Sharper Iron — Psalms of Thanksgiving – Psalm 106: Thanksgiving in Confession of Sin

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Psalm 106 brings us to give thanks to God for His enduring steadfast love, shown to His people even in their sin. This psalm recounts both the LORD’s mighty works for Israel and Israel’s acts of rebellion. Israel’s history is littered with their rebellious idolatry, all the way from Egypt through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Nonetheless, the LORD gave them intercessors like Moses and Phineas along the way, and He saved His people in accordance with His promise. Because we are confident in the LORD’s abundant mercy, we cry out to Him in confession of our own sins still today, knowing that He forgives us and saves us for the sake of Jesus.

Rev. Doug Minton, pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Milford, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Psalm 106.

“Psalms of Thanksgiving” is a series on Sharper Iron that looks to several psalms to help us give thanks to God. The LORD gives blessings to His whole creation, even all evil people. As we pray the psalms, He teaches us to receive all His gifts with thanksgiving, knowing that He is good and His steadfast love endures forever.

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Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: [e-mail]

Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.

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Psalm 106

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He Is Good

106 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,^[a]
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.

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.

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 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^[b]
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 They 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 and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
scattering them among the lands.

²⁸ Then 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 for they made his spirit bitter,^[c]
and he spoke rashly with his lips.

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 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 caused them to be pitied
by all those who held them captive.

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!

Footnotes

1. Psalm 106:4 Or Remember me, O Lord, with the favor you show to your people; help me with your salvation
2. Psalm 106:20 Hebrew exchanged their glory
3. Psalm 106:33 Or they rebelled against God’s Spirit

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. esv.org