Psalm 106

Reading for August 15, 2012      Psalm 106

Psalm 106 confesses the sins of Israel, from the exodus to the exile in Babylon. In one sense, the lament of the psalmist is like a millstone around the neck of Israel. The weight of the cumulative sins of the people is crushing, except that the psalmist repeatedly affirms the faithfulness of God in rescuing His people. From this perspective, the psalm becomes an urgent cry to the Lord, “Save us again.”

The psalm can also serve to build humility into the fabric of God’s people. In the last several years, some churches, in their denominational meetings, have included a confession of their church’s past sins of racism and bigotry. This has been offensive to many of their members who believe they should not need to confess the sins of their ancestors. However, God looks not only at an individual; He also looks at His people as a whole. When the whole church has been complicit in sin, the whole church surrenders God’s favor until the church accepts responsibility for her sin.

I see a bit of a dichotomy for the followers of Christ responding to Psalm 106. First, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews stresses that Jesus has already paid the penalty for our sins. Six times he uses the phrase, “once for all time” to make his point that “Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28). However, the New Testament speaks almost one hundred times of the followers of Christ being “together.” We are called by God to live in community with one another. We are called to serve as co-laborers with Christ, building for the Kingdom of God.

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

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Reading for August 16, 2012      Psalm 107