PSALMS LESSON 108
 
     We will continue on in the verse by verse study of the 106th
Psalm. Psalms 106:21 "They forgat God their saviour, which had done
great things in Egypt;"

     This is speaking of the Israelites, when they made the golden
calf. Moses had gone up the mountain to meet with God, and they had
given up on him coming back. This is one of the times when 40 is
definitely a time of testing. These Israelites failed the test. They
forgot that God had saved them from the terrible bondage they had been
under in Egypt. God had saved them by bringing ten plagues on the
Egyptians. Ten has to do with world government. God had freed them
from the grasp of the world's government and had brought them out with
His mighty Hand {Saviour}.

     Psalms 106:22 "Wondrous works in the land of Ham, [and] terrible
things by the Red sea."

     The land of Ham was Egypt. The fact that the fire of God stood
between them and the Egyptians, and held them off, until the children
of Israel could cross over the sea, should have been as great a
miracle as the Red Sea parting. They had soon forgotten all of this.

     Psalms 106:23 "Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had
not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his
wrath, lest he should destroy [them]."

     When God looked down from the mount, and saw what they had done,
He said He was going to destroy them everyone, and start over with
Moses. Moses begged for their lives. God spared them, because of
Moses' pleadings for them. Of course, God could see what they were
doing, and Moses could not. When Moses saw what they had done, he
threw the tables of stone with the 10 commandments on them down and
broke them.

     Psalms 106:24 "Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they
believed not his word:"

     They had no faith in the Word of God. The strange thing, to me,
is that they had heard the voice of God from the mount, and it
frightened them so much, they asked Moses to speak to God for them.
They really were without excuse, because God had spoken the 10
commandments to them before Moses went on the mountain. Read more on
this in our study on Exodus.

     Psalms 106:25 "But murmured in their tents, [and] hearkened not
unto the voice of the LORD."

     They not only did not have faith in God, but murmured against Him
when they were in their tents, where they thought He could not hear.
This is undoubtedly the most ungrateful group of people that I have
ever read about.

     Psalms 106:26 "Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to
overthrow them in the wilderness:"

     God, at this point, regretted that He had brought them out of
Egypt. One of the things that kept Him from killing everyone of them
was, what the nations around would think. Many were killed right here.

     Psalms 106:27 "To overthrow their seed also among the nations,
and to scatter them in the lands."

     They were a rebellious house and ungrateful. Their murmuring
never seemed to stop. Loss of fellowship with God, then or now, is
possibly the worst thing that can happen to a person.

     Psalms 106:28 "They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and
ate the sacrifices of the dead."

     I want to weep for God when I see how ungrateful these people
are. Can you believe they mixed with these evil people and practiced
their form of false worship? They went the way of the world around
them. People today, who have every opportunity to know the One true
God, are choosing the world over God. How can they do such a thing?

     Psalms 106:29 "Thus they provoked [him] to anger with their
inventions: and the plague brake in upon them."

     It is a very serious thing to provoke God. Twenty four thousand
of them fell to the deadly plague that God sent upon them. The reason
God did this was, because they were practicing revolting sin. It
troubles me greatly that in our nation, many people have begun to say
that homosexuality is an alternate life style. It is an abomination to
God. This type of sin was the very same here. God will not always look
the other way. The plague, then, was a deadly disease that swept
through the camp and appeared to be about to involve the whole camp.
Does this sound familiar?

     Psalms 106:30 "Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and
[so] the plague was stayed."

     Phinehas saw this terrible sin. He was inflamed with righteous
indignation, and slew two of the people openly involved in this
terrible sin. God stayed the plague, because of this righteous man.
You may read more about this in numbers chapter 25.

     Psalms 106:31 "And that was counted unto him for righteousness
unto all generations for evermore."

     People who truly love God should not sit idly by and see God
ridiculed with sins of the people. The worst thing is that some of
this type sin is going on in some of our churches today. Phinehas was
counted righteous before God, because he spoke out against this evil.
He not only spoke out, he did something about it.

     Psalms 106:32 "They angered [him] also at the waters of strife,
so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:"

     The first time these people were without water, God told Moses to
strike the Rock. He did, and a fountain of water gushed forth. Now
they are without water and complaining to Moses again. Moses went to
God and told Him of the problem. God told Moses to speak to the Rock.
Moses was so angry with these people that instead of speaking to the
Rock, he struck the Rock. For this one act, Moses did not get to enter
the promised land. The Rock symbolized Jesus Christ. The first time he
struck the Rock, it symbolized the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The
striking of this Rock the second time was like crucifying Christ all
over again.  Moses' anger at these people caused him to sin. It cost
him the promised land. God let him view it from the mountain where he
died, but he did not get to go in.

     Psalms 106:33 "Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake
unadvisedly with his lips."

     This seemed such a little thing for Moses to do, but he should
have not acted so hastily. We can easily see how this might have
happened, because these people had troubled him so. He was God's
anointed, and more is expected of him.

     Psalms 106:34 "They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom
the LORD commanded them:"

     God commanded them to go in and kill all the people, and they did
not obey God. The reason God wanted them killed is, because they were
practicing unnatural sin. Some would say that God was unusually hard
on them. This is a case where the whole nation was involved in this
type sin. He destroyed Sodom for the same sin. The children of Israel
were not to mix with these people and pick up these bad sins.  God
wanted them destroyed, so the Israelites would not learn this sin from
them.

     Psalms 106:35 "But were mingled among the heathen, and learned
their works."

     They spared them and did just what God had known they would do,
if they were not destroyed.

     Psalms 106:36 "And they served their idols: which were a snare
unto them."

     We learned in another lesson that idols mean nothings. A nothing
can not help you. When you choose a nothing over God, you are of all
men most foolish.

     Psalms 106:37 "Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their
daughters unto devils,"

     Most of the false religions in the lands that the Israelites came
across, not only worshipped false gods, but practiced human sacrifice,
as well. This is what this verse is saying.
     Psalms 106:38 "And shed innocent blood, [even] the blood of their
sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of
Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood."

     These children were made in the image of God. These were blessed
of God. In our land today, there are devil worshippers who are
practicing human sacrifice. What a shame the world never changes. The
land is polluted with blood today.

     Psalms 106:39 "Thus were they defiled with their own works, and
went a whoring with their own inventions."

     God is absolute. There is no other way to worship, other than the
way He has provided for us. When men start trying to think up clever
ways to entice the world into the church, it usually winds up in sin.
Men's inventions destroy. God's way brings life.

     Psalms 106:40 "Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled
against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance."

     Over, and over, and over God had forgiven them, and they would go
right back into a sin even worse than the last one. He had gotten so
disgusted with them, that He hated He had chosen them for His people.

     Psalms 106:41 "And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and
they that hated them ruled over them."

     Their sins found them out. The very ones that they had been
involved in sin with, now ruled over them. God, as punishment to them,
had allowed the heathen to rule over them. The protection of God that
they had been blessed with had left, because of their habitual sin.

     Psalms 106:42 "Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were
brought into subjection under their hand."

     When they left their God to fellowship with the heathen, they
found that they were not only ruled over by these heathen, but
severely oppressed. There was no kindness in the rule of the heathen
over these Israelites.

     Psalms 106:43 "Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked
[him] with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity."

     God had delivered them over and over in the past. This time they
had purposed in their heart to do what God had told them not to do,
and God just let them get the punishment they deserved.

     Psalms 106:44 "Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he
heard their cry:"

     God loved them in spite of their unfaithfulness to Him. When they
get into trouble, they cry out to God, and He always listens.

     Psalms 106:45 "And he remembered for them his covenant, and
repented according to the multitude of his mercies."

     The covenant that God is remembering, is the covenant He had made
with Abraham. God would not break His covenant with Abraham and
forgives them. His mercies endure forever.

     Psalms 106:46 "He made them also to be pitied of all those that
carried them captives."

     Even evil people can be controlled by God. God causes these evil
people to suddenly have pity upon them and set them free.

     Psalms 106:47 "Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among
the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, [and] to triumph in
thy praise."

     This was the appeal they made to God. When God remembered the
covenant He had made with Abraham, they immediately called out to God,
and called Him our LORD. Now they are ready to thank God, if He will
only gather them home to Him away from these heathens. Isn't that
always the way? Don't wait to praise God until there is a crisis in
your life. Praise Him in the good times and the bad times.

     Psalms 106:48 "Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel from
everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise
ye the LORD."

     I believe the penman, here, is speaking this for himself, as well
as for these Israelites. I would say with him, praise the LORD. Amen
means so be it. Let everything that has breath say, praise the LORD.
























                             Questions 108

1.  What was God called in verse 21?
2.  What does the number 40 mean?
3.  How many plagues had God brought on the Egyptians?
4.  Where was the land of Ham?
5.  What should have been just as big a miracle as the Red Sea
    parting?
6.  Why did God not destroy them, when they made the golden calf?
7.  What did Moses do when he saw the terrible thing they had done?
8.  They had no faith in the ____ of God.
9.  Verse 25 says, they murmured where?
10. They were a rebellious house and __________.
11. What is about the worst thing that can happen to a person?
12. They joined themselves unto ____________.
13. Verse 29 says, they provoked Him to anger with what?
14. What broke out among them?
15. How many of them died from this disease that swept over them?
16. Who executed judgement against them and stayed the plague?
17. Where can you read more about Phinehas and the plague?
18. How long was his act counted unto him for righteousness?
19. What happened at the waters of strife?
20. How did they cause Moses to sin?
21. What had God commanded them to do with the heathens?
22. What was wrong in sparing them?
23. What is an idol?
24. What did they do to their sons and daughters, that we call devil
    worship?
25. The land was polluted with ______.
26. He gave them into the hand of the _________.
27. When did He regard their affliction?
28. What covenant did He remember?
29. What did God cause their enemies to do to them?
30. Quote Psalms chapter 106 verse 48.