¹Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting … ⁴Remember me, O Lord, in Your favor toward Your people; visit me with Your salvation …

The trilogy of Psalms 104, 105, and 106 puts forward an overriding interpretation of history from God’s perspective. The first (104) lays out the history of God creating and sustaining the “natural” world which showcases His glory. The second (105) focuses on showing the Lord’s glory in forming a select people (the Jews, descendants of Abraham) through whom He would bless the entire human race. The third psalm (106) summarizes the events that highlight that God will accomplish His purposes through His people despite their continuous sin and rebellion against Him. This accentuates the Lord’s glory in His character of compassion and forgiveness.

Fittingly, the first begins, “Praise the Lord.” The second starts with, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord.” The third combines the opening of the first two: “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord.” And all three end with, “Praise the Lord!” We don’t know who arranged the psalms in the order we find them, but the grouping is unmistakably theme-related. They are part of what is traditionally called Book 4 of the Psalms, comprising Psalms 90-106.

The first three verses of Psalm 106 begin with praise for the Lord’s goodness, lovingkindness, and mighty deeds. These are the basis for the infinite Creator-God’s dealing with mere mortals, made in His image but fallen because of sin. His posture is towards us, not against us, despite our sins. What, then, is our motivation to live for the Lord if we know He is forgiving? Verse 3 summarizes the answer: blessing and fulfillment in this life result from living justly and righteously “at all times.”

What is the historical background of this psalm? Verse 6 gives us a clue: “We have sinned like our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.” Verse 47 adds the request, “Gather us from the nations,” suggesting a catastrophic judgment on Israel through exportation from the land in defeat (probably referring to the Babylonian captivity). The writer confesses, on behalf of the people, in the hope that God will show the same lovingkindness to them as He had in the past with their ancestors. He asks that God remember how He has shown favor to Israel in the past and now, in their present state of suffering for their disobedience toward Him, to do the same. God doesn’t need a reminder of His compassion in the past, but we do! Often, biblical prayers include a rehearsal of God’s character or His past activities as a way of focusing the petitioner’s heart on the aspects of God that relate to the request.

This psalm, included as part of Israel’s worship liturgy, was a constant reminder of the high points (or should we say, low points) of Israel’s sin and rebellion, each followed by forgiveness that threads throughout their history. For Christians today, we do similarly by remembering the Lord’s death for our sins as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

Verses 7-12 point out Israel’s first of many rebellions against God, this one being right after He rescued them from 400 years of Egyptian slavery. The impassable Red Sea confronted them on one side, and the Egyptian army bore down on them from behind. In their fear, “They did not remember [God’s] lovingkindness, but rebelled by the sea” (vs. 7b), bitterly complaining that it would have been better to remain enslaved in Egypt (Ex. 14:11). Yet, God saved them notwithstanding, as it were, their kicking and screaming! He “redeemed them from the hand of the enemy” (vs. 10). They miraculously passed through the impassable!

However, “They quickly forgot His work… and tempted God in the desert” (vss. 13-14), and this brought God’s judgment (vs. 15). When some of them tried to mount a coup against the Lord’s appointed leaders, Moses and Aaron, God brought their destruction (vss. 16-18). They constructed and worshipped false idols (vss. 19-20) because “They forgot God their Savior” (vs. 21-22). Yet, due to Moses’ interceding on their behalf, God did not destroy them for their idolatry (vss. 23).

Then, at Kadesh-Barnea, Israel refused to enter the Promised Land for fear of the inhabitants (vss. 24-27, see Num. 13), resulting in their 40 years of nomadic wandering around the Sinai wilderness. The list goes on with the idolatry of Baal-peor (vss. 28-31) and continued complaining (vss. 32-33).

Upon finally entering the Promised Land, they were to have pushed out the extremely evil people of that land (vs. 34). Instead, they intermarried with them and adopted their evil ways, even to the point of abhorrent human sacrifice involving their children (vss. 35-38)! Israel was to live by the holy standard of God but acted like prostitutes, allowing the seduction by evil people to dirty their souls (vs. 39). As a result, God became angry and brought oppression onto His people by surrounding nations, to remind them of their need of Him (vss. 40-42). “Many times He would deliver them,” yet despite this, they “sank down in their iniquity” (vs. 43).

The story doesn’t end with Israel’s rebellion and judgment, for as the historical records show, there was nothing they could do that would ultimately stop God’s glorious plan to bless them and use them to bless the world. From a human point of view, their sin may delay the fulfillment of God’s plan, but in God’s perfect timing, He will complete what He began in Israel.

Of course, God required confession of sin at each step of rebellion to end His judgment. But what would have happened had Israel never acknowledged their sin and turned back to God? Such hypothetical questions like this are countered with the later revealed truth that God leads people to and grants them repentance (Acts 5:11, 11:8, 2 Tim 2:25, Rom. 2:4). In Israel’s history, we see God orchestrating His designed result, which demonstrates His glory and the infinite depth of His character (here emphasizing His lovingkindness and compassion).

The soliloquy of verses 44-46 are among the most beautiful passages of Scripture:

Nevertheless He looked upon their distress when He heard their cry; and He remembered His covenant for their sake, and relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. He also made them objects of compassion in the presence of all their captors. (Ps. 106:44–46)

So, too, God remembers the covenant He made with us in the blood of Jesus Christ (Luke 22:20). Though we have all sinned, He has granted us repentance because He is a compassionate God who fulfills His purposes in us.

The psalmist then reprises his earlier request (vss. 4-5), “Save us, O Lord our God and gather us from among the nations” (vs. 47). We join in with the psalmist in His closing exaltation:

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