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.
REFLECTION:
While Psalm 105 stressed God’s faithfulness to the nation, this psalm both confesses Israel’s blatant failure to trust God, and proclaims God’s compassion. Even though God’s people proved unfaithful to Him, He remained faithful to them because of His covenant promises.
Prayers of confession such as this one, a deliberate remembering, help us to maintain a realistic knowledge of our vulnerability and the need for total dependence on God’s grace. They remind us that God is faithful—even though His people have not been—and thus they encourage faithfulness in us.
Invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart and bring to mind things that you need to confess. Bring them one by one to God and ask for His forgiveness. And commit yourself once again to trust and obey God in all things.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
23 Then Israel came to Egypt;
Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. 24 And the Lord made his people very fruitful
and made them stronger than their foes. 25 He turned their hearts to hate his people,
to deal craftily with his servants.
26 He sent Moses, his servant,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen. 27 They performed his signs among them
and miracles in the land of Ham. 28 He sent darkness, and made the land dark;
they did not rebel against his words. 29 He turned their waters into blood
and caused their fish to die. 30 Their land swarmed with frogs,
even in the chambers of their kings. 31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
and gnats throughout their country. 32 He gave them hail for rain,
and fiery lightning bolts through their land. 33 He struck down their vines and fig trees,
and shattered the trees of their country. 34 He spoke, and the locusts came,
young locusts without number, 35 which devoured all the vegetation in their land
and ate up the fruit of their ground. 36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of all their strength.
37 Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,
and there was none among his tribes who stumbled. 38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light by night. 40 They asked, and he brought quail,
and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. 41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the desert like a river. 42 For he remembered his holy promise,
and Abraham, his servant.
43 So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing. 44 And he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil, 45 that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord!
REFLECTION:
This psalm praises God for His faithful dealings with Israel. It reviews Israel’s history from Abraham to the wilderness wanderings and the covenant God made with Abraham.
A key word in this psalm is “remember.” (vv5, 8, 42) By remembering how faithful God had been remembering His promise to their patriarch, the Israelites would remember to praise Him. God’s people benefit from reviewing history because it reminds them of God’s faithfulness. This reminder encourages us to trust in God’s promises given to us. We, too, can see that He has been consistently faithful to His word throughout history.
How have you experienced God’s provision or help when you saw no way out? How does God take care of your basic needs? How does God provide beyond your expectations?
In rejoicing over God’s faithfulness that finally brought the Israelites to the land promised to Abraham, the people are reminded that the right response is obedience and praise. (v45)
In what specific ways can you respond to God’s faithfulness with obedience and praise?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills; 11 they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches. 13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth 15 and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17 In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has her home in the fir trees. 18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.
19 He made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting. 20 You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the beasts of the forest creep about. 21 The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God. 22 When the sun rises, they steal away
and lie down in their dens. 23 Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until the evening.
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures. 25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
which teems with creatures innumerable,
living things both small and great. 26 There go the ships,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.
27 These all look to you,
to give them their food in due season. 28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust. 30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works, 32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke! 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord. 35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
REFLECTION:
This psalm celebrates God’s creation and sustenance of the world. The structure of this psalm parallels that of Genesis 1, taking the stages of creation as starting points for praise. It is well to read it as a commentary on Genesis 1, not to explain how God created, but to celebrate the wonder of His works.
God’s lavish and orderly care for all the creatures brings them joy, and they rely on this steady care day-to-day. (vv27-30) We do well to marvel at the creation and bless God for the power, wisdom and generosity we see in it. Thus to avert our tendency of complacency, self-sufficiency, and even a false sense of entitlement, we do well to remember that each moment, each breath, after all, is a gift from God.
When have you enjoyed some aspect of the natural rhythms described here? As you meditate on what God has made, how would you like to respond to God?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
