Bible Commentary

Expositor's Bible Commentary Psalm 106:1 Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 106:1-48 THE history of God’s past is a record of continuous mercies, the history of man’s, one of as continuous sin. The memory of the former quickened the psalmist into his sunny song of thankfulness in the previous psalm. That of the latter moves him to the confessions in this one. They are complements of each other, and are connected not only as being both retrospective, but by the identity of their beginnings and the difference of their points of view. The parts of the early history dealt with in the one are lightly touched or altogether omitted in the other. The keynote of Psalm 105:1-45 is, "Remember His mighty deeds," that of Psalm 106:1-48 is, "They forgot His mighty deeds." Surely never but in Israel has patriotism chosen a nation’s sins for the themes of song, or, in celebrating its victories, written but one name, the name of Jehovah, on its trophies. But in the Psalter we have several instances of such hymns of national confession; and, in other books, there are the formulary at the presentation of the first fruits {, Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple, { 1 Kings 8:1-66 } Nehemiah’s prayer, { Nehemiah 9:1-38 } and Daniel’s. { Daniel 9:1-27 } An exilic date is implied by the prayer of Psalm 106:47 , for the gathering of the people from among the nations. The occurrence of Psalm 106:1 and Psalm 106:47-48 in the compilation in 1 Chronicles 16:1-43 shows that this psalm, which marks the close of the Fourth Book, was in existence prior to the date of 1 Chronicles. No trace of strophical arrangement is discernible. But, after an introduction in some measure like that in Psalm 105:1-45 , the psalmist plunges into his theme, and draws out the long, sad story of Israel’s faithlessness. He recounts seven instances during the wilderness sojourn ( Psalm 106:7-33 ), and then passes to those occurring in the Land ( Psalm 106:34-39 ), with which he connects the alternations of punishment and relenting on God’s part and the obstinacy of transgression on Israel’s, even down to the moment in which he speaks ( Psalm 106:40-46 ). The whole closes with a prayer for restoration to the Land ( Psalm 106:47 ); to which is appended the doxology ( Psalm 106:48 ), the mark of the end of Book 4, and not a part of the psalm. The psalmist preludes his confession and contemplation of his people’s sins by a glad remembrance of God’s goodness and enduring lovingkindness and by a prayer for himself. Some commentators regard these introductory verses as incongruous with the tone of the psalm, and as mere liturgical commonplace, which has been tacked on without mush heed to fitness. But surely the thought of God’s unspeakable goodness most appropriately precedes the psalmist’s confession, for nothing so melts a heart in penitence as the remembrance of God’s love, and nothing so heightens the evil of sin as the consideration of the patient goodness which it has long flouted. The blessing pronounced in Psalm 106:3 on those who righteousness and keep the law is not less natural, before a psalm which sets forth in melancholy detail the converse truth of the misery that dogs breaking the law. In Psalm 106:4-5 the psalmist interjects a prayer for himself, the abruptness of which strongly reminds us of similar jets of personal supplication in Nehemiah. The determination to make the "I" of the Psalter the nation perversely insists on that personification here, in spite of the clear distinction thrice drawn in Psalm 106:5 between the psalmist and his people. The "salvation" in which he desires to share is the deliverance from exile for which he prays in the closing verse of the psalm. There is something very pathetic in this momentary thought of self. It breathes wistful yearning, absolute confidence in the unrealised deliverance, lowly humility which bases its claim with God on that of the nation. Such a prayer stands in the closest relation to the theme of the psalm, which draws out the dark record of national sin, in order to lead to that national repentance which, as all the history shows, is the necessary condition of "the prosperity of Thy chosen ones." Precisely because the hope of restoration is strong, the delineation of sin is unsparing. With Psalm 106:6 the theme of the psalm is given forth, in language which recalls Solomon’s and Daniel’s similar confessions. { 1 Kings 8:47 ; Daniel 9:5 } The accumulation of synonyms for sin witnesses at once to the gravity and manifoldness of the offences, and to the earnestness and comprehensiveness of the acknowledgment. The remarkable expression "We have sinned with our fathers" is not to be weakened to mean merely that the present generation had sinned like their ancestors, but gives expression to the profound sense of national solidarity, which speaks in many other places of Scripture, and rests on very deep facts in the life of nations and their individual members. The enumeration of ancestral sin begins with the murmurings of the faint-hearted fugitives by the Red Sea. In Psalm 105:1-45 the wonders in Egypt were dilated on and the events at the Red Sea unmentioned. Here the signs in Egypt are barely referred to and treated as past at the point where the psalm begins, while the incidents by the Red Sea fill a large space in the song. Clearly, the two psalms supplement each other. The reason given for Israel’s rebellion in Psalm 106:1-48 is its forgetfulness of God’s mighty deeds ( Psalm 106:7 a, b), while in Psalm 105:1-45 the remembrance of these is urgently enjoined. Thus, again, the connection of thought in the pair of psalms is evident. Every man has experiences enough of God’s goodness stored away in the chambers of his memory to cure him of distrust, if he would only look at them. But they lie unnoticed, and so fear has sway over him. No small part of the discipline needed for vigorous hope lies in vigorous exercise of remembrance. The drying up of the Red Sea is here poetically represented, with omission of Moses’ outstretched rod and the strong east wind, as the immediate consequence of God’s omnipotent rebuke. Psalm 106:9 b is from Isaiah 63:13 , and picturesquely describes the march through that terrible gorge of heaped-up waters as being easy and safe, as if it had been across some wide-stretching plain, with springy turf to tread on The triumphant description of the completeness of the enemies’ destruction in Psalm 106:11 b is Exodus 14:28 , and "they believed on His words" is in part quoted Exodus 14:31 , while Miriam’s song is referred to in Psalm 106:12 b. The next instance of departure is the lusting for food ( Psalm 106:13-15 ). Again the evil is traced to forgetfulness of God’s doings, to which in Psalm 106:13 b is added impatient disinclination to wait the unfolding of His counsel or plan. These evils cropped up with strange celerity. The memory of benefits was transient, as if they had been written on the blown sands of the desert. "They hasted, they forgot His works." Of how many of us that has to be said! We remember pain and sorrow longer than joy and pleasure. It is always difficult to bridle desires and be still until God discloses His purposes. We are all apt to try to force His hand open, and to impose our wishes on Him, rather than to let His will mould us. So, on forgetfulness and impatience there followed then, as there follow still, eager longings after material good, and a tempting of God. "They lusted a lust is from Numbers 11:4 . "Tempted God" is found in reference to the same incident in the other psalm of historical retrospect. { Psalm 78:18 } He is "tempted" when unbelief demands proofs of His power, instead of waiting patiently for Him. In Numbers 11:33 , Jehovah is said to have smitten the people "with a very great plague." The psalm specifies more, particularly the nature of the stroke by calling it "wasting sickness," which invaded the life of the sinners. The words are true in a deeper sense, though not so meant. For whoever sets his hot desires in self-willed fashion on material good, and succeeds in securing their gratification, gains with the satiety of his lower sense the loss of a shrivelled spiritual nature. Full-fed flesh makes starved souls. The third instance is the revolt headed by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram against the exclusive Aaronic priesthood ( Psalm 106:16-18 ). It was rebellion against God, for He had set apart Aaron as His own, and therefore the unusual title of "the holy one of Jehovah" is here given to the high priest. The expression recalls the fierce protest of the mutineers, addressed to Moses and Aaron, "Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy"; { Numbers 16:3 } and also Moses’ answer, "Jehovah will show who is holy." Envy often masquerades as the champion of the rights of the community, when it only wishes to grasp these for itself. These aristocratic democrats cared nothing for the prerogatives of the nation, though they talked about them. They wanted to pull down Aaron, not to lift up Israel. Their end is described with stern brevity, in language coloured by the narrative in Numbers, from which the phrases "opened" ( i.e., her mouth) and "covered" are drawn. Korah is not mentioned here, in which the psalm follows Numbers 16:1-50 and Deuteronomy 11:6 , whereas Numbers 26:10 includes Korah in the destruction. The difficulty does not seem to have received any satisfactory solution. But Cheyne is too peremptory when he undertakes to divine the reason for the omission of Korah here and in Deuteronomy 11:6 , "because he was a Levite and his name was dear to temple poets." Such clairvoyance as to motives is beyond ordinary vision. In Psalm 106:18 the fate of the two hundred and fifty "princes of Israel" who took part in the revolt is recorded as in Numbers 16:35 . The worship of the calf is the fourth instance ( Psalm 106:19-23 ) in the narrative of which the psalmist follows Exodus 32:1-35 , but seems also to have Deuteronomy 9:8-12 floating in his mind, as appears from the use of the name "Horeb," which is rare in Exodus and frequent in Deuteronomy. Psalm 106:20 is apparently modelled on Jeremiah 2:11 : "My people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit." Compare also Paul’s "changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness, " etc . { Romans 1:23 } "His glory" is read instead "their glory by Noldeke, Graetz, and Cheyne, following an old Jewish authority. The LXX, in Codd. Alex. and Sin. (second hand), has this reading, and Paul seems to follow it in the passage just quoted. It yields a worthy meaning, but the existing text is quite appropriate. It scarcely means that God was the source of Israel’s glory or their boast, for the word is not found in that sense. It is much rather the name for the collective attributes of the revealed Godhead, and is here substantially equivalent to "their God," that lustrous Light which, in a special manner, belonged to the people of revelation, on whom its first and brightest beams shone. The strange perverseness which turned away from such a radiance of glory to bow down before an idol is strikingly set forth by the figure of bartering it for an image and that of an ox that ate grass. The one true Substance given away for a shadow! The lofty Being whose light filled space surrendered: and for what? A brute that had to feed, and that on herbage! Men usually make a profit, or think they do, on their barter: but what do they gain by exchanging God for anything? Yet we keep making the same mistake of parting with Substance for shadows. And the reason which moved Israel is still operative. As before, the psalmist traces their mad apostasy to forgetfulness of God’s deeds. The list of these is now increased by the addition of those at the Red Sea. With every step new links were added to the chain that should have bound the recipients of so many mercies to God. Therefore each new act of departure was of a darker hue of guilt, and drew on the apostates severer punishment, which also, rightly understood, was greater mercy. "He said that He would annihilate them" is quoted from Deuteronomy 9:25 . Moses’ intercession for the people is here most vividly represented under the figure of a champion, who rushes into the breach by which the enemy is about to pour into some beleaguered town, and with his own body closes the gap and arrests the assault. {cf. Ezekiel 22:30 } The fifth instance is the refusal to go up to the land, which followed on the report of the spies ( Psalm 106:24-27 ). These verses are full of reminiscences of the Pentateuch and other parts of Scripture. "The delightsome, land" (lit. "land of desire) is found in Jeremiah 3:19 and Zechariah 7:14 . "They despised" is from Numbers 14:31 . "They murmured in their tents" is Deuteronomy 1:27 (the only other place in which the word for murmuring occurs in this form). Lifting up the hand is used, as here, not in the usual sense of threatening to strike, but in that of swearing, in Exodus 6:8 , and the oath itself is given in Numbers 14:28 sqq., while the expression "lifted up My hand" occurs in that context, in reference to God’s original oath to the patriarch. The threat of exile ( Psalm 106:27 ) does not occur in Numbers, but is found as the punishment of apostasy Leviticus 26:33 and Deuteronomy 28:64 . The verse, however, is found almost exactly in Ezekiel 20:23 , with the exception that there "scatter" stands in a instead of make to fall . The difference in the Hebrew is only in the final letter of the words, and the reading in Ezekiel should probably be adopted here. So the LXX and other ancient authorities and many of the moderns. The sixth instance is" the participation in the abominable Moabitish worship of "Baal-Peor," recorded in Numbers 25:1-18 . The peculiar phrase "yoked themselves to" is taken from that chapter, and seems to refer to "the mystic, quasi-physical union supposed to exist between a god and his worshippers, and to be kept up by sacrificial meals" (Cheyne). These are called sacrifices of the dead, inasmuch as idols are dead in contrast with the living God. The judicial retribution inflicted according to Divine command by the judges of Israel slaying "everyone his man" is here called a "plague," as in the foundation passage, Numbers 25:9 . The word (lit. "a stroke," i.e., from God) is usually applied to punitive sickness; but God smites when He bids men smite. Both the narrative in Numbers and the psalm bring out vividly the picture of the indignant Phinehas springing to his feet from the midst of the passive crowd. He "rose up," says the former; he "stood up," says the latter. And his deed is described in the psalm in relation to its solemn judicial character, without particularising its details. The psalmist would partially veil both the sin and the horror of its punishment. Phinehas’ javelin was a minister of God’s justice, and the death of the two culprits satisfied that justice and stayed the plague. The word rendered "did judgment" has that meaning only, and such renderings as mediated or appeased give the effect of the deed and not the description of it contained in the word. "It was reckoned to him for righteousness" as Abraham’s faith was { Genesis 15:6 } It was indeed an act which had its origin "In the faithfulness that had its root in faith, and which, for the sake of this its ultimate ground, gained him the acceptation of a righteous man, inasmuch as it proved him to be such" (Delitzsch, Eng. Trans.). He showed himself a true son of Abraham in the midst of these degenerate descendants, and it was the same impulse of faith which drove his spear, and which filled the patriarch’s heart when he gazed into the silent sky and saw in its numberless lights the promise of his seed. Phinehas’ reward was the permanence of the priesthood in his family. The seventh instance is the rebellion at the waters of Meribah (Strife), in the fortieth year. { Numbers 20:2-13 } The chronological order is here set aside, for the events recorded in Psalm 106:28-31 followed those dealt with in Psalm 106:32-33 . The reason is probably that here Moses himself is hurried into sin, through the people’s faithlessness, and so a climax is reached. The leader, long tried, fell at last, and was shut out from entering the land. That was in some aspects the masterpiece and triumph of the nation’s sin. "It fared ill with Moses on their account," as in Deuteronomy 1:37 ; Deuteronomy 3:26 , "Jehovah was angry with me for your sakes." "His Spirit," in Psalm 106:33 , is best taken as meaning the Spirit of God. The people’s sin is repeatedly specified in the psalm as being rebellion against God. and the absence of a more distinct definition of the person referred to is like the expression in Psalm 106:32 , where "indignation" is that of God, though His name is not mentioned. Isaiah 63:10 is a parallel to this clause, as other parts of the same chapter are to other parts of the psalm. The question which has been often raised, as to what was Moses’ sin, is solved in Psalm 106:33 b, which makes his passionate words, wherein he lost his temper and arrogated to himself the power of fetching water from the rock, the head and front of his offending. The psalmist has finished his melancholy catalogue of sins in the wilderness with this picture of the great leader dragged down by the prevailing tone, and he next turns to the sins done in the land. Two flagrant instances are given-disobedience to the command to exterminate the inhabitants, and the adoption of their bloody worship. The conquest of Canaan was partial; and, as often is the case, the conquerors were conquered and the invaders caught the manners of the invaded. Intermarriage poured a large infusion of alien blood into Israel; and the Canaanitish strain is perceptible today in the fellahin of the Holy Land. The proclivity to idolatry, which was natural in that stage of the world’s history, and was intensified by universal example, became more irresistible, when reinforced by kinship and neighbourhood, and the result foretold was realised-the idols "became a snare". { Jdg 2:1-3 } The poet dwells with special abhorrence on the hideous practice of human sacrifices, which exercised so strong and horrible a fascination over the inhabitants of Canaan. The word in Psalm 106:37 demons is found only here and in Deuteronomy 32:17 . The above rendering is that of the LXX. Its literal meaning seems to be "lords." It is thus a synonym for "Baalim." The epithet " Shaddai " exclusively applied to Jehovah may be compared. In Psalm 106:40-46 the whole history of Israel is summed up as alternating periods of sin, punishment, deliverance, recurring in constantly repeated cycles, in which the mystery of human obstinacy is set over against that of Divine long suffering, and one knows not whether to wonder most at the incurable levity which learned nothing from experience, or the inexhaustible long suffering which wearied not in giving wasted gifts. Chastisement and mercies were equally in vain. The outcome of God’s many deliverances was, "they rebelled in their counsel" -i.e., went on their own stiff-necked way, instead of waiting for and following God’s merciful plan, which would have made them secure and blessed. The end of such obstinacy of disobedience can only be, "they were brought low through their iniquity." The psalmist appears to "be quoting Leviticus 26:39 , "they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity"; but he intentionally slightly alters the word, substituting one of nearly the same sound, but with the meaning of being brought low instead of fading away. To follow one’s own will is to secure humiliation and degradation. Sin weakens the true strength and darkens the true glory, of men. In Psalm 106:44-46 the singer rises from these sad and stern thoughts to recreate his spirit with the contemplation of the patient lovingkindness of God. It persists through all man’s sin and God’s anger. The multitude of its manifestations far outnumbers that of our sins. His eye looks on Israel’s distress with pity, and every sorrow on which He looks He desires to remove. Calamities melt away beneath His gaze, like damp stains in sunlight. His merciful "look" swiftly follows the afflicted man’s cry. No voice acknowledges sin and calls for help in vain. The covenant forgotten by men is none the less remembered by Him. The numberless number of His lovingkindnesses, greater than that of all men’s sins, secures forgiveness after the most repeated transgressions. The law and measure of His "repenting" lie in the endless depths of His own heart. As the psalmist had sung at the beginning, that lovingkindness endures forever; therefore none of Israel’s many sins went unchastised, and no chastisement outlasted their repentance. Solomon had prayed that God would "give them compassion before those who carried them captive"; { 1 Kings 8:50 } and thus has it been, as the psalmist joyfully sees. He may have written when the Babylonian captivity was near an end, and such instances as those of Daniel or Nehemiah may have been in his mind. In any case, it is beautifully significant that a psalm, which tells the doleful story of centuries of faithlessness, should end with God’s faithfulness to His promises, His inexhaustible forgiveness, and the multitude of His lovingkindnesses. Such will be the last result of the world’s history no less than of Israel’s. The psalm closes with the prayer in Psalm 106:47 , which shows that it was written in exile. It corresponds in part with the closing words of Psalm 105:1-45 . Just as there the purpose of God’s mercies to Israel was said to be that they might be thereby moved to keep His statutes, so here the psalmist hopes and vows that the issue of his people’s restoration will be thankfulness to God’s holy name, and triumphant pealing forth from ransomed lips of His high praises. Psalm 106:48 is the concluding doxology of the Fourth Book. Some commentators suppose it an integral part of the psalm, but it is more probably an editorial addition. 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Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 106:1-5 The true in praise, religion, and prayer Homilist. I. TRUE. PRAISE AND ITS REASONS (vers. 1, 2). This call to praise Jehovah is binding on all intelligent and moral creatures, because of — 1. The goodness of His nature. 2. The permanency of His mercy. 3. The immensity of His works. II. TRUE RELIGION AND ITS BLESSEDNESS (ver. 3). What is true religion? Keeping to the right at all times. "If ye love Me, keep My commandments." The only hymn of praise acceptable to the ear of the Infinite is a life of rectitude. Now, this is happiness ( Psalm 1:1 ). III. TRUE PRAYER AND ITS DESIRES. What is the grand desire of true prayer? All may be summed up in one sentence — identification with the excellent of the earth (vers. 4, 5). A desire to be identified with the rich, the powerful, and the distinguished of the earth is common, is "of the earth, earthy"; but a desire to be vitally associated with the morally excellent of the earth is rare and of heavenly origin. May this be our grand aspiration! ( Homilist. ) Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that Thou bearest unto Thy people. Psalm 106:4, 5 Sharing the blessings of God's people A. Roberts, M.A. I. WHO THE LORD'S PEOPLE ARE. They are a people who, deeply sensible of their own guiltiness and vileness, rest simply upon Jesus as their Saviour from the wrath to come. They are a people led also by the Spirit of the Saviour they believe in; actuated by His love; conformed to His image. II. THE FAVOUR WHICH THE LORD BEARS UNTO HIS PEOPLE. 1. He sends His Spirit into their hearts to dwell with and abide in them — to work in them both to will and to do what is pleasing in His eyes. 2. He gives them His Word, full of precious things — comforts, invitations, promises, directions. 3. He makes all things work together for their good. 4. He gives them free access to Himself in prayer. III. THE PRAYER IN THE TEXT. I. We are here taught what to do, if we fear that we have no part nor lot in the Lord's favour to His people. Pray for it. 2. Imitate the fervency of the psalmist in seeking for a clear, personal interest in these privileges. ( A. Roberts, M.A. ) The poor man's prayer I. This is an admirable prayer FOR A POOR HUMBLE CHRISTIAN. Notice with interest the first fear felt by this poor, trembling Christian. He is afraid that he is such a little one that God will forget him, and so he begins with, "O remember me with the favour which Thou bearest to Thy people." He is a true believer, but he is a sad doubter. He is on the road to heaven, but he is often afraid he is not, and that makes him watch every step he takes. I almost wish some confident professors were altogether as doubtful as he is if they would be half as cautious. Now, I am not quite sure about this good man's name, — it may be Littlefaith, or Feeblemind. Or is it Mr. Despondency I am thinking of? Or Miss Much-afraid? Or Mr. Ready-to-halt? Well, it is some one of that numerous family. This poor soul thinks, "Surely God will forget me I" No, no, dear heart, he will not forget you. It is wonderful how God does think of little things. Mungo Park picked up a little bit Of moss in the desert, and as he marked how beautifully it was variegated, he said, "God is here: He is thinking of the moss, and therefore He will think of me." Observe next, that this poor, trembling heart seems to be in great trouble for fear the Lord should pass it by, but at the same time feels that every good thing it can possibly receive must come from the Lord, and must be brought to it by the Lord. Thou needest not say, if thou hast a broken heart, "Lord, visit me." Do you not know that He dwells in you, for is it not written ( Isaiah 66:2 )? Are you not the very person? Poor sorrowing heart, let me say to thee, and say in God's name, if thou lovest thy Lord, all things are thine. They are thine freely to enjoy even at this moment. The Lord denies thee no covenant blessing. Make bold to appropriate the sacred joys, for if thou be the least child in the family, yet the heritage of God's children is the same for every one. II. THIS IS A SUITABLE PETITION FOR A POOR, PENITENT BACKSLIDER. It is clear that this poor, pleading backslider feels that he has forgotten his God. Have you done that? You have been a Church-member, and you have gone sadly astray; have you quite forgotten His commandments? You thought you loved Him. You used to pray at one time: you had some enjoyment in reading and in hearing the Word; but now you find your pleasure somewhere else. You have left your first love and gone after many lovers. But, oh, if the Lord is gracious to you, you are lamenting your forgetfulness; and though you have not remembered Him, the prayer leaps to your lips, "Lord, remember me." Blessed be His name, He does not so easily forget us as we forget Him. It is He that sets thee weeping, and makes thee sorrow for thy sin. And then, I think, your next trouble will be this: you feel that you have lost your fellowship with Christ: and you are right in so feeling, for "How can two walk together except they be agreed?" How could Christ have fellowship with you in the ways of folly?" Come back, my Lord, and visit me with Thy salvation." Is not this a prayer made on purpose for you? And, next, you observe in the text that the poor backslider is longing to get a sight of the good things which for a long time have been hid from him He cries, "That I may see the good of Thy chosen. He has been out amongst the swine, but he could not fill his belly with the husks. He has been hungering and thirsting, and now he remembers that in his Father's house there is bread enough and to spare. The poor backslider praying in the words of my text longs to taste once more the joy he used to feel, and therefore he says, "That I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation"; and, again, he wants to be able to speak as he once could — "that I may glory with Thine inheritance." Come back even now, my brother, and get another application of the blood of sprinkling. Look again to Jesus. Ah, and I may here say, if you have not backslidden, look again to Jesus. We have all wandered to some extent. Come, let us look to those dear wounds anew. Looking, my heart begins to love, and then begins to leap. Looking, I come back again to where I stood before; and now, once again, Christ is my all, and I rejoice in Him. Have you gone through that process, backslider? III. THIS IS A VERY SWEET PRAYER FOR A POOR SORROWING SEEKER. To begin with, it is a sinner's prayer. The dying thief rejoiced to use the words. This is the best of prayers, — "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom." Trembling sinner, what suited the dying thief may well suit you. Note, again, it is the prayer of a lost one. "Visit me with Thy salvation." Jesus Christ has not come to seek and to save those who do not want saving, but He has come on purpose to seek and to save that which was lost. Look to Him, and thou shalt find that He is the Saviour thou dost require. Further, remark that our text is the prayer of one who has a dim eye — "That I may see the good of Thy chosen." We have told the seeker to look to Jesus, but he complains, "I do try to look, but I cannot see." Beloved seeker, I do not know that you are bidden to see. You are bidden to look; and if you could not see when you looked you would at least have obeyed the Gospel command. The looking, the looking would bring salvation to you. But for dim eyes Christ is the great cure. He can take away the cataract and remove the gutta serena . Then it is a prayer for a heavy heart. "That I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation." The seeking soul moans out, "O that I had a little joy, or even a trembling hope. If it were ever so small a portion of light I should be glad." Pray for joy. The Lord waits to give it, and if you believe in Jesus your joy shall be full. And in the last place our text, is the prayer of a spirit that is humble and laid in the very dust, which cries to God to enable it to glory with His inheritance, because it is stripped of all other glory, emptied of its own boastings. Practically its plea is, "Lord, give me to boast in Thy mercy and Thy goodness, for I have nothing else to boast of." Now, this prayer I would most earnestly press upon you, and I would press it upon you for these reasons. Just think for a moment. Supposing you are living now without seeing the good of God's chosen, without being saved, what a wretched life it is to live! I cannot understand what men do without God: I cannot comprehend how they live. Do you have no cares, men? "Oh," you say, "we have anxieties in shoals." Well, where do you take them? Poor man without a God, how do you keep up your spirits? What comfort is there in your life? No prayer in the morning, no prayer at night: what days, what nights! Oh, men, I could as soon think of living without eating, or living without breathing, as living without prayer. Wretched naked spirits, your souls must be with no God to cover them! But if it be bad to live without Christ — and I am sure it is, — what will it be to die without Him? ( C. H. Spurgeon . ) The abounding prayer E. A. Thomson. I. THE IMMEDIATE REQUESTS. 1. The first solicits a specially loving Divine remembrance. He knew that general providential mercy and visible Church privilege mould profit him but little, if he had nothing more, if he had not over and above a personal interest in a much more special favour, in the Lord's covenant-favour towards His own elect; and hence it was his earnest prayer, his constant prayer, to be remembered with this favour. 2. The second solicits a graciously saving Divine visit. Come, Lord, and by Thine own finger, write upon my heart the assurance of Thy love. Come, Lord, and by Thine own Spirit witness with my spirit that I am Thy adopted child. Come, Lord, and by Thine own counsel, guide me while I live; and afterwards by Thine own hand receive me, when I die, into everlasting habitations. II. THE ULTERIOR REQUESTS. 1. There is the consciousness of gracious well-being. "That I may see the good of Thy chosen." He desired to see it as the "chosen" do, with the eye of a conscious faith, of a spiritually illumined soul; to see it so as to be sustained, stimulated, rejoiced, and beautified by it; to see it as made over to himself, so that it might become his own, just as when the owner of an estate looks over it and says, "This farm, that goodly mansion, those spacious parks, the domain all round, the whole is mine." Such was the sight which he desired, the only sight which is ever satisfying. 2. There is the experience of spiritual joy. "That I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation." Not see it merely, but share it too in a way answerable to its high and holy character, singing with grace in my heart to the Lord in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. 3. There is the exultation of holy triumph. "That I may glory with Thine inheritance." The heirs of an earthly inheritance are but heirs apparent or heirs presumptive, and either in one way or in another they may be disappointed of the inheritance after all. But not so here. The Lord is their inheritance, and they are His inheritance; and there can he no shortcoming of the mutual inheritance on either His part or theirs. What is it to glory with His inheritance in the Lord? It is to exalt Him highest in our affection and esteem; to claim Him as our own and only Lord; to confess Him before men; to place on Him the crown of our salvation; to give all the glory of it from first to last to Him to whom it all belongs. ( E. A. Thomson. ) The blessed lot of the saints desired C. Bradley, M.A. I. THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE SAINTS OF GOD. See this from — 1. The names given them. (1) The people of God. (2) His chosen. (3) His nation. (4) His inheritance.They are the richest treasures, it says, that God possesses; the prized and the loved of His soul; of all things in heaven and earth the most delighted in. 2. What they may be said to possess. (1) The good of His chosen ( Proverbs 8:20 ). All the treasures of God — of Omnipotence — are at their disposal. (2) The gladness of His nation — a portion of the gladness of heaven, vouchsafed to the heirs of heaven before they get there. (3) The glory of His inheritance. II. THE PRAYER DRAWN FROM THE PSALMIST BY THE CONTEMPLATION OF THIS BLESSEDNESS. 1. Here is, first, a belief expressed both in the existence and in the happiness of God's people. This is generally the first step a man takes towards obtaining a part in their blessedness. It is a great point gained when we are brought really to believe that such a people exist on the earth as you have now been hearing of. Here is a proof that light is breaking in upon your minds. And what a call is here, Christian brethren, on you, for a conduct consistent with your high profession! 2. We discover in this prayer a tracing of all the blessedness of God's people to His special "favour" and "His salvation." "Remember me," the psalmist says, "with" — what? "That 'tender mercy' which is 'over all Thy works'? that universal goodness of Thine, which shines in the sun, which falls down in the rain 'on the evil and on the good'?" No; with that "favour," that special favour, "that Thou bearest unto Thy people." "O visit me," he says again, "with Thy salvation." And this special favour and this salvation he asks for, observe, in order that he may obtain and rejoice in "the good of God's chosen": letting us see, that all this "good" and all this "rejoicing" and all this "glory" have their origin and spring out of God's "favour" and God's "salvation." 3. We may trace in this prayer an earnest desire of making the blessedness of God's saints his own. It is, you observe, a personal prayer: "Remember me, O Lord; O visit me with Thy salvation." This is the turning-point. Such a prayer is indeed an indication of favour already gone forth for the soul that offers it. Such a prayer proceeds from grace already at work in the soul. ( C. Bradley, M.A. ) Prayer for the Lord's favour to His people E. Cooper, M.A. The text contains a petition which is very expressive of the desires of the renewed soul; and which no one in truth can really offer who is not under the influence of the Spirit of God. I. WHAT ARE THE THINGS WHICH THE PERSON, WHO SINCERELY USES THIS PETITION, BELIEVES. 1. That the Lord has a people, a people in this world peculiar to Himself, who in an especial manner belong to Him, and in a way different from others, are His property, the objects of His care, and the sheep of His pasture. 2. That the Lord has a peculiar favour to His people. (1) Gracious and free in its origin. (2) Active in its operation. (3) Constant in its exercise. (4) Unchangeable both as to its degree and duration.It does not depend upon their feelings, neither is it the less because of their fears. II. WHAT IS THE DESIRE WHICH THE PERSON WHO SINCERELY USERS THIS PETITION, HEARTILY FEELS AND EXPRESSES. "Remember me, O Lord," etc . Believing that the Lord has a peculiar people, and that He beareth to them a peculiar favour, he longs to be included in their number, and to participate in their privileges. Do you feel a lively interest for your own salvation, and do you anxiously pray for your own soul? Do you look upon true religion as s personal transaction between yourself and God? Be then of good courage. If you heartily desire His favour, you have already obtained it. None but those who are His people, and possess His favour, ever thus heartily desire, and sincerely pray for these things. ( E. Cooper, M.A. ) O visit me with Thy salvation A visit from the Lord I. The psalmist here prays for SALVATION. He says, first, that God saved the people out of Egypt. There they were, a nation of captives and bond-slaves; and He began to work with a high hand and an outstretched arm to bring them out of their captivity; and though they did not understand His wonders, yet, nevertheless, He saved them. That is a salvation in which you and I also delight, — salvation by the sprinkled blood, — salvation by the Paschal Lamb, — salvation by the right hand of God and His stretched-out arm, — a salvation which reveals His faithfulness, His mercy, and His power. Let us bless God if we know experimentally what this salvation means; and if we do not, let this be the prayer of each one of us, "O visit me with Thy salvation." Further on in the psalm, the writer sings of a second salvation when the people were delivered at the Red Sea. Its waves rolled before them, and they could not tell how they were to escape from Pharaoh, who was close behind with all the chariots and horsemen of Egypt pursuing them. So it was when you and I, having cried to God for mercy, at last found it through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Then we saw our sins cast into the depths of the sea, and we were ready to dance for joy as we said, "The depths have covered them; there is not one of them left." It may be that you and I have gone further on than this. We have been saved from our natural ruin, and saved from the power of despair wrought in us by conviction; and now we are fighting with our uprising corruptions. Our inbred sin is like the deep that lieth under, and perhaps, lately, the fountains of the great deep have been broken up within us. We cannot sin without being grieved and troubled by it; it is a vexation even to hear the report of it. Oh, that we could live without sinning at all! Well, now, if you are struggling against it, let this be your prayer to the Most High, "O visit me with Thy salvation." Our text may also be used in another sense, for salvation means deliverance from grievous affliction, just as, in this psalm, when the children of Israel were brought into great distress by their enemies, then God came, and saved them from their foes. So, at this time, you may be in great distress. Whether you are suffering in body, or in mind, or in heart, God knows how to deliver you. II. VISTATION. Mark the condescension which the psalmist feels that the Lord will thus manifest. "O visit me with Thy salvation." Lord, I cannot be saved unless Thou wilt visit me. Visit me not as a saved one, but "visit me with Thy salvation." I am lost until Thou dost come to me. O come, Lord, and visit me as a Saviour. Come and visit me as a Physician, for I am sick. Pay me a visit of mercy, a visit of grace and tenderness. O thou great and glorious Lord, I beseech Thee, come and visit me. By the remembrance of Bethlehem's manger, come and visit me. And, as the angels sang when Thou didst thus descend to the lowliest of lowliness, so shall my heart sing yet more sweetly if Thou wilt visit me, — even me. It will be a great condescension on Thy part, but 'O visit me with Thy salvation.'" And it will be compassion, too, "'O visit me.' I am a prisoner; yet come, Lord, and visit me. I am lame and very weak. Lord, I have not a leg to carry me to Thy house; so come to my house, Lord. 'O visit me.' My heart is heavy, and sorely burdened; my very wishes lag, my prayers limp, my desires halt. O come and visit me. If I cannot come to Thee, yet come Thou to me, my God." But there is more in it even than that, there is also communion: "O visit me with Thy salvation." A visit from a beloved friend, — oh, what a joy it is! Most of you must have some friends who love you so much that, when they see you at their house, they do not want to know when you are going, but, if they could, they would make you always stop there. Dr. Watts went to see Sir Thomas Abney, at Abney Park, to spend a week; but that week lasted through all the rest of his life, for he never went away from there, and he lies buried in Abney Park, and Sir Thomas is buried there also, so that even in death the friends are not divided from one another. They never meant to part after they once came together. That is the kind of visit we want from the Lord, so let us breathe this prayer now, "O Lord, come and visit me; but do not merely pay me a brief visit, but come to stay with me." III. PERSONALITY. "Visit me." This petition of the psalmist shows great necessity, great unworthiness, and great concentration of desire. If anybody says that it is selfish to pray for yourself so much, just ask him what he would do if he were drowning? Does anybody say that it is selfish for him to strike out and try to swim, or selfish to seize the lifebouy that is thrown to him? If you were in a fire, and likely to be burned to death, would anybody call you selfish because you looked out for the fire-escape, and climbed on to it as soon as it touched your window? And when your very soul is in danger, it is a hallowed selfishness to seek first its salvation. If your own soul be lost, what can you do for the salvation of other people? If you perish, what benefit can you be to your fellow-men? Therefore, keep to this personal prayer till it is answered, and when it is, then pray for all others as earnestly as you have prayed for yourself. IV. Notice one thing more in this text, and that is, A SPECIALITY: "O visit me with Thy salvation," — the kind of salvation he has been describing in this psalm, the salvation wrought by omnipotent grace, the salvation of enduring love. The psalmist prayed, "O visit me with Thy salvation," and by that he meant real salvation, a radical change, a thorough work of grace. God's salvation includes a perfect cleansing in the precious blood of Jesus, a supernatural work in renewing the heart, a resurrection work in raising the dead, and giving a new life. This salvation is also complete salvation. It saves the man from the love of sin. It not merely saves him from getting drunk, from lying, and from thieving, and from uncleanness; but it saves him within as well as without. It is a thorough renewal, — a work of grace that takes effect upon every part of his nature, Lastly, and chiefly, God's salvation is eternal salvation. A good old divine was once asked whether he believed in the final perseverance of the saints. "Well," said he, "I do not know much about that matter, but I firmly believe in the final perseverance of God, that where He has begun a good work He will carry it on until it is complete." To my mind, that truth includes the final perseverance of the saints; they persevere in the way of salvation because God keeps them in it. ( C. H. Spurgeon . ) The visit of salvation W. H. M. H. Aitken, M.A. Looked at from the standpoint of a true and sincere Christian, the one great salvation which runs through all his experience presents to his mind three distinct aspects. He contemplates a salvation of the past, a fact complete in itself, the starting-point of his new experiences, the commencement of his new life. But further, he recognizes a salvation of the present, a salvation that is going forward from day to day, a salvation which is as needful to the development and maintenance of the new life as the salvation of the past was to its commencement. And he looks forward to a salvation of the future, in which the life thus received and maintained will be crowned with glory, honour, and immortality, a salvation which shall lift him into a state in which danger is unknown, and in which therefore salvation is required no longer; so we may say, a state in which salvation shall be merged in glory. Let me offer a very simple illustration. We will suppose that this country is at war with some barbarous foe, and that a soldier, in whom our King is specially interested, has been captured by the enemy and condemned to death. Such a man is in present danger, and requires an instant salvation. Our King hears that he is to be executed, and he represents to the king with whom he is at war that he is particularly anxious that this man should not die, and backs the application with the offer of a large ransom. The terms are arranged, and the ransom is accepted. That moment the man is saved, saved by the King's grace. Such is the salvation of the past, to which the believer looks back with feelings of joyous certainty and of deep and fervent gratitude to Him who has rescued him from so great a death. But let us carry our illustration further. We will suppose that on his return home from that scene of terribly close danger the soldier approaches his sovereign to offer his thanks, and that he puts it to him, "I have saved you from death; now are you willing to fight my battles for me?" Surely, if the man has a spark of gratitude in his nature, his reply will be, "I am at your service, my King, from this time. My body and my blood are yours, and all my faculties, to my latest breath. Command what you will, I am ready." "Very well," replies his sovereign, "you shall go to the battle-field and fight my battles once more." But here, to complete our figure, we must suppose a thing impossible under the conditions of modern warfare. We will suppose that the King points to a suit of armour hanging mayhap on the wall. "Put on that suit of armour," he says, "and I will guarantee that as long as you wear it you will be safe, even in the midst of the battle — safe from all danger and death." Watch that man go forth to the battle. Here he is surrounded by danger. You ask the question, "Is he in danger, or is he not?" Look at him outwardly, and he is in great and unquestionable danger. Can you not hear the whistling of the bullets as they fly around him? At any moment he may fall, so you think, until you are let into the secret of that mysterious armour; but then, when you see him wearing that armour in the midst of every danger, you know that, since nothing can touch him or harm him as long as he wears it, in the midst of danger he is being saved. It is clear, then, that his part in this matter of his continuous salvation consists in the carefulness with which he sees to it that he never omits to clothe himself in the panoply of safety. If he becomes careless and despises his foe, or forgets that his safety is dependent upon the provision which his King has made to ensure it, he may still fall, but the fault will be his own. Even so we are being saved so long as we trust to and appropriate to ourselves the Divine provision for our safety; but when we cease to walk by faith we cease to live in safety; we are no longer being saved. Let us look at another picture. The campaign ends at last in victory; the enemy is crushed and slain; the soldier returns in triumph to his native land. His salvation is complete now, because he is not only rescued, not only armed with an impervious suit, but he is saved from all possibilities of carelessness that might have exposed him afresh to the powers of the foe. He is received into the palace, and becomes a member of the royal household, and his perils are of the past. Even so are we to be saved when the long conflict which has run through all human history comes to its close, and the latest foe is crushed under our great Victor's feet; then shall we join the great company that no man can number in the cry — "Salvation unto our God and to the Lamb." ( W. H. M. H. Aitken, M.A. ) That I may see the good of Thy chosen The good of God's chosen W. H. M. H. Aitken, M. A. I. GOD HAS A CHOSEN PEOPLE. That God does choose men is beyond question. Why, how, and when He chooses them, are quite a different matter. It will be enough if we point out that the people of Israel were chosen of God, to enjoy as a nation such a good and happy lot as should serve to set forth in a figure the spiritual good of the spiritual Israel of the future. Similarly, even now, God has His chosen ones, who, like the ancient Israel, are brought into a very close relation with Himself; only that those relations with God are spiritual, where the relations of Israel with God were national and ecclesiastical. But who are these chosen ones, and how are they distinguished from others? If any of you to whom I speak imagine that you are in a position to enjoy the good of God's chosen, just because of your membership in the outward Church and your participation in the external ordinances of religion, this utterance alone is surely enough to undeceive you. Called you certainly have been, but do you wear the wedding garment? Are you clothed with that "righteousness which is of God by faith"? God dwells in hearts that are submitted — willingly and cheerfully submitted — to Him in the obedience of faith. These are God's peculiar treasures in a world that disowns and rejects Him; they are His "people of possession," and no wonder that He should reserve for them some special good, of which others can know nothing, until they too join this favoured company. II. THESE CHOSEN ONES HAVE A SPECIAL GOOD OF THEIR OWN. It consists primarily in the possession of God. "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Surely in a world where foes are strong, and we are only too conscious of our weakness, it is no small matter to enjoy the help of Omnipotence. And in a world where trials and troubles are so numerous, it is something to have a refuge open unto us whereunto we may always resort. Why should you condemn yourselves to perpetual restlessness, when you have God's own peace which passeth all understanding within your reach? Why should you prefer the evil of God's enemies, the cruel Nemesis which they bring upon their own heads, to the good which might be yours if you were His? Have you not had enough of weariness and restless toil? Why not listen to the voice to-night which proclaims, "Peace, peace to those that are far off, to those that are near"? Why not offer the prayer, "O visit me with Thy salvation, that I may see the good of Thy chosen"? ( W. H. M. H. Aitken, M. A. .) Our fathers understood not Thy wonders in Egypt. Psalm 106:7 Sin: its spring-head, stream, and sea Great things, whether good or evil, begin with littles. The river that rolls its mighty volume to the sea was once a tiny brook; nay, it started as a spring-head, where the child stooped down to drink, and, with a single draught, seemed as if he would exhaust the supply. The rivulet ripples itself into a river. Sin is a stream of this sort. It starts with a thought; it increases to a resolve, a word, an act; it gathers force, and becomes habit, and daring rebellion. I. WANT OF UNDERSTANDING OF GOD'S WONDERS IS THE SOURCE OF SIN. Many professing Christians of whom we have a good hope that they will prove to be sincere, never had any deep conviction of sin, nor any overwhelming sense of their need of Jesus: hence they have seen little of our Lord in His glorious offices, and all-sufficient sacrifice, and have gained no thorough understanding of His truth. They are like slovenly farmers, who have ploughed their fields after a fashion, but they have not gone deep, and the land will never yield more than half a crop. We have all around us too much surface work. II. FAILURE OF MEMORY FOLLOWS UPON WANT OF UNDERSTANDING. 1. Mercies should be remembered. It is a great wrong to God when we bury His mercies in the grave of unthankfulness. Especially is this the case with distinguishing mercies, wherein the Lord makes us to differ from others. Light, when the rest of the land is in darkness! Life, when others are smitten with the sword of death! Liberty from an iron bondage! O Christians, these are not things to be forgotten! 2. Mercies multiplied should never be forgotten. If they are new every morning, our memory of them should be always fresh. Read the story of the ten plagues, and see how the Lord heaped up His mercies upon Israel with both His hands. Even if they had forgotten one wonder they ought to have remembered others. "Forget not all His benefits." 3. The Lord's mercies ought to be remembered progressively. We should think more and more of His exceeding kindness. III. GRIEVOUS PROVOCATION FOLLOWED THEIR FORGETFULNESS OF GOD. It is a high crime and misdemeanour to sin in the presence of a great mercy. Abhor the sin which dogs your heel, and follows you even to your knees, and hinders you in drawing near to God in prayer. Oh, the accursed sin which even on Tabor's top makes us fall asleep or talk foolishly! Lord, have mercy upon us, and forgive the sins of our holy places, and let it not stand against us in Thy book that "They provoked Thee at the sea, even at the Red Sea." ( C. H. Spurgeon . ) The Israelites' ingratitude to God R. South, D.D. I. THEIR UNWORTHY AND UNGRATEFUL DEPORTMENT TOWARDS GOD UPON A MOST SIGNAL MERCY AND DELIVERANCE. To provoke, is an expression setting forth a peculiar and more than ordinary degree of misbehaviour; and seems to import an insolent daring resolution to offend. A resolution not contented with one single stroke of disobedience, but such a one as multiplies an

106:1-5 None of our sins or sufferings should prevent our ascribing glory and praise to the Lord. The more unworthy we are, the more is his kindness to be admired. And those who depend on the Redeemer's righteousness will endeavour to copy his example, and by word and deed to show forth his praise. God's people have reason to be cheerful people; and need not envy the children of men their pleasure or pride. 106:6-12 Here begins a confession of sin; for we must acknowledge that the Lord has done right, and we have done wickedly. We are encouraged to hope that though justly corrected, yet we shall not be utterly forsaken. God's afflicted people own themselves guilty before him. God is distrusted because his favours are not remembered. If he did not save us for his own name's sake, and to the praise of his power and grace, we should all perish. 106:13-33 Those that will not wait for God's counsel, shall justly be given up to their own hearts' lusts, to walk in their own counsels. An undue desire, even for lawful things, becomes sinful. God showed his displeasure for this. He filled them with uneasiness of mind, terror of conscience, and self-reproach. Many that fare deliciously every day, and whose bodies are healthful, have leanness in their souls: no love to God, no thankfulness, no appetite for the Bread of life, and then the soul must be lean. Those wretchedly forget themselves, that feast their bodies and starve their souls. Even the true believer will see abundant cause to say, It is of the Lord's mercies that I am not consumed. Often have we set up idols in our hearts, cleaved to some forbidden object; so that if a greater than Moses had not stood to turn away the anger of the Lord, we should have been destroyed. If God dealt severely with Moses for unadvised words, what do those deserve who speak many proud and wicked words? It is just in God to remove those relations that are blessings to us, when we are peevish and provoking to them, and grieve their spirits. 106:34-48 The conduct of the Israelites in Canaan, and God's dealings with them, show that the way of sin is down-hill; omissions make way for commissions: when they neglected to destroy the heathen, they learned their works. One sin led to many more, and brought the judgments of God on them. Their sin was, in part, their own punishment. Sinners often see themselves ruined by those who led them into evil. Satan, who is a tempter, will be a tormentor. At length, God showed pity to his people for his covenant's sake. The unchangeableness of God's merciful nature and love to his people, makes him change the course of justice into mercy; and no other change is meant by God's repentance. Our case is awful when the outward church is considered. When nations professing Christianity, are so guilty as we are, no wonder if the Lord brings them low for their sins. Unless there is general and deep repentance, there can be no prospect but of increasing calamities. The psalm concludes with prayer for completing the deliverance of God's people, and praise for the beginning and progress of it. May all the people of the earth, ere long, add their Amen.