READING: Psalms 105-106, 1 Corinthians 3
“Let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ Hallelujah!”
Psalm 106:48
Have you ever wondered why the Lord continues to love you? I think about my many sins in life, and I can’t help but be amazed that God tolerates me at all. Then, I read passages like Psalm 106, and I’m even more amazed by God’s grace. That psalm reads almost like a Shakespearean tragedy – failure after failure after failure, rebellion after rebellion after rebellion of the Hebrews toward their God. Listen to just some of the statements found in this psalm:
- “They soon forgot His works and would not wait for His counsel.” (Psalm 106:13)
- “They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt. . .” (Psalm 106:21)
- “They grumbled in their tents and did not listen to the Lord’s voice.” (Psalm 106:25)
- “They aligned themselves with Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.” (Psalm 106:28)
- “They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.” (Psalm 106:36-37)
I read these statements (and others not included here), and it would make sense to me if God had permanently turned His back on His people. He did, of course, grow angry with them and turn them over to the nations for some time. He allowed them to suffer oppression at the hands of others. Still, though, He never forgot His commitment to them; instead, He “remembered His covenant with them, and relented according to the riches of His faithful love” (Psalm 106:45). They forgot their Savior, but He did not forget them. So, it’s not surprising that this psalm opens and closes with words of praise, beginning with, “Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever” (Psalm 106:1) and ending with, “May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ Hallelujah!” (Psalm 106:48).
Hallelujah, indeed. God is good.
ACTION STEPS:
- Consider how many times God has loved you when you’ve been unlovable – even when you’ve been rebellious.
- Praise Him for His persistent love.
PRAYER: “God, I praise You from everlasting to everlasting. Hallelujah!”
TOMORROW’S READING: Psalms 107-109, 1 Corinthians 4
