(Psalm 106:13-48)
13 They quickly forgot His works;
They did not wait for His plan,
14 But became lustfully greedy in the wilderness,
And put God to the test in the desert.
15 So He gave them their request,
But sent a wasting disease among them.
They did not wait for His plan,
14 But became lustfully greedy in the wilderness,
And put God to the test in the desert.
15 So He gave them their request,
But sent a wasting disease among them.
16 When they became envious of Moses in the camp,
And of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
And engulfed the company of Abiram.
18 And a fire blazed up in their company;
The flame consumed the wicked.
19 They made a calf in Horeb,
And worshiped a cast metal image.
20 So they exchanged their glory
For the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God their Savior,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wonders in the land of Ham,
And awesome things by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
If Moses, His chosen one, had not stood in the gap before Him,
To turn away His wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they rejected the pleasant land;
They did not believe His word,
25 But grumbled in their tents;
They did not listen to the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore He swore to them
That He would have them fall in the wilderness,
27 And that He would bring down their descendants among the nations,
And scatter them in the lands.
28 They also followed Baal-peor,
And ate sacrifices offered to the dead.
29 So they provoked Him to anger with their deeds,
And a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
And so the plague was brought to a halt.
31 And it was credited to him as righteousness,
To all generations forever.
32 They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah,
So that it went badly for Moses on their account.
33 Because they were rebellious against His Spirit,
He spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They did not destroy the peoples,
As the Lord had commanded them,
35 But they got involved with the nations
And learned their practices,
36 And served their idols,
Which became a snare to them.
37 They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons,
38 And shed innocent blood,
The blood of their sons and their daughters
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was defiled with the blood.
39 So they became unclean in their practices,
And were unfaithful in their deeds.
40 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people,
And He loathed His inheritance.
41 So He handed them over to the nations,
And those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were subdued under their power.
43 Many times He would rescue them;
They, however, were rebellious in their plan,
And they sank down into their guilt.
44 Nevertheless He looked at their distress
When He heard their cry;
45 And He remembered His covenant for their sake,
And relented according to the greatness of His mercy.
46 He also made them objects of compassion
In the presence of all their captors.
47 Save us, Lord our God,
And gather us from the nations,
To give thanks to Your holy name
And glory in Your praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting.
And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
Praise the Lord!
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
And of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
And engulfed the company of Abiram.
18 And a fire blazed up in their company;
The flame consumed the wicked.
19 They made a calf in Horeb,
And worshiped a cast metal image.
20 So they exchanged their glory
For the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God their Savior,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wonders in the land of Ham,
And awesome things by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
If Moses, His chosen one, had not stood in the gap before Him,
To turn away His wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they rejected the pleasant land;
They did not believe His word,
25 But grumbled in their tents;
They did not listen to the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore He swore to them
That He would have them fall in the wilderness,
27 And that He would bring down their descendants among the nations,
And scatter them in the lands.
28 They also followed Baal-peor,
And ate sacrifices offered to the dead.
29 So they provoked Him to anger with their deeds,
And a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
And so the plague was brought to a halt.
31 And it was credited to him as righteousness,
To all generations forever.
32 They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah,
So that it went badly for Moses on their account.
33 Because they were rebellious against His Spirit,
He spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They did not destroy the peoples,
As the Lord had commanded them,
35 But they got involved with the nations
And learned their practices,
36 And served their idols,
Which became a snare to them.
37 They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons,
38 And shed innocent blood,
The blood of their sons and their daughters
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was defiled with the blood.
39 So they became unclean in their practices,
And were unfaithful in their deeds.
40 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people,
And He loathed His inheritance.
41 So He handed them over to the nations,
And those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were subdued under their power.
43 Many times He would rescue them;
They, however, were rebellious in their plan,
And they sank down into their guilt.
44 Nevertheless He looked at their distress
When He heard their cry;
45 And He remembered His covenant for their sake,
And relented according to the greatness of His mercy.
46 He also made them objects of compassion
In the presence of all their captors.
47 Save us, Lord our God,
And gather us from the nations,
To give thanks to Your holy name
And glory in Your praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting.
And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
Praise the Lord!
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
There are several types of sins listed in these verses that can take us away from God's path and plans for us: jealousy, fear, doubt, greed and pride.
Jealousy will cause us to hate and be critical. Fear will cause us to complain and prevent us from taking steps of obedience. Doubt will cause us to forget God and turn our trust to other "gods" (people, things or our own resources). Greed will lead us to lusting and wanting the wrong things in life. And pride will lead to an arrogant self-righteousness and self-reliance, which leads to rebellion and living an ungodly, unhealthy and dangerous lifestyle.
There are things we need to be doing in order to remain in God's will: loving God first, and then loving others; knowing God's truth and seeking His wisdom, protection and measures of accountability; trusting in God and His word with steps of obedience and understanding; being content and thankful; and humbly realizing that we don't just need the Lord's salvation, we need Him to be involved in every aspect of our lives at all times!
God doesn't just throw us a bunch of commandments and laws just for the sake of showing us who is boss. He loves and cares for us, and so, in every direction that He gives us, there is reason and a purpose, which is to have a deeper relationship with Him, and have better relationships with those around us. With a deeper understanding of God and His word, will come a strong desire to strive in obedience with His help. Therefore, in and for everything, we should be giving thanks and giving God all the glory!
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