What HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?

October 5, 2009

What HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?

Psalm 106:1-15

Scott Clouse

Central Truth

When we fail to remember and appreciate God's faithfulness and goodness, we can quickly grow hardhearted.

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.
(Psalm 106:7)

Give Thanks to the LORD, for He Is Good

1 Praise the LORD!
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD,
    or declare all his praise?
3 Blessed are they who observe justice,
    who do righteousness at all times!

4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people;
    help me when you save them,^{1

106:4
Or Remember me, O LORD, with the favor you show to your people; help me with your salvation}
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones,
    that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
    that I may glory with your inheritance.

6 Both we and our fathers have sinned;
    we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
    did not consider your wondrous works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
    but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake,
    that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry,
    and he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe
    and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their adversaries;
    not one of them was left.
12 Then they believed his words;
    they sang his praise.

13 But they soon forgot his works;
    they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,
    and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked,
    but sent a wasting disease among them.

Footnotes

[1] 106:4 Or Remember me, O LORD, with the favor you show to your people; help me with your salvation

Who hasn't read the history of the people of Israel and thought to themselves, "What a bunch of boneheads?" It can be easy to develop contempt for these people as you read in Psalm 106 the recounting of their many rebellions and grumblings against God in spite of His continued faithfulness.

Verses 1-15 tell of the Israelites' rebellion by the Red Sea and their demands for meat in the wilderness (having grown dissatisfied with God's provision of manna). The reason given for the rebellion in both cases was memory loss, as they "failed to remember" (verse 7) and "quickly forgot" (verse 13) all that God had done. Apologies to the psalmist here, but I think he is being gracious with regard to the Israelites' memory. You might forget your momma's birthday or a few "miraculous deeds" back in Egypt, but the parting of the Red Sea? Please. I think it's more accurate to say that they chose to forget. In any case, they knew the goodness of God, but were still unsatisfied and unfulfilled.

Both rebellions in this text take the form of complaining because of a lack of appreciation for God's many good deeds. The Israelites' grumblings and demands may have seemed harmless enough, but God clearly thought otherwise. His response to their discontent was to strike them with a disease.

Forgetting God and taking Him for granted is dangerous and, as we learn throughout Psalm 106, becomes the gateway to idolatry and ultimately poor and sinful choices. Jesus shares the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 as an example of this. The son grew dissatisfied and demanded his inheritance from his father so he could go off in search of a better life elsewhere. As the prodigal son learned, that rebellious journey for us may result in painful and oftentimes disastrous consequences.

The lesson for us from this passage is to remember God's goodness and faithfulness. I believe a good remedy for our own recurring amnesia is found in Psalm 106:1. A grateful heart is good medicine for forgetfulness. Have you thanked Him lately?

1. Where does life find you today: dissatisfied or content? Why?

2. Are you mindful of God's goodness in your life (maybe a gratitude list would help)?

3. Do you have people (community) in your life to help remind you of God's love and faithfulness?

4. Have insatiable cravings (Psalm 106:14) crept into your life as a result of not trusting in God's care and provision?