Psalm 106: Israel’s Sin and God’s Mercy

106:1 Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, and his loyal love endures! 106:2 Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts, or relate all his praiseworthy deeds? 106:3 How blessed are those who promote justice, and do what is right all the time! 106:4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people! Pay attention to me, when you deliver, 106:5 so I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, rejoice along with your nation, and boast along with the people who belong to you. 106:6 We have sinned like our ancestors; we have done wrong, we have done evil. 106:7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds, they failed to remember your many acts of loyal love, and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea. 106:8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation, that he might reveal his power. 106:9 He shouted at the Red Sea and it dried up; he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert. 106:10 He delivered them from the power of the one who hated them, and rescued them from the power of the enemy. 106:11 The water covered their enemies; not even one of them survived. 106:12 They believed his promises; they sang praises to him. 106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; they did not wait for his instructions. 106:14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving for meat; they challenged God in the desert. 106:15 He granted their request, then struck them with a disease. 106:16 In the camp they resented Moses, and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. 106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it engulfed the group led by Abiram. 106:18 Fire burned their group; the flames scorched the wicked. 106:19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb, and worshiped a metal idol. 106:20 They traded their majestic God for the image of an ox that eats grass. 106:21 They rejected the God who delivered them, the one who performed great deeds in Egypt, 106:22 amazing feats in the land of Ham, mighty acts by the Red Sea. 106:23 He threatened to destroy them, but Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him and turned back his destructive anger. 106:24 They rejected the fruitful land; they did not believe his promise. 106:25 They grumbled in their tents; they did not obey the Lord. 106:26 So he made a solemn vow that he would make them die in the desert, 106:27 make their descendants die among the nations, and scatter them among foreign lands. 106:28 They worshiped Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. 106:29 They made the Lord angry by their actions, and a plague broke out among them. 106:30 Phinehas took a stand and intervened, and the plague subsided. 106:31 This brought him a reward, an eternal gift. 106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah, and Moses suffered because of them, 106:33 for they aroused his temper, and he spoke rashly. 106:34 They did not destroy the nations, as the Lord had commanded them to do. 106:35 They mixed in with the nations and learned their ways. 106:36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. 106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. 106:38 They shed innocent blood – the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land was polluted by bloodshed. 106:39 They were defiled by their deeds, and unfaithful in their actions. 106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people and despised the people who belong to him. 106:41 He handed them over to the nations, and those who hated them ruled over them. 106:42 Their enemies oppressed them; they were subject to their authority. 106:43 Many times he delivered them, but they had a rebellious attitude, and degraded themselves by their sin. 106:44 Yet he took notice of their distress, when he heard their cry for help. 106:45 He remembered his covenant with them, and relented because of his great loyal love. 106:46 He caused all their conquerors to have pity on them. 106:47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God! Gather us from among the nations! Then we will give thanks to your holy name, and boast about your praiseworthy deeds. 106:48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise, in the future and forevermore. Let all the people say, “We agree! Praise the Lord!” Book 5(Psalms 107-150) Psalm 107

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Psalm 106 praises the Lord for his enduring love, then confesses Israel’s long record of rebellion. The people forgot God’s works, resisted his word, worshiped idols, and suffered judgment. Yet God repeatedly heard their cry, remembered his covenant, and delivered them. The psalm ends with a plea for God to gather his people and with praise to the Lord forever.

This psalm begins with praise, but it quickly becomes a confession of sin. The writer says no one can fully tell the Lord’s mighty deeds, and he blesses those who do what is right. Then he joins himself with Israel’s guilt and asks God to remember him when he shows favor to his people.

The rest of the psalm reviews Israel’s history as a pattern of repeated failure. The fathers in Egypt did not value God’s works or remember his loyal love. At the Red Sea, God saved them for his own name’s sake. In the wilderness, they forgot his works, craved meat, tested him, and angered him. They rebelled against Moses and Aaron. They made a calf at Horeb and worshiped an idol instead of the living God. They rejected the land he had promised, grumbled, and did not obey. Later, they joined themselves to false worship, even to the point of child sacrifice.

The psalm does not hide the seriousness of this sin. God judged his people, handed them over to their enemies, and scattered them. But he also showed mercy. Moses interceded. Phinehas took a stand and the plague stopped. Again and again, God delivered them. The deepest truth of the psalm is found near the end: God looked on their distress, heard their cry, remembered his covenant, and relented because of his great loyal love.

The final prayer asks the Lord to gather his people from among the nations. Then the psalm returns to praise. The message is clear: God is holy, sin is serious, judgment is real, and mercy comes from God’s own covenant love. The proper response is humble repentance, thankful praise, and a plea for God’s restoring help.

• The Lord is good, and his loyal love endures forever.
• No one can fully recount the Lord’s mighty acts.
• Israel’s history is marked by repeated sin, forgetfulness, and rebellion.
• God judged his people for their sin.
• God delivered them many times for his name’s sake and because of his covenant love.
• Moses and Phinehas served as intercessors in moments of judgment.
• The people’s sins included idolatry, grumbling, unbelief, and unfaithfulness.
• God heard their cry, remembered his covenant, and relented because of his great loyal love.
• The psalm ends with a plea for God to gather his people and with praise to the Lord.
• Corporate confession is fitting for God’s people.

• Praise the Lord and give thanks because he is good.
• Remember that God’s people are called to do what is right.
• Do not forget God’s works or rebel against his word.
• Do not make idols or trade the living God for false worship.
• Do not grumble, test God, or reject his promise.
• Do not mix with the nations in a way that leads to sin.
• Call on the Lord for mercy, because he hears the cry of his people.
• Trust God’s covenant love rather than human merit.
• Pray for God to gather and restore his people.

Psalm 106 shows a repeated pattern in Israel’s history: sin, judgment, intercession, and mercy. It stands within the Mosaic covenant and explains why exile and dispersion happened. It also shows that God’s covenant love is the ground of hope for restoration. The psalm prepares the reader to see the need for a greater and more final saving work from God.

Believers should confess sin honestly, including sins shared by the whole people of God. They should remember that seeing God’s works is not the same as obeying his word. This psalm warns against idolatry, grumbling, compromise, and unbelief. It also gives hope: when God’s people cry to him in distress, he hears, remembers his covenant, and acts in mercy.

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