PSALMS LESSON 107
We will begin this lesson by giving the 106th Psalm in metre.
THE PSALMS OF DAVID IN METRE
Chapter 106
Verse 1 "Praise ye the Lord, and give him thanks, For bountiful is
he; To all eternity. "
Verse 2 "God's mighty works who can express? Or show forth all his
praise? O blest are they that judgment keep, And justly do
always. "
Verse 3 "Remember me, O Lord, with love, Which thou to thine dost
bear; With thy salvation, O my God, To visit me draw near. "
Verse 4 "That I thy chosen's good may see, And in their joy rejoice;
And may with thine inheritance Exult with cheerful voice. "
Verse 5 "We with our fathers have transgressed, And done iniquity;
With them we have transgressors been, We have done wickedly."
Verse 6 "The wonders great, which thou, O Lord, Didst work in Egypt
land, Our fathers, though they saw, yet them They did not
understand: "
Verse 7 "And they thy mercies' multitude Kept not in memory; But at
the sea, ev'n the Red sea, Provoked him grievously. "
Verse 8 "Yet notwithstanding he them saved, Ev'n for his own name's
sake; That so he might, to be well known, His mighty power
make. "
Verse 9 "The Red sea also he rebuked, And then dried up it was:
Though depths, as through the wilderness, He made them safely
pass. "
Verse 10 "From hands of him that hated them, He did his people save;
And from the en'my's cruel hand To them redemption gave. "
Verse 11 "The waters overwhelmed their foes, Not one was left alive.
Then they believed his word, and praise To him in songs did
give. "
Verse 12 "But soon they did his mighty works Unthankfully forget And
on his counsel and his will Did not with patience wait; "
Verse 13 "But much did lust in wilderness, And God in desert tempt. He
gave them what they sought, but to Their soul he leanness
sent. "
Verse 14 "Moreover Moses, in the camp, They envied without cause: At
Aaron too, the saint of God, Inflamed their envy was. "
Verse 15 "The earth did therefore open wide, And Dathan did devour, At
Aaron too, the saint of God, Inflamed their envy was. "
Verse 16 "And likewise 'mong their company A fire was kindled then;
And so the hot consuming flame Burnt up these wicked men. "
Verse 17 "Yet they at Horeb made a calf, A molten image praised:
Their glory changed to form of ox That in the pastures
grazed. "
Verse 18 "They soon forgot the mighty God, Who had their Saviour been,
By whom such great things brought to pass They had in Egypt
seen. "
Verse 19 "In land of Ham his wondrous works, Things terrible did he,
When he his mighty hand and arm Stretched out at the Red
sea."
Verse 20 "He said he would them all destroy, Had not, his wrath to
stay, His chosen Moses stood in breach, That them he should
not slay. "
Verse 21 "Yea, they despised the pleasant land, Nor did believe his
word, But murm'ring in their tents, refused To hearken to the
Lord."
Verse 22 "In desert therefore them to slay He lifted up his hand:
through nations to o'erthrow their seed, And scatter in each
land. "
Verse 23 "They unto Baal-peor did Themselves associate; The
sacrifices of the dead They did profanely eat, "
Verse 24 "Thus, by inventions of their own, They much provoked his
ire; And then upon them suddenly The plague broke in as
fire."
Verse 25 "Then Phin'has rose, and justice did, And so the plague did
cease; That to all ages counted was To him for
righteousness."
Verse 26 "And at the waters, where they strove, They did him angry
make, In such a way that ill it fared With Moses for their
sake:"
Verse 27 "Because they there his spirit meek Provoked so bitterly,
That he with hasty lips did speak Words unadvisedly. "
Verse 28 "Nor, as the Lord commanded them, did they the nations slay:
But with the heathen mingled were, And learned of them their
way."
Verse 29 "Moreover they their idols served, Which to a snare was
turned. To demons they in sacrifice Their sons and daughters
burned."
Verse 30 "In their own children's guiltless blood Their hands they did
imbrue, Whom into Canaan's idols they For sacrifices slew. "
Verse 31 "So was the land defiled with blood. Stained with their works
were they, And with inventions of their own, To idols they
did stray. "
Verse 32 "Against his people dwindled was The anger of the Lord, They
so provoked his wrath that he His heritage abhorred. "
Verse 33 "He gave them to the heathen's power; Their foes did them
command. Their en'mies them oppressed, they were Made subject
to their hand. "
Verse 34 "He many times delivered them; But with their counsel so They
him provoked, that for their sin They were brought very low."
Verse 35 "Yet their affliction he beheld, When he did hear their cry:
And he for them his covenant Recalled to memory; "
Verse 36 "And in his mercies' multitude He did repent, and make Them
to be pitied of all those Who did them captive take. "
Verse 37 "Save us, O Lord our God, and us From heathen nations bring,
That we thy holy name may thank, Thy praises ever sing. "
Verse 38 "Blessed be JEHOVAH, Isr'el's God, To all eternity: Let all
the people say, Amen. Praise to the Lord give ye."
We will now begin the verse by verse study of the 106th Psalm.
Psalms 106:1 "Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for [he
is] good: for his mercy [endureth] for ever."
This Psalm begins with praise unto the LORD. Every generation of
God's people can look at this and join in with praise and thanksgiving
at the goodness of God. I am simply amazed, as I study my Bible, at
the patience and mercy of God toward a people who are dead set on
displeasing God. In this particular Psalm, David will be looking at
the terrible murmuring that the Israelites did on the way to the
promised land. It seems that all through the ages, people soon forget
the blessings that God has showered upon them and fall away from God.
It is no different even now. If they have not been blessed in the last
five minutes, they go wandering away to find solutions to their
problems in the wrong places. I believe David to be the penman here,
and he is encouraging all of us to take time out to praise and worship
God.
Psalms 106:2 "Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? [who]
can shew forth all his praise?"
We are not even capable of remembering every little blessing that
God has done for us. The English language is not sufficient to tell of
His mighty acts. We really do not even know of most of His mighty
acts. We have a small sprinkle of them in the Bible, but this is just
a few of the many wonderful acts of the LORD. John 21:25 "And there
are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should
be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not
contain the books that should be written. Amen." If I spent the rest
of my life praising Him, it would not be enough. I would run out of
time, before I was through.
Psalms 106:3 "Blessed [are] they that keep judgment, [and] he
that doeth righteousness at all times."
God has given us a perfect way of life. If we live by it, He will
bless us abundantly. The desire of our heart must be to do the will of
the Father. There was much emphasis in the Old Testament on keeping
the feast days and doing the sacrifices, but even then God wanted
obedience more than He wanted sacrifice. I Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel
said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is]
better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams."
Psalms 106:4 "Remember me, O LORD, with the favour [that thou
bearest unto] thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;"
One of the greatest rewards in reading the Exodus is the
wonderful kindness and mercy God afforded these rebellious people. It
gives us extra hope that God will forgive us, as well of our
shortcomings. This verse above is saying, forgive me like you did
them. O visit me with thy salvation, is a statement looking
prophetically to Jesus.
Psalms 106:5 "That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may
rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine
inheritance."
The penman, here, is crying out for the blessings of the chosen
of God. This is probably David and he is saying, I am part of that
family of Abraham who the blessings will come through. Bless me, for I
am part of the inheritance.
Psalms 106:6 "We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed
iniquity, we have done wickedly."
The penman is confessing his sins before the Father. He is, also,
saying that his ancestors sinned and were forgiven. They are not in
this by themselves. All have sinned and come short of the glory of
God. Praise God! We Christians are forgiven of all our iniquity. Not
even one person, aside from Jesus, has ever lived on this earth a
perfect life. Our hope is in Jesus. He took our sin and traded us His
righteousness. We now are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
Psalms 106:7 "Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt;
they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked [him]
at the sea, [even] at the Red sea."
When the first real test came upon these Israelites, they forgot
that God had delivered them with the ten plagues out of Egypt. They
panicked at the Red Sea. They saw the sea before them, and did not
trust God to get them out of this problem. Isn't that just the way we
are? God has taken the Christians out of Egypt {the world}, with no
help from us. The first time we face a problem, we forget that He is
the answer. If He can take them out of Egypt, He can help them cross
the Red Sea. Do you have any mountain or river to cross? I know the
One who can take you to the other side.
Psalms 106:8 "Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake,
that he might make his mighty power to be known."
The marvellous thing, to me, is that He saved them, even though
they did not have faith to believe. He had defamed the gods of Egypt,
now He would show beyond a shadow of doubt that the LORD is God. All
the lands around would be afraid of the God of the Israelites after
this incident.
Psalms 106:9 "He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up:
so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness."
God has power over all the elements. The sea had to obey the
voice of God. Not only did the sea separate and stand in a heap on
either side, but the ground in the bed of the sea dried up and they
walked through on dry ground.
Psalms 106:10 "And he saved them from the hand of him that hated
[them], and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy." Psalms 106:11
"And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them
left."
Pharaoh's men and chariots drowned in the sea. They never pursued
the Israelites any more. The Israelites walked through the Red Sea on
dry land and just as soon as they were safely on the other side, God
allowed the Pharaoh's men to pursue them through the sea, and the sea
drowned them every one.
Psalms 106:12 "Then believed they his words; they sang his
praise."
Praise and thanksgiving were plentiful at the Red Sea, after the
drowning of the Egyptians. The sad thing is how quickly these people
forget.
Psalms 106:13 "They soon forgat his works; they waited not for
his counsel:"
God called these people who constantly complained, murmurers.
At every problem, they complained instead of trusting God. Possibly,
one reason God allowed them to have so many problems was, so they
would finally learn to trust Him.
Psalms 106:14 "But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and
tempted God in the desert."
As I said, they were never satisfied. They spent all of their
time complaining. Had God not been so longsuffering, He would have
killed them in the wilderness.
Psalms 106:15 "And he gave them their request; but sent leanness
into their soul."
He answered their requests through Moses, They were not joyful in
their souls. God inhabits the praises of His people. To have fatness
in your soul takes fellowship with God. They had no fellowship with
God. They spent all their time complaining.
Psalms 106:16 "They envied Moses also in the camp, [and] Aaron
the saint of the LORD."
Even though Moses had been instigated in getting them out of the
hard bondage in Egypt, they were jealous of him. They did not
understand why God had chosen Moses over them. They did not realize
that Moses was a very humble man. God had chosen Moses, because God
knew Moses' heart. Aaron was of a very special family. God had chosen
him to help Moses. Moses or Aaron did not ask for this special
anointing from God. They did not ask to be chosen. God chose them.
A great deal of responsibility goes along with being chosen of God to
do a particular job.
Psalms 106:17 "The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and
covered the company of Abiram."
Dathan was opposed to God's servants, and God opened up the earth
and swallowed them. Like an earthquake. Abiram was destroyed at the
same time. It is a very dangerous thing to come against the anointed
of God, or against God. God may not instantly punish, but He will not
forget. They will be punished.
Psalms 106:18 "And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame
burned up the wicked."
The Levites were destroyed in this fire. Korah was destroyed, as
well. At a later time, Korah's family were forgiven. It seems the
earth swallowed Dathan and Abiram, and the fire killed Korah.
Psalms 106:19 "They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the
molten image."
While Moses was on the mountain with God 40 days and nights
waiting for the 10 commandments, the people talked Aaron into making
them a golden calf to worship. When Moses came down the mountain, he
heard revelry in the camp. The people were worshipping the golden
calf.
Psalms 106:20 "Thus they changed their glory into the similitude
of an ox that eateth grass."
The calf was one of the false gods in Egypt. They had made a
golden image of the false god. They were worshipping it, when Moses
came down the mountain. How soon they forgot that this was one of the
false gods the Almighty God had defamed. The only true God brought
them out of bondage in Egypt. He held the Egyptians off, while they
crossed on dry land in the bottom of the Red Sea. He killed the
Egyptians, so they would not follow them. Now, they have forgotten all
about the real God. They were worshipping the thing He created rather
than the Creator. When will they ever learn?
This is exactly the way people are today. People have a tendency
to worship the things they can see with their eyes instead of the One
True God. We must worship the Creator and not His creation.
Questions 107
1. How long does God's mercy endure?
2. As the author studies the Bible, what is amazing in it?
3. In verse 1, David is taking time out to encourage us to do what?
4. Quote John chapter 21 verse 25.
5. Blessed are they that keep ____________.
6. Quote 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 22.
7. What is one of the most wonderful rewards in reading Exodus?
8. Visit me with thy salvation is prophetic of what?
9. In verse 5, what is the penman reminding them of?
10. All have _______ and come short of the ______ of God.
11. Jesus took our sin and gave us His ______________.
12. When was the first real test of the faith of the Israelites?
13. What should they have remembered?
14. He saved them for His _______ _____.
15. What would cause all the people around to fear God?
16. What does verse 9 tell us of the power of God?
17. What happened to Pharaoh's men and chariots at the Red Sea?
18. What happened to the Israelites at the Red Sea?
19. After the Israelites were saved at the Red Sea, what did they do?
20. What did God call these people who were constant complainers?
21. Why were they lean in their soul?
22. What feelings did the people have toward Moses and Aaron?
23. A great deal of ______________ goes along with being chosen of
God.
24. What happened to Dathan?
25. Who was killed in the fire that killed the wicked?
26. What did the people make to worship, while Moses was on the
mountain with God?
27. Who actually formed it?
28. What lesson can we learn from this?
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