent. There comes a limit at which point He punishes the sin of His people. But if we, His people, will repent of our sin His punishment also has a limit. He will restore us and return to blessing us. He desires more than anything to have a relationship with us. Not a relationship based on rules and regulations in which we are attempting to appease Him through our adherence to those rules, but a relationship based on love and a desire to serve and please because of that love.