“Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider Your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of Your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet He saved them for His Name’s sake, that He might make known His mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and He led them through the deep as through a desert. So He saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed His Words; they sang His praise. But they soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel.” Psalm 106:6-13
Devotional Thought For The Day
As noted last week when we began consideration of this psalm, it contains recounting of many of the sins of unfaithfulness and disloyalty to God on the part of the children of Israel. The psalmist’s initial statement is important, his acknowledgement that “both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.” This is critical, an essential part of our relationship with God, that we speak to Him with integrity, in genuine repentance and honest confession of our sin. There is no hiding from God; He knows all things. So it is an egregious aspect of unbelief when we attempt to hide, disguise, minimize, or outright deny our sin and guilt. This is especially so in view of His forgiveness, the redemption already effected for us in the gift of His beloved Son Who has taken away the sin of the world. When we turn back to Him, each time we seek His forgiveness and healing, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all iniquity. This is the heart of spiritual life, newness of life.
In spite of the horrid nature of the children of Israel’s behavior God continued to save them with wondrous works of salvation and redemption. Over and over again they “forgot His works” and “did not wait for His counsel.” These things were written for our instruction. I used to think that the Scripture was written primarily to instruct us in “good” living, and to compel us to change by threats of God’s wrath and punishment, that the Scripture especially held up good examples for us to emulate. Certainly we can learn these things from Scripture. However, as this psalm poignantly and forcefully illustrates, the essential purpose of Scripture is to help us see the true nature of the sin that infects us all, to highlight the gracious love, mercy, and kindness of God. This, in order to restore us to faith and to an accurate and proper knowledge of God, so that our hearts are won over to God and drawn into Him. Then the restoration of our nature is from the inside, beginning at the core of our being, in our spirit and heart. This process, of continuously recognizing our sin and living in the glorious love of God, makes it impossible to forget His works. It also makes us much more eager to wait for His counsel, to receive it, and to implement it in our lives.
When I thought of the Scriptures as primarily coercing greater decency from me and forcing me to greater goodness and righteousness, I was compelled to remain ignorant of my real sin and forced to minimize the nature of the sins I was aware of committing. This led to minimizing the import of Christ’s suffering and death and the gift of God’s forgiveness and redemption. It locked me into a superficial and artificial relationship with God, one that had little to do with reality, and one that provided very little comfort and very little help for my inner being. God has written His law in our hearts, and the conflict between the reality and what I was convinced and determined to believe about myself and others, was excruciating. It is also excruciating to live in realization of the horrid dissonance between what we are and what we ought to be, but when we walk in this light and also in the light of God’s love, there is some peace and resolution – as we grow in the faith and trust we are willing to put in God and His promises. The one conflict leads to impenitence, unbelief, and spiritual death; the other leads to greater repentance, greater faith, peace with God, and a new life. This is the purpose of God’s Word to us, the written Scripture, the Bible. What thanks and praise we owe to God and the psalmist for making all of this crystal clear and undeniable.
As I grow older I am often reminded of sinful things that I’ve done in the past, and especially convicted of the things I worked hard to soften, explain, and even justify at the time and over the years. Thankfully I do not have to dwell on these things, although I can still learn from them. I am also more capable [hopefully] of seeing and acknowledging the sin involved in my thoughts, words, and deeds today. Now this can be horribly depressing and demoralizing, unless we keep the realities of God’s gracious love, mercy, and forgiveness close in mind – which is the principle blessing of Holy Scripture. I am glad that it was Israel’s sins recorded in Holy Scripture and made public and not my own; I’m certain that just as despicable a record could easily be written about me. Of course, the same is true for each of us, but it is not written or recorded, for God has promised that He does not “remember” our sin [Jer. 31:34]. This is in keeping with His very nature and character, for God is love, and love does not “rejoice” in iniquities, to keep record of them, but rather forgives and cleanses away sin and guilt, so that “perfect love casts out all fear.” [1 Jn. 4:18] In the end, this is all that matters, so that God’s glorious grace and love is exalted and praised – by those of faith. So let us remember His works and wait for His counsel, that we grow in repentance and faith and allow His love to have its way in our hearts. Let us believe His Words, and sing His praise!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, how deep is Your wisdom and Your love, and how gloriously wondrous. Your patience with us is beyond comprehension. Help us to continue learning about You through Your own precious Word, so that we are emboldened in honest repentance and kept safe in Your gracious love and mercy. Forbid that we ever forget Your works or refuse Your counsel. Amen.