Psalm 105

This is the first of two historical songs. This one celebrates what God has done to establish Israel as a nation. These are the defining miracles that provide the core of Israel’s identity as God’s own people. This psalm offers parallels to David’s psalm recorded in 1 Chronicles 16.

Most Westerners misread the point of celebrating in conjunction with so much death and destruction on other nations. There’s nothing here about Israel going out of her way to look for trouble. Again, the focus is on God and His limitless power. It was God who stirred up enemies against them simply for the purpose of demonstrating His authority over all Creation. The deities of these other nations could not protect them from the God of Israel.

So this song opens with a call to praise and worship. Indeed, the words stir up the image of losing oneself in worship with unrestrained enthusiasm. In the Hebrew mind, such extravagant devotion simply is not possible without the divine Presence. One does not simply enter an ecstatic state, but is drawn to a higher moral plane of awareness. It’s the same Holy Spirit that makes genuine faith possible in war or peace, with actions appropriate to each. And in these celebrations, the worshiper is encouraged to describe what great things He has done on their behalf.

The story for Israel begins with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-Israel. God never failed to honor the covenant He offered the other Patriarchs in the name of Abraham. People might lose track of things, but God does not forget His covenant and law because they arise from His own divine character. This is the very nature of Creation itself. So the promise of possessing Canaan Land was by faith, not by physical occupation for several generations yet, but He delivered on His promised blessings.

So they prospered but remained only a small extended family household. They wandered in lands held by other nations, all the way down to Egypt. God never permitted anyone to oppress them until it was a necessary part of His plan. We note in passing that the warning against oppressing His anointed and His prophets (v. 15) both refer to Israel, which presumes her identity is tied up in that calling and mission to manifest His character as a living message.

Came the famine in Palestine and God prepared the salvation of His people through Joseph. Again and again, the message is that God does some things that aren’t pleasant to the flesh, but in the long run are truly in Israel’s best interest because that interest is wrapped up in the interests of His glory. Thus, Joseph went from slave to viceroy of Egypt. Pharaoh could just about retire and let Joseph run things for him, so wise and effective he proved to be.

And it was Joseph’s advancement that spared his kin in Egypt from the famine ravaging all that region of the world. But eventually things turned sour when the Hyksos invaded and cared nothing for the memory of Joseph. The Lord chose this new ruling class to harden for His glory, and they oppressed Israel. But at the right time, He then sent Moses to deliver them with such power and waves of destruction on Egypt that she went into a serious decline for a long time after.

Israel plundered Egypt, and the people were glad to see them go at any price. And Israel was a rich nation throughout that long journey, with manna, quail and water aplenty when they bothered to ask God according to His promises.

And so it went, plundering other nations to enrich His own. Why? He did it so that this nation could glorify His name as the One True God of Creation. Who could be silent at such a long history of glory?