This Weeks Lectionary Reading
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c
Confitemini Domino
1 Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvelous works.
3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Search for the Lord and his strength; *
continually seek his face.
5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,
6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen.
23 Israel came into Egypt, *
and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham.
24 The Lord made his people exceedingly fruitful; *
he made them stronger than their enemies;
25 Whose heart he turned, so that they hated his people, *
and dealt unjustly with his servants.
26 He sent Moses his servant, *
and Aaron whom he had chosen.
45 Hallelujah!
The first five verses are written as commands: give thanks, sing and speak praises to him, glory in his name, search for him, and remember the marvels he has done. These commands are not for God’s benefit. They are more like reminders to us for our benefit. God does not need us to praise Him so that He can feel glorious. We need to remember His glory because we so easily become trapped inside our immediate fears, shame, and desires. It is difficult for us to see beyond our immediate circumstances because we are trying to see how God is going to work this out for our good. That’s not how God works.
That’s why the psalmist directs our anxious thoughts away from our situation and towards God alone. It is possible for nothing around us to change, but then for everything to change when we remember how to see. When we see the goodness of God, seek His strength, and remember the marvels He has already done, we start to not feel quite so small, helpless, or bound by what is happening in this one moment. The truth that anything is possible and this will end in good becomes hard to not acknowledge.
Here the psalmist reminds Israel where they came from. Jacob entered Egypt as a sojourner, a foreigner dependent upon the hospitality of others. His descendants eventually became slaves to the Egyptians and were treated brutally. From the outside, theirs did not look like a story of strength, blessing, or glory.
But even there, the Lord “made his people exceedingly fruitful” and “made them stronger than their enemies.”
I’ll bet they probably did not feel strong. They were suffering and being treated unjustly. Yet even in their suffering, God was forming them into a people and working through circumstances they could not yet understand. Their suffering was real, but it was not the only thing that was true. God’s goodness and strength were present even when they were difficult to see.
Then God sent Moses, but the psalm does not mention Moses alone. It also remembers Aaron, “whom he had chosen.” Moses may have been the visible leader, but he did not carry out God’s work by himself. Aaron’s contribution mattered, and it was not forgotten.
That may be another reason the psalm repeatedly tells us to remember. We remember what God has done, but we also remember the people through whom He has done it—including those who stood beside the more prominent leaders and whose faithfulness might otherwise be overlooked. Ultimately it was God who rescued them – He just needed men of courage to stand firm.
Perhaps praise is learning to see the whole story: not only the danger, suffering, and uncertainty immediately before us, but also God, who has been working all along—and the people He has chosen to work through.
Hallelujah.