Keeper of Every Promise ~ Bob Caldwell

Keeper of Every PromisePsalm 105:1-45 105:8 He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, The passionate worship we are called to in this psalm began from the psalmist's own reflections on the many "marvelous works He [God] has done." The psalmist reminds us that the basis for his list of amazing things God has done began in His covenant promises to Israel. It was Abraham, the first Jew, who God promised would become the origins of a great nation -- a nation from which the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would come, and who in turn would become a blessing to the entire world. Throughout Israel's history, God has revealed in human history hundreds of promises that have become the basis of the expectation of multitudes to this very present. Joseph's life is an example of how God can do amazing things to bring about His promises in each of our lives. We are told that "until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him" (v. 19). Although God had promised Joseph that he would become a great ruler, for many years his life seemed to go in a completely different direction. He was sold as a slave by his own brothers and taken to Egypt. There he was imprisoned under false charges of attempted rape. It would have seemed impossible to Joseph that the promise would ever be fulfilled. But not only was it fulfilled, it was done in a way that exceeded anything anyone could have imagine -- Joseph became second in command of the entire Egyptian Empire. Under Joseph's care, Abraham's descendants, the future Jewish nation, came to Egypt and grew into a mighty people (v. 16-24). The psalmist goes on to describe the amazing miracles God performed to bring the Jews out of Egypt and grow them into a mighty nation (v. 24-45). The same God who fulfilled His promises to Israel is our God. And He has given us exceeding, great, precious promises in His Word that He is ready to fulfill in each of our lives (2 Peter 1:2-4). If you do not know God's promises, then don't let another day go by until you discover what all who have Christ as their Savior can claim us as their own. Then begin to praise God for all He has already done for others and all He will do for you. One last thing -- Be sure to remember that God's word of promise will be tested (v. 19). Remember that your faith is in someone who will never lie. His promises are Yea and Amen! Wonderful things are sure to be in your future!
Psalm 105:1-45 The Eternal Faithfulness of the LORD 1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 3 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! 4 Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! 5 Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, 6 O seed of Abraham His servant, You 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 which He commanded, for a thousand generations, 9 The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, 10 And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, 11 Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance," 12 When they were few in number, Indeed very few, and strangers in it. 13 When they went from one nation to another, From one kingdom to another people, 14 He permitted no one to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, 15 Saying, "Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm." 16 Moreover He called for a famine in the land; He destroyed all the provision of bread. 17 He sent a man before them— Joseph—who was sold as a slave. 18 They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. 19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him. 20 The king sent and released him, The ruler of the people let him go free. 21 He made him lord of his house, And ruler of all his possessions, 22 To bind his princes at his pleasure, And teach his elders wisdom. 23 Israel also came into Egypt, And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham. 24 He increased His people greatly, And made them stronger than their enemies. 25 He turned their heart to hate His people, To deal craftily with His servants. 26 He sent Moses His servant, And Aaron whom He had chosen. 27 They performed His signs among them, And wonders in the land of Ham. 28 He sent darkness, and made it dark; And they did not rebel against His word. 29 He turned their waters into blood, And killed their fish. 30 Their land abounded with frogs, Even in the chambers of their kings. 31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, And lice in all their territory. 32 He gave them hail for rain, And flaming fire in their land. 33 He struck their vines also, and their fig trees, And splintered the trees of their territory. 34 He spoke, and 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 also destroyed all the firstborn in their land, The first of all their strength. 37 He also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes. 38 Egypt was glad when they departed, For the fear of them had fallen upon them. 39 He spread a cloud for a covering, And fire to give light in the night. 40 The people asked, and He brought quail, And satisfied them with the bread of heaven. 41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; It ran in the dry places like a river. 42 For He remembered His holy promise, And Abraham His servant. 43 He brought out His people with joy, His chosen ones with gladness. 44 He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, And they inherited the labor of the nations, 45 That they might observe His statutes And keep His laws. Praise the LORD!
Psalm 105:1-45 This psalm is a teaching meditation on the historical acts of God in saving and preserving Israel. It rehearses without much commentary the sequence of events told in Genesis and Exodus. v. 2 His wondrous works – God's acts in redemption; saving His universe from evil v. 3 Glory – celebrate and be glad in all that God Himself is v. 4 Seek – pay alert attention v. 5 the judgments of His mouth – the acts of God in bringing justice to the world. An old proverb says: "The mill of God grinds slowly, but it grinds exceeding fine." Often, justice seems to be absent in the affairs of our world; but God measures justice in generations, not years. The personal accounts WILL be balanced. That is the promise of His mouth (Rev. 20). v. 6 O Seed – All of God's people are called upon to consider what God has done to keep His promises to the Fathers and us as their physical and spiritual descendents. v. 8 He remembers His covenant forever – God's solemn agreement, His promise to Abraham, is the foundation of all of the history of salvation. a thousand generations – Note again the time dimensions in which God does His work: far beyond the perception of any single human being. v. 9 The covenant…His oath – Covenant is explained in this simple parallel: it is an oath or vow v. 11 Saying – This phrase in Hebrew is pretty much equivalent to our "quotation marks"; it introduces God's solemn "speech" to Abraham. the land of Canaan – The land, the coming nation, and the blessing of all peoples are the three elements of God's solemn promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:1). v. 12 "few in number" – A direct quotation of Jacob's words in Genesis 34:30, emphasizing the precariousness of life as an alien in a foreign land. strangers – God never let Israel forget that they had been "non-resident aliens" in Canaan and Egypt before He ever gave them the land of Promise. This was the basis for His challenge to treat "strangers" (sojourners) with kindness and respect (Ex. 22:21, 23:9). v. 13 went – wandered like Gypsies. v. 14 He permitted no one – This verse, along with verse 15, probably refers to the stories of God's protection of the matriarchs in the various lands they traveled to (Gen. 12, 20, 26). v. 15 Saying – See study note for v. 11. My anointed ones…My prophets – God's chosen representatives and spokesmen v. 16 He called for a famine in the land – a signal that the timeline has moved forward to the story of Joseph the provision of bread – Literally translated, "He broke the whole staff of bread." Probably refers to the custom of winding bread dough around a pole and baking it into flat loaves. v. 17 He sent a man – to Joseph, his evil treatment at the hands of his brothers and the false accusations of Potpher's wife surely seemed to be a long way from being prepared as God's representative to save His people…but that did not change the fact that God was working in the background of everything to accomplish good (Gen. 50:15-19). v. 18 He was laid in irons – Lit. "his neck was put into iron"; refers to the neck shackle of a slave put on during transport to prevent escape. v. 19 Until the time that his word came to pass – i.e. until the promise God gave in dreams to Joseph became a reality (see Gen. 37:1-10) The word of the LORD tested him – God's judgment was what finally vindicated Joseph. v. 22 To bind his princes at his pleasure – Note the contrast: Joseph, who was shackled in irons as a slave, was given the authority to "bind" anyone in the land, with the exception of the Pharaoh himself. It is a testimony to his character and God's faithful preparation of Joseph that he did not misuse this power to seek vengeance or for his own benefit. That is at the heart of true biblical leadership. v. 23 Israel also came into Egypt…the land of Ham – This verse begins the third "chapter" of the psalm (see introduction above). Jacob and his entire clan was brought to Egypt by Joseph to save them from the famine that was wasting the Middle East (see Gen. 46). This verse begins the third "chapter" of the psalm (see introduction above). v. 24 He increased His people greatly – He "made them very fruitful"…i.e with many children. (A direct quote of Ex. 1:7.) v. 25 He turned their heart to hate His people… – This phrase points back to the way God "hardened" Pharaoh's heart by repeatedly giving him the opportunity to express his own basic attitude of arrogance and rebellion against any authority expect his own. (Cf. Ex. 4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8, 17 with 8:15, 32; 9:34. Who did the "hardening"? The answer is: God and Pharaoh! God gave the opportunity; Pharaoh made the decision, for which he was ultimately and personally responsible!) v. 27 They performed His signs – Literally: "They put among them the words of His signs". Signs (Heb. othoth; the most common term for "miracles" in the Old Testament) are not just a supernatural "fireworks" display; they are events laden with a divine message. Cf. the NT use of "signs"; e.g. in the Gospel of John – summarized in John 20:31.) v. 28 He sent darkness, and made it dark – The plagues against Egypt are not recounted in exact order and some are omitted for artistic balance by the poet. and they did not rebel against His word. – Not a very good choice by the translators of the NKJV; better: "but they (i.e. the Egyptians) still rebelled against His word. v. 29-36 – recount the plagues upon Egypt. v. 36 the firstborn…the first of all their strength – i.e. the "firstfruits" of their manhood. v. 37 He also brought them out – With the beginning of the 4th section of the psalm, the subject of "them" changes to the people of Israel; this is not uncommon in biblical Hebrew. v. 38 the fear of them had fallen upon them – a supernatural dread of Israel came upon the Egyptians. v. 39-41 – recount various important incidents that took place during Israel's journey through the wilderness. v. 42 For He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham His servant – As the poet moves into the concluding "chapter" of his song, he points back to the main theme: God's faithfulness to His promises and the covenant He made with His friend, Abraham. v. 44 He gave them the lands of the Gentiles – Skipping the giving of the law, which will be briefly touched upon in the next verse, the narrative goes straight to the fulfillment of God's promise of the Land. v. 45 That they might observe His statutes and keep His laws – God's purpose in bringing Israel into the land of promise was not for their own pleasure, but that they might exemplify and proclaim His character and justice to the nations. (Cf. Jesus' justification of His cleansing of the temple in Mark 11:15-17. Praise the LORD! – Lit. "Hallelu Yah".
"He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations," –Psalm 105:8 Thank You, Jesus, for Your longsuffering patience with us. We can see from the whole of the Old Testament that You have been repeatedly forgiving us for many thousands of years. Thank You that each generation has the chance to know You and seek Your salvation and will for their lives. Use us, Lord, and mold us into vessels that You can use to reach our world.
Youth Ministry Our Junior High Guys Bible study has been an amazing tool in getting to know the guys. We have seen guys maturing as we dig in to God's word. Prayer Points that the guys will grow in their faith and bear the fruits of God's work in their lives.