Psalm 106—When You Forget His Wondrous Deeds of Old

In Psalm 105, the people are telling of his wondrous deeds; in Psalm 106, the people have forgotten and forsaken his deeds of old. He is faithful; we are unfaithful. Wavering. Disloyal. Irresolute.

“Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord, or declare all his praise?” Psalm 106:1-2

This psalm comes as a rebuke, a confrontation. “Come Thou Fount” by Robert Robinson comes to mind when he wrote, “…prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love…” There is no time when this warning is more appropriate than when facing loss. Be warned. Receive the rebuke and caution in this psalm. Stand firm in your trial.

The psalmist begins by praising God, giving thanks for his great love, and speaking of the unutterable deeds. He even recognizes that no one can declare all his praise. It’s a hint that you can never fully praise him, and there will always be more to praise about him that could be spoken. His goodness is a vast ocean. We will never plumbed the depths of his worth or his kindness.

True praise is shown more in who we become. Righteousness. Just. Deeds confirm words. God has shown favor to his people. He has delivered prosperity and gladness to them.

And yet.

“Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.” Psalm 106:6

When in Egypt, their fathers did not consider God’s wonderful works and did not remember his steadfast love. Instead, they rebelled. They were marked by iniquity and wickedness.

God rebuked the Red Sea to dry it up. He led them through the deep. He saved them from the foe. The waters covered their enemies. What a victory! What a display!

“Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.” Psalm 106:12-13

In two short verses, we see an illustration of humanity at its worst. They believed and worshipped God; but quickly forgot his wondrous works and chose to go without God’s guidance and counsel. It’s shocking. But I’m compelled to look in the mirror. There’s an important warning here. We are prone to the same. We are all prone to wander. We are all prone to turn our backs.

“Our Shepherd will never lead us to a precipice of error or into a quagmire of doubt.” Theodore Cuyler, God’s Light on Dark Clouds

They doubted God in the wilderness. They became jealous of Moses. Worshipped a calf that eats grass over a God who does wondrous works. Forgot God and his awesome deeds. Moses stood in the breach. They murmured in their tents. Disobeyed God. Embraced Baal. They provoked with their deeds. They mixed with other nations. They served idols. They sacrificed their children. They performed unclean deeds and acts.

“Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage…” Psalm 106:40

The Lord gave them over to enemy nations. They were ruled. Oppressed. Subjected. The Lord had rescued them so many times and shown his wondrous deeds, but they rebelled. And yet, he looked upon their distress with compassion. His covenant compelled him in his steadfast love.

We must give gratitude and glory to his holy name. It is too easy to forget his deeds and perform evil deeds. And yet, he continues in his wondrous deeds. He is blessed from the foundations of the earth for all time.

Praise the Lord!

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ Praise the Lord!” Psalm 106:48