Psalm 106 – His Love Endures
This psalm was supposed to be published back in January, after Psalm 105. However, I was in Australia at the time, using a chromebook. For some reason it didn’t publish when I thought it had. It seems appropriate to publish it now, after Psalm 136 – Mercy Endures. God’s love and mercy never fail.
Where Psalm 105 is all about God, Psalm 106 – his love endures, is all about God’s people and their many failings. In Psalm 106, God’s love for God’s people is unfailing, enduring forever.
Psalm 106
This psalm describes God’s great love/hesed, for the Hebrew nation, in some translations, mercy. The writer begins by praising God.
“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise?” (1-2)
“Since man ceases not to be sinful, it is a great blessing that Jehovah ceases not to be merciful.” (Spurgeon)
“Thus Israel’s history is as much the story of God’s mercy, faithfulness, and long-suffering as it is the story of Israel’s faithlessness and unbelief. In fact, it is against the background of their sin that God’s patience is most fully illuminated.” (Boice) (Psalm 106 Commentary: The LORD’s Mercy to His Covenant)
Israel’s Repeated Rebellions
He then states: “Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.” (3) But that is not the Hebrew nation.
“We have sinned, even as our ancestors did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
When our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles;
they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.
Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known.” (6-8)
God saves them, but they quickly forget.
“But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.
In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test.
So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease among them.” (13-15)
God gave them what they asked for, but at a price. “God gave the Israelites the meat they craved (Numbers 11). Yet the meat was also sent with an associated curse, and what they wanted became something bad. The prodigal son and Lot are two other examples of those who received what they wanted, but came to ruin because of it.” When we allow ungodly cravings to rule our lives, God may send what we crave – and leanness into our soul as well. Better to deny one’s self those cravings, yet enjoy a “fat” and healthy soul. “They had their desire, but their souls were starved.” (Meyer) (Psalm 106 Commentary: The LORD’s Mercy to His Covenant)
The Peoples’ Sins
The people repeatedly sinned against God. They envied Moses and Aaron, God’s chosen ones (16); they created false idols (19); murmured against God (25); and ate sacrifices to pagan gods
‘They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.” (28);
When they entered the promised land, they did not destroy the people there but worshipped their gods, even sacrificing their children to these gods.
“They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord had commanded them,
but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.
They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
The people sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods.
They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.” (34-38)
“God also wanted the Canaanites removed so they would not be an evil influence upon the Israelites, leading them into the worship of their idols and their evil ways. Israel’s failure to do as God commanded meant this evil influence corrupted God’s people.” (Psalm 106 Commentary: The LORD’s Mercy to His Covenant)
God’s Mercy
Despite all of this, God had mercy on his people.
“Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin.
Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry;
for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.
He caused all who held them captive to show them mercy.” (43-46)
Psalm 106 – his love endures, ends in praise of God who continues to save his people.
“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.
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord.” (47-48)
What does Psalm 106 have to do with us?
What does Psalm 106 say to us today? Certainly, we are not as bad as the Hebrew nation. How could they worship false idols after the miracle of the Exodus? How could they complain and murmur so after all God did for them? We would never have done that. Or would we?
“Murmuring is a great sin and not a mere weakness; it contains within itself unbelief, pride, rebellion, and a whole host of sins. It is a home sin, and is generally practised by complainers ‘in their tents,’ but it is just as evil there as in the streets, and will be quite as grievous to the Lord.” (Spurgeon) Psalm 106 Commentary: The LORD’s Mercy to His Covenant
We would never sacrifice our children on the altar of pagan gods. Yet, how often do we forget about our children, putting our desire for money or power ahead of our children, putting careers before God? How often do we ignore all the blessings God has given us, murmuring and complaining?
Psalm 106 – His Love Endures
Psalm 106 is not just about the sinfulness of the Hebrew nation. It is about our own sinfulness and our need for God’s forgiveness. It is about how loving and forgiving our God is. The psalmist doesn’t list all the sins of the Hebrew people to embarrass them, but to let everyone know how great our God is. To let us know that our God forgives us no matter what we may have done.
Psalm 106 – his love endures, shows us no matter how great our sin, God’s grace is greater. Do you believe in God’s love and mercy?
(For another take on this Psalm, see Psalm 106 – Parallel Histories of God’s Steadfast Love.)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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