Psalms 106:1

The Bible says in Psalm 106:1-2, “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.[2] Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?” These verses give three reasons to praise the Lord: His goodness, His mercy, and His “mighty acts.” In the world there is good and evil. All goodness comes from God. Because God is everywhere, you can find goodness anywhere and everywhere. God’s goodness makes Him a giver. He is the greatest of all givers. If you want to be happy, just think about good things that God has given to you. It says in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Another good example is John 3:16 that starts off, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him…” Jesus is the greatest gift that the Father ever gave to the world. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, we can have mercy. Mercy is a wonderful thing. Mercy is when we do not receive punishment. God is so very merciful. He is so merciful that He can forgive every sin that has ever been committed in the history of the human race. That means He can and will forgive any sin that you commit. Of course, you must repent and ask for forgiveness to find it. Once you find God’s mercy and enter into a personal relationship with Him, you will become aware of God’s “mighty acts” as you live a life of faith in Him, and learn the Bible, and hear what God has also done for others. It is of course, an under-statement to say that we have a lot to praise God for just with His goodness, His mercy, and His mighty acts. God does miracles. He does things that are over and beyond the natural world. To “utter the mighty acts of the LORD” means to tell others all of the miracles that God has done in your life.

The Bible says in Psalm 106:3, “Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.” It is very important that our goal is to do what is right. When we get saved, we are not just asking Jesus to save us, but we are also believing on Him in order to follow Him. Jesus said to His apostles when they met Him, “Follow me.” You will be more blessed when you do the right thing. If you fail, make sure that you immediately confess your sins, and get back on the path of following Him with the goal to always do the right thing.

The Bible says in Psalm 106:4, “Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;” The previous verse told us to do the right thing, but we do not always do the right thing. That is why we need God’s “favour” and God’s “salvation.” We need the blessings of God that come from His grace and His mercy because of Jesus. We are not dependent upon how good we are, but we are dependent upon the wonderful and never-ending mercy of the Lord.

The Bible says in Psalm 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.” This verse is a prayer to God with three requests. The first request is, “That I may see the good of thy chosen.” To see “the good” in anything requires help from God. People can be so negative. We live in an imperfect world where humans fail all the time, including believers. But there is also good everywhere. There is good in God’s children because they have Jesus with them. There is good in God’s children because they are forgiven and are on their way to heaven. There is good in God’s children because they have the potential to grow in Christ and accomplish more for the glory of Jesus’ name. Use your mind correctly and “see the good.” Ask God to help you “see the good.”

The second request of verse five is “that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation.” Christians can have gladness and happiness. As a matter of fact, Christians should be the happiest of all people on the earth. Our sins are forgiven. We have eternal life. Jesus is with us always. We have entered into God’s love in our hearts. We will live in heaven forever. We have all the promises of the Bible to rely upon. But even so we need help from the Spirit to have that joy that only He can give. The fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace….”

The third request of verse five is “that I may glory with thine inheritance.” This verse already used the words “rejoice” and “gladness,” and now it uses the word “glory.” To glory in God includes the idea of experiencing and enjoying His marvelous power, majesty, and might. From the throne of God emanates His love and His mercy and His holiness. To glory in God means to be aware of such things and to praise God for them and to enjoy them in one’s mind and spirit. Only God can reveal such things to us. We cannot make them happen.

The Bible says in Psalm 106:6, “We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.” Of course, if we want to look up to God as the Psalmist is doing in the previous verses, then we must also do what the Psalmist does in this verse: confess our sins. As a matter of fact, the more that we see and experience the holiness of God, the more that we will be aware of our own unholiness and sinfulness. Thankfully, we have the Lord Jesus who will always forgive our sins when we confess them to Him. It says in First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The Bible says in Psalm 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.” How do we keep from “provoking” God? There are things to understand and there are things to remember. It says in the first part of this verse, “Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt.” We all know what the wonders in Egypt were: the ten plagues, ending with the first Passover when God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” They did not understand salvation, they did not understand all that God had done for them, and they did not understand that the hand of God was involved in all things because God has a plan and He is working on His plan. It is very important that Christians understand. We need to understand what Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary. We need to understand what God wants from us as we live this life. We need to understand that God has a plan to save souls, to teach Christians, to glorify the name of Christ, and to fulfill all the promises that He has made such as to Abraham and King David, and concerning the return of Christ.

As it says in the second part of verse seven that the Israelites also provoked God because “they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies.” God is so very merciful. He can be so very merciful because Jesus died for all sins on the cross of Calvary. If you know Jesus as your Savior, your relationship with God is not based upon your goodness, but is based upon how merciful the Lord has been with you. God’s mercy is so great that once you get mercy at the time you are born-again through faith in Jesus, that mercy will last forever. God will never take it away. That mercy is so great that it allows you to walk in fellowship with Jesus your entire life, as long as you daily get your feet washed by daily confessing your sins as taught in First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It took a lot for God to make such mercy available to us. It took the horrible death of His Son on the cruel cross of Calvary. Surely, we will not forget that.

The Bible says in Psalm 106:8, “Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.” This verse gives two reasons that the children of Israel were delivered even though they failed the Lord. He will deliver us when we are in similar circumstances for the same reasons. He delivered them “for his name's sake.” People know who the Christians are. The name of Christ is attached to each one of us. The Lord wants His name to be honored and glorified, and He wants to do that through His children; and therefore, He will help His children for that reason. It will glorify the name of Christ to show how merciful He has been to great sinners such as you and me.

God will also deliver His believers even though they do not deserve it “that he might make his mighty power to be known.” God uses people. God uses His children. That is God’s chosen method for doing His work in this world. God is God. God is all powerful. God can do anything. He wants everyone on the earth to know that truth, and therefore, He will do miraculous things through all of His children: even the ones who fail. He will deliver us so that He can use us.

The Bible says in Psalm 106:9-12, “He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.[10] And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.[11] And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.[12] Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.” The parting of the Red Sea not only resulted in the deliverance of the children of Israel, but it also resulted in the destruction of the Egyptian army as the waters came back together at just the right time. With such a miracle and such a victory there could only be one result: “Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.” Their faith was increased, and they praised God. We do the same thing when the Lord Jesus does some great thing for us. But what happens as the miracle of God fades into the past and the days become more normal and ordinary? Will we keep on believing His words and singing His praise? Will we remember His miracles?

The Bible says in Psalm 106:13-14, “They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:[14] But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.” At the end of verse fourteen it says that they “tempted God.” In other words, they put God into a situation where the Lord had to chastise them, and the results were not good. Many were killed, all the others wandered in the wilderness for forty years, and none of them except for Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the Promised Land. We are given three reasons why all this happened: they “soon forgat his works,” “they waited not for his counsel,” and they “lusted exceedingly.” Those are three major mistakes that Christians are still making. First, they forgot God’s works. They forgot what God had already done for them. To be a good Christian you must have a good memory. Think about all the things that Jesus has done for you, and think about it a lot. Just thinking about what the Lord has already done for you will build up your faith, draw you closer to the Lord, and help to keep you from doubts flooding in when new problems arise.

The second mistake of the Israelites was that they “waited not for his counsel.” One of the enemies of every believer is his or her own strong will. We are supposed to be following the Lord, and not following our own will. But sometimes the Lord is not in a hurry. We must learn to wait upon the Lord’s leading and the Lord’s timing. If you do not learn how to wait upon the Lord, you will make some really big mistakes. It means that you are led by self-will, and that will not end well.

The third mistake of the children of Israel was that they “lusted exceedingly.” Every human being has needs and desires. Most of those needs and desires are normal and are given to us from God, but we must not go outside the bounds that He has set for them. Walk circumspectly. Learn to control yourself. Know how to manage both your body and your spirit. As it says in First Timothy 4:12, “Be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” And it says in Second Timothy 2:22, “Flee youthful lusts.”

The Bible says in Psalm 106:15, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” The first part of verse fifteen says, “he gave them their request.” The problem is that they asked for the wrong thing with the wrong motivation. They wanted flesh to eat instead of what God was giving them: manna from heaven. One of the worse things that can happen to any believer is to get what you want. That is why we always pray even when we ask for things, “Not my will, but thine be done.” If we get our will instead of God’s will, we are not going to be fruitful. And one of the main purposes of life for a Christian is to bear fruit for Christ. It says at the end of verse fifteen that God “sent leanness into their soul.”

The Bible says in Psalm 106:16-23, “They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.[17] The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.[18] And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.[19] They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.[20] Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.[21] They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;[22] Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.[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.” These verses show more mistakes that the children of Israel made after God delivered them from Egypt. Verse sixteen says that the people “envied” Moses and Aaron. The people had a wrong attitude towards the spiritual leaders that God had given to them. God gives leaders to every group of believers, and that being the case that these people are gifted and chosen of God, a certain amount or reverence and consideration is due them. It says in Ephesians chapter four that when Jesus left the earth and ascended to heaven that He gave gifts unto men, and among the gifts are: apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers. It would be a great sin to oppose, disrespect, envy, or in any other way have a negative attitude to ones that God has chosen for such difficult work: to lead the people of God, many of whom are weak, faithless, and unspiritual. What happened to some of the children of Israel as a result of their opposition to Moses and Aaron? It says in verses seventeen and eighteen, “The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.[18] And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.” The result was not good. The result was a terrible death. In the days of the New Testament, those who oppose God’s preachers and teachers bring to themselves a different kind of death: spiritual death. If you oppose God’s chosen ones, then you are opposing God Himself, and the result will not be good for you either, spiritually speaking.

The second sin of the Israelites that is listed in these verses is found in verse nineteen that says, “They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.” They became idolaters, which means that they turned away from the one true God and worshipped false gods. Of course, idolatry is a sin for anyone because we were born to know and serve the one true God whose name is Jesus Christ. Idolatry can take many forms. The Israelites actually made a golden calf and bowed down to it and worshipped it. Christians are warned in First John 5:19-21, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.[20] And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.[21] Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” Anything that you love more than God is an idol. Be careful because an idol can slip into your life more easily than you think. Put your eyes upon Jesus.

Psalm 106:21 is a third sin mentioned in these verses that was committed by the Israelites: “They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt.” They forgot something that they should have remembered, and this was their sin. If you forget Jesus your Savior, you will have committed one of the greatest sins that a Christian can commit. God is a jealous God, and after all He has done for us by dying on the cross and then saving our souls, we can understand that Jesus does not want us to forget. After they forgot God, notice that verse twenty-three says, “Therefore he said that he would destroy them.”

Why did not God destroy the Israelites right then and there? The answer is given in the rest of verse twenty-three that says, “had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.” In other words, Moses was an intercessor. God loves the prayers of “his chosen.” Prayer changes things. If the right person prays for you and gets through to God, wonderful things can happen. Jesus prayed for all of us who believe in Him. And of course, Jesus’ prayers are answered. Jesus prayed in John 17:9, “I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” And Jesus also prayed in John 17:20-22, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;[21] That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.[22] And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:” Jesus is our intercessor. That is why we know that we can always be forgiven. It says in First John 2:1, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

The Bible says in Psalm 106:24-29, “Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:[25] But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.[26] Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:[27] To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.[28] They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.[29] Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.” Even more sins are listed that were committed by the children of Israel after they were saved from Egypt by the mighty hand of God. The first part of verse twenty-four says that they “despised the pleasant land.” In other words, they did not look forward to the Promised Land that God was leading them to. All that God did to lead them in that direction, and all that God promised them, and they did not appreciate it or value it. We know what that led to: they were kept from entering the Promised Land. The last part of verse twenty-four says that they “believed not his word.” The Word of God is so wonderful and valuable. God did a lot to give us His precious Word. He gave us His Word so that we would believe it, learn it, and live by it. There are many attacks on the Word for the purpose of getting people to not believe it. His Word is perfect, His Word is true; but somehow disbelief came into the hearts of the Israelites. That will not work well for anyone. We are justified by faith. The just shall live by faith. What kind of life will be lived by those who have no faith?

Verse twenty-five says that the children of Israel “murmured in their tents.” To murmur is to complain. Here is one rule that every Christian should have for themselves: no complaining allowed. Do not complain. Make things better and fix them. Trust in the Lord about it. Those who complain are looking on the negative side of things. Negativity is never a part of living by faith in Christ. God does not like it either. He blesses all of us abundantly, and so He expects that we will recognize His blessings and be happy about them. To murmur is to lose faith. To murmur is to deny that God is blessing us.

The last part of verse twenty-five says that the children of Israel “hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.” To hearken means “to hear and obey.” First, we must hear God’s Word. That is one of the benefits of going to a Bible-teaching church. And then once we hear it, we must have the attitude of wanting to obey and put into practice what we hear. If we do not have such an attitude towards the Bible, then we are in rebellion against God. God’s response to such rebellion was very clear. It says in verses twenty-six and twenty-seven, “Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:[27] To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.” It is a good thing that as believers in Jesus we live under the New Covenant of grace instead of the Old Covenant of the law.

Psalm 106:28 mentions once again that the Israelites turned to idolatry. Verse twenty-nine tells us the effect that their idolatry had on God. It says, “Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.” The “plague” is disease. Some disease is a result of sin. That is made very clear to Christians in First Corinthians 11:30-32, “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.[31] For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.[32] But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” In order to avoid any sickness that comes from your sins, make sure that you do what is described in James 5:13-16, “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.[14] Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:[15] And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.[16] Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Olive oil was used for many health issues in the Mediterranean world centuries ago, and thus represents doing everything from a medical standpoint that is available. Prayer represents asking for God’s help too. And of course, confession of sin makes sure that this sickness does not come from hidden or unconfessed sin. Confession of sin not only keeps you in fellowship with Jesus, but it also keeps you as healthy as possible.

The Bible says in Psalm 106:30-31, “Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed.[31] And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.” As a reminder of what Phinehas did, it says in Numbers 25:3-13, “And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.[4] And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.[5] And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.[6] And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.[7] And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;[8] And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.[9] And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.[10] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,[11] Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.[12] Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:[13] And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.” Of course, we do not use the kind of violence that was used in the Old Testament, but we do have a similar problem: great sin in our nation not unlike the false religion of those days. People have turned away from God. What can fix this? If we have God’s mercy, the right person in the right place at the right time who stands up for what is good and true. One person can change an entire nation and get it going in the right direction again. We need someone who is “zealous for his God.” Is there anyone who will stand up for Christ?

The Bible says in Psalm 106:32-33, “They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:[33] Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.” What happened at the “waters of strife?” It says in Numbers 20:11-13, “And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.[12] And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.[13] This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.” What was Moses’ sin? What was evidence of his striving? Moses “smote the rock twice.” But is we look back at Numbers 20:7-8, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,[8] Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink,” we see that God told Moses to “speak” to the rock. Moses was angry, had a lack of faith, did not believe that water would come from the rock simply by speaking to it, and so Moses disobeyed God. Moses lived under the law. He did not live in the time of grace like we do because of Jesus.

This passage is an interesting correlation between striking with a rod and speaking. Which should be done? Which is God’s will in a certain situation? In the New Testament Christian parents are told to speak to their children: to teach them. It says in Ephesians 6:4, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” The words “nurture and admonition” are both words that refer to teaching children by the words that are said to them. That is the New Testament teaching about child-rearing. If you take up a rod, you might make the same mistake that Moses made and strike when you should not strike. You might become a striker when you should be a teacher in your parenting. If you make that mistake, instead of teaching your children, you just might “provoke” them to “wrath.”

The Bible says in Psalm 106:34-42, “They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:[35] But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.[36] And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.[37] Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,[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.[39] Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.[40] Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.[41] And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them.[42] Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.” Over and over again we are told one of the most important reasons that the children of Israel failed the Lord so greatly even after He had saved them and blessed them so much. It says in verse thirty-five that the children of Israel “were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.” This is the way it is supposed to happen in our contacts with the unsaved people of the world: we show love and concern for them, and by Go’s grace the light of Christ shines through us to them; but we do not join in any of their un-Christian activities and we do not accept any of their un-Christian ideas. The goal is to influence them and not let them influence us. Be warned about certain types of entangling alliances: that includes marriage. Make sure that you love Jesus and are following Jesus with your life, and if you are single then pray and look for a spouse that also loves Jesus and is following Jesus with his or her life. It says in Second Corinthians 6:14-15, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?[15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?”

In the above verses in Psalm 106 two sins are mentioned that the Israelites committed because of the fact that they too much mingled with the heathen. It says in verse thirty-six that they “served their idols.” Of course, that took them away from God and from the true worship of God. Today we do not have that kind of idolatry in Western countries, but we do have the idolatry of secularism and humanism and materialism. We have the oppression of freedom of speech and freedom of religion by the judicial system, the educational system, the leftist political groups and individuals, and by many in the general populace now that they have been indoctrinated by all those just mentioned.

The second sin committed by the Israelites is found in verse thirty-seven that says, “they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils.” Sadly, the Israelites literally killed their own children in those terrible false religion ceremonies. Unfortunately, people are sacrificing their children in our day by sending them into the educational system to be indoctrinated for years by atheists, leftists, communists, and humanists. The country might be destroyed as the numbers continue to increase of citizens who no longer know our history and no longer believe in freedom of speech and freedom of religion. It says about the people of Israel in verse forty-one, “they that hated them ruled over them.” That is exactly what the future holds for Western democracies, and it will happen for the same reasons that it happened to the children of Israel.

The Bible says in Psalm 106:43-46, “Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.[44] Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:[45] And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.[46] He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.” God does for every believer exactly what He did for the Israelites as stated in verse forty-three: “Many times did he deliver them.” That is the only way to keep serving the Lord: each time that we mess up, we turn to Jesus and He accepts us back into fellowship with Him. If you think that you are able to faithfully serve the Lord as the years go by because of how faithful you are, then you do not understand the truth of how sinful you are nor do you understand the scriptures. Once again, we quote First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus is faithful, and we are not faithful compared to Him and compared to the standard of perfection as described in the greatest of all commandments, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.”

Because God has delivered us so many times, what should our response be: we should remember and be thankful. We should appreciate greatly all the times that He has been merciful to us and delivered us, and we should be resolved to love Him more and to serve Him more. Is that what the Israelites did? No, they did not. They forgot all the things that God did for them. And yet God is not like man. God is always compassionate and merciful: no matter what. And so, it says in verse forty-four, “Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry.” No matter how much someone fails, God will always hear the cry for help and for forgiveness. Even though believers might forget, God always remembers what He should remember, namely His promises. And so, verse forty-five says, “And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.” God would have been justified to destroy them, but God has so very much mercy and pity and compassion, that He did not destroy them. As a matter of fact, even in their great chastisement which was to be eventually scattered among all the heathen nations of the world, God blessed them wherever they went. And so it says in verse forty-six, “He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.” This is the reason that many Jewish people have been successful wherever they have gone. They are descendants of Abraham. God made promises to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants, and God is going to keep those promises no matter who does what. It is wonderful to be a believer in Jesus. We have even greater promises that have been made to us concerning our future in heaven.

The Bible says in Psalm 106:47-48, “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.[48] Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.” Verse forty-seven is definitely a good prayer to prayer. Basically, the prayer is this: “Help.” You may not be able to pray much, but you can certainly turn to the Lord and pray this one word: “Help.” When you pray that prayer, God always answers. It is the same principle behind getting saved through faith in Christ. It says in Romans 10:13, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” After you get saved, no matter what trouble you are in, you can always turn to the Lord and pray, “Help,” and He will always help you. He is your Shepherd. Even if your trouble is due to bad decisions and errors and sins on your part, you can still turn to the Lord and say, “Save us, O LORD our God.” After He answers your prayer and helps you, make sure that you do the following: give thanks, bless the name of the Lord, and say to people what the Psalmist said at the end of verse forty-eight, “let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.”

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