We have Sinned
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| “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!” ~ Ps. 106:1 |
The cause for thanks is always the good character of God.
Psalm 106 has elements of a lament and a hymn, reciting the rebellion of Israel Israel
Matthew Henry notes:
We must give glory to God by making confession, not only of His goodness but our own badness. Psalm 106 is a history of God’s goodness to, a history of their rebellions and provocations, and yet it beings & ends with Hallelujah, for even sorrow for sin must not put us out of tune for praising God. Israel
Verse 6 is a great example of confession – it is true ownership of sin! No excuses, no covering it up – just humble repentance – “I have sinned.”
How well do you own your sin and acknowledge it before God?
We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity
We have done wickedly.
~ Ps. 10:6
Psalm 106 is a beautiful expression of God’s faithfulness to His covenant with His people in spite of themselves, and of His lovingkindness to those who cry to Him:
Nevertheless, He saved them for His name’s sake,
That He might make His mighty power known. V. 8
He regarded their affliction when He heard their cry;
And for their sake He remembered His covenant v. 44-45
Matthew Henry:
God brought His judgment upon them, and what else could be expected. This is the worst thing in sin – that it makes us loathsome to God.
Those that will not by repentance humble themselves are justly debased. They were chastened for their sins, but not destroyed; cast down, but not cast off. God heard their cry with tender compassion. Bad as they were, He would not break with them, because he would not break His own promise (just as we saw in yesterday’s Psalm 105)!
This doxology marks the close of the fourth book of Psalms. Each of the 5 books of the Psalms ends in a similar way.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!
WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:
- The Lord is good
- His mercy endures forever
- He does righteousness at all times
- The Lord deals with favor towards His people, for His name’s sake
- God brings consequences for sin
- God remembers His covenant with His people
- God hears the cry of His people
HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:
- I bless the Lord that He is a forgiving God – that He bears with me in my sin. He allows consequences, but will not allow me to be ultimately destroyed
- I praise the Lord that He hears my cry
- I praise the Lord for His faithfulness to the generations of His people . . . from days of old to today
PRAYER:
Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You have toward Your people. How I bless You that You have visited me with Your salvation – that You made me spiritually alive, that You took my heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh. As this Easter season approaches and I contemplate anew the price of the cross, my heart blesses You once again for the gift of Your Son and His righteousness in place of my filth and sin. Thank You that I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, and glory with Your inheritance! You saved me for Your name’s sake. I pray that You would bring each member of my family to saving faith as well – those today, and future generations.
O Lord, I pray that You would guard my heart and mind from forgetfulness – that I would not forget You or turn from Your ways. Forgive me when I complain, when I am complacent, when I sin against You. I bless You that You regard me according to the multitude of Your mercies, and I plead for Your mercy in my life and in the lives of those I love. Save us, O Lord our God – to give thanks to Your holy name, and to triumph in Your praise.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
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