Psalms 105 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Psalm 105

Tell of All His Wondrous Works

105:1   Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
2   Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
3   Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
4   Seek the LORD and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
5   Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6   O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
7   He is the LORD our God;
    his judgments are in all the earth.
8   He remembers his covenant forever,
    the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9   the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his sworn promise to Isaac,
10   which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11   saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
    as your portion for an inheritance.”
12   When they were few in number,
    of little account, and sojourners in it,
13   wandering from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another people,
14   he allowed no one to oppress them;
    he rebuked kings on their account,
15   saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my prophets no harm!”
16   When he summoned a famine on the land
    and broke all supply¹ of bread,
17   he had sent a man ahead of them,
    Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18   His feet were hurt with fetters;
    his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19   until what he had said came to pass,
    the word of the LORD tested him.
20   The king sent and released him;
    the ruler of the peoples set him free;
21   he made him lord of his house
    and ruler of all his possessions,
22   to bind² his princes at his pleasure
    and to teach his elders wisdom.
23   Then Israel came to Egypt;
    Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24   And the LORD made his people very fruitful
    and made them stronger than their foes.
25   He turned their hearts to hate his people,
    to deal craftily with his servants.
26   He sent Moses, his servant,
    and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27   They performed his signs among them
    and miracles in the land of Ham.
28   He sent darkness, and made the land dark;
    they did not rebel³ against his words.
29   He turned their waters into blood
    and caused their fish to die.
30   Their land swarmed with frogs,
    even in the chambers of their kings.
31   He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
    and gnats throughout their country.
32   He gave them hail for rain,
    and fiery lightning bolts through their land.
33   He struck down their vines and fig trees,
    and shattered the trees of their country.
34   He spoke, and the locusts came,
    young locusts without number,
35   which devoured all the vegetation in their land
    and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36   He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
    the firstfruits of all their strength.
37   Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,
    and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
38   Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39   He spread a cloud for a covering,
    and fire to give light by night.
40   They asked, and he brought quail,
    and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
41   He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
    it flowed through the desert like a river.
42   For he remembered his holy promise,
    and Abraham, his servant.
43   So he brought his people out with joy,
    his chosen ones with singing.
44   And he gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,
45   that they might keep his statutes
    and observe his laws.
  Praise the LORD!

Footnotes

[1] 105:16 Hebrew staff
[2] 105:22 Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome instruct
[3] 105:28 Septuagint, Syriac omit not

Commentary

God's greatness and faithfulness in the history of Israel. We must learn from history, and apply the lessons of history. This psalm, emphasising God's faithfulness, is linked with Psalm 106, which is also historical, but shows Israel's rebellion against God.

v1-2: Our responsibility to speak of God, putting Him first means a conscious effort to acknowledge Him and His works in our lives.

v3-4: Seek the Lord, finding joy and strength in Him.

v5: Remember His works. Such things inspire us to praise, reminding us of His great power.

v6: God has chosen a people, the descendants of Abraham, and sons of Jacob. This people were called to be His praise, to demonstrate the character and ways of God in the earth.

v7: The confession of His people, "He is the Lord our God." But, His judgments pass beyond the borders of Israel, and spread through all the earth.

v8-10: Key verses; God made His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. This psalm shows how He fulfilled His promises.

v11-13: God's promises were tied up with the land of Canaan, which He promised to give to His people. Those listed in v9-10 lived there, but only as strangers and very few. They lived elsewhere, as Abraham wandered into Egypt, and Jacob into Padan Aram.

v14-15: God reproved kings for their sakes (Gen 20.3-7; see Num 23.21-23), and protected His own people.

v16: God called for a famine (Gen 41.31-32) through which He preserved His people, and honoured Joseph.

v17-19: He raised up Joseph, testing him through difficult times.

These verses also indicate the plan of God, for His people Israel, and for individuals, such as Joseph.

v20-22: God exalted Joseph. This pictures Christ's exaltation, and also Israel's blessing (Ps 149.7-9).

v23: Once Joseph was ruler in Egypt, God sent the whole family of Jacob there. This meant that they could live in a fruitful part of Egypt.

v24: Jacob grew massively during the time in Egypt; the family became a nation, so numerous that the rules in Egypt feared. (Ex 1.7, 20).

v25: God turned the hearts of the Egyptians against Israel (Ex 1.9-10,14,22). It was no accident that Pharaoh began to fear, and then to hate the Israelites.

v26: God raised up Moses and Aaron, as leaders of Israel. (Ex 3.14)

v27-36: God sent the plagues, nature itself being God's servant in judging Egypt, and blessing His people. Twice we read, "He spoke" (v31,34), as creation responded to God's call, and came to the aid of His people. See also Ps 78.43-51.

The poetic form here provides additional comment on the plagues;

Egypt had rebelled against His word, and suffered the consequences (v28);
The plagues touched the lives of the rulers, not just their people (v30).

We see too the thoroughness of the plagues;

vines and fig-trees struck down, the trees shattered;
numerous locusts and grasshoppers, eating up everything green;
the first-born and the males of the land were killed, removing the strength and backbone of the nation.

v37-38: Through the plagues, God delivered His people, bringing them into favour with the Egyptian people, who gave them silver and gold.

v39: God guided the people continually. The cloud also protected them from the Egyptian army.

v40-41: God provided bread and water for them, daily provision for a vast people on the move. There is no reference here to their grumbling, for this psalm is about God's faithfulness.

v42-45: The summary - this is what God has done. He had promised a land for His people, and He delivered them from slavery into that land.

They were delivered to obey Him, and these things are written to encourage obedience.