THURSDAY 16th
Psalm 106
NIV (vv44-45) ‘Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.’
ESV (vv44-45) ‘Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.’
This is another psalm a little like yesterdays which shows how God intervened with the children of Israel, with an emphasis on the fact that he remained faithful towards them even when they sinned and turned from him. Yes, God at times had to punish them, yes at times God was angry with them, but through it all he was still a merciful God and he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. (v44)
I wonder how often we forget about what God has done for us or have sought to do things our way rather than God’s way? (Verses 13, 21) I wonder how often we have acted in such a way that we deserved the anger of God toward us rather than his favour, or we have gone off in the direction of our choosing rather than in the pathway that he had set before us? What about how often we have given our time to worthless things that could be considered as our ‘golden calves’ instead of giving our lives wholeheartedly to God? (Verses 19-20) Or I wonder how often we have murmured when we should have been thankful and more appreciative of what God has done and for the ministry of those who God has placed among us to be a means of blessing towards us? (Verse 25) The list could go on and on as it seems to in this psalm concerning the Children of Israel, but God who was patient toward them is also patient toward us, and we are grateful that he always gives us opportunity to return to be who he wants us to be, and to be the people he wants us to be and to be going in the direction he wants us to go so that we end at that which is his destiny for us.
I don’t know about you, but I admit that I have failed many times and I need to come to the Lord and seek his mercy, I need for him to come and to keep me walking in the way he has planned. The Children of Israel ended up wandering for forty years and the most of them never even made it to the promised land, lets make sure we do not lose out, that we heed the voice of the Lord and walk in his way, so that we will enter in to all that he has prepared for us to bless us with, and to allow his glory to be displayed among us and upon us.
This chapter ends the fourth book of the Psalms, and it ends on a positive note ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD!’
We will continue from Psalm 107 later.