Psalm 106 Mar. 2  1Praise Yahweh! Give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good, for His grace endures forever. 2Who can utter the mighty acts of Yahweh, or fully declare all His praise? 3Blessed are those who keep justice. Blessed is the one who does what is right at all times. 4Remember me, Yahweh, with the grace that You show to Your people; visit me with Your salvation, 5that I may see the prosperity of Your chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your inheritance.  6We have sinned with our fathers. We have committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. 7Our fathers didn’t understand Your wonders in Egypt. They didn’t remember the multitude of Your graces, but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea. 8Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make His mighty power known. 9He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up; so He led them through the depths, as through a desert. 10He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. 11The waters covered their adversaries, there was not one of them left. 12Then they believed His words, they sang His praise.  13They soon forgot His works, they didn’t wait for His word, 14but gave in to their craving in the desert, and tested God in the wasteland. 15He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul. 16They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron, Yahweh’s saint. 17The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. 18A fire was kindled in their company, the flame burned up the wicked. 19They made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped a molten image. 20Thus they exchanged their glory for an image of a bull that eats grass. 21They forgot God their Saviour who had done great things in Egypt, 22wondrous works in the land of Ham and awesome things by the Red Sea. 23Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, so that He wouldn’t destroy them. 24Yes, they despised the pleasant land. They didn’t believe His word, 25but murmured in their tents, and didn’t listen to Yahweh’s voice. 26Therefore He swore to them that He would overthrow them in the wilderness, 27that He would overthrow their seed among the nations, and scatter them in the gentile lands. 28They joined themselves also to Baal Peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. 29Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds. The plague broke in on them. 30Then Phinehas stood up, and executed judgment, so the plague was stopped. 31That was credited to him for righteousness, for all generations to come. 32They angered Him also at the waters of Meribah, so that Moses was troubled for their sakes; 33because they were rebellious against His spirit, he spoke rashly with his lips. 34They didn’t destroy the peoples as Yahweh commanded them, 35but mixed themselves with the nations, and learned their works. 36They served their idols, which became a snare to them. 37Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. 38They shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land was polluted with blood. 39Thus were they defiled with their works, and prostituted themselves in their deeds. 40Therefore Yahweh burned with anger against His people, He abhorred His inheritance. 41He gave them into the hand of the nations. Those who hated them ruled over them. 42Their enemies also oppressed them, they were brought into subjection under their hand. 43Many times He delivered them, but they were rebellious in their ways, and were brought low in their iniquity. 44Nevertheless He regarded their distress, when He heard their cry. 45He remembered for them His covenant, and relented according to the multitude of His graces. 46He made them also to be pitied by all those who carried them captive.  47Save us, Yahweh, our God, gather us from among the nations, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph in Your praise!  48Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting! Let all the people say, Amen. Praise Yah!  

Commentary

106:3 At all times- Consistency is most important in spiritual life rather than occasional flashes of devotion and obedience.
106:5 That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen- The Psalmist’s desire for salvation wasn’t merely because he or she wanted to live eternally. There was a desire to see all God’s people glorying in salvation. Salvation is made possible in that God’s people as a whole have been redeemed; there is such a thing as spiritual selfishness, desiring the Kingdom merely for what it means to us. But if we have the perspective of God’s glory, we will desire the coming of salvation because all of us will be glorified. Hence Paul could say that the joy he would have in the Kingdom would be related to his joy that his brethren were also there (1 Thess. 2:19).
106:6 Continuing the thought of :5, the Psalmist felt that he personally was somehow involved in the sin of God’s people (“we have sinned”). We aren’t called to smug self righteousness, but rather we are to feel a personal involvement in the failures and successes of God’s people as a whole.
106:7 Even at the Red Sea- Even at the very moment of their salvation they were rebellious. God didn’t save them because they had reached a certain level of righteousness, but because of His grace. The Red Sea crossing represents our baptism (1 Cor. 10:1,2); God has saved us by His grace, not because of our righteousness.
106:15 But sent leanness into their soul- If we fulfil our fleshly craving, we will become internally and spiritually hungry. Giving in to our cravings isn’t the way to happiness.
106:37 Demons refer to idols (:36). Demons or idols have no real existence (1 Cor. 8:4; 10:20). Therefore when we read of demons being cast out in the Gospel records, this is the language of the day used for healing various illnesses rather than any evidence that demons actually exist.