The Lord glorified in His long-suffering to Israel, and in their final gathering 

The doxology at the end of the psalm ends the fourth book within the Psalter. Again, we have a recounting and reciting of the Jewish history, but this time it deals mainly with their wilderness wilfulness, and their whoredom in Canaan. 

Notwithstanding their departure and aberrations from God, His mercy endured and many times He delivered them. But when they were obdurate and intransigent, the Lord gave them up to heathen nations. It was when they recognised their sins and confessed it, that God regarded their affliction and heard their cry. The psalmist, representing the people, understood this, and in penitence prayed, “We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.” 

On such grounds, we too can cry, “Save us O Lord our God,” our covenant God. So our Hallelujahs shall ascend to Him.


Psalm 106

  1  Give praise and thanks unto the Lord,
        for bountiful is he;
     His tender mercy doth endure
        unto eternity.

  2  God's mighty works who can express?
        or shew forth all his praise?
  3  Blessed are they that judgment keep,
        and justly do always.

  4  Remember me, Lord, with that love
        which thou to thine dost bear;
     With thy salvation, O my God,
        to visit me draw near:

  5  That I thy chosen's good may see,
        and in their joy rejoice;
     And may with thine inheritance
        triumph with cheerful voice.

  6  We with our fathers sinned have,
        and of iniquity
     Too long we have the workers been;
        we have done wickedly.

  7  The wonders great, which thou, O Lord,
        didst work in Egypt land,
     Our fathers, though they saw, yet them
        they did not understand:

     And they thy mercies' multitude
        kept not in memory;
     But at the sea, ev'n the Red sea,
        provoked him grievously.

  8  Nevertheless he saved them,
        ev'n for his own name's sake;
     That so he might to be well known
        his mighty power make.

  9  When he the Red sea did rebuke,
        then dried up it was:
     Through depths, as through the wilderness,
        he safely made them pass.

 10  From hands of those that hated them
        he did his people save;
     And from the en'my's cruel hand
        to them redemption gave.

 11  The waters overwhelmed their foes;
        not one was left alive.
 12  Then they believed his word, and praise
        to him in songs did give.

 13  But soon did they his mighty works
        forget unthankfully,
     And on his counsel and his will
        did not wait patiently;

 14  But much did lust in wilderness,
        and God in desert tempt.
 15  He gave them what they sought, but to
        their soul he leanness sent.

 16  And against Moses in the camp
        their envy did appear;
     At Aaron they, the saint of God,
        envious also were.

 17  Therefore the earth did open wide,
        and Dathan did devour,
     And all Abiram's company
        did cover in that hour.

 18  Likewise among their company
        a fire was kindled then;
     And so the hot consuming flame
        burnt up these wicked men.

 19  Upon the hill of Horeb they
        an idol-calf did frame,
     A molten image they did make,
        and worshipped the same.

 20  And thus their glory, and their God,
        most vainly changed they
     Into the likeness of an ox
        that eateth grass or hay.

 21  They did forget the mighty God,
        that had their savior been,
     By whom such great things brought to pass
        they had in Egypt seen.

 22  In Ham's land he did wondrous works,
        things terrible did he,
     When he his mighty hand and arm
        stretched out at the Red sea.

 23  Then said he, He would them destroy,
        had not, his wrath to stay,
     His chosen Moses stood in breach,
        that them he should not slay.

 24  Yea, they despised the pleasant land,
        believed not his word:
 25  But in their tents they murmured,
        not heark'ning to the Lord.

 26  Therefore in desert them to slay
        he lifted up his hand:
 27  'Mong nations to o'erthrow their seed,
        and scatter in each land.

 28  They unto Baal-peor did
        themselves associate;
     The sacrifices of the dead
        they did profanely eat.

 29  Thus, by their lewd inventions,
        they did provoke his ire;
     And then upon them suddenly
        the plague brake in as fire.

 30  Then Phin'has rose, and justice did,
        and so the plague did cease;
 31  That to all ages counted was
        to him for righteousness.

 32  And at the waters, where they strove,
        they did him angry make,
     In such sort, that it fared ill
        with Moses for their sake:

 33  Because they there his spirit meek
        provoked bitterly,
     So that he uttered with his lips
        words unadvisedly.

 34  Nor, as the Lord commanded them,
        did they the nations slay:
 35  But with the heathen mingled were,
        and learned of them their way.

 36  And they their idols served, which did
        a snare unto them turn.
 37  Their sons and daughters they to dev'ls
        in sacrifice did burn.

 38  In their own children's guiltless blood
        their hands they did imbrue,
     Whom to Canaan's idols they
        for sacrifices slew:

     So was the land defiled with blood.
 39       They stained with their own way,
     And with their own inventions
        a whoring they did stray.

 40  Against his people kindled was
        the wrath of God therefore,
     Insomuch that he did his own
        inheritance abhor.

 41  He gave them to the heathen's hand;
        their foes did them command.
 42  Their en'mies them oppressed, they were
        made subject to their hand.

 43  He many times delivered them;
        but with their counsel so
     They him provoked, that for their sin
        they were brought very low.

 44  Yet their affliction he beheld,
        when he did hear their cry:
 45  And he for them his covenant
        did call to memory;

     After his mercies' multitude
 46       he did repent: And made
     Them to be pitied of all those
        who did them captive lead.

 47  O Lord our God, us save, and gather
        the heathen from among,
     That we thy holy name may praise
        in a triumphant song.

 48  Blessed be Jehovah, Isr'el's God,
        to all eternity:
     Let all the people say, Amen.
        Praise to the Lord give ye.


Recommended Tunes

Milton (Verses 1 - 5)

Google Gadget - "Embed gadget"

St Kilda (V6-48)

Google Gadget - "Embed gadget"