Delivered as God’s Sanctuary and Dominion

Psalms 114:1-8
(cf. Ex. 14:1–31)

1 When Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became His sanctuary,
And Israel His dominion.

3 The sea saw it and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.

5 What ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?
6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters.

The power of God displayed in deliverance of His people out of the bondage of Egypt was not merely to show how powerful in omnipotence or merciful in grace He was, but it was also to show that the two nations of people, Judah and Israel, were His sanctuary and dominion.  The dominion was His omnipotence displayed in and through and to Israel, and the sanctuary for God to live among His people in worship (Exodus 25:8) was Judah.  The power of salvation would ultimately be fulfilled by Christ in setting us free from sin’s bondage, and the sanctuary of His people was to be these living temples for God to dwell within (Exodus 29:48, Deuteronomy 27:9, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 10:16, 1 Corinthians 3:16).  Just as God reminds all of His people here, He delivers by miraculous means such as parting the Dead Sea and the Jordan River.  He causes the whole earth to tremble in fearful awe of His great power and presence.  He even causes water to spring out of the rock, a picture of Christ to come who causes His Spirit of living water to flow from His people whom He delivers and makes us a living temple to worship from (John 4:10, 7:38, 1 Peter 2:4-5) as His own special people (1 Peter 2:9-10).  We are then united in His dominion, His reign of the kingdom of God, and in His worship as that temple of living stones as the living sanctuary of worship and His presence.  In Christ, we have been delivered as God’s sanctuary and dominion. 

The Majestic God Reaching Down to Man

Psalms 113:1-9 

1 Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
Praise the name of the LORD!

2 Blessed be the name of the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its going down
The LORD's name is to be praised.

4 The LORD is high above all nations,
His glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the LORD our God,
Who dwells on high,
6 Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?

7 He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
8 That He may seat him with princes—
With the princes of His people.

9 He grants the barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.

Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD, honor and lift up His holy name above all others!  We who are His servants, God’s people, ought to praise His name, which name includes Himself, His character, His works, His wrath and mercy in love and grace, and His lowering Himself to take on our frail nature to suffer in our place, sinlessly and effectually for atonement of our sin.  Blessed is His name then and now and forevermore!  We should be praising our God as the psalmist, from the time we awaken with the dawn’s early light to the end of the day as the light leaves our sight.  This means constant praise to honor and glorify Him and His name (Philippians 2:9-11, Isaiah 45:22-24, Acts 4:12), Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.  God alone is higher than all of the universe visible to our eyes, and surely higher than any nation, political leader or party, or any philosophical imagination of man.  Who is like Him?  He lives above and outside of the physical universe in the heavenly realm, yet has chosen to humble Himself to notice our frail state (Genesis 8:1, Psalm 136:23) and then walk among us as Immanuel (Matthew 1:23).  He came personally in our midst (John 1:10-11, 14, Philippians 2:7-8) in humility for our example and our good.  He raised us up out of the mire and ashes of sin’s destruction in order to seat us as royal heirs of His kingdom, that we might reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12) as princes, honored in His sight by grace.  He makes us fruitful to fill the earth as originally tasked in Eden’s garden of creation, making us His family (Ephesians 3:14-19) who then are able to give Him praise for such a gift of grace.  Praise the Lord all His people for the majestic and holy God who reaches down to sinful man! 

Delightful Fear of the Righteous

Psalms 112:1-10 

1 Praise the LORD!
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who delights greatly in His commandments.

2 His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

5 A good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs with discretion.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.

7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is established;
He will not be afraid,
Until he sees his desire upon his enemies.

9 He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted with honor.

10 The wicked will see it and be grieved;
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked shall perish.

The song of the righteous flows from a life of delightful fear of the LORD.  The delight is in God Himself along with His blessings, and the fear of Him is the foundation of wisdom to live accordingly.  We who are righteous in Christ now have even more to stand in awe of and praise Him for all He has done.  We should always delight wholeheartedly and joyfully in His word to guide our steps as He leads us.  Our spiritual descendants, disciples, are of far greater blessings and might than those of this flesh could ever be.  The true wealth and riches are in the righteousness of God Himself in whom we live and He in us!  That righteousness endures forever.  He is our light in the darkness who shines on the upright in Him, and it is His compassionate grace and righteous character which we imitate (1 Corinthians 11:1).  These things being so, we follow the example of the psalmist who provides for the needs of others with discretion of good judgment to see real needs and not mere wants (2 Corinthians 9:8-9).  He can do this, as we can also, because the steadfast heart rests securely on the foundation of the Rock in faith to trust His goodness and enabling supply to meet those needs.  These acts of kindness are eternally remembered in Heaven.  The wicked, unfortunately, will only be saddened when observing this behavior of a changed life following after the Lord God, and will end up gnashing their teeth in torment (Matthew 22:13).  Their misplaced desire will perish along with all hope and blessings which they might have had forever in the Savior had they trusted and followed after Him in His righteousness and not their own contrived version of empty works.  May we have delight and fear of our Lord as we walk about in His righteousness because of the hope set before us, and do the works prepared for us in His strength alone (Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13). 

Fear the Lord for His Myriad Works

Psalms 111:1-10 

1 Praise the LORD!
I will praise the LORD with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

2 The works of the LORD are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.

3 His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.

4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.

6 He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.

7 The works of His hands are verity and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
8 They stand fast forever and ever,
And are done in truth and uprightness.

9 He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
Holy and awesome is His name.

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.

We are to remember and fear the Lord for all His wondrous works.  The works are described here for us to praise Him in His faithfulness of righteousness and justice.  We are to praise Him publicly in the assembly of His people who walk with Him uprightly, and we must praise wholeheartedly.  Because God’s deeds are so wonderful, we need to study them for a deeper understanding and appreciation, not because we must but because we desire to do so with pleasure.  Yes, His work is honorable and glorious, worthy of our admiration and exaltation in word and song.  Why?  Because His righteousness is from before the beginning to eternally after the end of all things; it endures forever as He is forever in existence and goodness.  This is why He made all His works which He has done and will continue to do to be memorable for us, to study and meditate upon that we might give Him ever more glory and exaltation together in our own works, words, and praises.  We contemplate His compassion and grace in provision and covenant.  He knows we fear Him and in grace provides food and shelter and so much more!  He has made a covenant agreement now in Christ ever more secure than that of the psalmist, yet founded on that promise of faith to Abraham to we who believe, a covenant which we are unable to break and which He has promised never to dissolve.  This fear and awe of His grace moves us to remember who He is and all the works of His hands.  God has also declared in His word the power of His deeds (Hebrews 4:12), our inheritance which is incorruptible and does not fade away (1 Peter 1:4), which is us in Him as well (Ephesians 1:18) as His inheritance.  We see also that His works are true and just.  Verity and justice are wed together in all He does, and we can absolutely count on every word proceeding from His mouth which has landed on the pages of scripture as a testament to these things.  Every jot and tittle of His word is certain forever; none of it falls away, because He has done it all in the truth and righteousness of His very being.  Ultimately, this is seen in the redemption He has given to His people in Christ and His eternal covenant, unfading and non-returnable.  Because the covenant is at His command, it cannot be undone by Him or given up by us.  Yes, His name is truly awesome in holiness!  This fear and awe of our Lord God is the foundation of godly wisdom which leads to willing obedience to His word and praise for all His myriad works done for us, especially for our salvation (John 6:29).  Amen and amen!

Announcement of the Messianic Reign

Psalms 110:1-7 

(Matt. 22:44; Acts 2:34, 35)
A Psalm of David.

1 The LORD said to my Lord,
"Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."

2 The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

3 Your people shall be volunteers
In the day of Your power;
In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,
You have the dew of Your youth.

4 The LORD has sworn
And will not relent,
"You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek."

5 The Lord is at Your right hand;
He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.

6 He shall judge among the nations,
He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
He shall execute the heads of many countries.

7 He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He shall lift up the head.

The LORD, יְהוָֹה YHWH, the self-Existent and Eternal God spoke to the Lord and king of Israel (David), אָדוֹן ’âḏôn, an indication of the difference between the lineage of the Messiah on the human side and the true standing of the divine person of the Christ to come.  We see this quoted in Matthew 22:43-45 and other gospel accounts, as well as in Acts 2:34-35.  The divine sovereign authority of Messiah-Christ is also seen repeated in Hebrews 1:13, telling of His rule as both God and King.  This sovereign rules in absolute omnipotence over His people and against those enemies of His as seen so often in the Psalms and Prophets of scripture.  Therefore it is written that His people will be freewill offerings (Judges 5:2, Romans 12:1) to give all willingly to follow and serve this God-man who sacrificed Himself for us to make us His own special people (Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 2:9) as He rules in power.  This Anointed One is beautiful in His holiness (which we are called to imitate) from birth to death, and eternally in the heavens from before time and into forever.  Therefore God the Father of we His people made an oath to His Son to be our Priest forever interceding for us, as well as a King ruling over us (Zechariah 6:13, Hebrews 5:6, 10, 6:20, 7:16-17), just as Melchizedek who seemingly had no known beginning or end.  Then the Lord through the psalmist makes it known how He will execute judgment in the Day of Wrath (Romans 2:5, Revelation 6:17) when He judges all the nations and retribution for disobedience earns its sentence.  But God will be glorified (“He shall lift up the head,” see Isaiah 53:12) in His justice of divine judgment through His Son who rules as King, speaks as the Prophet to hear (Acts 3:22, 7:37, Hebrews 1:1-2, 12:25), and ministers grace and forgiveness in His sacrifice as our eternal Priest (Hebrews 7:21).  This announcement of the Messianic reign points to Jesus Christ our Lord whom we follow, and are humbly thankful to willingly and joyfully serve as our Prophet, Priest, and King! 

Praise the LORD Who Has Done It!

Psalms 109:21-31

21 But You, O GOD the Lord,
Deal with me for Your name's sake;
Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.

22 For I am poor and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like a locust.

24 My knees are weak through fasting,
And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.
25 I also have become a reproach to them;
When they look at me, they shake their heads.

26 Help me, O LORD my God!
Oh, save me according to Your mercy,
27 That they may know that this is Your hand—
That You, LORD, have done it!

28 Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, let them be ashamed,
But let Your servant rejoice.
29 Let my accusers be clothed with shame,
And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.

30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth;
Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.
31 For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
To save him from those who condemn him.

You, LORD, have done it!  It is Your deliverance that saves me from the false accusers and all those set against me because I am Yours.   As the psalmist David, a man after Your own heart has written, Your mercy is good because You, are and we are delivered by that merciful grace.  The knowledge of being poor and needy (Revelation 3:17, Luke 6:20) humbles us to rely on God’s work alone for salvation because He gets the glory due to Him great and holy name as is fitting.  We are weak, He is strong.  We can seek Him and His will by fasting as we suffer in hope, counting it all joy in the end, even if we are mocked and reproached by our enemies.  Then we echo David’s cry for help according to His mercy, all that God may be glorified and honored because it is obviously His hand of effectual grace in the lives of His children whom He calls to Himself.  You, LORD, have done it!  Not us.  So when our enemies curse us, we bless (Matthew 5:44) them in return, for it is God’s vengeance they deserve and will obtain in the end, not ours.  We therefore can rejoice as our accusers will be shamed and ashamed when they stand before His face at last, but we will be exonerated by the blood of Christ’s sacrifice for us.  They will be covered in disgrace as their mantle which they have worn in this life, while we shine in new garments (2 Corinthians 5:3-4, Revelation 3:5, 1 Corinthians 15:53) instead of shame and disgrace of unrighteousness and unbelief.  The final stanza sum this all up, as we will greatly praise our Savior out loud among others, glorifying the One who stands for we poor and oppressed from the condemnation our sin’s recompense rightly deserves, but we have been set free from!  Praise the Lord! Let us be filled with thanksgiving for His work on the cross.

Judgment of False Accusers

Psalms 109:1-20

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 Do not keep silent,
O God of my praise!

2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful
Have opened against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.

4 In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.
5 Thus they have rewarded me evil for good,
And hatred for my love.

6 Set a wicked man over him,
And let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
And let his prayer become sin.

8 Let his days be few,
And let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless,
And his wife a widow.

10 Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg;
Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places.
11 Let the creditor seize all that he has,
And let strangers plunder his labor.

12 Let there be none to extend mercy to him,
Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off,
And in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,
And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be continually before the LORD,
That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth;

16 Because he did not remember to show mercy,
But persecuted the poor and needy man,
That he might even slay the broken in heart.

17 As he loved cursing, so let it come to him;
As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.
18 As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
So let it enter his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.

19 Let it be to him like the garment which covers him,
And for a belt with which he girds himself continually.
20 Let this be the LORD's reward to my accusers,
And to those who speak evil against my person.

This psalm begins as an imprecatory plea for God’s vengeance on the ungodly opposed to Him and His servant, the psalmist.  He asks for judgment on the false accusers, several verses which are quoted in the New Testament concerning Christ’s accusers and the false apostle, Judas Iscariot.  The deceitful and wicked enemies speak lies and hate-filled words without any apparent reason or cause to do so, except that they are opposed to God and righteousness, even the upright who follow Him.  Both the psalmist and the Messiah to come find unfounded accusations in return for their love; evil for good and hatred for love freely given.  They are utterly corrupt and opposed to the Lord.  Therefore, the psalmist prayed that the evil one would be rightly accused and a guilty sentence passed on him as rightly deserved.  This is as those opposing Him and His anointed now, Jesus Christ the righteous.  They will also be judged justly for their false accusations and giving evil for good as they did to Jesus.  The psalm here even is mentioned in John 17:12 and quoted later in Acts 1:20 concerning the traitor.  He prayed that others would take all the evil ones have and be left  homeless vagabonds, as bums without anything left because they took from the good name of others with their possessions.  He further asked God to cut off their descendants from any inheritance without mercy, paralleling the unrepentant enemies of the Lord Jesus who lose any hope of eternal inheritance in Him for their rejection.  They should not receive mercy themselves because they showed none to others, especially the poor and needy (even the heartbroken) who need help.  Since the wicked love cursing others instead of blessing them, that cursing is his clothing which further should penetrate deep into his soul as deserved retribution.  This is the reward of the LORD to the false accusers of Himself and His servants (Revelation 6:10) who speak unjustified evil with slanderous intent, and are forever unrepentant (Acts 17:30-31, Revelation 9:20, 16:11).  We preach the gospel that men may escape what we all are due, but the vessels of destruction (Romans 9:22) will find recompense for rejecting the Lord.  This is be a difficult prayer to pray, for judgment of false accusers of the Lord and ourselves. 

Steadfast Assurance of God's Victory

Psalms 108:1-13
(Ps. 57:7–11; 60:5–12)
A Song. A Psalm of David.

1 O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
2 Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.

3 I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples,
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
4 For Your mercy is great above the heavens,
And Your truth reaches to the clouds.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
And Your glory above all the earth;
6 That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and hear me.

7 God has spoken in His holiness:
"I will rejoice;
I will divide Shechem
And measure out the Valley of Succoth.

8 Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the helmet for My head;
Judah is My lawgiver.

9 Moab is My washpot;
Over Edom I will cast My shoe;
Over Philistia I will triumph."

10 Who will bring me into the strong city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?
And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?

12 Give us help from trouble,
For the help of man is useless.
13 Through God we will do valiantly,
For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

David the psalmist had a steadfast (כּוּן kûn) heart, one standing up straight and tall, fixed in place, prepared, and founded in stability in the LORD God.  Because of this certain hope and trust, he could praise God in all circumstances with song and life.  His joy drove him to waken the day with songs of praise.  The psalmist praised God amidst others, not just alone in his closet; he sang praises in order to be heard by them that God would be glorified.  Remember that the songs he wrote were inspired by God as scripture (which our own now are not), and this is our example to sing scripturally accurate songs which magnify God and His work.  The pattern is to sing of God’s mercy higher than the heavens in forgiveness and love, and whose truth rises into the skies above, far above our own reasoning or philosophy.  We then cry out with this psalm that God will be exalted, magnifying Him and His workings, because His glory is to be told to others and as our own reminder.  The exaltation of such infinite glory above all creation which we think of as starting with the earth, this praise should rise ever higher now that we have the completed story of redemption, of saving deliverance by God’s own right hand, the Messiah we know as Jesus Christ His Son.  Because God has delivered us, He also hears us, just as He works providence in our calling in His holiness.  We rejoice in all these divine works through the history of His chosen people and defeats the enemy as verses 7-9 lay out here.  He calls as He wills for a purpose and brings down others for His glory (Romans 9:15-16, 18, 22-23), because we of the nations are now also included among His people in Christ (Romans 9:25-26).  God leads us in victory (1 Corinthians 15:57) and does not cast us off, having a more certain covenant in the atoning blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  He fights the battles which were withheld from rebellious Israel as verse 11 reminds us, and in the end claims the final battle as His own (Revelation 19:11, 14-15, 2 Thessalonians 2:8).  He gives us help in trouble (Hebrews 4:16) when we cry out after vainly seeking our own strength or help for others.  Only through God in Christ can we do valiantly for the truth in battles for the souls of others, for He alone treads the enemy down to set us free from sin’s dominion of bondage by His work of grace by His mighty hand.  We then can also have a steadfast heart, settled in eternity by the truth of God’s word which we sing in praise to Him for the victory, and to glorify the Lord before others. 

The Wise Observe and Understand God’s Mercy

Psalms 107:23-43

23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
24 They see the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.

25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
26 They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.

27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits' end.
28 Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.

29 He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
30 Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.

31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.

33 He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
34 A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35 He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.

36 There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
37 And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.

38 He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,

40 He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
41 Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.

42 The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

In the storms of life the wise are the ones who trust God as they observe His love and mercy in action.  The example of seafaring men seeing massive mountainous waves crashing over their ships is a great lesson for us as we go about doing business in life and observe God’s wonders, then acknowledge it is He who raises the waves and sends them crashing down around us all.  His breath stirs up the circumstances like ocean waves, and He knows our fear in trouble and listens to hear our despairing prayers.  He is the God who hears when we have reached our wits end and delivers us from our troubles.  He speaks to calm the storm (Matthew 8:26) and still the wind and waves battering us throughout life.  This gladness brings us to our haven at last, just as He now comforts and leads us until we die and arrive at our eternal haven with Him forever.  The cry of the psalmist should move us as he pleads that we all would express our thanksgiving for His goodness and wonderful works He does for us!  We should publicly praise Him and tell of all these great things He has done for His people and ourselves personally.  This testimony of praise is meant to be among brethren as well as in the world in which we live and move and have our being.  It should reflect the goodness of His provision for our thirst and hunger (Matthew 5:6), for our shelter (Matthew 6:25-26) and in our work.  He brings our fruit to ripeness with His blessing, even as we face adversity and sorrow.  God is the just Judge, and He will execute justice on our oppressors.  He raises the poor and needy out of the dust to sit with Him (Psalm 113:7) and prospers the family of God’s people as a flock of His own sheep whom He has chosen and calls to Himself.  These things give us joy, when sin is silenced and we understand the work of our good God in mercy and grace with such love for us.  We therefore choose to praise Him in the storms of life with hope, just  as the fishermen in Gloucester Massachusetts, whose statue uses these verses as a reminder who controls the wind and waves as they go to sea to make a living.  We observe and understand with wisdom. 

Give Thanks for God’s Wonderful Goodness

BOOK FIVE - Psalms 107–150

Psalms 107:1-22

1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

3 And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
5 Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.

6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
7 And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.

8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

10 Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
12 Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.

13 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.

15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.

17 Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.

19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.

21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.

This song calls us to thanksgiving and praise for the goodness of the LORD and all His works.  Four times he repeats the phrase, ‘Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!’  With a summary as to why and how after sections describing those works towards His people and His goodness of grace and mercy in those works.  It begins by calling us to thank Him because He is good and merciful as a song of the redeemed who have been set free from the enemy.  This describes the nation of Israel then, but also applies as a shadow of the reality fully experienced now in God’s grace in Christ towards all the redeemed.  He has rescued and delivered us by calling and by His work of faith for us in His work of mercy and goodness in our salvation, since all our works fall ever short of His commands and expectations (John 6:28-29).  Instead of gathering us out of the lands which Israel was driven to and scattered among, He has called us from every nation, people, and language to Himself along with those redeemed remnant of Israel as one people in Himself (Revelation 5:9).  He has given us a future city to dwell in and a nation of all people in Himself to serve Him which we anticipate as we sojourn here.  We also cry out to Him in our needs and He feeds us abundantly in body and spirit.  That is one reason we thank God for His goodness and wonderful works for us, because He satisfies our hunger and deep longing desires with His goodness.  As Israel had rebelled in disobedience of sin against the word of God and were in physical bondage, so we were bound in sin for the same disobedience until set free by grace in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus our Lord.  We formerly despised His counsel found in the scriptures as well, and found ourselves buried in the burden of unending works in a futile attempt to earn God’s favor for release.  Like them, we cried out to Him in our deep distress and He called us out of the darkness into His marvelous light of eternal freedom (1 Peter 2:9).  The Lord broke our chains of sin and death, and set us free!  This is the second reason to thank God for His goodness and wonderful works for us, because He has set us free.  Our foolishness of sin and its rebellious works ensnared and enslaved us, leading to temporal and eternal death, but He has provided freedom (John 5:24) and forgiving release.  We cried out as Israel had done in our troubles, and He saved, healed, and delivered us from our own destruction brought upon ourselves.  We then thank Him again for His goodness and wonderful works toward us, and respond by offering the sacrifices of the heart, thanking Him and telling others of all His wonderful works towards us, especially the Gospel of God’s work done once for all whom He will call!  Praise God! 

Rebellion of Disbelief, Discontent, and Disobedience

Psalms 106:24-48

24 Then they despised the pleasant land;
They did not believe His word,
25 But complained in their tents,
And did not heed the voice of the LORD.

26 Therefore He raised His hand in an oath against them,
To overthrow them in the wilderness,
27 To overthrow their descendants among the nations,
And to scatter them in the lands.

28 They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor,
And ate sacrifices made to the dead.
29 Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds,
And the plague broke out among them.

30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
And the plague was stopped.
31 And that was accounted to him for righteousness
To all generations forevermore.

32 They angered Him also at the waters of strife,
So that it went ill with Moses on account of them;
33 Because they rebelled against His Spirit,
So that he spoke rashly with his lips.

34 They did not destroy the peoples,
Concerning whom the LORD had commanded them,
35 But they mingled with the Gentiles
And learned their works;
36 They served their idols,
Which became a snare to them.

37 They even sacrificed their sons
And their daughters to demons,
38 And shed innocent blood,
The blood of their sons and daughters,
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was polluted with blood.

39 Thus they were defiled by their own works,
And played the harlot by their own deeds.
40 Therefore the wrath of the LORD was kindled against His people,
So that He abhorred His own inheritance.
41 And He gave them into the hand of the Gentiles,
And those who hated them ruled over them.

42 Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were brought into subjection under their hand.
43 Many times He delivered them;
But they rebelled in their counsel,
And were brought low for their iniquity.

44 Nevertheless He regarded their affliction,
When He heard their cry;
45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant,
And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.
46 He also made them to be pitied
By all those who carried them away captive.

47 Save us, O LORD our God,
And gather us from among the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.

48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, "Amen!"

Praise the LORD!

This song of praise is also a recollection of woe to God’s people for their rebellion of disbelief, discontent, and resulting disobedience to His word and will.  The downward spiral began with despising the good and pleasant land given them, leading to doubt and then lose all faith in God’s word, the sin of disbelief begun in the Garden and the reason for judgment on all descendants as an inheritance from Adam.  Their complaints grew into complete discontentment at God’s good provision, which then resulted in disobedience to all He commanded them to please and glorify His name.  What God had called good in Eden was now thought of as not enough; they wanted to be like God, knowing good and evil, but they were corrupted by their inherited sin nature as a guide.  The LORD scattered them to teach obedience and honor to Him, yet they gave God up to worship false gods who could never help them (Romans 1:22-24).  They even sacrificed to the dead and angered Him in their rebellion more, resulting in harsh consequences of His wrath on their lack of faith and obedience.  They had dirtied themselves by their own evil works and sold themselves as harlots for their own fleeting pleasure and material gain.  God abhorred them for these things, handing them over to the godless nations (1 Timothy 1:20) for discipline to learn obedience.  Their new rulers lorded that over them, even as they thought to please them in their sinful living, which was also a form of punishment to point them back to Him.  The people rebelled many times, suffered, and were delivered by God’s compassionate mercy and grace.  He heard their cries of distress and showed mercy because He had made a covenant agreement to keep and multiply them in prosperity of numbers.  They were even given pity by their captors by that merciful grace.  The cry of the psalmist at the end of this song and of book four of the entirety of the Psalms was for salvation, deliverance, by the LORD their God by pulling them out of captivity and into Himself that they could triumph in thanksgiving and praise of His holy name (1 Corinthians 15:57, 2 Corinthians 2:14).  Blessed is the LORD who is and was and is to come, the Eternal one (Psalm 90:2, Micah 5:2, John 1:1) of Israel and all God’s complete people in the Anointed One!  We all then together say, “Amen.”  Praise the Lord God! 

Joyful Praise in Forgiveness of Sins

Psalms 106:1-23

1 Praise the LORD!
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.

2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD?
Who can declare all His praise?
3 Blessed are those who keep justice,
And he who does righteousness at all times!

4 Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people.
Oh, visit me with Your salvation,
5 That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
That I may glory with Your inheritance.

6 We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity,
We have done wickedly.

7 Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;
They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies,
But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.
8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake,
That He might make His mighty power known.

9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up;
So He led them through the depths,
As through the wilderness.
10 He saved them from the hand of him who hated them,
And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters covered their enemies;
There was not one of them left.

12 Then they believed His words;
They sang His praise.

13 They soon forgot His works;
They did not wait for His counsel,
14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tested God in the desert.
15 And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.

16 When they envied Moses in the camp,
And Aaron the saint of the LORD,
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan,
And covered the faction of Abiram.
18 A fire was kindled in their company;
The flame burned up the wicked.

19 They made a calf in Horeb,
And worshiped the molded image.
20 Thus they changed their glory
Into the image of an ox that eats grass.

21 They forgot God their Savior,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
Awesome things by the Red Sea.

23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach,
To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them.

Praise erupts from the soul forgiven of all offenses against God.  He is good, showing unmerited atonement.  His mercy is eternal, it never ends.  How can we not be ever thankful as God’s chosen and forgiven people?  This song reminds us that we can never say enough about all the wondrous works of righteousness God has done, and never praise Him enough as He deserves.  But we can do our best to praise Him often, in busyness and at rest.  The psalmist asked to be remembered by the LORD with favor and salvation along with all God’s people that he could rejoice with those who rejoice, and that he could glory in them as God’s inheritance.  We can do like in the fullness of Christ as His chosen people (1 Peter 2:9-10) and inheritance (Ephesians 1:18).  Like the psalmist of Israel, we also should remember our failings, how we all have sinned and have fallen short of the mark of the righteousness required, and confess our sin to obtain forgiveness by grace.  The Israelites did not reflect on God’s deliverance because they did not fully understand the significance of their exodus from bondage through the overwhelming waters of the Red Sea, nor through the wilderness kept from their enemies.  He saved them in spite of their rebellion for His name’s sake, that all would ascribe the glory to Him and not any other.  He thus demonstrated His power to save and redeem His people by His mighty hand and outstretched arm (Deuteronomy 5:15, 7:19, 1 Kings 8:42).  He has done even more by stretching out His arms on the cross to atone once for all forever for us, with power and deliverance that is effectual and irreversible.  That work of His righteousness for us is certainly worthy of reflection and constant praise!  May we not be as those led by Moses who forgot His works and counsel of His word, who tested God by desiring other things of the world instead of His will (1 John 2:15-17).  Their envy resulted in death, their idol worship replaced God their Savior, and they ceased to remember and reflect on God’s awesome work of wonderful deliverance for their good and His glory.  If it were not for an intercessor, Moses, they would have felt God’s just wrath due to hem all.  We have the Intercessor who is divine, the prophet predicted (Deuteronomy 18:15, Acts 3:22, 26) whom we have listened to and who delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10, Romans 3:23).  This certain hope gives us joyful praise in forgiveness of our sin! 

Faithful to Deliver and Guide

Psalms 105:23-45

23 Israel also came into Egypt,
And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
24 He increased His people greatly,
And made them stronger than their enemies.
25 He turned their heart to hate His people,
To deal craftily with His servants.

26 He sent Moses His servant,
And Aaron whom He had chosen.
27 They performed His signs among them,
And wonders in the land of Ham.

28 He sent darkness, and made it dark;
And they did not rebel against His word.

29 He turned their waters into blood,
And killed their fish.

30 Their land abounded with frogs,
Even in the chambers of their kings.

31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
And lice in all their territory.

32 He gave them hail for rain,
And flaming fire in their land.
33 He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,
And splintered the trees of their territory.

34 He spoke, and locusts came,
Young locusts without number,
35 And ate up all the vegetation in their land,
And devoured the fruit of their ground.

36 He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land,
The first of all their strength.

37 He also brought them out with silver and gold,
And there was none feeble among His tribes.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
For the fear of them had fallen 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 quail,
And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
It ran in the dry places like a river.

42 For He remembered His holy promise,
And Abraham His servant.
43 He brought out His people with joy,
His chosen ones with gladness.

44 He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,
And they inherited the labor of the nations,
45 That they might observe His statutes
And keep His laws.

Praise the LORD!

The second half of this praise for God’s faithfulness tells the story of Israel’s deliverance and guidance.  Deliverance from the hardened heart of pharaoh against His people’s prosperity which ended in bondage symbolic of sin’s enslavement, and guidance out of bondage through miraculous plagues against the enemy and personal leading by the hand of God in the pillar of fire by night and smoke by day.  The sojourning in Egypt for four hundred years began as an escape from famine, allowing God’s people to multiply and begin filling the earth (Genesis 1:28) as promised to Abraham in Genesis 13:16 and repeated to Isaac and Jacob called Israel.  God hardened the ruler’s heart against His people according to His predetermined plan to glorify His own name in the eyes of all the earth, and sent a deliverer to free them from bondage (Acts 7:6), a type of Christ to come who would deliver all His people under the bondage of sin (Galatians 4:3-5).  Even signs and wonderful miracles did not sway pharaoh to let God’s people go free out of the land they were initially welcomed into; the various plagues are listed here, culminating in the death of Egypt’s firstborn of the lowly to the mighty.  God passed over His people because they were protected by the sacrifice of blood at their doorsteps, much as we are saved from His wrath and destruction by Christ’s blood allowing us entrance into Him as the gate (John 10:9) and as the sacrificial Lamb (John 1:36, Hebrews 10:10, 12) whose blood covers our sin as protection against certain eternal destruction.  Just as God delivered them out of Egypt, led them to safety, and fed them along the way as He led them to the promised land, so now He leads us for His name’s sake and provides our needs.  He has brought us out of the bondage of sin’s darkness into the marvelous light of His kingdom with joy and gladness!  This is according to His promise of the new covenant by faith as believing Abraham (Galatians 3:9), by grace through faith according to His word.  We will inherit an incorruptible kingdom as we observe His word now and into then, sanctified forever and not yet now completely.  He is faithful who delivers and guides me.  Praise the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me! 

Eternal Covenant Faithfulness of the LORD

Psalms 105:1-22

(Ex. 7:8—11:10; 1 Chr. 16:8–22)

1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!

3 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
4 Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!

5 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
6 O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
7 He is the LORD our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.

8 He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
10 And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

11 Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,"
12 When they were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

13 When they went from one nation to another,
From one kingdom to another people,
14 He permitted no one to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,
15 Saying, "Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm."

16 Moreover He called for a famine in the land;
He destroyed all the provision of bread.

17 He sent a man before them—
Joseph—who was sold as a slave.
18 They hurt his feet with fetters,
He was laid in irons.

19 Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the LORD tested him.
20 The king sent and released him,
The ruler of the people let him go free.

21 He made him lord of his house,
And ruler of all his possessions,
22 To bind his princes at his pleasure,
And teach his elders wisdom.

How faithful is the LORD who made a covenant with Abraham by faith in grace before the Law of works!  We should be likewise thankful as His people then, remembering His mighty deeds and faithful works for us all, beginning in the first nation called by an unbreakable covenant of faith (Galatians 3:16-18), confirmed by Christ to come.  These things are worthy to proclaim to the world!  Sing praises to Him and bear witness of His works of righteousness and grace in His working.  We should not only tell of those wondrous works, but also glory in His holy name with joyful hearts as we run towards His presence in His strength.  When we read of the wonderful works and judgments of God with His chosen people, then we can truly dwell on the true intent of the eternal covenant of faith to Abraham.  This covenant of faith by promise is to his Seed, the Christ to come, and through Him to all in Him.  Our inheritance is by that same promise of faith, and not by he works of keeping the Law, which is impossible.  The Law taught God’s people to look to that Seed of promise by the covenant of faith in which we all stand, Jew and Gentile alike.  God promised a land to Israel, and the one promised (Hebrews 11:10, 16) together with us to come in the New Jerusalem out of Heaven.  He watched over Israel among the nations set against them, and now watches over all His people in Christ against our adversary and enemy.  Then God sent Joseph to be sold as a slave, then tested and redeemed by His word to prepare a way for His people to be set free in the future already prepared according to His predetermined plan seen on the future horizon.  We see such continuity in God’s working through Abraham by faith as our eternal covenant in Christ by that promise, and therefore praise Him for that eternal covenant faithfulness! 

Rejoice with the Lord in His Works!

Psalms 104:19-35

19 He appointed the moon for seasons;
The sun knows its going down.
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.

21 The young lions roar after their prey,
And seek their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they gather together
And lie down in their dens.
23 Man goes out to his work
And to his labor until the evening.

24 O LORD, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions—

25 This great and wide sea,
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
26 There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
Which You have made to play there.

27 These all wait for You,
That You may give them their food in due season.
28 What You give them they gather in;
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.

29 You hide Your face, they are troubled;
You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
May the LORD rejoice in His works.
32 He looks on the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the hills, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the LORD.

35 May sinners be consumed from the earth,
And the wicked be no more.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Praise the LORD!

The second half of this psalm continues to praise the LORD for His creation and providence, calling us to look closer and wider that we may rejoice with the Lord in all His works.  He appointed the sun and moon in the heavenly place for us (Genesis 1:16-18) to mark the passing of time on a regular schedule of sunrise with sunset, and with predictable phases of the moon.  The darkness allows animals to safely hide from man while foraging, and find their prey for sustenance while unseen.  When the sun also rises, they go to sleep in safety while man awakes to face the day ahead while he can see his work and God’s provision until the sun sets once more.  This rhythm of the day and night are the order of His creation.  How varied are His works in number, wisdom, and purposes!  Just consider that all these are His possessions, including us; He has filled the oceans with teeming life below, more there unseen than those above the waters we can see clearly.  All of these are content and trusting in God to provide their daily bread; we can learn much in observing them and considering God’s provision (Matthew 6:25-26), not coveting what another has, but working with our own hands to receive from His hands (1 Corinthians 4:12, James 4:2).  He gives to fill us with good things (Psalm 103:5, Matthew 7:11), and we gather in what we need (Exodus 16:16) as faithful stewards who rely on His provision for our daily need (Luke 11:3).  Like the animals who have their lives taken away and new ones have life breathed into them by God, so we can learn to trust His good providence in all circumstances of life, even when it appears that hides His face from us and we are troubled.  Faith looks beyond our sight in patient expectation (Romans 8:19, 2 Peter 3:13, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18).  God’s glory is eternal in the heavens and on earth, and He rejoices in all His works, including smoking volcanoes and earthquakes; so should we rejoice and honor that glory in songs of praise and thanksgiving.  Our praise is more than moments of singing, however.  It also is our continuing consideration of these things throughout the day as we meditate on what pleases our God; our gladness, our joy, is in Him and all His works.  Remember, He will end this world in the final judgment of sinners who do not turn to Him in trust and reliance (John 6:28-29).  Because of His coming kingdom in which righteousness will dwell, we now bless and praise Him by faith to trust His work as well as His provision.  Rejoice with the Lord in His work!  Praise the Lord! 

Praise the LORD for His Creation and Providence

Psalms 104:1-18

(cf. Gen. 1:1–31)

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
Who makes the clouds His chariot,
Who walks on the wings of the wind,
4 Who makes His angels spirits,
His ministers a flame of fire.

5 You who laid the foundations of the earth,
So that it should not be moved forever,
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains.

7 At Your rebuke they fled;
At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
8 They went up over the mountains;
They went down into the valleys,
To the place which You founded for them.

9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over,
That they may not return to cover the earth.

10 He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills.

11 They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 By them the birds of the heavens have their home;
They sing among the branches.
13 He waters the hills from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.

14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the service of man,
That he may bring forth food from the earth,
15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man,
Oil to make his face shine,
And bread which strengthens man's heart.

16 The trees of the LORD are full of sap,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
17 Where the birds make their nests;
The stork has her home in the fir trees.

18 The high hills are for the wild goats;
The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers.

This song of God’s working elicits praise from His people as we consider the works of His hands.  Bless the LORD!  Bless Him because He is great and greatly to be praised.  Bless Him because the clothing of His character is honor and majesty adorning the Sovereign King.  Even creation’s light itself which God spoke into existence on the first day of creation clothes Him, and the heavens above with all the stars are a curtain of His holy sanctuary where He rules from, founded as it were on poles stretching down to the waters dividing from the land He made by separation according to His word on the second day.  He figuratively walks on the clouds high above us as riding a chariot blown along by the wind of His Spirit.  His angels created before us and yet under us (not being made in His image) serve Him as flaming spirits unseen to our eyes unless revealed (2 Kings 6:17).  This same God over all fashioned the world’s foundation on solid rock, immovable except at His word and will, just like the seas.  Those seas obeyed His word when the deluge covered the mountains, and likewise retreated back to their determined place at His command afterwards.  He set a boundary for them to spare sinful mankind from destruction by water again, though the second time of reckoning will be at the end at the final judgment by fire (2 Peter 3:10).  God also wonderfully provides for the smallest sparrow and the beasts of the field in his lovingkindness of grace.  They have enough to eat and drink and are satisfied; we should likewise find godliness in contentment from His providence and provision (1 Timothy 6:6).  He provides all we need in sustenance and shelter to give us happiness, inner and outer strength, and contentment of soul.  The fruit of God’s works are enough for us to be thankful for, so why do we constantly crave more?  Looking around, we observe the world of nature in His hands, with place to provide for the birds, fish, and all animals He created for us, even giving them places to shelter for protection.  We must also live in His provision and providence by grace, thankful and content in knowing He loves us even more than these (Matthew 6:26, 31-33) and meets all our needs.  Praise God for His creation, might, providence, and provision! 

His Mercies and Presence Give us Rest

Psalms 103:1-22
A Psalm of David.

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The LORD executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.

8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.

10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.

17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,
18 To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

19 The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.

21 Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22 Bless the LORD, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

What a psalm of praise!  Praise for God who shows His people great mercy and whose presence gives us rest in life’s adversities.  May my entire life find a way to bless Him who blesses me so much more than I deserve or expect!  Yes, May I bless His holy name with all that is within me, never forgetting all His benefits given unearned by His marvelous grace.  He has forgiven my sin and does continue to forgive my sins, keeping me from eternal destruction and sometimes healing me according to His word and will.  He keeps me as precious in His sight.  God’s love and mercy are as a crown of sovereign rule over my life, and I am satisfied and strengthened by His Spirit and good providence (Ephesians 3:16, Romans 8:28).  My satisfaction is in Him who keeps my heart young as the outward man fades away (2 Corinthians 4:16-18), causing me to soar high as a majestic bird (Isaiah 40:31).  God’s righteousness and justice fall down like a mighty waterfall upon His people, and we shout glory!  Just as He showed His way to Moses in Exodus 33:13-14, we also are promised His Presence to lead and guide us in His rest of grace in Christ (Hebrews 4:3, 9-10).  We consider all His great works on behalf of His people and are left in trusting awe of wrath taken away and mercy bandaging the wounds of our souls.  Such mercy did not judge and justly punish us according to our sins, but gave heavenly forgiveness which took our sins and threw them as far away in the opposite direction as possible, which is infinite distance in God’s sight.  Our fear and trembling of His might and holiness are honored in His grace towards us because He pities our frail nature, unable to save ourselves or earn forgiveness.  This we rely on, yet as Job 24:23 reminds us, His eyes are still on our ways afterwards for heavenly rewards.  We are transitory in this life, easily blown away as grass or fading flowers in the wind, yet He considers us in love to redeem in mercy according to a new covenant kept entirely on His side, impossible for us to break because it is in His work and not ours.  We are not held to the old covenant as the psalmist mentioned here to earn God’s mercy and keep each commandment to the letter - Christ has done that for us (Galatians 3:23-24, Matthew 5:17).  Because God has established His sovereign throne in Heaven to rule all creation, because the holy angels worship Him forever there, and because we who minister and serve Him here do His will as we hear and heed His word, He is blessed by us.  We do His pleasure as we serve Him, whether with on talent or ten, just as all others throughout His realm.  His mercies and presence give us rest, therefore we echo the psalmist to say, “Bless the LORD, O my soul!”

The Eternality of God and His People in Worship

Psalms 102:18-28

18 This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.

19 For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
From heaven the LORD viewed the earth,
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To release those appointed to death,

21 To declare the name of the LORD in Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

23 He weakened my strength in the way;
He shortened my days.

24 I said, "O my God,
Do not take me away in the midst of my days;
Your years are throughout all generations.

25 Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

26 They will perish, but You will endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.

27 But You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.
28 The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You."

This psalm was written to the completed people of God, chosen in and by Him to be a new eternal people in the Messiah (Romans 2:28-29).  It was unclear when prophetically written here, but now we can look back and see fullness of the promise to Abraham (Genesis 22:18, Galatians 3:8-9) by faith to gather us from all nations to Himself.  His plan was not for one nation alone as Israel, but as a people called to Himself out of all nations as a spiritual Israel (Romans 9:6, 8, 10:11-12).  We are one people, now created by grace through faith according to that promise, that we may all together praise our LORD and God forevermore (Galatians 3:28-29).  God’s great mercy caused Him to look down from heaven’s throne to consider His people who groaned under the burden of their sin and set us free from death (Romans 8:2) to which we all are born into (Romans 3:23) as sons and daughters of Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22).  We therefore as His one people (Ammi), some who were not before (Lo-Ammi) now can praise and serve Him together (Hosea 1:9-10, Romans 9:25-26) in Christ!  Like the psalmist, we fear our days fly past too quickly, yet are not forsaken because He is eternal in the heavens, as is His promise.  He endures forever, who was and is and is to come, who is who He is.  We die but God cannot.  But since He has defeated death, we will be changed however as 1 Corinthians 15:52 and Hebrews 1:12 assure us.  He remains the same, immutable and eternal.  We then continue to serve as His people whom He established forever by promise!  Amen.