#837 The Patient One Psalm 106 Part 1

Praise the Lord!

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,

or declare all his praise?

3 Blessed are they who observe justice,

who do righteousness at all times!

4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;

help me when you save them,

5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones,

that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,

that I may glory with your inheritance.

6 Both we and our fathers have sinned;

we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.

7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,

did not consider your wondrous works;

they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,

but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.

8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake,

that he might make known his mighty power.

9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry,

and he led them through the deep as through a desert.

10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe

and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.

11 And the waters covered their adversaries;

not one of them was left.

12 Then they believed his words;

they sang his praise.

13 But they soon forgot his works;

they did not wait for his counsel.

14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,

and put God to the test in the desert;

15 he gave them what they asked,

but sent a wasting disease among them.

16 When men in the camp were jealous of Moses

and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,

17 the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,

and covered the company of Abiram.

18 Fire also broke out in their company;

the flame burned up the wicked.

19 They made a calf in Horeb

and worshiped a metal image.

20 They exchanged the glory of God

for the image of an ox that eats grass.

21 They forgot God, their Savior,

who had done great things in Egypt,

22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,

and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

23 Therefore he said he would destroy them—

had not Moses, his chosen one,

stood in the breach before him,

to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

24 Then they despised the pleasant land,

having no faith in his promise.

25 They murmured in their tents,

and did not obey the voice of the Lord.

26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them

that he would make them fall in the wilderness,

27 and would make their offspring fall among the nations,

scattering them among the lands.

28 Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor,

and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;

29 they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,

and a plague broke out among them.

30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,

and the plague was stayed.

31 And that was counted to him as righteousness

from generation to generation forever.

32 They angered him at the waters of Meribah,

and it went ill with Moses on their account,

33 for they made his spirit bitter,

and he spoke rashly with his lips.

34 They did not destroy the peoples,

as the Lord commanded them,

35 but they mixed with the nations

and learned to do as they did.

36 They served their idols,

which became a snare to them.

37 They sacrificed their sons

and their daughters to the demons;

38 they poured out innocent blood,

the blood of their sons and daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,

and the land was polluted with blood.

39 Thus they became unclean by their acts,

and played the whore in their deeds.

40 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,

and he abhorred his heritage;

41 he gave them into the hand of the nations,

so that those who hated them ruled over them.

42 Their enemies oppressed them,

and they were brought into subjection under their power.

43 Many times he delivered them,

but they were rebellious in their purposes

and were brought low through their iniquity.

44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,

when he heard their cry.

45 For their sake he remembered his covenant,

and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

46 He caused them to be pitied

by all those who held them captive.

47 Save us, O Lord our God,

and gather us from among the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name

and glory in your praise.

48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting!

And let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord! Psalm 106 ESV

A Psalm of God's Patience in Holiness.

Praise the Lord - For He is good and His mercy endures forever. God, as a Being, is the eternal good, it is an attribute belonging to Him. Humans are careless in defining good, and are in essence not when held up to sinless perfection. We are the marred and soiled bearers of a now shattered image, entered into death and lost from truth. Thanks and gratitude come to mind most quickly to those who realize their sin and meditate on His steadfast love. The preceding Psalm speaks of the acts of God in history, and this is none the less beautiful, maybe more so, the history of man's response, the untainted integrity of God in His patience and mercy.

Who do righteousness at all times - 

Multiplied are the blessings which must descend upon the whole company of the keepers of the way of justice, and especially upon that one rare man who at all times follows that which is right. Holiness is happiness. The way of right is the way of peace. Yet men leave this road, and prefer the paths of the destroyer. Hence the story which follows is in sad contrast with the happiness here depicted, because the way of Israel was not that of judgment and righteousness, but that of folly and iniquity. C. H. Spurgeon

Help me when You save them - "Remember me", I cannot help but see the thief upon the cross. 

…38 Above Him was posted an inscription: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 One of the criminals who hung there heaped abuse on Him. “Are You not the Christ?” he said. “Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other one rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same judgment?…

…41 We are punished justly, for we are receiving what our actions deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”… Luke 23: 38-43

Just believe. Believe what, you ask? This is the Christ, the Son of God. I am a sinner "we are punished justly, for we are receiving what our actions deserve". Christ is holy, "this man has done nothing wrong", He is a perfect lamb without blemish or spot. "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!"

…17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.… John 3: 17-19

I could get stuck here easily for days, but back to the text:

That I may glory with Your inheritance - We are God's inheritance, promised to Christ from eternity, the outpouring of love to His Son. Sealed by His Holy Spirit.

- He would have a part and lot in their honour as well as their joy. He was willing to find glory where saints find it, namely, in being reproached for truth's sake. To serve the Lord and endure shame for his sake is the glory of the saints below: Lord, let me rejoice to bear my part therein. To be with God above, for ever blessed in Christ Jesus, is the glory of saints above: O Lord, be pleased to allot me a place there also. These introductory thanksgivings and supplications, though they occur first in the psalm, are doubtless the result of the contemplations which succeed them, and may be viewed not only as the preface, but also as the moral of the whole sacred song. - C. H. Spurgeon

Both we and our fathers have sinned - Whoever comes to Christ any other way? Who has ever grown in the faith that has not considered such things? Who has redeemed themselves or looked full face at the law, then at his own heart and said, "I find no fault in me, I need no forgiveness?" 

…8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.… 1 John 1: 8-10

Ah that sanctifying grace, those partners faith and repentance walking along hand in hand.

Yet He saved them for His name's sake - Theirs was a poor start, barely out of Egypt and already doubting the One who brought them out of slavery, covered in gold that they did not have to fight for. They witnessed signs and wonders, but were already grumbling by the sea. There was nothing inherent to their persons, nothing of value to the Creator of the universe, and let this be seen and understood, for His name's sake. God has promised a bride to His Son, has made a covenant with Abraham, His word is Holy like unto Himself. 

- When he could find no other reason for his mercy he found it in his own glory, and seized the opportunity to display his power. If Israel does not deserve to be saved, yet Pharaoh's pride needs to be crushed, and therefore Israel shall be delivered. The Lord very jealously guards his own name and honour. It shall never be said of him that he cannot or will not save his people, or that he cannot abate the haughtiness of his defiant foes. This respect unto his own honour ever leads him to deeds of mercy, and hence we may well rejoice that he is a jealous God. - C. H. Spurgeon

Then they believed His words, they sang His praise - He has made Himself known unto them in so many ways, that even the water obeys Him. Armies are of no consequence, men have fear, the demons fear Him and tremble. He is the Creator, but in all that, seeing they did not see and hearing they did not understand. 

But they soon forgot His works - They did not wait for His counsel, and in all their impatience they tested Him, but what did they prove in this beyond their unworthiness? For all this I know as the Psalmist must have known, they proved God patient. They proved God is love, for love is patient, kind. How much further must He reach down to sinful men, before they see that He is so unlike them? Truly, Your ways are not ours, I would have walked away. If I lived a thousand years I could not scratch the surface of God's revelation in His word.

1 Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.… 1 John 3: 1-2