Scripture: Psalm 106:24-48
Then they despised the pleasant land;
they did not believe his promise.
25 They grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the Lord.
26 So he swore to them with uplifted hand
that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 make their descendants fall among the nations
and scatter them throughout the lands.
28 They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
29 they aroused the Lord’s anger by their wicked deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was checked.
31 This was credited to him as righteousness
for endless generations to come.
32 By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord,
and trouble came to Moses because of them;
33 for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
and rash words came from Moses’ lips.[a]
34 They did not destroy the peoples
as the Lord had commanded them,
35 but they mingled with the nations
and adopted their customs.
36 They worshiped their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to false gods.
38 They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39 They defiled themselves by what they did;
by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
40 Therefore the Lord was angry with his people
and abhorred his inheritance.
41 He gave them into the hands of the nations,
and their foes ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them
and subjected them to their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they were bent on rebellion
and they wasted away in their sin.
44 Yet he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant
and out of his great love he relented.
46 He caused all who held them captive
to show them mercy.
47 Save us, Lord our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord. (NIV)
Observation:
“Many times he rescued them, but they kept rebelling and wasting away in their sin. Still, he noticed their trouble when he heard their cry; for their sake, he remembered his covenant and, out of his great love, showed mercy. He even caused their captors to treat them kindly.” (Psalm 106:43-46) The nation of Israel, though God’s chosen people, often strayed from his teachings. Yet God always stayed true to his covenant.
Application:
My father always told me to learn from my own mistakes, but even more importantly, from the mistakes of others. So why is it that we, as God’s people, don’t feel driven to follow the Lord’s instructions? Do we sometimes take advantage of the grace God has given us, thinking we don’t need to obey His commands? As recipients of His grace and love, we should be eager to please God with our lives by following His will and His way.
Prayer:
O Lord our God, forgive us as Your people for falling short of Your best intentions for our lives. By the power of Your grace and the presence of Your Holy Spirit, help us to fully embrace Your instructions so that we may follow Your laws and decrees. Teach us to love You with all our hearts, minds, and souls, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, that they may come to know You through us. Amen.