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106
1 Praise the Lord! Thank the Lord, for he is good! His trustworthy love lasts forever.
2 Who can give an account of all the wonderful things the Lord has done?* In other words, no one knows the full extent of God's activities. Who can give him all the praise he is due?
3 Happy are those who treat people fairly, who always do what is right.
4 Please remember me when you are generous to your people; think of me when you come to save.
5 Let me see your chosen people prosperous; let me be happy together with your nation; let me share in being proud of you with those who belong to you.
6 We have sinned just like our forefathers. We have done wrong. We are guilty.
7 They didn't pay attention to the wonderful things you did. They didn't keep in mind how much you loved them, but chose to rebel at the sea, the Red Sea.† “The Sea of Reeds.”
8 Even so he saved them because of the kind of person he is, and to show his power
9 He gave his order‡ Literally, “rebuked.” to the Red Sea, and it dried up. He led his people across the seabed as if it were a desert.
10 He rescued them from those who hated them; he saved them from their enemies' power.
11 The water drowned their enemies—none of them survived,
12 Then his people trusted in what he promised, and sang his praises.
13 But they quickly forgot what he had done for them, and they didn't listen to his advice.
14 They were filled with desperate cravings§ For food, particularly meat. in the wilderness; they provoked God in the desert.
15 He gave them what they wanted, but sent them a plague* See Numbers 11:33-34. as well.
16 In the camp the people became jealous of Moses, and of Aaron, the Lord's holy priest.
17 The earth split open and swallowed up Dathan; it buried Abiram and his followers.† See Numbers 16.
18 Fire broke out among them—a flame that burned them up.
19 At Mount Sinai‡ Literally, Horeb: another name for Mount Sinai. they made a calf, they bowed down before a metal idol.§ See Exodus 32.
20 They replaced their God of glory with a bull that eats grass!
21 They forgot God, their Savior, who had done marvelous things in Egypt;
22 performing miracles in the land of Ham,* “Land of Ham”—another name for Egypt. doing amazing things at the Red Sea.
23 So he said he was going to destroy them But Moses, his chosen leader, placed himself between the Lord and the people to persuade the Lord not to destroy them in his anger.
24 Later the people refused to enter the Promised Land; they didn't trust him to do as he'd promised.
25 They complained in their tents about the Lord, and refused to obey what he told them.
26 So he raised his hand to give them a serious warning that he would bring them down in the wilderness,
27 that he would disperse† Following the parallel passage in Ezekiel 20:23. their descendants among the heathen nations, scattering them among countries far away.
28 They gave their allegiance to Baal Peor,‡ A heathen god, see Numbers 25. and ate food sacrificed to the dead.
29 They provoked the Lord by what they did, making him angry, so a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas took a stand for the Lord and intervened, and the plague was stopped in its tracks.
31 He has been considered as a man who lived right§ The same phrase is used about Abraham in Genesis 15:6. from that time on and for all generations.
32 They also angered him at the waters of Meribah where things went badly for Moses because of them.
33 They upset him so much that he spoke without thinking in the heat of the moment.
34 They did not destroy the heathen peoples as the Lord had told them to do,
35 but instead they joined in with them and adopted their way of life.
36 They worshiped their pagan idols which became a trap for them.
37 The even sacrificed their sons and daughters to these demons.
38 They shed the blood of innocent children, their sons and daughters, sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan. By doing so they defiled the land with blood.
39 The also defiled themselves by what they did: their actions were spiritual adultery.
40 So the Lord was angry with his people—he loathed those who belonged to him.
41 He handed them over to the heathen nations. These people who hated them now became their rulers.
42 Their enemies dominated and subdued them with their power.
43 The Lord repeatedly rescued them, but they continued with their rebellious ideas, until they were finally destroyed by their own sins.
44 Despite all this, the Lord was moved by their suffering; he heard their sad cries.
45 He remembered the agreement he had made with them, and he held back because of his great kindness and love.
46 He made the people who captured them treat them with mercy.
47 Save us, Lord, our God! Bring us back together from among the nations, so we can thank you and declare how magnificent and holy you are.
48 How wonderful is the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives forever and ever! Let all the people say “Amen”! Praise the Lord!

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*106:2 In other words, no one knows the full extent of God's activities.

†106:7 “The Sea of Reeds.”

‡106:9 Literally, “rebuked.”

§106:14 For food, particularly meat.

*106:15 See Numbers 11:33-34.

†106:17 See Numbers 16.

‡106:19 Literally, Horeb: another name for Mount Sinai.

§106:19 See Exodus 32.

*106:22 “Land of Ham”—another name for Egypt.

†106:27 Following the parallel passage in Ezekiel 20:23.

‡106:28 A heathen god, see Numbers 25.

§106:31 The same phrase is used about Abraham in Genesis 15:6.

© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher