Psalms 104 - 106

Click HERE to read the passage.

David, as usual, writes another Psalm dedicated to the Lord's greatness. Look how he starts out - "Let all that I am praise the Lord."  I wish every Christian felt this way in prayer and praise - giving every fiber of their being to God - their whole heart, their emotions, their thinking, everything over to the Lord in sacrificial honor to Him.

Notice why he's so in awe of God:

- God is so great!
- He's robed in honor and majesty!
- His clothing is a robe of light! (Their are numerous passages about God's shekinah glory!)
- He made His angels spirits who minister to us. The Hebrew word for "wind" refers to angels.
- He's the Creator of the earth, the oceans, the mountains, and is the One who...
         -  Sets the boundaries of the seas
         -  Provides water for the animals
         -  Sends the rains to grow vegetation.
- He made the sun and the moon for light

I love how in Ps.104:27 David says, "They all depend on you..."

The fact is, the earth and everything in it relies completely and solely upon the Lord! Gravity, centrifugal force, inertia, and other forces we can't see are all at play under the direction of God. He controls it all.

As David reflects on God's greatness, notice what he says in verses 33-34, "I will sing to the Lord as long as live. I will praise my God to my last breath! May all my thoughts be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the Lord."

Are ALL your thoughts pleasing to the Lord?  Remember, God knows our thoughts!

In Chapter 105, David reminds Israel of all that God has done for them and recalls many of the great stories of Israel's past:

- He talks about how the Lord tested Joseph's character in a dunging prison cell for many years prior to being elevated to Pharaoh's right hand man.

- He talks about Moses and Aaron's adventure with bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt under the mighty Hand of God and with powerful miracles and wonders. He lists the many wonders. All of them of which were aimed against the many gods of Egypt. Thus, the plague of...
     -  Darkness in Egypt
     -  Water into blood throughout Egypt
     -  The frog plague
     -  The gnats who infested the land
     -  The hail that killed men and animals, and destroyed crops
     -  The locust plague to finish off every source of food for the Egyptians.
     -  Killing every first born son in Egypt.

- Then David reminds them of how God provided for Israel in the deserts on the way to Mt. Sinai.
     -  Since the Egyptians feared the God of Israel, they gave their gold and fine clothing as they left.
     -  He caused the Egyptians to fear Israel greatly.
     -  He brought them quail every evening for 40 years, and manna every morning for 40 years.
     -  He delivered the nation of Israel out of 400 years of bondage and brought them great joy!

In chapter 106, David presents a GREAT question!  In fact, I think that answering his questions it would be a GREAT exercise for each of us to do!  In verse 2 he asks, "Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise Him enough?"

Often, when I feel the attack of demonic forces pushing me into a state of discouragement or depression, I use a little trick I learned many years ago. It's a trick I learned from an old hymn. The hymn is "Count Your Blessings." As a boy, our church would sing that song often. One day, I decided I'd write down my blessings and count them. Wow! After writing down a little over 30 of them, I knew my list was going to go on forever! 

Listen...if you ever feel discouraged or depressed...start counting your blessings! Take head of the warning David gave to Israel when he said in verse 13, "How quickly they (Israel) forgot what He had done!"

Perhaps today, you need to make a list of what God has done for you...lest you forget!

According to Brain Science, "Research on the forgetting curve shows that within one hour, people will have forgotten an average of 50 percent of the information you presented. Within 24 hours, they have forgotten an average of 70 percent of new information, and within a week, forgetting claims an average of 90 percent of it."

Maybe you should make your list today while it's on your mind. Even a short list is a great start.

Chapter 106 gives a tragic note about the nation of Israel. Listen to how David reminds them of their sinfulness and the reasons for God's punishments.

David outlines 4 major sins (even though there were more, these were primary) and then 4 results of how God responded to "spank" His children:

1)  "In the desert their desires ran wild and tested God's patience" - They had totally forgotten how bad it was in Egypt. They were slaves and horrible bondage. Now free from their slavemasters, they lusted in their heart with great immorality while Moses was on top of Mount Sinai receiving the 10 commandments.

- God's punishment - He caused a plague that created a food and water shortage.

2) "The people in the camp were jealous of Moses and envious of Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest" and they sent leaders to attempt a coup against Moses and Aaron. 

- God's punishment - Every person involved in the coup attempt were swallowed up as God caused the ground to split open underneath them. Their entire families and their belongings were immediately wiped out. Never try a coup against God's anointed! 

3) "The people made a calf at Mount Sinai, they bowed before an image made of gold. They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull. They forgot God, their savior."

- God's punishment - God told Moses He wanted to wipe out the entire tribe of Israel (over 3 million people). God was angry with their sin, especially in light of all He had done for them. Moses pleaded for them, and God withdrew His anger.

4) "they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord."

- God's punishment - A plague that killed hundreds of thousands of people!

5) Sin got MUCH worse! Look at how morality plummeted...

          -  They didn't obey God in destroying the nations and picked up their sinful habits.
          -  They sacrificed to idols.
          -  The sacrificed their children to false gods made of wood and stone.
          -  They murdered and committed every conceivable sin known to man.

- God's punishment - He gave them over to their enemies and led them back into slavery. 

What amazes me is not only how quickly they forgot God, but David says even their enemies pitied them and how quickly they went from being the greatest nation on earth to absolutely nothing.

Let's never forget what God has done for us!  May your list of blessings today!
    
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