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Tell of All His Wondrous Works
105 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an inheritance.”
When they were few in number,
of little account, and sojourners in it,
wandering from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another people,
he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their account,
saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
do my prophets no harm!”
When he summoned a famine on the land
and broke all supply of bread,
he had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
His feet were hurt with fetters;
his neck was put in a collar of iron;
until what he had said came to pass,
the word of the LORD tested him.
The king sent and released him;
the ruler of the peoples set him free;
he made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions,
to bind his princes at his pleasure
and to teach his elders wisdom.
Then Israel came to Egypt;
Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
And the LORD made his people very fruitful
and made them stronger than their foes.
He turned their hearts to hate his people,
to deal craftily with his servants.
He sent Moses, his servant,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
They performed his signs among them
and miracles in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness, and made the land dark;
they did not rebel against his words.
He turned their waters into blood
and caused their fish to die.
Their land swarmed with frogs,
even in the chambers of their kings.
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
and gnats throughout their country.
He gave them hail for rain,
and fiery lightning bolts through their land.
He struck down their vines and fig trees,
and shattered the trees of their country.
He spoke, and the locusts came,
young locusts without number,
which devoured all the vegetation in their land
and ate up the fruit of their ground.
He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of all their strength.
Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,
and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.
He spread a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light by night.
They asked, and he brought quail,
and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the desert like a river.
For he remembered his holy promise,
and Abraham, his servant.
So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
And he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,
that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise the LORD!
(ESV)
Psalm 105 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
“The term translated as promise throughout the psalm is the Hebrew dāḇār—which is also the term used for the “Ten Words” (Ten Commandments) in Hebrew. Hebrew does not have different words for “law” and “promise.” The function of a given word in a given context determines whether the word is a word of “law” or “gospel.”
The point is that God’s claim on human beings is absolute, and the part of God’s claim that is relational cannot be distinguished from that which is ethical or legal.”
Rolf Jacobson
Relational = ethical. What does this mean?
So he led his chosen people out, and they sang and shouted for joy. 44 He gave them the lands of other peoples and let them take over their fields, 45 so that his people would obey his laws and keep all his commands. Praise the LORD!
Psalms 105:43-45 GNB
Relationally, God claimed His people. Nothing could separate them from the love of God. They were overjoyed and worshiped Him. However, this also meant that His expectation for them with His commands could also not be ignored or denied. Relational did not supersede ethical and vice versa. It’s the grace and truth paradox. The gift of God’s land provided the opportunity for the people to live out the holiness of God in obedience. Just like the word dāḇār means promise and law, God’s hope for His people was both relationship and obedience.
The point is clear for us today. God’s promises naturally require obedience. Every promise God entered into with His people had instruction and expectation that followed. It was not out of manipulation, but love, because God knew exactly what we needed and knew we would never choose it on our own. Today, His expectation of us is that we would accept His gift of faith through Jesus’ sacrifice, and also conform to His holiness through the person of the Holy Spirit. If we miss one or the other, we have missed God and His magnificent plan.