A REMINDER OF GOD'S GOODNESS AND FAITHFULNESS
Psalm 105:42-45
42 For He remembered His holy promise,
And Abraham His servant.
43 He brought out His people with joy,
His chosen ones with gladness.
44 He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,
And they inherited the labor of the nations,
45 That they might observe His statutes
And keep His laws.
Praise the Lord!
Our verses for today are the conclusion of a Psalm recounting the Lord's goodness and faithfulness to His people. One of the purposes of this psalm is for the people to remember what God has done. God started with a covenant with Abraham and then was faithful to that covenant throughout the generations. This psalm pays particular attention to Israel starting with Abraham and ending with God bringing the people into the land He had promised to them.
The psalm recounts God's provision and protection. How God delivered the nation out of the hand of Egypt by amazing signs and wonders. And not only did God bring them out but He brought them out better than when they went in. Israel came out of Egypt with silver and gold, and everyone was healed and strong. Israel may have been a nation of slaves, but when God delivered them, things changed.
I love how this psalm concisely tells the story of God's provision in the wilderness. Israel had light at night and a cloud leading them by day. They had bread from heaven and more quail than they could eat. When there was no water in sight, God brought water out of the rock and supplied them and their livestock.
In our verses for today, we see that God was remembering His promises to Abraham. God is faithful and never forgets. So the people came out with joy and gladness. When God is moving, joy and gladness are happening. Not only did God deliver His people from Egypt, but He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, and they walked into developed areas that they put no labor toward. Like moving into a completely furnished home. God did this for His people.
Verse 45 brings up a different thought. God did all this for Israel not to prove He is good nor to prove He is God. God brought His people into a good land so that they would keep His laws and observe His statutes. Statues were God's decrees and customs. So God wanted a people who would keep His laws and keep His ways. Israel was to be a people God could point to as examples of His goodness and His nature. God has always wanted a people who would live differently. In living differently, God's kind of different, they would be a witness to the nations that there was only one God.
APPLICATION
I believe we have too often looked at God's ways and commands with the thought in the back of our minds that it's too constrictive or too hard. Actually, God's ways are neither too hard nor constrictive. Our minds need to be renewed to the fact that God's ways and commands enable us to live on a higher plane. Above the fear and selfishness in the world. Above the greed and hate. Above the anger and bitterness. And in living in this way, we honor the One who brought us out of darkness and become a witness of His goodness and faithfulness.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for bringing me out of darkness. Thank You, for Your provision and protection. Thank You, for showing me a higher way to live.