Psalms 106:24

Psalms 106:24 says, Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:  After God had given the people of Israej a pleasant land, they despised it and did not believe His word.  When God blesses us with something good, we cannot afford to despise it and not believe in His word because we want more or something different. Verse twenty-five adds, But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.  We, as followers of Christ, often murmur about life and fail to listen to God's voice.  Verse twenty-six states, Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness: God did not let them continue to complain and not listen without consequences.  They were still His chosen people, but they lost some of the benefits of being so.  As Christians, we are forever God's people, but if we fail to listen to Him and murmur against Him, we may suffer consequences from our lack of faith or obedience.  Verse twenty-seven adds, To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.  The people of Isreal were scattered into other nations after they were defeated militarily.  They were not successful by their own power, but by the power of God.  We as followers of Christ are not successful by our own power, but by the power of God.  Verse twenty-eight declares, They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.  The people of Israel worshipped other gods and participated in their religious practices.  We cannot allow anything to become a source of worship today other than Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.  Because of their inventions of other gods, a plague broke out on the people of Israel.  Verse thirty says, Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed.  Phinehas stood up and executed the judgment of God, and the plague was stayed.  We need to be like Phinehas today and stand up against anything that is contrary to God's word.  Verse thirty-one continues, And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.  When Phinehas took a stand for God, it was counted for righteousness to him forevermore.  When we put our faith in Jesus Christ it is counted as righteousness to us forevermore, and we should always stand for Him.  Verse thirty-two states, They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:  The murmuring of the people caused Moses to act in anger and this led to him being denied entrance into the promised land.  We cannot allow the actions of others to cause us to act in ways that would not be in accordance with God's will, even though if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord we will always be granted access to rhe promised land, or heaven, itself.  Verse thirty-three adds, Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.  When Moses' spirit was provoked, he spoke unadvisedly, which is why we are told to always control our tongue.  Verse thirty-four says, They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:  The people of Isreal did not destroy the people in the land who worshipped other gods as God had instructed them to do.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we must destroy all other idols in our life. Verse thirty-five adds, But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.  Instead of destroying the people in the land that God gave them, the people of Israel intermingled with them and learned their ways.  We cannot intermingle our relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ with any other religious practices.  Verse thirty-six continues, And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.  The people of Israel, God's chosen people, worshipped idols and it was a snare to them, as it will be for us as Christians today if we allow it to happen.  Verse thirty-seven states, Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,  The people of Israel even got so far away from God's teachings that they sacrificed their sons and daughters to devils.  Today, many people sacrifice their unborn sons and daughters to the God of pleasure or self desires, and claim that it is not against God's law, but they will one day find out how wrong they are.  Verse thirty-eight adds, 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.  We pollute the land today when we sacrifice our sons and daughters, even the unborn ones, to any god.

Psalms 106:13

Psalms 106:13 says, They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:  Even though God delivered the people of Israel from Egypt with a lot of riches, they soon forget what He had done for them.  We as followers of Christ who are made spiritually rich by God must never forget that fact.  Verse fourteen adds, But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.  The people lustted after more than God was providing them with, and we may too often do the same thing.  They tempted God's patience, and so will we if we lust after the things ofvthe world and are not satisfied with His provision for us.  Verse fifteen continues, And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.  God gave them what they wanted physically, but that lead to a leanness of the soul.  God may bless us with material things because of our lust for them, but this may also bring a leanness to our soul.  Verse sixteen states, They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.  The rest of the people became envious of Moses and Aaron, God's chosen leader and spokesman.  We cannot afford to become envious of those who are called to be God's ministers today, nor of anyone else in some position within the church.  Verse seventeen adds, The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.  This was a reminder of what happened in the past to those who attempted to take over the government God had put in place.  The earth swallowed them up.  Verse eighteen continues, And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.  Those that followed them in their rebellion were consumed by fire. We need to realize that as followers of Christ there are still consequences if we start to chase after the things of this world instead of being content to follow God.  We do not lose our salvation, but all our works may be burned up when God's judgment comes.  Verse nineteen declares, They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.  The people of Israel, God's chosen people, made a golden calf to worship.  We cannot allow anything to become something that we worship more than God.  Verse twenty adds, Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.  When the people of Israel worshipped the golden calf, they changed themselves from people living under the glory of God to nothing more spiritually than an ox themselves.  Verse twenty-one continues, They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;  God was their Savior Who had done great things in Egypt to secure their freedom, and they forgot Him.  As followers of Christ, we cannot forget our Savior and the great work that God did to enable us to be freed from the power of sin.  Verse twenty-two concludes, Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.  Once more, the people of Israel were reminded of what God did for them when bringing them out of Egypt.  We should always remember and share with others what God has done for us by providing us with the free gift of salvation, if we should choose to accept it.  Verse twenty-three states, 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.  God determined to destroy them all, but Moses stood in the breach to earnestly pray to God that He wouldn't, and the people were saved from God's immediate destruction.  We need to be willing to stand in the gap before God today and pray that He does not destroy all the lost people of the world.  This is what is going to happen when Christ returns, and I believe that we too often are wanting this more than we want them to come to Christ for salvation. 

Psalms 106:1

Psalms 106:1 says, Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.  David called on the people of Israel to give thanks to God because He is good and His mercy endures forever.  As Christians, we should do the same.  Verse two asks, Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?  We really are incapable of telling everything that God has done.  What we can do though is tell people of His gospel message.  Verse three adds, Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.  We may not be able to tell of all that God has done, but as followers of Christ we can keep God's commandments and live under the righteousness of Christ.  Verse four states, Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;  Like David, we want God to remember us and visit us with His salvation.  Otherwise, nothing else matters.  Verse five adds, 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.  Only if we have accepted salvation by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord can we rejoice with other Christians, those who make up God's nation.  Verse six continues, We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.  Like David said then, we are all guilty of sin and have done wickedly in the sight of God.  Verse seven says, 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.  David said that the older people of Israel had forgotten God's deliverance of them from Egypt.  We as followers of Christ cannot forget His deliverance of us from the power of sin and death, and we cannot stop sharing the gospel, otherwise it will not be shared.  Verse eight adds, Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.  God saved the people of Israel for a purpose, and that was so that they could make His name known in the world.  God saves us for a purpose as well, and not just for our benefit alone.  We as Christians have a responsibility to make the gospel known to the world, as well as the greatness of God.  Verse nine continues, He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.  David reminded the people of Israel about what God had done to deliver them from Egypt, and we as followers of Christ must always remember and share with others what God has done by granting us salvation.  Verse ten declares, And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.  God saved the people of Israel from all their enemies, just as He does for us spiritually today.  Nothing can ever separate us from God's goodness but a lack of faith on our part.  Verse eleven adds, And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.  The enemies of Israel when they left Egypt were drowned by God.  Some people say that it wasn't really a sea that the people of Israel departed Egypt through, but a marshy area, but it would be an even greater miracle if the Egptian army drowned in a marshy area.  We need to learn to simply accept God's word without any attempt to explain His miraculous works as anything less.  Verse twelve continues, Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.  David said that after God delivered them from Egypt that the people of Israel believed His word, and as followers of Christ, delivered by our faith in Him, we must believe the word of God. 

 I will pause from Psalms today to wish everyone a happy New Year.  We cannot know what the new year holds in store for us, but we can be certain Who holds the new year, and that is God.  Whatever last year brought, both good and bad, is now gone, so we need to let go of it as we move into a new year, hopefully with hope and not despair.  Some things seem to be about the same, like the pandemic, some seem worse, like the supply chain, but God is still in charge of the ultimate outcome.  As followers of Christ, we need to choose to rejoice in the Lord everyday, no matter what that day brings.  God has a purpose for us as Christians, so let's not get so caught up in the world and its problems that we forget that fact.  Happy New Year, and to God be the glory.

Psalms 105:25

Psalms 105:25 says, He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtily with his servants.  This seems to imply that the people of Egypt had no choice but to deal badly with the people of Israel, but I believe that God always gives people a choice, otherwise they could not be held accountable for their actions.  Verse twenty-six states, He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.  God sent Moses and Aaron then to free His people physically from Egypt, but the good news is that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to free all people from sin spiritually for all time if they accept Him as their Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-seven adds, They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.  Moses and Aaron showed the signs of God to the people of Egypt. We are to show the sign of the cross to the people of the world today.  Verse twenty-eight says, He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word.  The next few verses simply tell of the plagues that God brought on Egypt. Verse twenty-nine adds, He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.  Verse thirty continues, Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings. Verse thirty-one continues still, He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.  Again, this is just a recounting of the plagues God sent against Egypt, which continued to get more devastating.  Verse thirty-two states, He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.  Verse thirty-three adds, He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts.  Verse thirty-four continues, He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,  God did not need an army or even the angels to accomplish His will, but did so with simply His word, which brought forth locusts and caterpillers, and He can still do so today.  Of course, God's ultimate will is not the destruction of people, but their redemption, and He made this possible by the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ.  Verse thirty-five says, And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.  Verse thirty-six declares, He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.  This was the ultimate plague that finally caused Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go.  The sacrifice of the first born, only begotten Son of God gives us freedom from sin and its power today if we only accept it.  Just as God worked miracles to free the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt, He has worked the ultimate miracle through His Son Jesus Christ to free anyone who accepts Him as their personal Savior and Lord from the bondage of sin today.

Psalms 105:37

Psalms 105:37 says, He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.  God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt wealthy and healthy.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are brought out of the world of bondage to sin spiritually wealthy and healthy.  Verse thirty-eight adds, Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.  The people of Egypt not only let the people of Isreal go, but they were glad they left,  because they feared God.  The Pharoah might not have wanted them to leave, but the people did, because they were afraid.  Verse thirty-nine states, He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.  God didn't just get the people of Israel out of Egypt and the absndon them, but He proved guidance for them as well.  Got not only delivers us from the power of sin, but He provides guidance for us each day.  Verse forty adds, The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.  God provided for the needs of the people of Isreal, had delivered them with riches out of Egypt, and  still they complained.  God has delivered us to the riches of everlasting life, yet we often complain.  Verse forty-one continues, He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.  God also provided them with plenty of water, and for Christians today, He provides us with the Bread of Life and the Living Water, Jesus Christ.  Verse forty-two declares, For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.  Just as God remembered His promises to Abraham then, He remembers His promises today.  God never forgot His part of the covenant with Abraham, and He never will forget His covenant relationship with us if we are followers of Christ today.  Verse forty-three adds, And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:  We are a part of God's chosen people as Christians, and we should go forth with joy.  Verse forty-four continues, And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;  Even if God never gives us a land in this world,  He has given us much greater, and that is a heavenly home.  Verse forty five concludes, That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws.  Praise ye the LORD.  God gave the people of Israel a land where His laws would be put first, and so He does with us today.  Like them, we should give all our praise to God.

Psalms 105:13

Psalms 105:13 says, When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people;  The people of Israel at times found themselves in another land.. Verse fourteen adds, He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;  Even if they were in another land, whether by choice as Egypt or in defeat militarily as by the Philistines, God was still their protector.  No matter where we find ourselves today, even if we are in a land where we are persecuted, God will not allow us to come to any harm spiritually.  Verse fifteen continues, Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.  God warned those in power over the people of Israel not to harm them, and He gives the same warning to everyaone today.  Though we may not live to see it, those who harm Christians will one day be held accountable by God when His final judgment comes.  Verse sixteen declares, Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.  God caused a famine to come on the world, even the land of Canaan.  Those who are supposed to be God's people are not exempt from His judgment if they stray away from Him in this lifetime.  Verse seventeen adds, He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:  Still, even during the famine God had provided a away for the people of Israel to be fed by Joseph's work in Egypt.  God will always provide a way for His people.  Verse eighteen continues,Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:  At one time it would not have looked as though Joseph would have been in a position to save the people of Isreal, since he was imprisoned himself.  We cannot allow our situation to keep us from serving God, even when we may feel that there is no hope.  Verse nineteen states, Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.  When God's timing was right, His word came to Joseph.  We need to be ready when God's timing is right to do whatever He leads us to do as followers of Christ, no matter our circumstances at the time.  Joseph could have simply given up on God when he was imprisoned, but he didn't.  Verse twenty adds, The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.  After Joseph had almost given up hope, the king of Egypt sent for him, and after Joseph interpreted his dreams by the power of God, he was set free and made a ruler over the people of Egypt.  We may never be a ruler over people today as Christians, but God has set us free from the power of sin.  Verse twenty-one continues, He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:  Joseph became the second most powerful man in Egypt. When God sets us free by accepting salvation provided by Jesus Christ, He alone is the authority in our life.  Verse twenty-two concludes, To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.  Joseph not only had authority over the princes, but he was to teach them wisdom, which can only come from God.  Verse twenty-three says, Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.  The people of Israel, upon learning who Joseph was, came to Egypt.  Likewise, if we are to find salvation today we must come to Jesus Christ by faith upon learning Who He is.  Otherwise, we will remain in a spiritual famine, doomed to one day go away  to everlasting punishment.   Verse twenty-four adds, And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their  enemies. Though we could read this as Joseph increasing the people of Israel, it was God working through Joseph Who did it.  We as followers of Christ do not increase the kingdom of God, but God working through us does.