They had the strength to live, to endure to be. These were the people of simple tastes and simple virtues who were the backbone of the country, and not those vocal ones who were quick with words and prided themselves on their sophistication.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Mountain Valley War)
“His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed.”
“His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed.”
–Psalm 72:17 (NKJV)
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I sent a little message out to some friends Saturday with the following note: “If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” Too often we forget, or we stay down, or we don’t complete the task. The central theme of Psalm 106 is the acknowledgement of sin; it is pretty much a lengthy confession.
1 — Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
2 — Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise?
3 — Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times!
4 — Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation.
5 — That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your inheritance.
6 — We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
7 — Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, but rebelled by the sea–the Red Sea.
8 — Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make His mighty power known.
9 — He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; so He led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
10 — He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 — The waters covered their enemies; there was not one of them left.
12 — Then they believed His words; they sang His praise. (NKJV)
This is a psalm of sin, iniquity, forgetfulness, forgiveness and praise. It is interesting that it begins with a declaration of praise. To begin we must remember that praise is an act of the will. We choose to praise, and perhaps, this psalm might imply that the opposite of praise is forgetfulness. God’s love and mercy endure forever. Then there is the question, who can proclaim His mighty acts? Ponder that. Who can? Man cannot, for we cannot grasp nor adequately speak of His infinite being, but we can praise Him in our own finiteness. He then speaks of righteousness and justice; “this inner purity brings inner joy and happiness” (Lawson).
“Forgetfulness brings disaster” (William Petersen) and that is what the psalmist wants us to remember and understand. When people begin to forget the acts of kindness of the Lord, they drift away from Him. God sends revival, He works miracles, He provides–then they again and again forget Him. That is one reason why we see the stories repeated over and over is that we forget. (Or maybe we don’t want to remember).
Israel, God’s chosen people, had a long history of rebellion against God. Verse 6 is translated by the NLT, “Both we and our ancestors have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!” Repentance must come, for God cannot bless sin. God provided so much in the way of plagues to the enemies of Israel, and did so many miracles to aid Israel, yet still–they forgot. That is why we must remember! Charles H. Spurgeon said, “We inherit from our fathers much sin and little wisdom. They could only leave us what they themselves possessed. The sin of the understanding leads on to the sin of the memory. What is not understood will soon be forgotten.” That is why a legacy of godliness is so important so that we can continue to tell the story of God’s love, power, and mercy.
“I will tell the wondrous story,
How, my lost estate to save,
In his boundless love and mercy
He the ransom freely gave.”
–Philip P. Bliss
————————————————
I sent a little message out to some friends Saturday with the following note: “If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” Too often we forget, or we stay down, or we don’t complete the task. The central theme of Psalm 106 is the acknowledgement of sin; it is pretty much a lengthy confession.
1 — Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
2 — Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise?
3 — Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times!
4 — Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation.
5 — That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your inheritance.
6 — We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
7 — Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, but rebelled by the sea–the Red Sea.
8 — Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make His mighty power known.
9 — He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; so He led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
10 — He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 — The waters covered their enemies; there was not one of them left.
12 — Then they believed His words; they sang His praise. (NKJV)
This is a psalm of sin, iniquity, forgetfulness, forgiveness and praise. It is interesting that it begins with a declaration of praise. To begin we must remember that praise is an act of the will. We choose to praise, and perhaps, this psalm might imply that the opposite of praise is forgetfulness. God’s love and mercy endure forever. Then there is the question, who can proclaim His mighty acts? Ponder that. Who can? Man cannot, for we cannot grasp nor adequately speak of His infinite being, but we can praise Him in our own finiteness. He then speaks of righteousness and justice; “this inner purity brings inner joy and happiness” (Lawson).
“Forgetfulness brings disaster” (William Petersen) and that is what the psalmist wants us to remember and understand. When people begin to forget the acts of kindness of the Lord, they drift away from Him. God sends revival, He works miracles, He provides–then they again and again forget Him. That is one reason why we see the stories repeated over and over is that we forget. (Or maybe we don’t want to remember).
Israel, God’s chosen people, had a long history of rebellion against God. Verse 6 is translated by the NLT, “Both we and our ancestors have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!” Repentance must come, for God cannot bless sin. God provided so much in the way of plagues to the enemies of Israel, and did so many miracles to aid Israel, yet still–they forgot. That is why we must remember! Charles H. Spurgeon said, “We inherit from our fathers much sin and little wisdom. They could only leave us what they themselves possessed. The sin of the understanding leads on to the sin of the memory. What is not understood will soon be forgotten.” That is why a legacy of godliness is so important so that we can continue to tell the story of God’s love, power, and mercy.
“I will tell the wondrous story,
How, my lost estate to save,
In his boundless love and mercy
He the ransom freely gave.”
–Philip P. Bliss