Psalm 106

Praise the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord
    or fully declare his praise?
Blessed are those who act justly,
    who always do what is right.
…
At Horeb they made a calf
    and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
They exchanged their glorious God
    for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
They forgot the God who saved them,
    who had done great things in Egypt,
miracles in the land of Ham
    and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
So he said he would destroy them—
    had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him
    to keep his wrath from destroying them.

• Psalm 106:1-3, 19-23

To read the entirety of Psalm 106:1-48, click HERE.

Type of Psalm

Historical psalms:  These psalms tell a story, historical in nature, usually of how God had done something.  Note that in Exodus, the song of Miriam and Moses was written after the Israelites had crossed over the Red Sea and the Egyptian army was trapped and destroyed by the returning waters.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“We must give glory to God by making confession, not only of his goodness but our own badness, which serve as foils to each other. Our badness makes his goodness appear the more illustrious, as his goodness makes our badness the more heinous and scandalous. The foregoing psalm was a history of God’s goodness to Israel; this is a history of their rebellions and provocations, and yet it begins and ends with Hallelujah; for even sorrow for sin must not put us out of tune for praising God. Some think it was penned at the time of the captivity in Babylon and the dispersion of the Jewish nation thereupon, because of that prayer in the close, ver. 47. I rather think it was penned by David at the same time with the foregoing psalm, because we find the first verse and the last two verses in that psalm which David delivered to Asaph, at the bringing up of the ark to the place he had prepared for it (1 Chron. 16:34-36), “Gather us from among the heathen;” for we may suppose that in Saul’s time there was a great dispersion of pious Israelites, when David was forced to wander. In this psalm we have, I. The preface to the narrative, speaking honour to God (ver. 1, 2), comfort to the saints (ver. 3), and the desire of the faithful towards God’s favour, ver. 4, 5. II. The narrative itself of the sins of Israel, aggravated by the great things God did for them, an account of which is intermixed. Their provocations at the Red Sea (ver. 6-12), lusting (ver. 13-15), mutinying (ver. 16-18), worshipping the golden calf (ver. 19-23), murmuring (ver. 24-27), joining themselves to Baal-peor (ver. 28-31), quarrelling with Moses (ver. 32, 33), incorporating themselves with the nations of Canaan, ver. 34-39. To this is added an account how God had rebuked them for their sins, and yet saved them from ruin, ver. 40-46. III. The conclusion of the psalm with prayer and praise, ver. 47-48. It may be of use to us to sing this psalm, that, being put in mind by it of our sins, the sins of our land, and the sins of our fathers, we may be humbled before God and yet not despair of mercy, which even rebellious Israel often found with God.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 106:3 “Those who are ‘born-again’ in the Lord Jesus Christ have been promised a living hope through His resurrection from the dead.
“So if you want to smile through your tears, if you want to rejoice through times of suffering, just keep reminding yourself that, as a Christian, what you’re going through isn’t the encl of the story … it’s simply the rough journey that leads to the right destination.”

• Charles R. Swindoll, Bedside Blessings

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

This psalm is a historical psalm.

It is rather unusual.  It starts off with praising God, proclaiming that God has done great works for His Chosen Ones.  Then there is a reminder that God should consider His Chosen Ones regarding prosperity.

But then in verse 6, there is a confession.  We have sinned just like our ancestors did.  They ignored the wonders of God that got them out of bondage in Egypt.  They were free, but they complained about what they did not have.  They craved things of the flesh.

They made a golden calf.  Then they disobeyed about taking the land, and God swore that the generation at the time would fall to their death in the wilderness.  They gave in to their own lusts until Phinehas intervened.  A reminder that when Baalam convinced the king of Moab to send Midianite prostitutes into the camp of Israel, there was a plague that killed many thousands of people until Phinehas, who was among the priestly family, took a spear and killed the sinning Israelite and the woman he was having adultery with.

And then at Meribah, the Israelites provoked Moses to say “rash words” which God punished Moses in that he would see, but not set foot in the Promised Land.

Instead of conquering the land completely, they consorted with the pagan nations, adopting their practices, and disobeying God.

Finally, the confession was done, and the psalmist begs God to remember His covenant with His people.

The psalm ends with similar words of praise that started this lengthy confession.

We know that with God in our hearts, God has forgiven us our sins, but this psalm could be modified to mirror our lives.  We are a work under construction.  We will not be complete until we breathe our last.  We must never forget that we are not done yet.

Psalm 107

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.

• Psalm 107:1-3

To read the entirety of Psalm 107:1-43, click HERE.

Type of Psalm

Psalms of thanksgiving for God’s goodness to good people:  Giving God thanks as noted.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“The psalmist, having in the two foregoing psalms celebrated the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, in his dealings with his church in particular, here observes some of the instances of his providential care of the children of men in general, especially in their distresses; for he is not only King of saints, but King of nations, not only the God of Israel, but the God of the whole earth, and a common Father to all mankind. Though this may especially refer to Israelites in their personal capacity, yet there were those who pertained not to the commonwealth of Israel and yet were worshippers of the true God; and even those who worshipped images had some knowledge of a supreme ‘Numen,’ to whom, when they were in earnest, they looked above all their false gods. And of these, when they prayed in their distresses, God took a particular care, I. The psalmist specifies some of the most common calamities of human life, and shows how God succours those that labour under them, in answer to their prayers. I. Banishment and dispersion, ver. 2-9. 2. Captivity and imprisonment, ver. 10-16. 3. Sickness and distemper of body, ver. 17-22. 4. Danger and distress at sea, ver. 23-32. These are put for all similar perils, in which those that cry unto God have ever found him a very present help. II. He specifies the varieties and vicissitudes of events concerning nations and families, in all which God’s hand is to be eyed by his own people, with joyful acknowledgments of his goodness, ver. 33-43. When we are in any of these or the like distresses it will be comfortable to sing this psalm, with application; but, if we be not, others are, and have been, of whose deliverances it becomes us to give God the glory, for we are members one of another.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 107:9 ”Because the Christian has the Lord Himself dwelling within, the potential for inner strength (i.e. confidence) is unlimited. This explains why those who gave their lives for whatever righteous cause down through the ages did so with such courage. Often they were physically weak individuals, small in stature, but they refused to back down. Only the indwelling, empowering Christ can give someone that much confidence.”

• Charles R. Swindoll, Bedside Blessings

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

This psalm is almost the answer, or for people who remember vinyl records, the flip side, of Psalm 106.  We should be thankful to God for seeing us through hardships.  If we do not know why, ask the redeemed.  While there is rebellion, there are also those who are redeemed.  We should give thanks.

The sins of the people are not detailed here.  They wandered in the wilderness.  They were in darkness, but God guided them back into the light.

They became foolish in their sinfulness, but God forgave them.  The psalmist uses the sea and the desert as metaphors of how the people were rebellious.  In this psalm we have the common expression of being at one’s wits’ end.  It is not a good place to be.  They were drunkards and sluggards, but God delivered them.

The psalm ends with a reminder that we should remember these things and counter to these things, we should remember God’s unfailing love.

Psalm 108

My heart, O God, is steadfast;
    I will sing and make music with all my soul.
Awake, harp and lyre!
    I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth.
Save us and help us with your right hand,
    that those you love may be delivered.
God has spoken from his sanctuary:
    “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
    and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet,
    Judah is my scepter.
Moab is my washbasin,
    on Edom I toss my sandal;
    over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us
    and no longer go out with our armies?
Give us aid against the enemy,
    for human help is worthless.
With God we will gain the victory,
    and he will trample down our enemies.

• Psalm 108:1-13

Type of Psalm

Psalms of thanksgiving for God’s mercies to individuals:  Giving God thanks as noted.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This psalm begins with praise and concludes with prayer, and faith is at work in both. I. David here gives thanks to God for mercies to himself, ver. 1-5. II. He prays to God for mercies for the land, pleading the promises of God and putting them in suit, ver. 6-13. The former part it taken out of Ps. 57:7, etc., the latter out of Ps. 60:5, and both with very little variation, to teach us that we may in prayer use the same words that we have formerly used, provided it be with new affections. It intimates likewise that it is not only allowable, but sometimes convenient, to gather some verses out of one psalm and some out of another, and to put them together, to be sung to the glory of God. In singing this psalm we must give glory to God and take comfort to ourselves.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 108:5 “’Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth.’ Let Your praise be according to the greatness of Your mercy. Ah, if we were to measure our devotion thus, with what ardor should we sing! The whole earth with its overhanging dome would seem too scant an orchestra, and all the faculties of an humankind too little for the hallelujah. Angels would be called in to aid us, and surely they would come. They will come in that day when the whole earth shall be filled with the praises of Jehovah. We long for the time when God shall be universally worshiped and His glory in the gospel shall be everywhere made known. This is a truly missionary prayer. David had none of the exclusiveness of the modern Jew or the narrow-heartedness of some nominal Christians. For God’s sake, that His glory might be everywhere revealed, he longed to see heaven and earth full of the divine praise. Amen, so let it be.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon and the Psalms

My Thoughts

This psalm is attributed to David.  Most of the first half of the Psalms are all psalms of David, but there are a scattering of others that are attributed to him.

This psalm is really a combination of the bulk of two other psalms, Psalm 57, starting in the 7^th verse, and Psalm 60, starting in the fifth verse.

This is a reminder that God is faithful, and we will gain the victory.  No matter how bad we think our suffering to be, that suffering does not have the last word if we are in Christ.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Psalm 106

“1. How can you ‘maintain justice’ in your part of the world?
“2. Are your experiencing God’s favor now? Is unconfessed sin standing in the way? Do you have a time for confession at church? In the group? Why is it important to confess sins to other believers (see Jas 5:16)?
“3. Is it hard for you to take full responsibility for your mistakes and failures? Are other people, things or circumstances usually to blame? Is it easier at work? At home? In what area are you avoiding responsibility right now?
“4. Are you responsible for the sins of your parents? Are your parents sins passed on in you? In what ways?
“5. Does forgiveness ever remove the consequences of sin? Why or why not? When have you suffered serious consequences even after being forgiven?
“6. Has impatience ever yielded harmful and lasting results? When did you think your solution was the only one? Has the desire to fix the problem blinded you to reality? What happened? Could you have waited for God’s counsel?
“7. How do you feel about making mistakes? Do you “rake yourself over the coals”, or do you see them as opportunities to grow? What’s good about taking your share of the blame? How can it influence your children and others around you?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Psalm 107

“1. With which of these four groups of people do you most identify? From what condition or state of trouble has God redeemed you: Wandering? Aimlessness? Being lost? Bondage? Illness? Danger? Do you need God’s help in any of these ways now?
“2. What human attitude is being exalted in this psalm? Why is it a prerequisite for being delivered? For change and growth? What should our attitude be once we have been redeemed?
“3. What does this psalm say about God? About the needy? Who are the needy in your neighborhood? Your church? Among your friends? Family? Do you make excuses for not meeting their needs? How can you become more God-like in your dealings with the needy? What can the group do?
“4. How good are you at asking for help? On a scale of 1 to 10, rate your ‘rugged individualism’: ‘I’m a self-made man/ woman’ (=1) to ‘I can’t do anything by myself’ (=10)? What motto best describes your outlook?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Psalm 108

“1. How does God’s provision for you give you hope for the future?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions for each of these psalms.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.