Psalm 106-11.1.22
SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 106:12,13
"...They believed His promises and sang His praise. But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His plan to unfold."
OBSERVATION:
This psalm is a summary of man's sinfulness. Over and over again God's people forgot what He had done. The psalm writer acknowledges the sin of His ancestors, how they had rebelled by the Red Sea, but how God in His mercy extended His grace by using His great power to rebuke the Sea, and dried it up. He led them through the depths as through a desert. He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy He redeemed them. The water covered their adversaries; and not one of them survived! So...how do you forget something like that?!
Soon after that awesome miracle, they forgot! And because they forgot, they were not willing to wait for HIS plan to unfold!
UNDERSTANDING:
God's mighty works are more than we could ever count! His love for us is far greater than we will ever be able to comprehend! He is always inviting us to come closer as He draws us with His love. God is still performing great and awesome miracles today. The more we remember the good things He has done, the more we will appreciate Him, and the more receptive we will be to His inner promptings.
This psalm is a song for national repentance. His prayer was, "WE have sinned. WE have done wrong and acted wickedly." He went on to list the sins they were guilty of: being envious, despising the pleasant land, and not believing God's promise, grumbling and complaining, not obeying the Lord, arousing God's anger by their wicked deeds, rebelling against the Spirit of God, mingling with the nations and adopting their customs.
LIFE APPLICATION:
It is easy for us to raise our eye brows and point fingers at God's people who rebelled against God after He had done such awesome and mighty acts for them. But how often have we been guilty of doing the same things by forgetting the wonderful things God has done for us? When we take our focus off God, we have a tendency to want to do things OUR way, and we become impatient, and don't want to wait for HIS plan to unfold.
I confess and ask forgiveness for the times I have grown impatient, and have taken my focus off God, and have wanted to do things MY way! I have been guilty of grumbling and complaining. I have also been guilty of worshipping false idols and adopting the customs of this world, and YET, because of God's mercy and grace, He has forgiven me, and has delivered me! Out of His great love, He took note of my distress, even when it was caused by my own doing, and He showed mercy and grace to me... OVER AND OVER AGAIN!
For that, I am eternally grateful!
"Save us, Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise." Thank You Lord for saving us for Your name sake, to make Your mighty power known. And thank You for reminding us of the importance of re-counting Your mighty acts and our many blessings so that we may NEVER forget Your love and faithfulness which spurs our actions to obedience.
-Robin Orefice