Remember That God Remembers
Psalm 105:16-25
26 He sent Moses His servant, And Aaron whom He had chosen.
27 They performed His signs among them, And wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made it dark; And they did not rebel against His word.
29 He turned their waters into blood, And killed their fish.
30 Their land abounded with frogs, Even in the chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, And lice in all their territory.
32 He gave them hail for rain, And flaming fire in their land.
33 He struck their vines also, and their fig trees, And splintered the trees of their territory.
34 He spoke, and locusts came, Young locusts without number,
35 And ate up all the vegetation in their land, And devoured the fruit of their ground.
36 He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land, The first of all their strength.
37 He also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed, For the fear of them had fallen upon them.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering, And fire to give light in the night.
40 The people asked, and He brought quail, And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; It ran in the dry places like a river.
Psalm 105 is a psalm that calls God’s people to remember that God remembers! Even though the first fifteen verses of this psalm were copied directly from a psalm that King David had previously written (1 Chronicles 16:8-22), it is thought to have been written by anonymous writer after the Babylonian captivity and the people of Israel were facing the challenge of going back to the Promise Land to rebuild the temple, the city of Jerusalem, and reestablish the nation. They needed to be encouraged that their God would help them.
In verse 5, they were told to “Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth”. This chapter is divided into them remembering “His marvelous works” (vv. 1-15), as God chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and made an “everlasting covenant” (v.10) with them as the nation of Israel. As we face major challenges in our lives, we need to remember that we are also God’s chosen people. Jesus told His disciples in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you will ask of the Father in my name I will give it to you.”
In verses 16-41, the people remembered God’s wonders and His judgements as He prepared Joseph to saved them from a famine, and how God sent Moses and Aaron to call down His judgements on Egypt. In verses 26-41, they were to remember the ten plagues that were both a demonstration of the power of the God of Israel and a condemnation of the gods of Egypt (Ex. 12:12; 18:11; Num. 33:4). Egypt worshiped the sun, so God sent three days of darkness. The Nile River was a god, so God turned the water to blood. The Egyptians worshiped over eighty different gods and goddesses, all of whom were helpless to deliver the land from the onslaught of the plagues, the judgments that God pronounced (v. 5). Jehovah proved that they were false gods who could do nothing.
The psalmist began his list with the plague of darkness (v. 28), which was actually the ninth plague. After mentioning this plague, the writer stayed with the original sequence: water turned to blood, and the invasions of frogs, flies, and gnats. He omits the fifth and six plagues—the death of the livestock and the boils—and moves on to the hail, locusts, and the death of the firstborn on Passover night. What a demonstration of the awesome power of Jehovah! This led to the triumphant exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, like a victorious army carrying the spoils of battle (v. 37; Ex. 3:21-22; 11:1-3; 12:36-37).
Remembering God's deliverance and His care of His people would give courage to the Jewish remnant as they returned to Judah to reestablish the nation. God remembers His covenant (v. 8), and God's people must remember the Lord and what He has done (v. 5).
Today, we should also remember that God remembers!
God bless!