“I know of nothing which so stimulates my faith…as to look back and reflect on His faithfulness.” —Phillip Keller
It’s a remarkable fact—in the light of Psalm 104, the creation psalm—that God takes just a few chapters to tell the story about fashioning the whole universe, but then uses the rest of the Old Testament to tell the story of fashioning one man and his family into His nation. In Psalm 105, God’s strategic role in Israel’s history is now brought into focus. We’re being called on to praise the Lord for His wonderful ways in providence as He showed His grace, patience, and faithfulness towards the children of Israel. Thus the first six verses are a call to “give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds…Sing to Him,…talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!…Remember His marvelous works” (vv 1-5). This is addressed to the “seed of Abraham” and the “children of Jacob” (v 6). The psalm is composed of two parts, with verses 1-15 also recorded in 1 Chronicles 16:7-22. There we read: “On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord” (v 7). This was to celebrate the ark finally making it to Jerusalem. But the psalm begins at the establishment of the nation and emphasizes the dependability of God’s promise, “the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob…to Israel as an everlasting covenant” (Ps 105:9-10). Throughout their travels and trials He stood by them (vv 13-15), delivering them first into Egypt by Joseph (vv 16-25), and then out of Egypt by Moses (vv 26-38), bringing them through the wilderness (vv 39-41) and finally into Canaan (vv 42-45). That loyalty and care to Israel is now shown to us every day. “Praise the Lord!” (v 45).