Psalm 106
Psalm 106, The LORD’s Mercy to His Covenant People
Psalm 106 is the dark companion to Psalm 105. Psalm 105 magnifies the faithfulness of God toward Israel, while Psalm 106 confesses the repeated sin, rebellion, forgetfulness, idolatry, ingratitude, and unbelief of Israel. Psalm 105 says, “Remember His mighty deeds.” Psalm 106 shows the tragedy of a people who forgot His mighty deeds.
This psalm is a national confession. It does not excuse Israel. It does not soften her rebellion. It does not blame the nations, circumstances, leadership failures, or hardship as though those things erased responsibility. It names sin plainly. Israel sinned with her fathers. She forgot God’s works. She lusted in the wilderness. She envied Moses and Aaron. She worshiped the golden calf. She despised the pleasant land. She joined herself to Baal of Peor. She provoked Moses at Meribah. She failed to destroy the Canaanite peoples. She mingled with the nations. She learned their works. She sacrificed sons and daughters to demons. She polluted the land with innocent blood.
Yet Psalm 106 is still a psalm of praise. That is the striking thing. The blackness of Israel’s sin becomes the backdrop for the brightness of God’s mercy. The central theme is not man’s greatness, but God’s longsuffering. Israel was faithless, but the LORD remained faithful. Israel forgot the covenant, but the LORD remembered it. Israel rebelled many times, but the LORD delivered many times. Israel deserved judgment, but the LORD regarded their affliction and dealt with them according to the multitude of His mercies.
A. Praise and Prayer
Psalm 106:1, Praising God for His Enduring Mercy
Psalm 106:1, “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
The psalm begins with “Praise ye the LORD,” which is the Hebrew “Hallelujah.” This connects Psalm 106 with the conclusion of Psalm 105. Psalm 105 ended in praise because of God’s covenant faithfulness. Psalm 106 begins in praise because of God’s mercy toward a sinful covenant people.
The command “O give thanks unto the LORD” is not casual. It is urgent and fitting. The psalmist knows that Israel has often been ungrateful, so he calls the people back to thanksgiving. Gratitude is one of the first proper responses of a redeemed people. Ingratitude is spiritually dangerous because it is closely connected to forgetfulness, pride, and rebellion.
The reason for thanksgiving is stated clearly, “for he is good.” God’s goodness is not dependent on Israel’s obedience. He is good in Himself. His goodness is eternal, holy, righteous, and faithful. Even when He judges, He is good. Even when He chastens, He is good. Even when He exposes sin, He is good.
The next phrase gives the great foundation of the psalm, “for his mercy endureth for ever.” This mercy is God’s covenant mercy, His loyal love, His steadfast kindness toward His people. Israel’s sin did not exhaust God’s mercy. Their repeated rebellion did not cause His covenant faithfulness to fail. Since man does not cease to be sinful, it is a great blessing that the LORD does not cease to be merciful.
This opening prepares the reader for the confession that follows. The remembrance of God’s goodness should melt the heart into repentance. Sin becomes more wicked when seen against the background of God’s patience and mercy. Israel sinned not against a harsh and cruel master, but against the God who had redeemed, fed, guided, protected, and forgiven them.
Psalm 106:2 to Psalm 106:3, Praising God for His Mighty Acts
Psalm 106:2, “Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?”
Psalm 106:3, “Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.”
The psalmist asks, “Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD?” The question expects the answer, no one can fully do so. God’s mighty acts are too many, too great, too wise, and too glorious for man to fully declare. Even the most faithful praise is still insufficient compared to the greatness of God.
“Who can shew forth all his praise?” No human tongue can exhaust the praise due to God. The acts of God in creation, providence, redemption, judgment, mercy, covenant faithfulness, and salvation are beyond full description. The believer can truly praise God, but he can never praise Him adequately.
Verse 3 connects praise with obedience, “Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.” Worship is not merely spoken. A righteous life declares the worth of God. The man who keeps judgment and does righteousness shows that he takes God seriously.
This is important because Psalm 106 will soon recount Israel’s repeated disobedience. The psalmist begins by reminding the people that blessedness belongs to those who obey. The faithful life is not sinless perfection, but it is a life marked by justice, righteousness, reverence, repentance, and submission to the LORD.
Thanksgiving must become thanks living. Praise from the lips must be matched by obedience in life. A people who sing to God while rebelling against His Word are not offering whole worship. The LORD is praised not only by what His people say, but also by how they walk.
Micah 6:8, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
The blessed man is not the one who merely admires righteousness, but the one who does righteousness “at all times.” This exposes Israel’s failure and sets the standard against which the confession must be understood.
Psalm 106:4 to Psalm 106:5, Praying to Be Visited by God’s Salvation
Psalm 106:4, “Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;”
Psalm 106:5, “That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.”
After praise comes prayer. The psalmist says, “Remember me, O LORD.” In Scripture, when God remembers His people, He acts according to covenant mercy. God never forgets in the human sense, but He remembers by moving in compassion, deliverance, restoration, and faithfulness.
The psalmist asks to be remembered “with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people.” He does not want mercy detached from the people of God. He wants to share in the covenant blessing of God’s chosen people. This prayer is personal, but not individualistic. He longs to be included in the blessing, joy, and inheritance of the redeemed community.
“O visit me with thy salvation” is a strong plea. The psalmist knows that salvation must come from the LORD. Man cannot climb up to God by his own strength. He must be visited by divine mercy. The image is like a sick man who cannot reach the physician, so the physician must come to him. That is how salvation works. God comes to the helpless.
Verse 5 gives the reasons for the prayer, “That I may see the good of thy chosen.” He wants to see God’s chosen people blessed. “That I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation.” He wants to share in the joy of God’s redeemed nation. “That I may glory with thine inheritance.” He wants to participate in the victory and honor God gives to His covenant people.
These phrases are deeply tied to Israel’s covenant identity. Israel is God’s chosen, God’s nation, and God’s inheritance. The psalmist does not ask to be blessed in isolation, but to share in the restoration of the people of God.
This prayer is fitting for an exilic or post exilic setting, when Israel longed for restoration after judgment. The psalmist knows that God’s mercy is the only hope for a sinful people.
B. Confessing Israel’s Sin and Need for God’s Mercy
Psalm 106:6 to Psalm 106:7, Israel’s Guilt in the Past and Present
Psalm 106:6, “We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.”
Psalm 106:7, “Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt, they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.”
The confession begins plainly, “We have sinned with our fathers.” The psalmist does not speak as a detached historian criticizing a previous generation. He identifies himself and his generation with the sins of their fathers. This is a humble national confession.
The threefold statement is direct, “we have sinned,” “we have committed iniquity,” “we have done wickedly.” There is no excuse making. Sin is named as sin. Iniquity is named as iniquity. Wickedness is named as wickedness. Real repentance does not hide behind soft language.
This matters because Israel’s history was not only a record of ancient failures. The same sins continued in later generations. Children often repeat the sins of their fathers, sometimes in worse forms. When a people refuse to learn from history, they become a continuation of the rebellion they condemn.
Verse 7 begins the historical confession, “Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt.” Israel saw the plagues. They saw the power of God over Egypt. They saw judgment fall on their oppressors. Yet they did not understand properly. They witnessed divine wonders, but their hearts did not grasp the meaning. Miracles alone do not create lasting faith in a hard heart.
“They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies.” Forgetfulness is one of the major sins in Psalm 106. Israel did not merely forget small details. They forgot the multitude of God’s mercies. God had shown mercy again and again, but they failed to remember and respond rightly.
The result was rebellion, “but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.” After God delivered Israel from Egypt, they quickly complained when trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the sea.
Exodus 14:10, “And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid, and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.”
Exodus 14:11, “And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?”
Exodus 14:12, “Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”
Israel had seen God’s power, but fear exposed their unbelief. They preferred slavery with perceived safety over faith in God’s promise. This is the beginning of the long pattern Psalm 106 will confess.
Psalm 106:8 to Psalm 106:12, The Mercy of God’s Salvation to Rebellious Israel
Psalm 106:8, “Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.”
Psalm 106:9, “He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.”
Psalm 106:10, “And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.”
Psalm 106:11, “And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.”
Psalm 106:12, “Then believed they his words, they sang his praise.”
Verse 8 begins with one of the great words of mercy, “Nevertheless.” Israel rebelled, complained, feared, and forgot. Nevertheless, God saved them. Their unbelief did not stop His faithfulness. Their weakness did not nullify His covenant purpose.
God saved them “for his name’s sake.” This does not mean He lacked love for Israel. It means His saving action was grounded ultimately in His own glory, honor, covenant reputation, and revealed character. God would not allow Egypt or the nations to conclude that He could bring His people out but could not bring them through. He saved Israel so that His mighty power would be known.
God rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up. The waters obeyed the Creator. The sea became a pathway. Israel walked through the depths as through dry wilderness.
Exodus 14:21, “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”
Exodus 14:22, “And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground, and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.”
Verse 10 says God saved them from the hand of him that hated them and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. Pharaoh hated Israel. Egypt had enslaved them. But the LORD redeemed His people by power. Redemption here is deliverance from bondage and hostile rule.
Verse 11 says, “And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.” The same sea that became deliverance for Israel became judgment for Egypt.
Exodus 14:27, “And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared, and the Egyptians fled against it, and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.”
Exodus 14:28, “And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them, there remained not so much as one of them.”
Verse 12 says, “Then believed they his words, they sang his praise.” Israel believed after seeing the deliverance. They sang the song of Moses in Exodus 15.
Exodus 15:1, “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.”
Their praise was real, but it was also shallow in endurance. They believed when the promise was fulfilled before their eyes. The test of faith would come when they had to trust God before seeing the answer.
This section teaches that God’s salvation is mercy to the undeserving. Israel did not earn the Red Sea deliverance by faithfulness. God saved them for His name’s sake and made His power known.
Psalm 106:13 to Psalm 106:15, Because of Their Sin, God Gave Them Leanness of Soul
Psalm 106:13, “They soon forgat his works, they waited not for his counsel:”
Psalm 106:14, “But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.”
Psalm 106:15, “And he gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.”
After the song of praise, Israel quickly forgot. Verse 13 says, “They soon forgat his works.” The word “soon” is convicting. Their memory of the Red Sea faded rapidly when new hardship arrived. This is human nature apart from disciplined faith. Men often remember God’s deliverance only until the next trial.
“They waited not for his counsel.” Instead of trusting God’s timing, wisdom, and provision, Israel demanded satisfaction on their own terms. Waiting on the LORD is one of the marks of faith. Refusing to wait exposes unbelief.
Verse 14 says they “lusted exceedingly in the wilderness.” The Hebrew idea is intense craving. They lusted a lust. Their appetites ruled them. They were not content with God’s provision. They demanded meat and despised the manna.
Numbers 11:4, “And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting, and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?”
Numbers 11:5, “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:”
Numbers 11:6, “But now our soul is dried away, there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.”
They “tempted God in the desert.” This means they tested Him with unbelief, challenging His goodness and ability to provide. Their craving became rebellion.
Verse 15 is one of the most sobering verses in the psalm, “And he gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.” Sometimes one of the worst judgments God can give is to let a man have what he insists upon. Israel got the meat they craved, but their souls shriveled.
Numbers 11:31, “And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.”
Numbers 11:32, “And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails, he that gathered least gathered ten homers, and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.”
Numbers 11:33, “And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.”
Numbers 11:34, “And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted.”
Kibrothhattaavah means the graves of craving. Many men have been buried by the very cravings they demanded God satisfy. Full flesh can exist with a starved soul. A man can get what he wants and lose what matters.
This section teaches that appetites must not rule the people of God. It is better to have a denied craving and a healthy soul than a satisfied craving and spiritual leanness.
Psalm 106:16 to Psalm 106:18, Because of Their Sin, God Sent Fire and Judgment
Psalm 106:16, “They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.”
Psalm 106:17, “The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.”
Psalm 106:18, “And a fire was kindled in their company, the flame burned up the wicked.”
The psalm now recalls the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in Numbers 16. Verse 16 says, “They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.” Their rebellion was dressed up in spiritual language, but at root it was envy.
Korah and his company accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves.
Numbers 16:3, “And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them, wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?”
Their words sounded democratic and spiritual, but Scripture exposes the heart. They envied Moses and Aaron. This is characteristic of sinful rebellion. Men often justify envy as concern for fairness, humility, or reform. But God sees the motive.
Aaron is called “the saint of the LORD,” meaning the holy one or consecrated one of the LORD. Aaron had real failures, especially in the golden calf incident, but he was still God’s appointed priest. Rebellion against Aaron’s priesthood was rebellion against God’s appointment.
Verse 17 says, “The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.” God judged the rebellion dramatically.
Numbers 16:31, “And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:”
Numbers 16:32, “And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.”
Numbers 16:33, “They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the congregation.”
Verse 18 adds, “And a fire was kindled in their company, the flame burned up the wicked.” This refers to the 250 men who offered incense in rebellion.
Numbers 16:35, “And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.”
This section teaches that God takes rebellion against His appointed order seriously. Envy, pride, and spiritual presumption are not small sins. The men of Korah’s rebellion claimed holiness while defying God’s command. The LORD exposed and judged them.
Psalm 106:19 to Psalm 106:23, Because of Their Sin, God Set Himself Against Israel
Psalm 106:19, “They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.”
Psalm 106:20, “Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.”
Psalm 106:21, “They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;”
Psalm 106:22, “Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.”
Psalm 106:23, “Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.”
The psalm now returns chronologically to the golden calf at Horeb. While Moses was on the mountain receiving the law, Israel made a calf and worshiped a molten image.
Exodus 32:1, “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us, for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.”
Exodus 32:4, “And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf, and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”
Psalm 106:20 says, “Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.” This is a devastating statement. Israel exchanged the glory of the living God for the image of a grass eating animal. Idolatry does not diminish God in Himself. It diminishes the idolater. When men worship what is beneath them, they become degraded.
Paul uses this same truth in Romans 1 to describe the downward spiral of idolatry among mankind.
Romans 1:21, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Romans 1:22, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,”
Romans 1:23, “And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”
Israel’s idolatry was an example of humanity’s broader rebellion. Men still exchange the glory of God for created things, whether idols, pleasure, money, power, ideology, self, or human approval.
Verse 21 says, “They forgat God their saviour.” Forgetfulness again appears as a root sin. Israel did not merely forget information. They forgot the God who saved them. He had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in Ham’s land, and terrible things by the Red Sea. Yet they credited a calf with deliverance.
Verse 23 says God said He would destroy them. Exodus records the LORD’s words to Moses.
Exodus 32:9, “And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:”
Exodus 32:10, “Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them, and I will make of thee a great nation.”
But Moses stood “before him in the breach.” This is intercessory language. Israel’s sin had opened a breach, as though a wall had been broken and judgment was ready to rush in. Moses stood in that breach by prayer.
Exodus 32:11, “And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?”
Exodus 32:12, “Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.”
Exodus 32:13, “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.”
Moses appealed to God’s name, God’s reputation, and God’s covenant promises. The LORD spared Israel. This does not mean Moses was more merciful than God. It means God ordained intercession as the means through which His mercy would be displayed.
This section shows both the seriousness of idolatry and the power of intercession. Israel deserved destruction. Moses stood in the breach. God turned away wrath.
Psalm 106:24 to Psalm 106:27, Because of Their Sin, God Overthrew Them in the Wilderness
Psalm 106:24, “Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:”
Psalm 106:25, “But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.”
Psalm 106:26, “Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:”
Psalm 106:27, “To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.”
The psalm now recalls Israel’s unbelief at Kadesh Barnea. The spies had searched the land, and ten brought an evil report. Joshua and Caleb called the people to trust God, but Israel refused.
Verse 24 says, “they despised the pleasant land.” Canaan was the land God had promised, a good land, a pleasant land, an inheritance from the LORD. To reject the land was to reject God’s gift.
“They believed not his word.” This is the root issue. The giants were real. The fortified cities were real. The military challenge was real. But God’s promise was more real. Israel’s failure was unbelief. They measured the land by the enemy instead of measuring the enemy by God’s promise.
Numbers 13:30, “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Numbers 13:31, “But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
Numbers 14:1, “And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried, and the people wept that night.”
Numbers 14:2, “And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt, or would God we had died in this wilderness!”
Verse 25 says they “murmured in their tents.” Murmuring is not harmless weakness. It is unbelief spoken in complaint. It often happens privately, “in their tents,” but God hears it. Home complaints can be just as rebellious as public rebellion.
They “hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.” Their fear was disobedience. Their supposed concern for wives and children did not justify unbelief. God had spoken, and they refused to obey.
Therefore God lifted up His hand against them in oath. That generation would die in the wilderness.
Numbers 14:22, “Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;”
Numbers 14:23, “Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:”
Numbers 14:29, “Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness, and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,”
Numbers 14:30, “Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.”
Verse 27 also looks beyond that generation to scattering among the nations. Israel’s unbelief in the wilderness foreshadowed later covenant judgments, including exile. The people who despised the land would experience loss of the land.
This section teaches that unbelief is not merely emotional struggle. When God has spoken, unbelief becomes disobedience. To despise God’s gift is to despise God’s Word.
Psalm 106:28 to Psalm 106:31, Because of Their Sin, God Sent a Plague
Psalm 106:28, “They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.”
Psalm 106:29, “Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.”
Psalm 106:30, “Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed.”
Psalm 106:31, “And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.”
Psalm 106 now recalls the sin at Baal Peor in Numbers 25. Israel joined themselves to Baal Peor through idolatry and sexual immorality. This rebellion came through the seduction of Moabite women, who drew Israel into pagan worship.
Numbers 25:1, “And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.”
Numbers 25:2, “And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods, and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.”
Numbers 25:3, “And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor, and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.”
Psalm 106:28 says they “ate the sacrifices of the dead.” This likely refers to sacrifices offered to lifeless idols or to pagan rites associated with the dead. Israel was called to worship the living God, but they joined themselves to dead idols and demonic religion.
Verse 29 says they provoked God to anger “with their inventions.” Their man made religious practices were not harmless. False worship provokes the LORD. The plague broke in upon them as divine judgment.
Verse 30 says, “Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed.” Phinehas acted decisively when an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman openly into the camp in brazen defiance.
Numbers 25:6, “And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”
Numbers 25:7, “And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;”
Numbers 25:8, “And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.”
Numbers 25:9, “And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.”
This act was extraordinary and tied to a specific moment of divine judgment under Israel’s theocratic covenant. It is not a general permission for private violence. Phinehas acted as a priestly representative in a unique covenant crisis, and God Himself approved the act.
Verse 31 says it “was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.” God made a covenant of peace with Phinehas and his descendants.
Numbers 25:10, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”
Numbers 25:11, “Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.”
Numbers 25:12, “Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:”
Numbers 25:13, “And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.”
This section teaches that false worship and sexual immorality are spiritually deadly. It also shows that zeal for God’s holiness matters. Phinehas stood when others compromised, and the plague was stopped.
Psalm 106:32 to Psalm 106:33, Because of Their Sin, God Disciplined Moses
Psalm 106:32, “They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:”
Psalm 106:33, “Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.”
The psalm now recalls the waters of strife, Meribah, where Israel’s complaining provoked Moses. The people needed water, and the LORD commanded Moses to speak to the rock. Instead, Moses spoke rashly and struck the rock.
Numbers 20:7, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”
Numbers 20:8, “Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock, so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.”
Numbers 20:10, “And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock?”
Numbers 20:11, “And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice, and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.”
Psalm 106:32 says, “it went ill with Moses for their sakes.” The people provoked him, but Moses was still responsible for his own response. This is a sober warning. Provocation does not justify sin. A leader may be genuinely wronged, burdened, and harassed, yet God still holds him accountable for how he speaks and acts.
Verse 33 says, “Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.” Moses spoke rashly. He misrepresented the LORD before the congregation. God was providing water in mercy, but Moses presented the moment in anger. Because of this, Moses was not permitted to enter the promised land.
Numbers 20:12, “And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.”
This section teaches that leaders are accountable to represent God rightly, especially under pressure. Moses was a great man and a faithful servant, but one rash moment brought severe discipline. God’s holiness is not suspended for great leaders.
It also teaches that rebellious people can bring grief and danger upon their leaders. A murmuring, contentious congregation can provoke a faithful man into weariness and rash speech. Yet the leader must still obey God precisely.
Psalm 106:34 to Psalm 106:39, Because of Their Sin, the Land Was Polluted
Psalm 106:34, “They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:”
Psalm 106:35, “But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.”
Psalm 106:36, “And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.”
Psalm 106:37, “Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,”
Psalm 106:38, “And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.”
Psalm 106:39, “Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.”
The psalm now moves into Israel’s failure after entering the land. God had commanded Israel to destroy the Canaanite nations. This was not ordinary warfare for expansion or ethnic hatred. It was a unique war of divine judgment against cultures whose wickedness had become full.
God had warned Israel not to learn the practices of the nations.
Deuteronomy 7:1, “When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;”
Deuteronomy 7:2, “And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee, thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them, thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:”
Deuteronomy 7:3, “Neither shalt thou make marriages with them, thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.”
Deuteronomy 7:4, “For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods, so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.”
Psalm 106:34 says Israel “did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them.” Their disobedience left corrupting influences in the land. Verse 35 says they “were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.” This is exactly what God had warned would happen.
Compromise with evil never remains harmless. Israel did not destroy the idols, so the idols ensnared Israel. Verse 36 says, “And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.” What Israel tolerated eventually trapped them.
The corruption reached horrifying depths. They “sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils.” This refers to child sacrifice connected with Canaanite idolatry, including worship associated with Molech. The psalm correctly identifies the spiritual reality behind such worship, demons. Idols may be lifeless objects, but demonic deception stands behind false worship.
The New Testament affirms the same principle.
1 Corinthians 10:20, “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God, and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”
Verse 38 says they shed innocent blood, “even the blood of their sons and of their daughters.” This is one of the darkest indictments in Israel’s history. The people of God became so corrupted by pagan religion that they murdered their own children in worship.
God had explicitly condemned this.
Leviticus 18:21, “And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.”
Deuteronomy 12:31, “Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God, for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods, for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.”
“The land was polluted with blood.” Innocent blood defiles a land. This is a fixed moral principle in Scripture.
Numbers 35:33, “So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are, for blood it defileth the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.”
Verse 39 says, “Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.” Idolatry is spiritual adultery. Israel belonged to the LORD by covenant, yet she went after false gods. Their own works defiled them. Their inventions, their man made religious practices, became spiritual prostitution.
This section is a brutal warning about compromise. If God’s people refuse to separate from wickedness, they will eventually learn wickedness, serve idols, and become defiled by what they once tolerated.
Psalm 106:40 to Psalm 106:43, Because of Their Sin, God Gave Them to Their Enemies
Psalm 106:40, “Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.”
Psalm 106:41, “And he gave them into the hand of the heathen, and they that hated them ruled over them.”
Psalm 106:42, “Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.”
Psalm 106:43, “Many times did he deliver them, but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.”
Verse 40 begins with “Therefore.” God’s wrath was not random. It was the righteous response to Israel’s long rebellion. The LORD’s wrath was kindled against His people. This is severe language. God loved Israel, but His love did not mean He would ignore sin.
The verse says He “abhorred his own inheritance.” This does not mean God permanently rejected His covenant people in contradiction to His promises. It means their sin became detestable to Him, and He dealt with them in severe covenant discipline. Those closest to God are not free to sin without correction.
Verse 41 says He gave them into the hand of the heathen. The nations Israel had imitated became their rulers. This is a recurring biblical principle. What a people sinfully joins itself to may become the instrument of their bondage.
In Judges, this happened repeatedly. Israel would sin, God would hand them over to enemies, they would cry out, and God would raise deliverers.
Judges 2:11, “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:”
Judges 2:12, “And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.”
Judges 2:14, “And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.”
Psalm 106:42 says their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection. Sin promised freedom, but it brought slavery. Idols promised blessing, but they brought oppression.
Verse 43 says, “Many times did he deliver them.” This shows the patience of God. The LORD did not deliver once only. He delivered many times. Yet Israel “provoked him with their counsel.” Their own plans, schemes, and stubborn wisdom led them back into rebellion. As a result, they “were brought low for their iniquity.”
This likely includes the long pattern of Israel’s history, from the judges to the monarchy, and ultimately into exile. God warned, disciplined, delivered, and restored many times. But persistent rebellion eventually brought the people low.
This section teaches that God’s mercy is longsuffering, but it is not permission to continue in sin. A people can exhaust seasons of warning and bring themselves under severe discipline.
C. God’s Great Mercy to Israel
Psalm 106:44 to Psalm 106:46, Because of His Mercy, God Heard Their Cry of Affliction
Psalm 106:44, “Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:”
Psalm 106:45, “And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.”
Psalm 106:46, “He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.”
Verse 44 begins with another gracious “Nevertheless.” Israel had sinned, rebelled, provoked, forgotten, lusted, envied, worshiped idols, polluted the land, and been handed over to enemies. Nevertheless, God regarded their affliction.
This is mercy. God did not owe Israel deliverance. He could have dealt with them strictly according to their sins. But He heard their cry. The same God who judged them also pitied them.
Verse 45 says, “And he remembered for them his covenant.” Again, God’s remembering means covenant action. Israel forgot God, but God remembered His covenant. Israel broke faith, but God remained faithful to His promise.
This is the theological center of the psalm. The hope of Israel is not Israel’s consistency. The hope of Israel is the LORD’s covenant mercy.
The verse says He “repented according to the multitude of his mercies.” In this context, “repented” means He relented from the severity of judgment, not that God sinned or changed His moral nature. God responded to Israel’s affliction according to His abundant mercies. His mercies are not few. They are a multitude.
Verse 46 says He made them to be pitied by those who carried them captives. Even in exile, God gave mercy. He moved foreign rulers and captors to show favor. This was seen in the return from Babylon, when God moved rulers such as Cyrus to permit the Jews to return.
Ezra 1:1, “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,”
Ezra 1:2, “Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”
Ezra 1:3, “Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, he is the God, which is in Jerusalem.”
God’s mercy reached Israel even in captivity. He did not abandon His covenant people forever. He heard, remembered, relented, and moved even foreign powers to show favor.
Psalm 106:47 to Psalm 106:48, Praying to and Praising the God of Great Mercy
Psalm 106:47, “Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.”
Psalm 106:48, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.”
The psalm ends with prayer and praise. Verse 47 says, “Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen.” This strongly suggests a setting connected to exile or dispersion. The psalmist asks the LORD to gather His people from among the nations.
This prayer rests on the mercy described in verses 44 to 46. If God has begun to show mercy, then the psalmist asks for fuller mercy. If God has made captors pity them, then he asks God to gather them. Faith takes small mercies as encouragement to pray for greater mercies.
The purpose of the gathering is worship, “to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.” Restoration is not merely about national comfort. It is about the praise of God. The psalmist longs for Israel to break the pattern of ingratitude and become a thankful people.
Verse 48 gives the doxology, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting.” The LORD is worthy of praise before deliverance is complete. The psalmist does not wait until every request is visibly answered before blessing God. He praises the LORD now because God’s character is eternal and His covenant mercy endures.
“And let all the people say, Amen.” The confession and praise of Psalm 106 are not private only. All the people must agree. “Amen” means affirmation, certainty, and agreement. The nation must own both the confession of sin and the praise of God.
The psalm ends as it began, “Praise ye the LORD.” The final word is Hallelujah. This is fitting because even a psalm full of sin, rebellion, and judgment becomes praise when the mercy and faithfulness of God are rightly seen.
Psalm 106 teaches that God’s people must confess sin honestly, remember their history truthfully, reject forgetfulness, beware cravings, resist envy, flee idolatry, trust God’s promises, avoid compromise with wickedness, and recognize that God’s mercy alone preserves His covenant people. Israel’s history exposes human sin, but it also magnifies divine longsuffering. The LORD’s mercy endures forever.
