Outline of Chapter 106:

       vv.    1–5        The Psalmist Praises God

       vv.    6–12      Israel of the Generation of the Psalmist, Sins Like Israel at the Sea of Reeds

       vv.   13–15      A Summary of the Failures of Gen X; the Sin of their Craving for Meat

       vv.   16–18      The Sin of Dathan and Abiram

       vv.   19–23      The Sin of the Golden Calf

       vv.   24–27      The Sin of Not Taking the Land of Promise

       vv.   28–31      The Sin of Israel’s Worship of Baal-Peor

       vv.   32–33      The Sin of Meribah

       vv.   34–39      The Sin of Heinous Idolatry

       vv.   40–46      God Gave Israel into the Hand of Their Enemies and Then He Delivered Them

       vv.   47–48      The Exiled Psalmist Calls for God’s Deliverance

Charts and Maps:

       Introduction    The Varied Purposes of the Historic Psalms

       Introduction    Barnes’ Outline

       v.      6           The Eight Failures of Israel as Recorded by the Psalmist

       v.      7           Which Aspects of God were Revealed by His Miracles?

       v.      7           Exodus 14:5–31 World English Bible

       v.      9           Examples of God’s Authority over the Natural Elements

       v.      9           Psalm 18:5–19 (WEB)

       v.     12           Exodus 15:1–19 (World English Bible)

       v.     13           Some Examples of Israel’s Reactions to Testing

       v.     15           Selection Portions of Numbers 11:1–35 (World English Bible Translation)

       v.     15           Psalm 78:26–33 (World English Bible)

       v.     17           Numbers 16:1–40 (World English Bible Translation)

       v.     19           Apis, the Egyptian God

       v.     19           Exodus 32:1–6 (World English Bible Text)

       v.     22           A Brief Look at the Four Sons of Ham

       v.     23           Exodus 32:9–14 (World English Bible Text)

       v.     26           Num. 14:1–38 (World English Bible Translation)

       v.     27           Leviticus 26:27, 32–34 (World English Bible Translation)

       v.     28           Numbers 25:1–9 (World English Bible)

       v.     32           Numbers 20:2–13 (World English Bible Version)

       v.     32           All of Israel’s Failures in the Desert-Wilderness; God’s Grace and/or Discipline

       v.     32           Why Did Moses Receive the Brunt of God’s Anger at the Waters of Meribah?

       v.     34           Judges 1:21–36 (World English Bible Translation)

I ntroduction: Psalm 106 is an overview of the failures of Israel, despite of God’s tremendous grace. Primarily, the psalmist concentrates on the record of Moses (Exodus through Deuteronomy). This particular psalm is often associated with Psalms 78, 81 and 105, which are also historic treatises. This is the final psalm of book 4 of the psalms. Each book of the five sections of psalms can only be grouped together by topic in the most general term; book 4 are the Psalms of Praise.

Interestingly enough, it appears as though the author is from the dispersion (although it is not clear which one and during which time period). My guess is that this psalmist came from the southern kingdom and was a part of the second dispersion. He knows the many sins that Israel committed while in the desert-wilderness. His Old Testament knowledge suggests that this psalmist, even while in exile, had access to the Holy Scriptures (which is in keeping with what we know about the exiled southern kingdom). This is because it appears that he knows what he knows by study, and not by being taught a few Bible stories by his elders. Just like Psalm 105, it appeared as though the psalmist studied the books of Moses, and then was inspired to write this psalm.

Psalms 104–106 appear to form a trilogy; the first deals with God’s intelligent creation; the second with God’s provision for Israel; and the third, Israel’s failure and God’s grace. The latter two psalms appear to be the result of studying the writings of Moses. The first psalm, although an ode to God’s creation, is not nearly as dependent upon a knowledge of the book of Genesis. However, since Psalm 105 occurs in part in I Chron. 16, we would assume that it had been written around that time or prior to (since it is read during the time of David and Asaph). Psalm 106 appears to have been written a lot later, as has been discussed. Another possibility is that the writer of this psalm took the psalm found in I Chron. 16 and added to it, and then wrote this psalm as a companion psalm.

My feeling is that this psalmist is justifying the present condition of the Jews as an exiled people. In v. 6, he writes, We have sinned like our fathers... and then goes on to describe how the Jews of the exodus sinned against God in their faithlessness and their idolatry. At the end of the psalm, the writer pleads Deliver us, O Jehovah, our Elohim, and gather us from among the nations. I think that these two verses taken together pretty clearly indicate that this is a psalm written from the exile, with a tri-fold purpose: (1) to acknowledge the sin of Israel which brought them to the exile; (2) to give a history of Israel’s failures during the exodus, to indicate that this is a pattern of Israel; and (3) to plead with God to return them to the land. The overall key to this is that the psalmist knows that Israel has sinned; he knows that they are under discipline; and he knows that God is putting the screws to them as He has in the past. However, he also knows that God has delivered Israel in the past, and he is asking for God to do the same once again for his generation.

There are some topics which I spend time with which may not appear, at first, to have any bearing on the actual exegesis of a particular chapter or psalm. For instance, in this psalm and the previous psalm, I spent no little time discussing the authorship, and the time and circumstance of the author. What this does is add another dimension to this psalm; it gives a greater depth of understanding to what the author is saying and why he is expressing these things. Furthermore, when we see this man in chains, possibly separated from his family, taken out of his own home, removed from his homeland in chains, and taken to a inhospitable environment, then we develop a much greater appreciation for his composition. In other words, this is not some flaccid piety spouted by some Levite while sitting overlooking a vineyard on a cool, sunny day, but this comes from the heart of a man who is, for all intents and purposes, unjustly grouped with a rebellious Israel; a man who accepts their punishment which is also applied to him, despite the fact that he probably had nothing to do with the actions that brought Israel to this place of woe.

The Psalmist Praises God

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       We will celebrate and praise you, Lord!

You are good to us, and your love never fails.

God’s Word™                         Hallelujah!

Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,

because his mercy endures forever.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Hallelujah.

Praise the Lord for He is good;

His steadfast love is eternal.

NASB                                    Praise the Lord! [or, Hallelujah!]

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

NLT                                Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

The Septuagint                                                         Alleluia!

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy [is] forever.

Young's Literal Translation    Praise ye Jah, give thanks to Jehovah,

For good, for to the age, is His kindness.

What is the gist of this verse? Hallelujah appears to be a title; better yet, this phrase functions as bookends for this psalm, as it is found at the end as well. God is given thanks for His goodness and because His grace is forever.

Translation: Hallelujah! Or, Praise God! As several translations have indicated, this is not really a line of poetry, but a title or half of a bookend. This would make this psalm one of the hallelujah psalms. This seems to be connected to the previous psalm, which ends with Hallelujah! Both psalms possess very similar themes.

Translation: Give thanks to Y^ehowah for [He is] good;... Good is a masculine singular noun and has to refer back to someone or something. It is more logical for it to refer to God, which is from whence we have inserted He is.

The divisions found in Scripture are sometimes hard to fathom. This marks the end of book 4; however, the psalms on both sides of Psalm 106 begin with, Give thanks to Y^ehowah,... (Psalm 105:1a 107:1a). And, apart from the Hallelujah! found in this psalm, Psalm 106:1 and 107:1 are identical. The implication is that these three psalms are possibly associated in some way or another with each other (written by the same author during roughly the same time; or one psalm inspired the next psalm). We have a similar phrase found in Psalm 100:4b–5: Give thanks to Him; bless His name, for Jehovah is good; His graciousness is everlasting and His faithfulness [is] to all generations.

The psalmist describes what our feelings or response should be towards God. We should thank God because He is good. This seems to be a fairly elementary concept until one ponders the world and all of the suffering in the world. Everywhere that you look, there is pain and want, so to call God, the Creator of this World, good, is a theological jump. Add to this that the author had probably been taken from Jerusalem in the dispersion and that the Jews were now living outside their land under the control of another nation, and beginning a psalm as he does this one seems even more incongruous with his circumstances. However, the psalmist will back these words up with situation after situation where God’s grace and goodness was clearly revealed.

Translation: His grace [is] forever! One of the most important aspects of God’s character, insofar as we are concerned, is His grace. It is because of His grace that we survive and are blessed from day to day.

This particular verse is almost identical to I Chron. 16:34, which is a part of a psalm embedded in I Chronicles (which psalm is identical to the first part of Psalm 105). My thought is that the author of Psalm 106 studied both Exodus through Numbers and I Chron. 16, and was inspired to write this psalm, thus accounting for the similarities of the psalms. Whereas some of the themes and subject matter of the two psalms are similar, this second psalm seems to examine Israel’s failures in much greater detail, and then God’s grace is considered.

This particular phrase, like the previous one, appears religiously innocuous at first. God’s grace is forever! However, when the plight of the author is considered, this is a great expression of hope and faith. This author, having been taken from his home and from his country by an antagonistic enemy, looks back in this psalm at what God has done in the past on behalf of Israel—he looks back at Israel’s repeated failures and God’s tremendous grace and provision—and he declares, God’s grace is forever! As of the past few years, I have been under great pressure and have faced things which were exceedingly unfair. And, you know, the first thing on my mind was not God’s grace is forever! The first thing on my mind was, when are you going to strike these people dead, God? And yet the suffering and the disruption to my life was not even one-tenth the suffering and disruption that the psalmist faced. Yet he declares, God’s grace is forever! And this psalmist will not simply utter these words, seemingly in opposition to everything around him, but he will back up his faith and confidence with historical incidents which confirm his declaration.

One of the reasons I examine this psalm to determine who wrote it and when, is that such knowledge gives us greater appreciation for what the psalmist is saying. It’s one thing to live in great wealth and splendor and express appreciation for all that God has given you; it is quite another to lie in a hospital bed, your insides being alternately ravaged by cancer and chemotherapy, and to give thanks to God for His graciousness. Most people, placed in the circumstances of the psalmist, would be asking, “Where is God?” The psalmist not only knows that God is with Israel, but that God is good, deserving of praise, and that His grace is everlasting.

To continue your study of God’s grace, may I refer you to Psalm 136, which is a psalm all about God’s grace.

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       No one can praise you enough

For all of the mighty things you have done.

God’s Word™                         Who can speak about all the mighty things the Lord has done?

Who can announce all the things for which he is worth of praise?

JPS (Tanakh)                        Who can tell the mighty acts of the Lord,

Proclaim all His praises?

NASB                                    Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord,

Or can show forth all His praise?

NKJV                                     Who can utter [or, express] the mighty acts of the Lord?

Who can declare all His praise?

NLT                                Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?

Who can ever praise him half enough?

The Septuagint                      Who can tell the mighty acts of the Lord?

[Who] will cause all His praises to be heard?

Young's Updated LT              Who utters the mighty acts of Jehovah?

Sounding all His praise?

What is the gist of this verse? The psalmist rhetorically asks who can speak of the powerful works of Jehovah; who can praise Him enough?

Translation: Who speaks of the mighty deeds of Y^ehowah... This is a rhetorical question. God’s works are almost innumerable; there is no way that one person could name them. Barnes writes: Human language must fall immeasurably short of adequately expressing the praises of Jehovah, or conveying the fulness of what he has wrought. Who has not felt this when he has endeavoured to praise God in a proper manner? 

But even Barnes misses the full impact of these few words. Let me again take you to where the psalmist is—he is in exile, living away from his homeland. The people around him—his fellow exiles—don’t speak of God’s mighty works. They express no praise to God; they do not thank God. And they certainly do not speak of his great acts done on behalf of Israel. When you envision the psalmist where he is, deported from the homeland that he loves, surrounded by fellow exiles, then these words—Who speaks of the mighty deeds of Jehovah?—become more powerful and meaningful.

Translation: ...[and who] causes His every praise to be heard? Along with His innumerable works, the attendant praises would also be innumerable. The psalmist writes this in exile in Babylon, taken there in chains, every Jew around him having been deported from his home and homeland. No one is praising God for His greatness and His mercy. If anything, they are wondering if God still sees their plight; they wonder if God still hears them. And this psalmist writes, And who causes God’s every praise to be heard?

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       You bless those people who are honest and fair

In everything they do.

God’s Word™                         Blessed are those who defend justice

And do what is right at all times.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Happy are those who act justly,

Who do right at all times.

NASB                                    How blessed are those who keep justice [or, judgment],

Who practice righteousness at all times!

NLT                                Happy are those who deal justly with others

And always do what is right.

The Septuagint                      Blessed are they who keep judgment,

and do righteousness at all times.

Young's Literal Translation    O the happiness of those keeping judgment,

Doing righteousness at all times.

What is the gist of this verse? The idea is that when a person does that which is right and just, he will be happy.

Translation: Happiness to those observing justice... This is a general statement which, even though many of the precepts of Scripture are designed for believers, this is true of anyone. Barnes: The Hebrew is, "the keepers of judgment;" that is, they who observe the rules of justice in their conduct, or who are governed by the principles of integrity. When one is careful to do that which is just, the result in their life will be happiness and blessing. The Law of Moses carried many commands for Israel to exhibit justice: You will no injustice in judgment; you will not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly (Lev. 19:15). The prophets brought the same message to Israel: Therefore, return to your God. Observe loyalty and justice and wait for your God continually (Hosea 12:6).

Further, this line could also be taken as the flip side of the indictment of the generation which went into exile. God spoke through Ezekiel, a prophet during the exile, saying, "Yet your fellow citizens say, 'The way of Jehovah is not right' when it is their own way that is not right...O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways." (Ezek. 33:17, 20b). The generation taken into captivity was an unjust, wicked generation, deserving God's judgments. The psalmist will acknowledge this in v. 6.

Translation: ...[and blessings to] him doing righteousness all the time. We are faced daily with many decisions—sometimes hundreds of them—which are choices between right and wrong. For many of us, the actual choice is often between self-interest and doing that which is right. There are times when you must take the short end of the stick, because that is the right thing to do. However, when we choose to do that which is right, we tend to be much happier and we are generally blessed as well.

Partially paraphrasing from Barnes: This psalm is designed to illustrate this point by contrast. It shows that the disobedience of the Hebrew people resulted in great unhappiness, as God judged and punished them (this is true of both the generation described in this psalm as well as the generation of Israelites who were exiled from Judah, among whom was the psalmist). This verse implies what could have been, had Israel behaved as God mandated they behave.

It is with this verse that we get a better idea as to who this psalmist is.

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       Remember me, Lord, when you show kindness

by saving your people.

God’s Word™                         Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people.

Come to help me with your salvation.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Be mindful of me, O Lord, when You favor Your people;

take note of me when You deliver them,...

NASB                                    Remember me, O Old Testament, in Thy favor toward Thy people;

Visit me with Thy salvation.

NLT                                Remember me, too, Lord, when you show favor to your people;

come to me with your salvation.

The Septuagint                      Remember us, O Lord, with the favor of Your people;

Visit us with Your salvation;...

Young's Updated LT              Remember me, O Jehovah,

With the favor of Your people,

Look after me in Your salvation.

What is the gist of this verse? The psalmist recognizes God’s grace to His own people. The psalmist calls upon God to remember him when He shows grace to His people. He asks God to include him when God delivers (or saves) His people.

Translation: Remember me, O Y^ehowah, [when You show] grace to Your people;... The psalmist is not basing this upon his own inherent goodness. He simply asks for God to remember him when God shows grace or favor to His own people. A parallel passage is to be found in Psalm 25:6: Remember, O Jehovah, Your compassion and your graciousness; for they have existed since eternity past.

The psalmist writes at a time when few if any miracles have been observed. The great acts of God seem to be in the past. God's direct involvement with Israel's salvation seems to be found only in the pages of history. However, this psalmist recognizes that God is still there and that Israel still belongs to Him. Therefore, God will show graciousness to His people—this psalmist simply asks to be included.

Translation: ...[and] visit me in Your deliverance [of them]. This may also be rendered: ...have personal contact with me in Your salvation. God delivers His people in time and He saves His people in eternity. The psalmist is asking to be included in this deliverance. The obvious implication is that Israel needed deliverance at the time that this psalmist writes. He will become more specific later on in this psalm (specifically vv. 46–47); however, this is our first clue that the psalmist is not writing this from some ivory tower, so to speak, but that he, along with his fellow Israelites, are in distress.

He will continue with this thought in the next verse, which is unfortunately separated from this verse.

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       Let me prosper with the rest of your chosen ones,

as they celebrate with pride because they belong to you.

God’s Word™                         [Come to help me with your salvation]

so that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,

find joy in our people’s happiness,

and brag with the people who belong to you. [vv. 4b–5]

JPS (Tanakh)                        that I may enjoy the prosperity of Your chosen ones,

share the joy of Your nation,

glory in Your very own people.

NASB                                    That I may see the prosperity of Thy chosen ones,

That I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation,

That I may glory with Thine inheritance.

NLT                                Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones.

Let me rejoice in the joy of your people;

let me praise you with those who are your heritage.

The Septuagint                      that we may behold the good of Your elect,

that we may rejoice in the gladness of Your nations,

that we may glory with Your inheritance.

Young's Updated LT              To look on the good of Your chosen ones,

To rejoice in the joy of Your nation,

To boast myself with Your inheritance.

What is the gist of this verse? The psalmist wants to be included in God’s chosen ones. He says this in three different ways.

This verse is quite easy to break up into pieces as each line has the general format of a infinitive construct followed by plural noun affixed to a 2^nd person masculine singular suffix. This plural noun is a synonym for God’s elect.

Translation: to look upon Your chosen ones;... The idea is, if one is looking upon God’s chosen ones, then one is a part of God’s chosen ones. As God’s Word™ implies, this is a continuation of the previous thought, which was ...[and] visit me in Your deliverance [of them]. Or, ...have personal contact with me in Your salvation. There is temporal deliverance when God gets us out of this jam or that; and there is eternal deliverance where God gets us out of the eternal jam of our sins and old sin nature. The psalmist does not really distinguish here but, the thrust appears to be the eternal deliverance.

Translation: ...to rejoice in the joy of Your nations;... If the psalmist is rejoicing with the nations which God has delivered, then he is a part of this Godly deliverance. Note that nations is in the plural, which indicates that the psalmist is speaking of the various client nations to God, even though by his period of time, there had been one (Israel) or two (Israel and Judah) at the most. Now, being part of a client nation does not save you; however, being saved and living within a client nation is the key (the latter being unnecessary).

When examining Scripture, we need to keep two things in mind: these things were written by real men during specific times in history, and the writing will always bear the inherent marks of human authorship from a specific point in time. However, all Scripture is God-breathed, inspired by God the Holy Spirit, and there will be certain themes, although not always completely understood by the human author, which mark the divine nature of the Holy Spirit and reveal His foreknowledge. God had, since the time of Moses, worked through the nation Israel. However, as is clear for nearly 2000 years, even apart from divine revelation, God has not worked through Israel as a nation and not as a people. Paul will explore this more fully in the book of Romans; however, what we need to grasp at this time is this psalmist did not know what would happen to Israel in the future. It would be most reasonable for a man of faith to believe in the regathering of Israel and for that to occur in the near future, and for God to continue to work through His chosen nation. However, here we have a hint that God will be working through other nations. Wherever one sees the Word of God extolled and protected, from whatever nation sends out missionaries with the gospel, this is a nation through which God works; and, throughout the past 2000 years, God has worked through several nations. This one line assures us that this will happen.

Translation: ...to be praised with Your inheritance. What is missed is the HIthpael stem of this verb; the Hithpael is the passive of the Piel (intensive) stem. The psalmist is receiving the action of the verb; the psalmist is receiving praise. Now this is not because the psalmist has led some great life, but because he is a part of the inheritance of God, and is praised by association (as we receive praise as believers, as we are in Christ Jesus, Who deserves praise).

What the psalmist asks for is in stark contrast to what comes in the next verse. The psalmist is not claiming to be this perfect, holier-than-thou sort of individual.

Israel of the Generation of the Psalmist, Sins like Israel at the Sea of Reeds

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       We and our ancestors have sinned terribly.

God’s Word™                         We have sinned and so did our ancestors.

We have done wrong.

We are guilty.

JPS (Tanakh)                        We have sinned like our forefathers;

we have gone astray, done evil.

NASB                                    We have sinned like our fathers,

We have committed iniquity,

we have done wickedly.

NLT                                Both we and our ancestors have sinned.

We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!

The Septuagint                      We have sinned with or fathers, we have transgressed, we have done unrighteously.

Young's Updated LT              We have sinned with our fathers,

We have done perversely, we have done wickedly.

What is the gist of this verse? The psalmist looks back in history and sees that Israel of his time have sinned (acted in violation of God’s laws) just as their ancestors had. Then he elaborates—they have acted perversely and unrighteously. The perverseness does not necessarily refer to deviant behavior, but more to what Israel did with the law—they perverted it; they twisted and bent the Law.

Translation: We have sinned with our fathers;... The history of Israel is a sad one, but it is one which gives us hope. Israel has an eternal purpose with God. God chose Israel and Israel will always be a part of God’s plan. And, more importantly, God chose Israel knowing that Israel would fail in a spectacular manner.

Here is what I want you to notice. This psalmist is probably a godly man, a man who is in fellowship most of the time. He is a man through whom God the Holy Spirit guided to write this Scripture. But note his demeanor: he is not holding the rest of Israel in derision; he is not placing the blame on everyone else. He is a part of Israel, and so he writes, We have sinned with our fathers... Now, don’t misunderstand—this is the editorial we. The psalmist has not necessarily been involved in the same degeneracy as the rest of Israel. However, he sees the failure of Israel as a national failure and he is a part of this nation which has failed. Although Israel is a nation of individuals, and although God sent specific individuals to Israel to function as prophets, kings and priests, still, it is a national entity whose fate is national.

Application: We tend not to have much of an historical grasp. Since we were born in a free nation, one which exhibited a reasonable amount of freedom and morality, we do not see our nation as becoming anything else. However, the period of time that the United States has been on this earth is relatively short. We may enjoy the privileges and blessings of being a client nation to God, but then we also bear the appropriate responsibility. If we shirk this responsibility, that which we take for granted can be removed overnight.

Application: Our lives are littered with failures; we make bad decisions, we behave badly, we choose to do wrong; God chose us from eternity past, knowing all of that, and that means that at any time that we choose to be in fellowship, God will fill us, bless us, guide us and function through us. We are a part of His eternal plan despite our failures and shortcomings.

I want you to get something else from this verse: it is possible that the psalmist here is relatively blameless. In fact, it is very likely that he was not a participant in the behavior which required God to step in a remove Israel from the Land of Promise. However, as a part of the nation Israel, he was also subject to Israel's discipline. We are a part of certain institutions and we are subject to the judgment laid upon these institutions. Whether it is our family, our nation, the organizations to which we belong—when you are a part of any institution, God does not necessarily remove you from that institution before leveling it with judgment. What is particularly admirable about this psalmist is that he is willing to take the judgment which has fallen upon Israel, without making excuses, and without setting himself up as the innocent bystander who was violated.

The exodus generation set a standard of low when it came to rebellion against God. References back to that time (and, arguably to the time of the judges) which call for Israel not to sin as their fathers did are found in II Chron. 30:7 Psalm 78:8, 57.

Translation: ...we have acted perversely and we have acted with unrighteousness. The root meaning of ׳âvâh is to bend, to curve, to twist, to distort. These words describe exactly what Israel had done to God’s Laws. Israel bent, distorted and twisted these laws. We have the intransitive use of the second verb (that is, there is no direct object or prepositional phrase which follows); since Israel distorted the Law, Israel therefore acted unrighteously and wickedly. If all that guides you is a distorted version of the Law, then you cannot help but act in violation of that Law.

Application: The same is true of God’s Word and His precepts today. If all you have is a distorted view of God’s Word, then you cannot help but act in violation of His commands. If the church that you attend does not teach God’s Word carefully, verse by verse, precept by precept, then it is very likely that His Word is being distorted and the result is that you cannot help but act unrighteously. Now, this does not mean that you will be our drinking heavily and sinning with every woman that you find; it simply means that you will act outside God’s plan. You might be very self-righteous and very religious; you might not ever curse, drink nor chase women. However, you can still be far outside of God’s plan because your reception of the truth is distorted. Four examples: the Catholic Church, the Jehovah Witnesses, the Mormons and the charismatics. These four very different groups all distort the truth greatly, the result being is that those in the congregation cannot help but to act unrighteously. Don’t misunderstand me at this point. I have known some Mormons who are fine people with great morals and values; and many of them are a hell of a lot nicer than most Christians that I know. However, they are working to get into the best of the heavens, which is a complete violation of God’s grace, and a complete misunderstanding of what happens after death. Given those distortions, one cannot help but act unrighteously.

The Catholics distort just enough truth as to render them ineffective for the most part. Their impact for the Catholic Church might be great; but their personal impact for the True God is not. They have completely misunderstood, mishandled, and misapplied the word grace. For that reason, there are millions upon millions of Catholics who have never been saved and who will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.

The Jehovah Witnesses might be moral and they might gain converts (primarily from the guilty and unlearned of the Christians); but they also distort God’s grace into a system of works. Their members are either unsaved, or those who were saved first and then entered the witnesses and were rendered ineffective.

The charismatics comprise a special group. They may be former Baptists, former Catholics, former Presbyterians. They may even continue to attend their original churches and it is possible that their original church has become infected and has gone over into the charismatic movement. I have friends in the charismatic movement and they, like many of the Mormons that I know, are wonderful and sincere people. However, their distortion of the Holy Spirit renders them spiritually ineffective. They might be very religious, but if they function outside of the Spirit of God, all that they do will be burned along with all of man’s works and human good.

Barnes comments on their failure as a generation: It was not that God was not disposed to bestow that happiness; it was not that true religion failed to confer happiness; but it was that the nation had provoked God to displeasure, and that in fact the sins of the people had averted the blessings which would otherwise have come upon them. The psalmist, therefore, in emphatic language,—repeating the confession in three forms, “we have sinned, —we have committed iniquity, —we have done wickedly,” —acknowledges that the failure was in them, not in God.

The entire verse reads: We have sinned with our fathers; we have acted perversely and we have acted with unrighteousness. Note how similar this is to Dan. 9:5–6: “We have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Furthermore, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land.” It is not unreasonable to suppose that one passage inspired the other (they were obviously inspired by the same Holy Spirit).

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       When they were in Egypt, they paid not attention to your marvelous deeds or your wonderful love.

And they turned against you at the Red Sea.

God’s Word™                         When our ancestors were in Egypt,

they gave no thought to your miracles.

They did not remember your numerous acts of mercy,

so they rebelled at the sea, the Red Sea.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Our forefathers in Egypt did not perceive Your wonders;

they did not remember Your abundant love,

but rebelled at the sea, at the Sea of Reeds.

NASB                                    Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Thy wonders;

They did not remember Thine abundant kindnesses,

But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea [or, Sea of Reeds].

NLT                                Our ancestors in Egypt

were not impressed by the Lord’s miracles.

They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them.

Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.

The Septuagint                      Our fathers in Egypt understood not Your wonders,

and did not remember the multitude of Your mercy;

but provoked [Him] as they went up by the Red Sea.

Young's Updated LT              Our fathers in Egypt, have not considered wisely Your wonders,

They have not remembered the abundance of Your kind acts,

And provoke by the sea, at the sea of Suph. [I’ve changed the line breaks as well as some minor words]

What is the gist of this verse? The psalmist has mentioned their ancestors; now, in this verse, he gives some specific examples. At the Sea of Reeds, God’s miracles did not make enough of an impression on the Israelites. The study of much of the four books of Moses is God giving Israel His grace and Israel turning against Him again and again.

Translation: Our fathers in Egypt did not behave wisely [with regards to] Your wonderful works. God did amazing things on behalf of Israel while they were slaves in Egypt. Although many Bibles refer to what God did in order to get the pharaoh to release the Jews as miracles; they were likely the result of a great plan, which reveals an even greater intelligence. To the person there, the things which occurred would appear to be a miracle. However, most of the things which occurred (if not all) had a rational explanation. This in no way downplays God’s power; it actually celebrates His incredible foreknowledge and intelligence. If the works in Egypt that occurred were the result of God’s setting the world into motion thousands of years previous, then they are greater feats than we can imagine. Let’s say that you put something into motion today that would result in that which would appear to be a miracle 50 years from now; apart from a magician’s trick, it would be incredibly amazing. God set forces into motion in eternity past which would result in the incredible works which occurred when Moses called for them to occur.

On the other hand, this does not mean that everything in the book of Exodus is a natural phenomena. The staff of Moses turning into a snake or his hand becoming leprous and then turning back again (Ex. 4:1–7)—these were probably miracles. However, the great things which occurred, although they could have been miracles, were more likely the result of God setting those things into motion thousands or millions of years previous.

In any case, to the casual observer, the many things which God did—the plagues which He brought upon Egypt—appeared to be great miracles (even though the power of their occurrence was greater than a simple miracle). However, even though the men of Israel observed these great acts first hand, they continued to doubt God and His power to deliver them.

Translation: They did not call to mind the abundance of Your grace... Even greater and far more important than God’s great miracles is His grace, although few believers grasp that. These great plagues came upon the Egyptians but did not touch the Israelites. This was God’s grace. The exodus generation observed tremendous works and received a tremendous amount of grace from God; however, each time they faced a problem head on, they completely forgot everything that God had done for them up to that point in time. Instead of recognizing that God had a plan for their lives and was leading them through things for which He had already made provision; they panicked at each and every crisis, turning against Moses and the God Who delivered them.

It is this portion of v. 7 which gives us a key to the Christian life—the failure of the exodus generation is that they did not call to mind, they did not remember, they did not recall God’s abundance grace. They key is what does or does not occur in your mind. They failed because they did not call to mind God’s plentiful grace. What goes on in your soul is the key to your success or failure in the Christian life.

Application: There are times in your life when you have prayed for God’s guidance, His blessing or for Him to run interference in your life, and God answered your prayer in the affirmative. Does this mean that, the next time you are in a jam, you will look back on that answered prayer for your confidence? More than likely, you have forgotten most of your desperate prayers to God and the fact that He answered those prayers. The key is God’s Word. You have to embed God’s Word in your soul. You have to know Who God is; you have to have a fundamental grasp of His character. Then, the next time you are in a jam, the next time that your prayer to God is more frantic than usual, you take a hold of God’s character—that will provide you with the confidence to get you through the situation.

What happened to Israel? Israel did not have the Word of God. We do not know where or what the book of Genesis was (although I personally believe that it had been recorded already and was with the Jewish people). However, the average believer did not necessarily have access to this (if it existed at that time). What were they to hold onto? Here is the key: God revealed His character, foreknowledge and power in the works that He had already performed on behalf of Israel—Israel was to know God through His marvelous works, and they were to hold onto the essence of God as revealed in His works. Let me be more specific: God revealed His love, His concern, His foreknowledge, His power, and (most of all) His graciousness in the miracles and works which He performed.

Barnes comments: The great number of the Divine interpositions in their behalf. They [the Israelites] did not allow them to influence their conduct as they should have done. The aggravation of their offence in the case here referred to was particularly in the multitude of the mercies. It would have been sinful to have forgotten even one act of the Divine favour; it was a great aggravation of their guilt that so many acts were forgotten, or that they failed to make an impression on them. Israel’s failure to remember God was not confined to the exodus generation—we find this mentioned several times in Scripture (Judges 3:7 Psalm 78:12, 42).

Translation: ...and rebelled at the sea, at the Sea of Reeds. All that the psalmist brings to focus is the first failure of Israel—God had brought many plagues upon the Egyptians, plagues to which the Israelites were immune; and at the first sign of possible danger (Pharaoh and his army pursued Israel to the Sea of Reeds), Israel’s lack of faith becomes apparent.

Here is what the psalmist is saying about the exodus generation. Moses went before pharaoh, calling for pharaoh to let his people go; and when pharaoh did not, Moses brought great plagues and wonders upon Egypt. Israel observed this first-hand and also realized that God did not bring the same terrors upon Israel. This was not simply a one-time occurrence, but there were 10 plagues that Moses brought upon Egypt in a fairly short period of time (say, within a month). When Israel came to the first obstacle, the Sea of Reeds, with the Egyptians hot on their tails, all they had to do is realize that God on ten occasions took steps to free Israel; therefore, God had the motivation and the ability to deliver them again. What should have interested Israel more was, what is God going to do this time on our behalf? Doubts that they would be delivered should have never crossed their minds. Curiosity as to what God would do—that would have been legitimate thinking. Speculation as to what God would do—that would have been legitimate discussion. Unfortunately, their fear, panic and absolute lack of faith in God, despite so much evidence to the contrary, merely foreshadowed years and years of failures to come.

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       But you were true to your name,

and you rescued them to prove how mighty you are.

God’s Word™                         He saved them because of his reputation

so that he could make his mighty power known.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Yet He saved them, as befits His name,

to make know His might.

NASB                                    Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name

That He might make His power known.

NLT                                Even so, he saved them—

to defend the honor of his name

and to demonstrate his mighty power.

The Septuagint                      Yet He saved [or, delivered] them for His name's sake, that He might cause His mighty power to be known.

Young's Updated LT              And He saves them for His name's sake,

to make known His might,...

What is the gist of this verse? God acts on the basis of His character, not ours. The grace that He showed Israel also demonstrated to all surrounding nations His great power.

Translation: Therefore, He delivered them for His name’s sake... What God does is based upon His own character (His name). If God did not act on the basis of our character, then it would have been reasonable to destroy the entire world and all human population save a couple of men. But God clearly told the Israelites that He did not place them in the land because they were good and righteous, but because of the great evil of those who occupied the land (Deut. 9:4). God acts according to His own character, which makes Him One we can depend upon. If I depended upon God’s blessings based upon my own life, I would never receive any. I make too many mistakes and I fail too often. However, God’s blessings come to me based upon His character, which means that I can expect to continue to receive them.

Translation: ...to make His power known. One of the purposes of God was to make His power and reality known to all of the heathen groups of the civilized world (see Ex. 9:16 Isa. 63:11–12 Ezek. 20:9). Therefore, God did many wonders on behalf of Israel. If you study the four books of Moses, it will be clear that Israel was completely and totally undeserving, and that God would have been justified to consume them all and start from scratch. However, God acted so that His character remained in tact and so that His power was clearly understood by all those who observed it and heard about it.

In the next few verses, the psalmist expands on this theme—how God makes his power and mercy know—and he gives a few specific examples.

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       You said to the Red Sea, “Dry up!”

Then you led your people across

on land as dry as a desert.

God’s Word™                         He angrily commanded the Red Sea, and it dried up.

He led them through deep water as though it were a desert.

JPS (Tanakh)                        He sent His blast against the Sea of Reeds;

it became dry;

He led them through the deep as through a wilderness.

NASB                                    Thus He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up;

And He led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness.

NLT                                He commanded the Red Sea to divide, and a dry path appeared.

He led Israel across the sea bottom that was as dry as a desert.

The Septuagint                      And He rebuked the Red Sea and it was dried up; so He led them through the deep as through the wilderness.

Young's Updated LT              And rebukes the sea of Suph, and it is dried up,

And causes them to go

Through the depths as a wilderness.

What is the gist of this verse? God causes the Sea of Reeds to dry up, and then He leads his people across as though it were desert wildernss.

Translation: Then He rebuked the Sea of Reeds and it became dry;... God rebukes, castigates or yells at the Sea of Reeds, and it dries up. This is the first example of how God makes His power known.

Translation: ...then He led them across the depths as [through] the wilderness. By Moses, God leads Israel across the sea floor just as He would lead them through the desert wilderness. This had to be amazing that God could lead Israel across the Sea of Reeds dry-shod, as it were. You would think that this would have made a profound impact upon every single Israelite.

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       You saved all of them

and drowned every one of their enemies.

God’s Word™                         He rescued them from the power of the one who hated them.

He rescued them from the enemy.

JPS (Tanakh)                        He delivered them from the foe,

redeemed them from the enemy.

NASB                                    So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them,

And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

NLT                                So he rescued them from their enemies

and redeemed them from their foes.

The Septuagint                      And He saved them out of the hand of them that hated and redeemed them out of the hand of the enemy.

Young's Updated LT              And He saves them from the hand

Of him who is hating,

And redeems them from the hand of the enemy.

What is the gist of this verse? God can be depended upon to deliver Israel from those who hate her and He has purchased or redeemed them from the hand of their enemies. Even though the concept of redemption of Israel is a theme that goes way back to the exodus, it is not clear to us until the New Testament just what the actual payment is.

Translation: He saves [or, delivers] them from the hand of the hating [ones]... What is well known to us today is how much hatred there is in the Middle East. There are some Arabic factions who would love to see all Israelites destroyed completely. Just as Osama ben Laden expressed joy at the murder of 3000 men and women in the twin towers, there are factions of Arabs who would be overjoyed at the deaths of millions of Israelis. They believe that their hatred is justified, but they have no idea how much Satan plays a part. The Egyptians then, the various Canaanite groups over the next several centuries, and the Arabs of today—they are all pawns in the game that Satan plays. The Jews are God’s people, and, as such, are going to naturally be the object of intense hatred. Even in those days, before Israel as a nation had a chance to conduct national relations, before one could manufacture a reason, there were those who absolutely hated them. Satan is a master at fostering hate against this group or that. God delivers Israel from those who hate them. This is why Israel is still a people today.

Translation: ...and redeems them from the hand of enemies. In this particular case, God redeems Israel from her enemies, the Egyptian army, as led by pharaoh. The Egyptians had learned to hate the Jews and therefore oppressed them; the Jews were once a part of the royal family, and after a generation or two, were caused to be made slaves by those who hated them.

Early on in the time of Israel, the concept of God purchasing or redeeming them was a consistent theme (see Ex. 6:6 Psalm 78:42 107:2 Hosea 13:14). It is never clear what God uses in order to purchase Israel; the coin of the realm is always obscure—that is, until the death of our Lord—then it is clear what God used to purchase Israel (as well as purchase us). The blood of His Son is the coin of the realm. God paid with the ultimate sacrifice for us. Know this, that you were not redeemed with ephemeral things, such as silver or gold from your empty manner of life acquired from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless (II Peter 1:18–19).

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       [You saved all of them] and drowned every one of their enemies. [I included v. 10b for context]

God’s Word™                         Water covered their adversaries.

Not one Egyptian survived.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Water covered their adversaries;

not one of them was left.

NASB                                    And the waters covered their adversaries;

Not one of them was left.

NLT                                Then the water returned and covered their enemies;

not one of them survived.

The Septuagint                      The water covered those that oppressed them; there was not one of them left.

Young's Updated LT              And waters cover their adversaries,

One of them has not been left.

What is the gist of this verse? As the passage from Exodus indicates, once the Israelites got completely across and the Egyptians were right behind them, on the dry land, in the midst of the Sea of Reeds, the waters suddenly came and drowned every one of them.

Translation: The waters covered their adversaries—not one of them remained [alive]. The escaping Israelites got to the other side of the Sea of Reeds, walking across the bottom of that sea dry shod. Once they were safe on the other side, and Pharaoh and his men were in hot pursuit, also traversing the Sea of Reeds behind the Israelites, the sea closed up over them, the waters covering them. All of them perished in the water. These Egyptians were an object lesson to all other Jewish antagonists. They may prevail for a short time, but God will protect His own. This is why today we have a world wherein there are many identifiable Jews, but no Philistines, Midianites, Moabites, Edomites, etc.

Here is how others have handled this verse:

CEV                                       Then your people trusted you and sang your praises.

God’s Word™                         Then our ancestors believed what he said.

They sang his praise.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Then they believed His promise,

and sang His praises.

NASB                                    Then they believed His words;

They sang His praise.

NLT                                Then at last his people believed his promises.

Then they finally sang his praise.

The Septuagint                      Then they believed His words, and celebrated His praise.

Young's Literal Translation    And they believe in His words, they sing His praise.

What is the gist of this verse? After the Israelites see the entire Egyptian army covered by the Sea of Reeds, they believe in the God of Moses, their God, and then sing His praises.