“He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night. They asked, and He brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river. For He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham, His servant. So He brought His people out with joy, His chosen ones with singing. And He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil, that they might keep His statutes and observe His laws. Praise the LORD!” Psalm 105:39-45
Devotional Thought For The Day
So ends this magnificent psalm of praise to God for His great love and kindness toward Israel! These verses give a brief synopsis of His presence and His blessings during the wilderness wanderings of His people, and of the conquest of Canaan. Those familiar with the history of these events will contemplate the difficulty God had with His people, their struggles with maintaining faith in Him and their disobedience. Yet in the end all of this provided material for the praise of God’s glorious grace and love. We can take confidence in this same gracious mercy and love in Christ Jesus as we consider our own lack of faith in God and the multitude of sins we have committed. God will not let go of us for we too are for the praise of His glorious grace.
A few observations in regard to Jesus and the Old Testament Scriptures, the accounts of God’s deliverance of His people. First, the tabernacle and the visible presence of God in the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. In John 1:14, the glorious passage regarding Jesus’ incarnation, John chose the word “skenoo” to describe Jesus “dwelling” among us, “full of grace and truth.” This Greek word literally means “to tent,” or to “spread one’s tent.” This would surely bring to mind God’s presence with His people in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Second, Jesus identifies Himself as the real “bread from heaven,” or manna. [John 6:32,33] Third, Paul identified Christ as the “rock” from which the children of Israel drank: “And they all drank the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” [1 Cor. 10:4] This is the same Christ Who promised all believers, all Christians, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [Matt. 28:20] Oh, dear friends, we are so blessed to have Him with us and to eat and drink from Him to this very day!
Note what the psalmist attributes this great deliverance to: “He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham, His servant.” God’s Word matters, to Him and to us. His Word is truth, therefore it inevitably prevails and comes to pass. This creates and enables faith, and without this nature and characteristic of His Word how would anyone come to proper faith and trust in God? His promise is “holy.” It is sacred and revered by God Himself. How can we not hold His Word and His promises in the same high regard, as holy? This is important for us, to actually get our noses into the basics, what God has promised and what He has spoken to us to instruct us and bless us. This Word is supplied to us in His Scripture, the Bible. God is not philosophical, “airy-fairy,” only “mental” and “spiritual.” He is just as nitty-gritty as His creation, the dirt we walk on, the food we eat, every aspect of our physical life. His Words and promises pertain to our life right here and now.
We should also note that God remembered “Abraham, His servant.” God is also very personal, and He has a long memory. He has called us to faith, blessed us by bringing us “out of the power of darkness and into the kingdom of His beloved Son.” [Col. 1:13] He remembers us personally, and His holy promises to us. He will surely not forsake or forget us; we are so dear and precious to Him that it is impossible to fully fathom.
The final consideration is the purpose for which God claims, calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies His people – “that they might keep His statutes and observe His laws.” This is important, for it keeps alive and bears brilliant witness to all the world, Who God is, what He is like, what His good and loving will is for people, especially His will for “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” We don’t always consider how important it is for us to live visibly good and decent lives, but it is a powerful witness to the goodness and decency of God. And it is good, truly blessed, for us to do this. So this psalm gives us great comfort, strength, and courage to this day, for we are His children, we who believe in His Son. And this psalm also gives us very clear and succinct direction as to God’s will to bless us so that we serve His purposes. So the psalm is also about us, about our lives, and the blessing of God that lies upon us because of His promises to us and His calling! Let us also praise the LORD!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, help us to see that You are always with Your children, providing us with all that we need for physical and spiritual sustenance and blessedness. Impose the blessed realities of Your Word and Your promises into our hearts and minds, that we grow each day in faith, confidence, and love. Help us also to embrace the purposes for which You have called us, for our own great blessedness, and also as witness to all of Your goodness and love. Amen.