Psalm 106

“Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the Gentiles, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph in Your praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ Praise the Lord!” Psalm 106:47-48 (NKJV)

In a message akin to Psalm 105, today’s psalm is a call to joy by remembering God’s forgiveness for Israel’s past sins.  Modern New Testament Christians who do not read the Bible (or at least the Old Testament) often have a false assumption that God in the Old Testament was always angry.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  When we read the Old Testament, we learn that God is mostly gracious, kind, forgiving, patient, and longsuffering with His people.  He sends prophets to people who kill them, Israelites killing Israelites who bear God’s Word! He causes signs and wonders in order to capture the attention of His people, who disregard, rationalize, or forget them.  And on and on…

Today’s psalmist, obviously writing shortly after God’s people returned from Babylonian and Assyrian captivity, is praying for complete deliverance of God’s people from among the nations.  How can he be so bold as to expect that God will hear and answer such a presumptuous prayer?  Because the psalmist knows the Bible!  He knows that, just as God is true to His Word concerning rebuke, He is also true to His Word concerning forgiveness that leads to restoration!  That is how our faith grows when we pursue the Bible every day.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

Regardless of what you are going through or the circumstance that led you to hardship (for not all personal hardship is a result of our personal sin), rest assured that you can trust in the Lord!  Circumstances that Satan uses as a means of temptation, God uses as a means of testing, to invite you to employ fortifying faith.  Where there are trials, there is always a means of faithful escape!

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV)

Note that if God’s people act like Gentiles (pagan idolaters), He treats them like Gentiles, literally expelling them to Gentile kingdoms.  But when they choose to return to Him in their hearts, He restores them to their land.  Furthermore, when Gentiles leave their pagan ways and choose to follow the Lord, He “grafts them in” to His covenant people. (See also: Ruth, Naaman, Tamar, Rahab, etc.) Have you chosen to turn from your old ways in order to follow Jesus, Who has chosen to offer forgiveness and salvation to you?  He will never cast you out!  (John 6:37)