Chapter Summary
Core Passages from Psalms 105
Psalm 105:1Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
This opening verse sets the tone for the entire psalm, establishing that gratitude and praise are the proper response to who God is and what He has done.Psalm 105:8He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
This is the central theme of the psalm. It declares that God's memory is perfect and His commitment to His covenant - His binding promise - is eternal.Psalm 105:45that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord!
This final verse reveals the purpose behind God's mighty acts of deliverance: He saves His people so they can live in a joyful, obedient relationship with Him.
Historical & Cultural Context
A Song of Remembrance for a Nation
Psalm 105 is a historical psalm, a type of song used in Israel's public worship to teach and remind the community of their identity. It functions like a national anthem of faith, recounting the foundational stories of God's relationship with His people. The setting isn't a single event but a sweeping narrative that moves from the ancestral tents of the patriarchs to the courts of Pharaoh and across the sands of the desert.
Tracing God's Faithfulness Through Time
The psalm unfolds chronologically, creating a powerful story of God's guiding hand. It begins with the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when they were a small, wandering family. It then follows their descendants into Egypt through the story of Joseph, detailing their oppression and miraculous deliverance under Moses, and concludes with their provision in the wilderness and inheritance of the Promised Land.
A Journey Through God's Mighty Acts
Psalm 105 invites us into an act of worshipful remembrance. It opens in verses 1-6 with an enthusiastic call to praise, urging God's people to seek Him and tell everyone about His amazing deeds. The rest of the psalm answers this call by providing a highlight reel of God's faithfulness, starting with the promises made to Israel's earliest ancestors and carrying through to the fulfillment of those promises generations later.
The Call to Worship and the Covenant Promise (Psalm 105:1-15)
105 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!
3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
4 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
7 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 And he confirmed it to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance."
12 When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it,
13 they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people,
14 He allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,
15 saying, "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!"
Commentary:
The psalm begins with a call to praise God because He faithfully protected Israel's patriarchs and established His covenant with them.
Joseph and the Journey to Egypt (Psalm 105:16-25)
16 When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread,
17 he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19 until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.
20 until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.
21 When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread,
22 to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.
23 Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24 And the Lord made his people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes.
25 He turned their hearts to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.
Commentary:
God sovereignly used Joseph's suffering and a famine to move His people to Egypt, where they grew into a nation.
Related Verse Analysis
Moses, the Plagues, and the Great Exodus (Psalm 105:26-38)
26 He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them and miracles in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they did not rebel against his words.
29 He turned their waters into blood and caused their fish to die.
30 They were satisfied, for he gave them what they craved.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
32 He gave them hail for rain, and fiery lightning bolts through their land.
33 He struck down their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came, young locusts without number,
35 And ate up all the vegetation in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.
36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength.
37 Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.
Commentary:
Through Moses and Aaron, God demonstrated His power over Egypt with plagues, liberating the Israelites from slavery with great wealth.
Related Verse Analysis
Provision in the Wilderness and the Promised Land (Psalm 105:39-45)
39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.
43 And he brought out his people with joy, his chosen ones with singing.
44 And he gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' toil,
45 that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord!
Commentary:
God miraculously provided for Israel in the desert and gave them the Promised Land, all to fulfill His promise and enable them to live obediently.
Related Verse Analysis
Unpacking the Core Truths of Psalm 105
God's Unbreakable Covenant
The central theme is God's faithfulness to His covenant, which is a binding promise He initiated with Abraham. Psalm 105 shows this promise being passed down through generations and fulfilled despite human weakness, famine, and slavery. God's actions are always driven by the fact that He 'remembers his covenant forever' (Psalm 105:8).
Remembrance as an Act of Faith
The psalm is a command to 'remember the wondrous works that he has done' (Psalm 105:5). For Israel, looking back was not about nostalgia. It was about fueling present faith and future hope. By recounting God's past faithfulness, they were reminded of His character and were encouraged to trust Him in their current circumstances.
God's Sovereignty Over History
Psalm 105 portrays God as the primary actor in history. He 'summoned a famine,' 'sent a man ahead,' and 'turned their hearts to hate his people.' This shows that nothing is outside of His control. He can orchestrate even evil and hardship to accomplish His ultimate redemptive purposes.
Salvation Leads to Obedience
The psalm concludes by stating the goal of God's deliverance: 'that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws' (Psalm 105:45). God saves His people to bring them into a right relationship with Himself, characterized by joyful obedience and worship. He does not save them simply to make them comfortable.
Bringing God's Faithfulness into Your Life
Psalm 105 reveals that God is a faithful promise-keeper who is actively involved in the details of human history. He is not a distant observer but a sovereign Lord who works all things - even hardship and suffering like Joseph's imprisonment (Psalm 105:17-18) - to fulfill His good plans for His people.
You can apply this by intentionally practicing remembrance. The psalmist recounted God's deeds. You can also keep a record of God's faithfulness in your own life. When you face uncertainty, look back at that record to remind yourself that the God who provided in the past will be faithful in your present and future.
It means that your personal story is part of a much larger story of God's redemption. God's care for Israel, from protecting a small family to providing for a nation in the desert (Psalm 105:39-41), shows that He is attentive to the needs of His people. You can trust that He is equally attentive to the details of your life today.
God's Faithfulness Written in History
Psalm 105 declares that God has revealed His character through His actions. By tracing the story of Israel, the psalmist shows that God is not defined by abstract ideas but by a concrete history of promise-keeping, protection, and deliverance. The message is both historical and deeply personal: the God who guided patriarchs, rescued slaves, and provided in the desert is the same God who is active and trustworthy in our lives today.
What This Means for Us Today
The story of our faith begins with an invitation to remember and to tell. Psalm 105 calls us to 'make known his deeds among the peoples.' This is our story, too - a story of a God who keeps His promises and invites us to share the good news of His faithfulness with the world.
- What part of God's story in Psalm 105 encourages you the most right now?
- Who in your life needs to hear about the faithfulness of God?
- How can you make remembering God's works a more regular part of your life?
Further Reading
Immediate Context
This psalm praises God as the powerful and wise Creator of the natural world, setting the stage for Psalm 105's praise of God as the Lord of history.
This chapter serves as a companion piece, recounting the same history but from the perspective of Israel's repeated unfaithfulness and rebellion, highlighting God's mercy.
Connections Across Scripture
These chapters in Genesis provide the detailed narrative accounts of the patriarchs and Joseph that Psalm 105 summarizes in poetic form.
The book of Exodus gives the full story of Israel's slavery, the ten plagues, and the miraculous escape from Egypt that is celebrated in Psalm 105:26-38.
In his speech before the Sanhedrin, Stephen recounts much of the same history as Psalm 105 to show how God has been at work leading up to Jesus.
Thematic Parallels
Moses calls Israel to remember their time in the wilderness to learn humility and trust in God's provision, a theme echoed in Psalm 105.
Discussion Questions
- Psalm 105 is a call to 'remember the wondrous works' God has done. What are some specific ways God has been faithful in your own life, and how does remembering them affect your faith today?
- The psalm shows God using difficult events like a famine and Joseph's slavery to accomplish His plan (verses 16-19). How does this perspective challenge or comfort you when you face hardship?
- The final verse says God saved His people so 'they might keep his statutes.' How does this change our understanding of salvation - from being saved 'from' sin to being saved 'for' a purpose?
Glossary
places
events
figures
Abraham
The first patriarch of Israel, chosen by God to be the father of a great nation and to receive the covenant promise.
Joseph
Jacob's son who was sold into slavery but rose to power in Egypt, saving his family from famine.
Moses
The prophet chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.
Aaron
Moses' brother, who served as his spokesman and became Israel's first high priest.