READING: Psalms 105-106
The people of God in the Old Testament often forgot God and what He had done for them. It surely wasn’t that they literally forgot, but they instead moved in illegitimate directions and ignored all God had done for them in the past. They chased after immediate “gods” in the present-tense context of pagan religions, neglected all God had provided them in the past, and failed to consider what those decisions would mean for them in the future. The psalmist, in fact, described them this way in today’s reading:
- “Our ancestors in Egypt did not grasp the significance of your wondrous works or remember your many acts of faithful love; instead, they rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.” (Psa 106:7)
- “They soon forgot his works and would not wait for his counsel.” (Psa 106:13)
- “They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, awe-inspiring acts at the Red Sea.” (Psa 106:21-22)
God even “rescued them many times, but they continued to rebel deliberately and were beaten down by their iniquity” (Psa 106:43). They would have had no hope for the future were it not for this gracious truth: God “heard their cry,” “took note of their distress,” “remembered his covenant with them,” and “relented according to the abundanceof his faithful love” (Psa 106:44-45). Their sins were numerous, but His love was even more abundant. He remembers His covenant.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: How much do you appreciate the depth of God’s love for you?
DAILY PRAYER: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting (Psa 106:48). Amen.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Psalms 107, 111-114
