Psalm 106

Without Gods’ mercy, without His grace, man would be swallowed up in the sins of the world and without hope. There is no one righteous, No. Not. One. With Christ there is hope that with the Holy Spirit within us, to help and fight for us, our life can be changed precept by precept and glorify God!

The words of appeal save us are buttressed with the words O Lord our God. Though the people had been faithless, the Lord was still their God. If they would return to Him, they would have a home in His mercy and a promise of eventual triumph.

Two Sides of the Coin 
“Think positive” is the message preached from many pulpits today. And for good reason: The message of salvation in Christ is good, positive news in a world that sometimes seems more and more depressing by the day.
However, before we can fully embrace the good news about God’s Son, we must first accept the bad news about our own sin. Psalm 106 is the flip side of Ps. 105. Both recall Israel’s history. But whereas Ps. 105 is an enthusiastic celebration of the Lord’s faithfulness, Ps. 106 focuses on the continuing unfaithfulness of His people. Still, the piece is not without hope: The Lord remains committed to mercy, forgiveness, and doing the mighty wonders necessary to sustain His wayward children. No wonder the psalm concludes with a blessing for the Lord “from everlasting to everlasting”.
If Ps. 105 stood alone, the forgetful student of history might assume that God swept His people into the Promised Land with no setbacks or opposition. But Ps. 106 puts things in perspective. As we look at that same history, it confronts us with the ugly face of sin and shows why people (and nations) so badly need forgiveness. Thus Ps. 105 and 106 show the two realities involved in salvation: sin and grace. Focusing on either one without the other will lead to distortion.

Psalm 106

⁴⁰ Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people, 
So that He abhorred His own inheritance. 
⁴¹ And He gave them into the hand of the Gentiles, 
And those who hated them ruled over them. 
⁴² Their enemies also oppressed them, 
And they were brought into subjection under their hand. 
⁴³ Many times He delivered them; 
But they rebelled in their counsel, 
And were brought low for their iniquity. 
⁴⁴ Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, 
When He heard their cry; 
⁴⁵ And for their sake He remembered His covenant, 
And relented according to the multitude of His mercies. 
⁴⁶ He also made them to be pitied 
By all those who carried them away captive.