Chapter Summary
Core Passages from Psalms 106
Psalms 106:1Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
This opening verse sets the theme for the entire psalm: everything that follows, both the good and the bad, must be viewed through the lens of God's unchanging goodness and enduring love.Psalms 106:6Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
This is the heart of the confession, where the psalmist and the community take ownership not only of their own sins but of the generational pattern of failure, showing deep humility and self-awareness.Psalms 106:44-45Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
This is the turning point. After a long list of sins and judgments, the psalm pivots to God's character, showing that His ultimate response to human distress is not anger, but compassionate remembrance of His covenant promises.
Historical & Cultural Context
A Nation's Prayer: Looking Back to Move Forward
Psalm 106 is a national lament and confession, likely used in worship at the Second Temple after the return from Babylonian exile. The people are looking back at their entire history, from the Exodus to the settlement in Canaan, trying to make sense of their current situation. It's a public acknowledgment of a long-standing pattern of rebellion, not to wallow in guilt, but to appeal to the very same God who had been merciful through it all. This psalm serves as a historical lesson and a heartfelt prayer.
A Cycle of Rebellion and Rescue
The narrative structure of the psalm is a powerful back-and-forth between God's mighty acts of salvation and Israel's almost immediate forgetfulness and disobedience. It follows the Israelites chronologically, highlighting key failures like the rebellion at the Red Sea, the craving for meat in the wilderness, the worship of the golden calf, and the disastrous assimilation with Canaanite practices. This painful review isn't for condemnation but to build a case for God's incredible patience and to ground their final plea for rescue in His proven character.
Israel's History of Forgetting God's Faithfulness
Psalm 106 opens with a powerful call to praise God for His enduring love. However, this praise quickly turns into a deep and honest confession. The psalmist, speaking for the entire nation, embarks on a journey through Israel's past, not to celebrate victories, but to recount a painful and persistent pattern of sin. This historical review serves as the foundation for a desperate plea for God's mercy and restoration in the present.
A Call to Praise and a Plea for Favor (Psalms 106:1-5)
1 Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord, or declare all his praise?
3 Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!
4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them,
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.
Commentary:
The psalm opens by praising God's eternal love and asking to be included in His blessings.
Confession and Rebellion at the Red Sea (Psalms 106:6-12)
6 Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.
12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.
Commentary:
The people confess their shared history of sin, starting with their ancestors' doubt at the Red Sea, where God saved them despite their lack of faith.
A Pattern of Forgetting in the Wilderness (Psalms 106:13-33)
13 But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert.
15 So he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.
16 When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.
18 Fire also broke out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.
19 They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image.
20 They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore he said he would destroy them - had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.
25 but murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 to overthrow their offspring among the nations and scatter them among the lands.
28 They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
29 They provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed.
31 And that was counted to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever.
32 They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account,
33 because they rebelled against his Spirit, and he spoke rashly with his lips.
Commentary:
In the wilderness, the Israelites repeatedly forgot God's miracles, leading to craving, jealousy, idolatry, and judgment.
Disobedience in the Promised Land and God's Mercy (Psalms 106:34-46)
34 They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them,
35 but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did.
36 They served their idols, which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons;
38 they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.
40 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage;
41 And he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry.
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
46 He made them also to be pitied by all those who carried them captive.
Commentary:
In Canaan, the people adopted pagan idolatry, leading to oppression, yet whenever they cried out, God remembered His promise and showed mercy.
A Final Prayer and a Concluding Doxology (Psalms 106:47-48)
47 Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the Lord!
Commentary:
The psalm concludes with a plea for restoration from exile so the people can praise God again, ending with a powerful declaration of worship.
God's Unfailing Love in the Face of Human Failure
God's Steadfast Love (Hesed)
This is the unshakable foundation of the psalm. The Hebrew word 'hesed' means loyal, covenant-keeping love. It is not merely love. Psalm 106 shows that God's hesed is not a reaction to Israel's goodness but a reflection of His own unchanging character. It's the reason He relents and shows mercy time and time again.
The Spiritual Danger of Forgetting
The psalm demonstrates a clear pattern: forgetting leads to sin. When the Israelites forgot God's past miracles and provision (v. 13, 21), they grew discontent, fearful, and idolatrous. This serves as a timeless warning that a healthy spiritual life is built on actively remembering and recounting God's faithfulness.
Corporate Responsibility and Confession
The psalmist doesn't point fingers at ancestors but says, 'Both we and our fathers have sinned' (v. 6). This expresses a deep sense of unity with the story of God's people, acknowledging that the same tendencies toward sin exist in every generation. True repentance involves recognizing these shared, generational patterns and bringing them to God together.
The Interplay of Judgment and Mercy
God's anger over sin is real and His judgment is just, as seen in the plagues, defeats, and exile. However, judgment is never His final word. The psalm beautifully shows that God's heart is always inclined toward mercy, and He responds to the cries of His people, remembering His covenant and choosing to restore.
Lessons from Israel's Story for Our Lives
Psalm 106 reveals that God is both perfectly just and incredibly patient. He takes sin seriously, but His defining characteristic is His 'steadfast love' that 'endures forever' (v. 1). He is a God of second chances - and third, and fourth - who remembers His promises even when we forget them (v. 45). His mercy is not cheap. It is a powerful, relentless force that actively seeks to restore.
You can apply this by making a habit of remembering. Israel's downfall was forgetting God's works (v. 13). Keep a journal of answered prayers or moments of God's provision. When you face doubt or temptation, intentionally look back at God's faithfulness in your own life. This practice builds a foundation of gratitude and trust that helps you avoid the cycle of fear and discontent.
The confession 'we and our fathers have sinned' (v. 6) reminds you that you are part of a larger story and community. It encourages humility, recognizing that you share the same human weaknesses that have been present throughout history. This perspective helps you to be more gracious with others in your church or family and to rely not on your own righteousness, but on God's abundant mercy for everyone.
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
Psalm 106 presents an unvarnished history of God's people to make one thing clear: human faithfulness is fickle, but God's is not. It teaches that our hope doesn't rest in our ability to get it right, but in God's character and His covenant promises. The message is both a sober warning against forgetting and a deep comfort: even in our lowest moments of failure, the path back to God is paved with His relentless, merciful love.
What This Means for Us Today
Psalm 106 invites us to be honest about our own story - our personal and shared history of falling short. This honesty is not meant to lead to despair, but to a deeper appreciation for God's grace. It calls us to stop pretending and to cry out to the God who, time and again, looks upon our distress and remembers His promise.
- What part of your own story do you need to bring to God with the same honesty as the psalmist?
- How can remembering God's past faithfulness in your life give you strength for today's challenges?
- Who in your life needs to hear that God's steadfast love can cover their failures?
Further Reading
Immediate Context
This psalm serves as a companion piece, recounting the same period of Israel's history but focusing entirely on God's faithfulness and covenant-keeping power.
This chapter continues the theme of thanksgiving, describing how God delivers different kinds of people from their troubles when they cry out to Him.
Connections Across Scripture
This chapter contains a similar long, historical prayer of confession made by the Israelites after returning from exile, recounting God's faithfulness versus their sin.
The Apostle Paul references the events of the wilderness wanderings (like the idolatry and grumbling mentioned in Psalm 106) as a warning for the Corinthian church.
Moses explicitly warns the Israelites to remember the Lord and not forget His provision in the wilderness, predicting the very failures detailed in Psalm 106.
Discussion Questions
- Psalm 106 says the Israelites 'soon forgot his works' (v. 13). In our fast-paced lives, what are some practical ways we can cultivate a habit of remembering God's faithfulness?
- The psalmist confesses the sins of past generations as his own ('we and our fathers have sinned'). Why is it important to acknowledge shared or historical failings, and how does that change how we pray for our community or nation?
- The psalm shows a cycle of sin, judgment, crying out, and deliverance. Where have you seen this pattern in your own life, and how does knowing God 'relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love' (v. 45) give you hope?
Glossary
places
Red Sea
The body of water God miraculously parted to save the Israelites from the pursuing Egyptian army.
Horeb
Another name for Mount Sinai, the mountain where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.
Meribah
A location in the wilderness where the Israelites quarreled with God over water, and Moses acted rashly.
Canaan
The land God promised to Abraham and his descendants, which the Israelites entered after their wilderness wanderings.
events
figures
Moses
The prophet chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and receive His law.
Aaron
Moses' brother and the first High Priest of Israel.
Dathan and Abiram
Israelites who led a rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
Phinehas
A priest whose decisive action against idolatry stopped a plague and was credited to him as righteousness.
theological concepts
Covenant
A sacred, binding promise made by God that establishes His relationship with His people.
Steadfast Love (Hesed)
A key Hebrew term describing God's loyal, faithful, and merciful love promised in His covenant.
Righteousness
In this context, it refers to an act of faithfulness to God's covenant that is seen as morally right and just.