Psalms

This Psalm looks at the history of Israel

Some believe this Psalm was written by Asaph at David's request to celebrate the Ark of the Covenant being brought to Jerusalem.

The Eternal Faithfulness of the LORD

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!
In the first few verses we see a group of imperatives.  The Psalmist called on the people to give thanks, call on His name, make known His deeds, Sing, talk, glory, rejoice, seek His strength, seek His face and remember.  The Psalmist says these are the actions of a the chosen people of God, of the children of Jacob.  While we can't claim to be the chosen ones, we are God's people.  We can translate these imperatives to our life.  As a child of God my life should be filled with these things. 

As a word of caution, we don't do these things as works to earn any favor with God.  These things should be happening as a right response to the amazing grace bestowed on us.  Jesus did it all, all we can do is say thanks in as many ways as possible.  To try to pay Him back is an offense and lowers the value of the great price that was paid.

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.
This covenant is an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his offspring.  That covenant was from God to his chosen people promising them that they would be a great nation; more numerous than the stars of heaven or the sand of the seashore.  He said they would be given a land.  He promised He would be their God and that all nations would be blessed by them.  And they have been in the Good news of Jesus going out to all nations.  God also said He would bless those who blessed Israel and curse those who cursed her.  This continues today and it is also challenged continually by the godless nations of the earth.

Note in verse 10 that the covenant with Israel is forever. 

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."
Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldeans, traveled to Haran, then on to Canaan and he later visited Egypt.  This is quite a journey.  All along the way God watched over His people.  He even corrected Kings for their sake.  While the saying in verse 15 sounds like a quotation, there is no recorded scripture that exactly matches.  It is likely referring to the Lord dealing with Abimelech in Genesis 20.

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.
God's divine plan was worked out.  We can see the overall picture as we look back.  But Joeseph was living it.  He was sold to slavery by his brothers.  Imagine the pain, sorrow and betrayal he felt.  Then in Egypt he was thrown in prison.  Imagine the hopeless feeling.  Do you believe Joseph thought it was for his own good?  Do you think Joseph knew the Lord was testing him and preparing him?  In God's time, for His purpose, He uses the person who has yielded their life to His purpose.  Joseph was ruler and was in a position of authority to welcome his brothers, to receive his family in a land that would be an incubator the nation of Israel.

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.
In 400 years in Egypt, Israel grew to a nation.  All the while the iniquity of the Amorites, the residents of the Promised Land, was being completed.

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.
In God's time, on His plan, He started the process of moving His people to the Promised Land.  Who knows why He waited that long?  Why not shorter, why not longer?  These things are part of the mystery of God.  Yet, we know God's timing is perfect and it works together with all things to bring the offer of salvation to all men.

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.
God provided for His people.  They were given the riches of the world to take with them.  They were given good health.  God put a supernatural fear in those who could have wiped them out.  He spread a cloud of covering that protected them in the harsh of the day and a fire at night to give them light.  The cloud and the fire were the presence of God that brought comfort and guidance all along with way.  The people were provided with food and water by the hand of God.

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!

In our daily walk and our daily lives we should:

• Give thanks
• Call on him
• Sing to him
• Tell others about him
• Rejoice
• Seek his face
• Remember all he has done

These things will keep the Lord ever before us so we won't stray. 

How much of our daily life is God's plan?  How much of the painful things in our life are part of God's plan?  All of them?  Do we trust him?  Does your life testify to your trust in Him?