In Psalm 106, David recounts the history of Israel. And it isn’t a very positive one. It recounts how time and again, Israel turned their backs on God. In many ways, it also reflects our lives.
1. They rebelled against him (Psalm 106:6-7). This is one of the main themes of this psalm. That they willfully chose to rebel. One of the main reasons was their short memory.
Time and again, they saw God do incredible wonders for them. Time and again, these wonders would slip from their minds whenever adversity came. As a result, they sinned time and again.
How often do we do the same? We forget all the things God did for us, and as a result, when adversity comes, we start complaining against God, blaming him for our troubles, and then decide to do things our own way.
2. They gave in to the lusts of their flesh (14). Usually, we think of lust as sexual in nature, but in this case, they were lusting after meat. They got it, but a plague followed thereafter.
In the same way, when we follow after our flesh, it will destroy us eventually. Whether it’s STDs, diabetes, heart attacks, whatever it may be. We may get what we lust for, but it often leads to a lot of pain, and eventually death.
3. They exchanged their worship of God for other things, and yoked themselves to them (19-20, 28). We too often turn our backs on God and start worshiping other things. And I’m not merely talking about other “gods.”
Nowadays, we worship sex, money, TV, video games, our hobbies.
Anything that we put before God, that’s our god. We yoke ourselves to them, and they keep us from following wholeheartedly after God. And often times, they pull us away from him.
4. They despised the good things God had for them, not believing his promises (24-27). As a result, they grumbled against him, and never did receive the good things God intended for them.
How often do we do the same? We see in God’s word all the good things he has planned for us, and yet we don’t believe that God will keep his promises. And so we disobey his word and as a result, lose the things God had intended for us.
5. They conformed to the world, becoming like the peoples around them, taking on their values and morals (34-39).
Many Christians today do the same. Rather than making an impact on the world around them, they conform their values to the values of the people around them, doing things that God hates.
Yet in the midst of all this, you still see God’s mercy. Time and again, in the midst of troubles of their own making, God reached down and delivered them when they cried out to him.
And he does the same with us. No matter how far we have fallen, no matter what we’ve done, if we’ll turn to him in repentance, he will forgive.
And so David writes at the end of this psalm,
Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, “Amen!”Praise the LORD. (47-48)
Lord, I have sinned. So many times, I fail to appreciate all you’ve done for me. So many times I fail to believe your promises, and so I end up disobeying you doing things my own way.
Too often I cling to the idols in my life and chase after my lusts. And too many times, I conform to the pattern of this world rather than letting myself be transformed by the renewing of my mind. Forgive me. Change me.
I thank you for your mercy towards me. Help me each day to become more like you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 