Psalm 105

¹Oh, give thanks to the Lord!

Call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

²Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;

Talk of all His wondrous works!

³Glory in His holy name;

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

⁴Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face evermore!

⁵Remember His marvelous works which He has done,

His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,

⁶O seed of Abraham His servant,

You children of Jacob,

His chosen ones!

⁷He is the Lord our God;

His judgments are in all the earth.

⁸He remembers His covenant forever,

The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,

⁹The covenant which He made with Abraham,

And His oath to Isaac,

¹⁰And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,

To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

¹¹Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan

As the allotment of your inheritance,”

¹²When they were few in number,

Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

¹³When they went from one nation to another,

From one kingdom to another people,

¹⁴He permitted no one to do them wrong;

Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,

¹⁵Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,

And do My prophets no harm.”

¹⁶Moreover He called for a famine in the land;

He destroyed all the provision of bread.

¹⁷He sent a man before them— Joseph—who was sold as a slave.

¹⁸They hurt his feet with fetters,

He was laid in irons.

¹⁹Until the time that his word came to pass,

The word of the Lord tested him.

²⁰The king sent and released him,

The ruler of the people let him go free.

²¹He made him lord of his house,

And ruler of all his possessions,

²²To bind his princes at his pleasure,

And teach his elders wisdom.

²³Israel also came into Egypt,

And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.

²⁴He increased His people greatly,

And made them stronger than their enemies.

²⁵He turned their heart to hate His people,

To deal craftily with His servants.

²⁶He sent Moses His servant,

And Aaron whom He had chosen.

²⁷They performed His signs among them,

And wonders in the land of Ham.

²⁸He sent darkness, and made it dark;

And they did not rebel against His word.

²⁹He turned their waters into blood,

And killed their fish.

³⁰Their land abounded with frogs,

Even in the chambers of their kings.

³¹He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,

And lice in all their territory.

³²He gave them hail for rain,

And flaming fire in their land.

³³He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,

And splintered the trees of their territory.

³⁴He spoke, and locusts came,

Young locusts without number,

³⁵And ate up all the vegetation in their land,

And devoured the fruit of their ground.

³⁶He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land,

The first of all their strength.

³⁷He also brought them out with silver and gold,

And there was none feeble among His tribes.

³⁸Egypt was glad when they departed,

For the fear of them had fallen upon them.

³⁹He spread a cloud for a covering,

And fire to give light in the night.

⁴⁰The people asked, and He brought quail,

And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

⁴¹He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

It ran in the dry places like a river.

⁴²For He remembered His holy promise,

And Abraham His servant.

⁴³He brought out His people with joy,

His chosen ones with gladness.

⁴⁴He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,

And they inherited the labor of the nations,

⁴⁵That they might observe His statutes

And keep His laws. Praise the Lord!

Preamble: In this Psalms strong call to worship our Lord there is also a strong call to remember what He has done. For from the beginning when He made a covenant with Abraham, to His establishing a nation to bring forth His Word and His Son Jesus Christ He has been fulfilling His Word to His chosen people, therefore in this Psalm there is a retelling of some of His mighty works on their/our behalf.

Commentary

Vs. 1 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord!

Call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples!”

From the outset giving of thanks to the Lord is what this Psalm calls us all to do. Giving Him thanks for His grace, for His kindness, for His forgiveness and everlasting mercies, for His blessings and care which He so freely bestows upon us all. All which culminate in His salvation given to us all so freely, so undeservedly, and yet readily and easily available to us all through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Matt. 11:28-30). Therefore, people call upon His Name, in good times and bad, for He hears you, and He wants to hear from you, yes, you! For He knows you and loves you and He works on behalf of everyone who calls upon Him in truth. Therefore all of us who believe who have received His grace and salvation, and thus His everlasting mercies for ourselves let us all make His deeds known, to one and to all, tell all people then what He has done for you, whomever the Lord brings your way, bear witness to His gracious deeds to all, especially those who have not heard of His love for them.

Vs. 2-3 ²Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;

Talk of all His wondrous works!

³Glory in His holy name;

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

The Psalm continues, urging us all to sing to the Lord, to sing psalms (i.e., worship songs) to Him that glorify Him. To talk openly of all His wonderous works, for this is how faith is born and grows. To glory in His Holy Name, for it is by His Name, the Lord Jesus Christ’s Name, the Name above all names, that we are saved! Therefore, glory in it, glory that God Himself would reveal His Great and Gracious and Glorious Name to us all! God’s Salvation then is hidden from no one, people then choose to hide themselves from Him and it. Therefore, you who seek the Lord, let your hearts rejoice! For what your hearts and souls have been seeking you have now found!

Vs. 4 “Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face evermore!”

Seeking the Lord and His strength, is the first step in finding Him (Isaiah 55:6-7) and when you find Him He will strengthen you (Phil. 4:13)!  For He is more than capable of redeeming and saving you! Therefore, seek His face evermore, for there is no one else who can save and deliver you.

Vs. 5-6 ⁵Remember His marvelous works which He has done,

His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,

⁶O seed of Abraham His servant,

You children of Jacob,

His chosen ones!

The Psalm now calls upon us all to remember His marvelous works which He has done, to remember His wonders and His judgments of His mouth which He rendered on behalf of Abraham His servant and Israel (i.e. children of Jacob) His people. Remember then all His glorious judgments that He gave them so that they would be a wise and understanding people when they followed them. Now in this the seed of Abraham not only encompasses the Israelites, the children of Jacob, but us all who believe God as Abraham believed God are now God’s children, His chosen ones, and thus we are now the seed or offspring of Abraham who walked by faith, and so he became the father of many nations because he believed God's Word spoken to Him and we became his sons and daughters when we believed God's Word to us from the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 4:13-15:1; Gal. 3:26-29).

Vs. 7 “He is the Lord our God;

His judgments are in all the earth.”

There can be no doubt then that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord our God (John 10:30), and His judgments are in all the earth; whether for His Name’s sake or for His people, the Lord our God’s judgments are in all the earth. This then will be revealed in the following verses.

Vs. 8-12 ⁸He remembers His covenant forever,

The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,

⁹The covenant which He made with Abraham,

And His oath to Isaac,

¹⁰And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,

To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

¹¹Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan

As the allotment of your inheritance,”

¹²When they were few in number,

Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

First this is known by His Covenant keeping, for He remembers His Covenant forever, the Lord our God always keeps His Covenant, His Word which He commanded, even for a thousand generations.” For God beginning with Abraham made a covenant with him to give him the all the land where his foot dwelt (Gen. 12:1-20; 4-7; 13:14-17; 15:7, 12-21); to multiply His descendants as the stars of heaven, and to shower His blessings upon him (Gen. 17:1-9; 22:17-18 etc.) so that through him all nations would be blessed. This blessing then sees its fulfilment in Christ. God then reiterated His promise to Isaac (Gen. 26:3-4), and then it confirmed it to Jacob for as statute (Gen. 28:13-15), to Israel, meaning when Israel the nation was in its very infancy, “when they were few in number, indeed very few, and strangers in it.” ^{vs. 12} Our God was with them, keeping His Promise He first spoke to Abraham.

 Vs. 13-15 ¹³When they went from one nation to another,

From one kingdom to another people,

¹⁴He permitted no one to do them wrong;

Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,

¹⁵Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,

And do My prophets no harm.”

Indeed, as the Lord our God brought Abraham out of Mesopotamia and into Canaan, He watched over him, and this He did for Isaac, and then Jacob as well. Yes, our God rebuke kings for their sakes, saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm. (Gen. 12:1-20; 20:1-18; 26:1-31; 28:10-17; 31:1-55; 35:1-15 etc.).

Vs. 16-25 ¹⁶Moreover He called for a famine in the land;

He destroyed all the provision of bread.

¹⁷He sent a man before them— Joseph—who was sold as a slave.

¹⁸They hurt his feet with fetters,

He was laid in irons.

¹⁹Until the time that his word came to pass,

The word of the Lord tested him.

²⁰The king sent and released him,

The ruler of the people let him go free.

²¹He made him lord of his house,

And ruler of all his possessions,

²²To bind his princes at his pleasure,

And teach his elders wisdom.

²³Israel also came into Egypt,

And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.

²⁴He increased His people greatly,

And made them stronger than their enemies.

²⁵He turned their heart to hate His people,

To deal craftily with His servants.

It was during this time that Israel's sons sold Joseph their brother whom the envied into slavery. And so Joseph was then brought to Egypt, first to Potiphar’s house, and then when he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, Joseph was brought into the prison there (but the Lord was with him, Gen. 39:1-23). And it was from there that God raised Joseph up through his interpreting Pharoah's dreams and made him chief in the land of Egypt, his being only second to Pharoah (Gen. 40-41). Joseph then bore rule over all the affairs of Egypt. For he was the wisest man in Egypt (vs. 22 ) Now this the Lord God did not only for Joseph's sake, but more importantly for His Words sake, so that He could keep His Covenant and Word which He spoke to Abraham (Gen. 15:13). Therefore, the Lord our God having established Joseph in Egypt, called for a famine on the land of Canaan where Israel and all his sons and their wives and children were then dwelling. Seventy individuals then being guided by the hand of God came to the land of Ham (i.e., Egypt) where Joseph their brother was ruling so that the Lord God could establish His people there. And this He did for “He increased His people greatly and made them stronger than their enemies.” ^{Vs 24} Having then grown His people as His nation in Egypt at the right time the Lord our God turned Pharoah's heart to fear His people, to lay heavy and hard bondage upon them, to deal craftily with them, so that He could again fulfill His Word (Gen. 15:16), and set his peoples hearts on leaving Egypt. Now the Psalm clearly does not attempt to cover all these details and neither do I here, except to give you some insights into how God was working out their deliverance for them even then.

Vs. 26 “He sent Moses His servant,

And Aaron whom He had chosen.”

It was then when Israel’s despair was at its greatest, that God sent them Moses His servant and Aaron his brother whom He had chosen. By these men then the Lord our God would deliver His people from their Egyptian bondage.

Vs. 27-36 “They performed His signs among them,

And wonders in the land of Ham.”

²⁸He sent darkness, and made it dark;

And they did not rebel against His word.

²⁹He turned their waters into blood,

And killed their fish.

³⁰Their land abounded with frogs,

Even in the chambers of their kings.

³¹He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,

And lice in all their territory.

³²He gave them hail for rain,

And flaming fire in their land.

³³He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,

And splintered the trees of their territory.

³⁴He spoke, and locusts came,

Young locusts without number,

³⁵And ate up all the vegetation in their land,

And devoured the fruit of their ground.

³⁶He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land,

The first of all their strength.

In returning then to Egypt at the Lord's command. First, Moses and Aaron performed the Lord our God’s signs to His people, confirming His coming to them (Gen. 4:1-17; 27-31), then Moses and Aaron went to Pharoah and all his court (Exodus 5:1-23), and finally all the Egyptians became privy to the mighty works and signs of the Lord our God which He performed openly amongst them all in their own land, ultimately defeating their Pharoah and all their “gods” right before their very eyes (Exodus 7-12). These then are the mighty signs and plagues which the Lord our God worked through Moses on Egypt:

“He sent darkness, and made it dark;

And they did not rebel against His word.” ^{Vs. 28}

Now the plagues are not given in chronological order for this was the ninth plague. As to the darkness that the Lord sent through the hand of Moses it was such that it lasted for three days, and the land was so deep and dark that the Egyptians could not see one another, but the children of Israel had light in their dwellings, (which is Spiritually symbolic of who had God's light and illumination and who did not), this also was the plague which caused Pharoah to kick Moses out of his court forever, which may be why it was given first. For, it signifies Pharoah’s finial rejection of the Lord our God (see Exodus 10:20-29). Now as to the statement that they did not rebel against His Word is not referring to the Egyptians, nor to Moses and Aaron, but to the plagues themselves, for what God commanded they did.

“He turned their waters into blood,

And killed their fish.” ^{Vs. 29}

This was the first plague that the Lord our God brought upon the Egyptians through Moses and Aaron. It was most appropriate because it was in their river that the Egyptians killed the male infants of Israel, thus they defiled it with blood. Now with this plague all the fish that they ate were killed, thus the Lord our God removed all their supply of food from it from them.

“Their land abounded with frogs,

Even in the chambers of their kings.” ^{Vs. 30}

Since the Egyptians regarded frogs as a symbol of fertility, they even made themselves idols of worship to them, in His second plague the Lord our God gave them frogs, millions of slimy and smelly frogs which then filled their land, even into the chambers of their kings. And when these died the stench of their rotting corpses filled the air of their land (see Exodos 8:1-15).

“He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,

And lice in all their territory.” ^{Vs. 31}

Now recalled are the third and forth plagues that the Lord our God sent on the Egyptians. First though came the lice, in this the Lord our God changed the dust of the ground into lice which then afflicted both man and beast in the land of Egypt, the exception being all the children of Israel were spared His plagues. After the lice then came the flies, thick swarms of flies that came into Pharoah’s court and all the Egyptians houses (Exodus 8:20-32), so many flies that the land of Egypt was utterly corrupted by them, for everything, everywhere, was covered with them. And of course, with each plague Pharoah either hardens his heart, or the Lord our God hardens it, so as to usher in more plagues upon them. And Yet Pharoah never relents of holding the children of Israel against the Lord’s will until the last plague, the death of the Egyptians firstborn, but there are still three more plagues to come.

“He gave them hail for rain,

And flaming fire in their land.

³³He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,

And splintered the trees of their territory.” ^{Vs. 32-33}

The Lord our God in the defense of His people also afflicted the Egyptians with hail, (seventh plague, Exodus 9:23-25) such hail that the land had never see before, or has seen since, thus not a "natural" hail but a hail sent by the Lord our God from heaven to destroy their land, their crops, and their tress, everything then that was in bloom was then destroyed. Even a flaming fire from heaven was sent by Him on their land so that all would know that this was His hand upon them. For both man and beast were also destroyed by these plagues sent by Him.

“He spoke, and locusts came,

Young locusts without number,

³⁵And ate up all the vegetation in their land,

And devoured the fruit of their ground.” ^{Vs. 34-35}

Whatever the hail and fire did not destroy the locusts which were the eighth plague did. For they came upon the land at the command of the Lord our God through the hand of Moses and ate everything that was green on the trees and in the fields (Exodus 10:1-20). This apparently was done to show the Egyptians that one of their gods, Serapis, (a god to protect them from locusts) was utterly powerless against the Lord our God sending His locusts upon them (Believers Bible Commentary).

“He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land,

The first of all their strength.”

This then was the finial (tenth) plague of the Lord our God upon the Egyptians, for by it He broke the pride of Pharoah and all the Egyptians strength to resist Him (Exodus 12:29).

Vs. 37-38 ³⁷He also brought them out with silver and gold,

And there was none feeble among His tribes.

³⁸Egypt was glad when they departed,

For the fear of them had fallen upon them.

Having then broken Egypt and Pharoah’s will, the Lord our God  now brings His people out from the midst of them with riches and abundance and strength, for all of God’s people plundered the Egyptians at His command, for all the Egyptians willing gave the Israelites whatever they asked for (vs. 37-38; Exodus 3:19-22; 12:29-36). This then is just as the Israelites were now compensated for their enslaved labors there. 

Vs. 39 “He spread a cloud for a covering,

And fire to give light in the night.”

Having then brought His people out of Egypt the Lord our God continued His care for them, watching over them while they were in the wilderness every day and night, giving them His cloud to cover them from the heat by day, and His fire to give them light by night, so that their enemies could not attack them.

Vs. 40-42 ⁴⁰The people asked, and He brought quail,

And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

⁴¹He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

It ran in the dry places like a river.

⁴²For He remembered His holy promise,

And Abraham His servant.

Even in the midst of their rebellions the Lord our God did not forsake them, for when they asked for meat, He gave then quail; and when they lacked bread, He gave them His manna from heaven. And in their thirst when they could not find water, He opened the rock and caused fresh waters to gush out of it filling all the dry places of the land like river. And all of this the Lord our God did for them because He remembered His holy promise, He spoke to Abraham His servant.

 Vs. 43-45 ⁴³He brought out His people with joy,

His chosen ones with gladness.

⁴⁴He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,

And they inherited the labor of the nations,

⁴⁵That they might observe His statutes

And keep His laws. Praise the Lord!

And when the time came for the Lord our God to fulfill His Word and bring His people into the land of Canaan He brought His people and chosen ones out of their long sojourn with joy and gladness as they then entered the land of the Gentiles, where He caused them to inherit the labor of the nations, which first points us to the land of Canaan, but will see its ultimate fulfilment when the Israelites at the end of Jacobs troubles, enter into the Millennial Reign with Christ. All this the Lord our God did for them so that they might observe His statutes and keep His law. Praise the Lord then and remember what He has done for us, and what He is going to do! amen. 

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.