Scripture
They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise.They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord.
~Psalm 106:21,23-24, NIV
Quote
Psalm 106 recounts the history of Israel’s faithlessness in contrast to God’s faithfulness and mercy. In a sense, their faithlessness magnifies God’s faithfulness.
~John Goldengay
Overall, I have been very disappointed with John Goldengays commentary on Psalms. He is a contemporary and a transplant from Great Britain. He was ordained at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. I think he moved to California in the 80’s. His commentary of Psalm 106 is the best by far in my opinion. Israel has a record of failure. Moses and Aaron had a hard time convincing these hardheaded people to believe that God had heard their prayers and had sent Moses to deliver them. After witnessing ten great miracles in Egypt, they rebelled at the Red Sea. God intervened, opened the sea and saved them from their oppressors, but three days into the wilderness and they rebel yet again. Their history is one of rebellion.
There is an easy outline of their failure in Psalm 106: 21-24. Any preacher worth his weight in salt should see it clearly.
- They forgot the miracles God performed in Egypt and their salvation at the Red Sea. [v.21]
- They despised the Promised Land [v.24]
- They refused to believe God’s word {His promise} [v.24]
- They grumbled and complained {in private, in their tents} [v.25]
- They refused to listen to God and were bent on rebellion [v.25, 43]
Basically speaking, they were determined to do things their way and it lead to their destruction. The one fear that must be greater than all other fears is the consquences of rebellion against God. This is the original sin: choosing our way over His way. It will not lead to a good end. If we take the wrong road we end up at the wrong destination.
Extra
Another beautiful fall day, hallelujah. We do need to remember our friends is NC and Florida. It was cool when I came to the office. No A/C for me this morning. I attended the Morgan Baptist Association Meeting last night. I said I would never attend another after I retired but of course, I didn’t stay retired. DBC leads the MBA in giving. Ben and New Center are second. Spencer and Mount Zion is third or fourth. Grace Point is 6th. I am thankful for all these churches. I’ve been in this Assocaition for 45 years and things have really changed.
I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.