Praise the Lord for His Wonderful Works

Following a chronologically ordered Bible study set forth by Skip Andrews, who admits, "Although we may not be able to precisely date these Psalms at this time, their general themes fit the topics we have just read in Deuteronomy," I continue with Psalm 105:

(Psalm 105:1) O give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people!

Although this psalm is thought to be made by David, it could have just as easily been made by Moses.  It speaks of the time of Israel from Abraham through the exodus from Egypt.  The psalmist exhorts the people to give thanks to their Lord, call upon Him in prayer, and proclaim His works among the people.

(2) Sing to Him; sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works.

He encouraged the people to sing to the Lord and play music for Him.  The original word "zamar" that was transcribed as "psalms" has a fuller meaning of making music and song.  They were to talk and sing about all their Lord's wonderful works.

(3) Glory in His holy name; let the heart of them rejoice who seek the Lord.

They were to rejoice in the Lord, those who sought the Lord with all their hearts and souls (Deuteronomy 4:29).

(4) Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore.

The people were encouraged to always seek the Lord, seeking strength and mercy and favor from Him.

(5) Remember His marvelous works that He has done, His wonders and the judgments of His mouth.

The psalmist exhorted the people to remember all the wonderful things the Lord had done, His miracles and His judgments and commandments.

(6) O seed of Abraham, His servant, children of Jacob, His chosen!

He reminds the people that they are the descendants of God's servant, Abraham, descendants of Jacob, His chosen people.

(7) He, the Lord our God, His judgments in all the earth.

The God of Abraham and Jacob, the one true God, was their Lord God.  And as the one true God, His judgments were executed all over the earth.

(8) He has remembered His covenant forever, the word He commanded to a thousand generations.

The Lord had kept His covenant and promise to His people forever, up to that point and to future generations, even though His people often defaulted on their end.

(9) Which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, (10) And confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, to Israel an everlasting covenant.

The Lord had kept that covenant He had made with Abraham, reiterated with Isaac, and confirmed with Jacob, and promised it to be an everlasting covenant.

(11) Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance," (12) When they were few men in number, yes, very few, and strangers in it.

The Lord's part of the covenant He had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was to give them and their descendants the land of Canaan as an inheritance.  He made that promise when His people were small in number and strangers in their promised land.

(13) When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, (14) He allowed no man to do them wrong; yes, He reproved kings for their sakes; (15) "Do not touch My anointed and do My prophets no harm."

Before they inhabited their promised land, the people wandered from one nation to another with no permanent place to call their home.  While they wandered about, the Lord protected them and even reproved kings for their sakes, telling them not to touch His anointed ones, also called His prophets, to do them any harm.

(16) Moreover He called for a famine on the land; He broke the whole staff of bread.

The Lord called for a famine in the land in the time of Jacob, which was the reason he migrated to Egypt.  The Lord had cut off their supply of food.

(17) He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold for a servant, (18) Whose feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in iron, (19) Until the time that his word came; the word of the Lord tried him.

The Lord had sent Joseph before Jacob and Jacob's sons, Joseph's brothers.  His brothers had sold him into slavery, and he was imprisoned until the time that his vision came to pass that he would be exalted above his brothers.  That vision, that word of the Lord, tried Joseph's faith and patience before it was accomplished.

(20) The king sent and loosed him, the ruler of the people let him go free.

At that point, the king of Egypt had Joseph released from prison.

(21) He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his substance, (22) To bind his princes at his pleasure and teach his senators wisdom.

The king of Egypt made Joseph the lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions and affairs.  Even his princes would be under Joseph's command to learn from him.

(23) Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

Jacob (Israel) and Joseph's brothers also came to Egypt when they learned that Joseph was alive, and they all dwelt there in the land of Ham, the father of the Egyptians.

(24) And He increased His people greatly and made them stronger than their enemies.

God increased the people of Israel greatly in the land of Egypt.  He also made them stronger than the Egyptians who would become their enemies.

(25) He turned their heart to hate His people, to deal treacherously with His servants.

Whereas the Egyptians had once highly esteemed Joseph's family, the Lord allowed their hearts to be turned against them.  He may have actively turned them against His people in order to fulfill His will to lead them away and into their promised land.  However, I believe He just allowed it to happen naturally.  By enlarging and blessing His people, the Egyptians would naturally become jealous, and God allowed that to happen for His purposes.  The Egyptians made them slaves and put them to hard labor.

(26) He sent Moses, His servant, and Aaron whom He had chosen.

The Lord then sent Moses as His servant and Aaron, Moses's brother, chosen to be his spokesman (Exodus 4:16).

(27) They showed His signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.

Moses and Aaron showed the Lord's signs and miracles in the land of Egypt.

(28) He sent darkness and made it dark, and they did not rebel against His word.

The Lord commanded Moses to stretch forth his hand toward heaven to make a darkness fall upon Egypt, and he and Aaron did just as He commanded (Exodus 10:22).

(29) He turned their waters into blood and killed their fish.

Continuing to describe the signs and wonders from verse 27, the psalmist tells how the Lord turned the Egyptians' waters into blood which killed all the fish (Exodus 7:19).

(30) Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.

The Lord caused a plague of an abundance of frogs that covered the land, even in the bedchambers of their kings (Exodus 8:3).

(31) He spoke and there came diverse sorts of flies and lice in all their territory.

The Lord spoke and brought a swarm of flies that corrupted the land of Egypt (Exodus 8:24), and He brought forth lice from the dust of the land (Exodus 8:16).

(32) He gave them hail for rain and flaming fire in their land.

The Lord caused it to rain hail on Egypt and caused lightning to run along the ground (Exodus 9:23).

(33) He struck their vines also and their fig trees and broke the trees of their territory.

The hail struck "every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field" (Exodus 9:25).

(34) He spoke and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and those without number, (35) And ate up all the herbs in the land and devoured the fruit of their ground.

The Lord told Moses to stretch out his hand over the land of Egypt to bring locusts to eat up every herb the hail may had left (Exodus 10:12).  They were so numerous that they could not be numbered, and they darkened the sky (Exodus 10:15).  Again we are told of caterpillars that were not mentioned among the plagues in Exodus.  I believe these must refer to young locust nymphs.

(36) He killed also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.

The Lord killed all the firstborn of both man and beast in the land of Egypt (Exodus 11:5).  The firstborn were called the first or beginning of all their strength (Genesis 49:3).

(37) He brought them forth also with silver and gold, and not one feeble among their tribes.

God brought the Israelites out of Egypt with silver and gold from the Egyptians (Exodus 12:35), and there was not one person feeble and unable to travel.

(38) Egypt was glad when they departed, for the fear of them fell upon them.

The Egyptians were glad when the Israelites left them because they were afraid of what plague might be next.

(39) He spread a cloud for a covering and fire to give light in the night.

The Lord spread a cloud over the Israelites by day (Numbers 10:34) and a pillar of fire over them at night (Exodus 13:21).

(40) They asked and He brought quails and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

This refers to the first time that the people asked for meat (Exodus 16:13), and the Lord brought the quails to them and satisfied them with manna the next morning.

(41) He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.

The Lord opened the rock to bring forth water (Exodus 17:6), and it ran like a river through their dry places.

(42) For He remembered His holy promise and Abraham, His servant.

The Lord did these marvelous things for His people because of the promise He had made to their forefather, Abraham.

(43) And He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen with gladness, (44) And gave them the lands of the heathen, and they inherited the labor of the people.

It pleased the Lord to bring His people out of Egypt to lead them to their promised land, but this may refer more to the joy of the people when they were led out and how they gladly sang praises to their Lord for bringing them out (Exodus 15:1).  The Lord gave His people lands of the heathens in righteous judgment against those countries so that His people were able to dwell in houses already built and fields already worked and wells already dug, etc.

(45) That they might observe His statutes and keep His laws. Praise the Lord!

The Lord did all these things for His people as His part of His covenant with them.  All that was asked of His people was that they should be obedient to the One from whom all blessings flow.  Praise the Lord!  That was the full intent of this psalm.  It is similar to Psalm 78 in that it recited a history of God's people.  However, the 78th psalm pointed out the sins of the people and God's just punishment for those sins, whereas this psalm only pointed to the goodness of God, exciting the people to thanksgiving and praise to and for Him.

A Historical Lesson of Israel from Egypt to the Time of David

I am following a chronologically ordered Bible study set forth by Skip Andrews.  Again, he says, "Although we may not be able to precisely date these Psalms at this time, their general themes fit the topics we have just read in Deuteronomy."  I covered Psalm 91 in the last post.  Now, continuing with a chronological Bible study:

(Psalm 78:1) [Maschil of Asaph.] Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

Because Asaph penned this psalm, we know this wasn't recited at the time of Moses; however, it does speak to the times of Moses, and for that reason, it is suited to this position in a chronological study.  Asaph was a minister of song of David's.  A maschil was a psalm to give instruction.  Asaph started the words of his psalm by exhorting God's people Israel to really listen to the words of his psalm and of the law that he was about to give.

(2) I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, (3) Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

Asaph would be speaking in what he called a parable, which in this sense meant a statement by analogy or comparison drawn from the ancient history of the people, which the people of his day had heard passed down from their forefathers and they knew.

(4) We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength, and His wonderful works that He has done.

Those people of that generation as of Asaph, would not hide these sayings of old from the children and ongoing generations of the Jewish fathers.  They would continue to show future generations all the wonderful works and strength of their Lord God.

(5) For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children.

The Lord had established a testimony, a covenant between God and men, in Jacob, and enacted a law in Israel, which He had commanded their fathers to make known and teach to their children.

(6) That the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born should arise and declare them to their children.

Their forefathers had been commanded to teach the law to their children who would in turn teach it to their children, and that would continue through the generations.

(7) That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.

By teaching future generations about God's law and His wonderful works, those generations to come would be able to have hope in God because of the wonderful things He had done, and they would desire to keep His commandments.

(8) And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

The hope and purpose of the psalmist in continuing to teach God's law and their fathers' history, they might learn not to be as their fathers had been, stubborn and rebellious, and not in harmony with God's Spirit and will.

(9) The children of Ephraim, armed, carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

This is one of the times when I am not satisfied with this particular chronological order of the Bible, as I have not yet studied the event which the psalmist speaks of.  This psalm, it seems to me, belongs properly in the time of David, but as I began with this chronological study, I cannot change now, as I might miss something.  The psalmist speaks of a time when the tribe of Ephraim, as one of the largest tribes, was the chief tribe in a rebellion.  The commentators I study are not in agreement as to what rebellion this might be, and since I have not yet studied any such rebellion, I can't offer any opinion.  However, by reading the end of this psalm, together with the words of Albert Barnes in his Notes on the Bible, I have come to the conclusion that Ephraim, probably meaning his tribe and the nine other tribes with him, with Ephraim being the largest, "had turned away from the worship of the true God."  Ten tribes, excluding Judah and Benjamin, would eventually make up the Kingdom of Israel and Judah and Benjamin would make up the Kingdom of Judah.  In consequence of Ephraim's (the ten tribes') "apostasy, the government had been transferred to another tribe - the tribe of Judah" (verses 67-68).  Whether they were literally armed with weapons and turned back from a battle, or whether it meant they were armed with the truth and knowledge of God and turned away, I can't be certain; however, in light of the next verses, I imagine it was the latter, if not both.

(10) They kept not the covenant of God and refused to walk in His law, (11) And forgot His works and His wonders that He had showed them.

Those ten tribes (actually probably all of Israel at this point) did not keep the covenant of God and would not walk in His law.  They had forgotten all the wonderful things He had done and shown them.

(12) Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, the field of Zoan.

They had forgotten all the wondrous things He had done when they were in bondage in Egypt, in the territory of Zoan, an ancient city of Egypt.

(13) He divided the sea and caused them to pass through; and He made the waters to stand as a heap.

They had forgotten how the Lord had divided the Red Sea by a strong east wind that was raised, which caused the sea to go back, and divided the waters of it.  That allowed the Israelites to pass through the sea with the waters standing as walls on both sides of them.

(14) In the daytime also He led them with a cloud and all the night with a light of fire.

In their journey out of Egypt, the Lord led His people by a pillar of cloud in the daytime and by a pillar of fire at night.

(15) He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave drink as the great depths. (16) He brought streams also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers.

The Lord provided water for His people from rocks as plentiful as if they drank from the sea.  He brought forth streams out of rock that flowed like rivers.

(17) And they sinned yet more against Him by provoking the Most High in the wilderness. (18) And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

This stubborn and rebellious people sinned even more against their Lord with their ingratitude.  While the Lord provided for all their needs in the wilderness, they wanted more.  I like the way the 1599 Geneva Bible Translation Notes explained what tempting the Lord meant, "to require more than is necessary, and to separate God's power from his will, is to tempt God."  They had manna and water which was sufficient for their sustenance, but they craved meat for their pleasure.  The Lord knows we need food and even taught it was right to ask for it in His model prayer that is called The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:11).  However, as James said in James 4:3, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it on your lusts."  To want more when you have all you need is to be terribly ungrateful and selfish.

(19) Yes, they spoke against God; they said, "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? (20) Behold, He struck the rock that the waters gushed out and the streams overflowed; can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?"

The people began to speak against God, questioning His power.  They admitted that He had provided water, so could He not give them more?  Could He not provide bread and meat and a plentiful table in the wilderness?

(21) Therefore the Lord heard and was angry, so a fire was kindled against Jacob and anger also came up against Israel, (22) Because they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation.

The Lord heard their complaints and was angry.  His anger like a fire rose up against His people because they did not trust in His providence and salvation.

(23) Though He had commanded the clouds from above and opened the doors of heaven, (24) And had rained down manna on them to eat and had given them of the corn of heaven. (25) Man ate angels' food; He sent them food to the full.

The Lord was angry because He had literally opened the doors of heaven to rain down a perfect food for His people, giving them all the nutrition they needed, yet they were not satisfied and were ungrateful.

(26) He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven, and by His power He brought in the south wind. (27) He rained meat also on them as dust and feathered fowls like the sand of the sea, (28) And He let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

So the Lord caused winds to blow that brought quails and He rained them upon the people as numerous as the dust or the sand of the sea.  He let them fall into their camps, two cubits thick and as far as a day's journey on every side (Numbers 11:31).  

(29) So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them their own desire. (30a) They were not estranged from their lust.

The people ate and were actually more than well filled.  The original word "meod" that was transcribed as "well" actually meant "vehemently."  The Lord gave them their own gluttonous desire.  They ravenously ate as much as they wanted or lusted after.

(30b) But while their meat was yet in their mouths, (31) The wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them and struck down the chosen of Israel.

While the people were still stuffing their faces, the wrath of God came upon them and killed the fattest of them.  I believe that might mean the most gluttonous of all.  With those, some of the most healthy and strong were struck down in their gluttony.  I am always struck by the thought that although God could have certainly and righteously actively killed those people, He didn't have to actively do it.  He can just let us be on our own in our own foolish lusts and we will kill ourselves.  Without the Lord's guidance, protection, and salvation, we would all perish.

(32) For all this they sinned still and did not believe in His wondrous works.

Even witnessing all that, the people continued to sin, and the Lord's wondrous works had no effect on them.

(33) Therefore their days He consumed in vanity and their years in trouble.

Because they continued to sin, God made their days full of fruitless wandering in the desert, in fact, years of wandering and trouble.

(34) When He slew them, then they sought Him, and they returned and enquired early after God.

When the Lord killed some of the people in His righteous wrath, the survivors would then seek Him first thing.

(35) And they remembered that God was their Rock and the High God their redeemer.

It was then that they remembered that God was their protection and strength and redeemer.  Even in God's anger, His actions are about bringing people back to Him, their only salvation.  Without Him, they die, so can His punishment be a bad thing if it brings us back to Him?

(36) Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, and they lied to Him with their tongues.

However, the people only honored God with their lips and apparently made promises they did not keep.

(37) For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they steadfast in His covenant.

Their hearts were not right with the Lord.  They were wavering and inconsistent in their faith and were not steadfast in their adherence to His covenant.

(38) But He, full of compassion, forgave iniquity and did not destroy; yes, many a time He turned His anger away and did not stir up all His wrath.

However, God, full of compassion and mercy for His people, forgave their iniquity and did not completely destroy them as they deserved.  Many times He turned His anger away and did not arouse all His anger, but the punishment was much less than the iniquity deserved.

(39) For He remembered that they were flesh, a wind that passes away and does not come again.

What a beautiful and loving thought!  God knew His people were only flesh, weak mortal creatures, easily destroyed and unable to come back.  In His love and mercy, He always saved at least a remnant of His people, never completely destroying them.

(40) How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, grieved Him in the desert!

The people very often provoked the Lord by their rebellion and many sins against Him.  They grieved His Holy Spirit.

(41) Yes, they turned back and tempted God and limited the Holy One of Israel.

The people often turned back away from God and limited Him.  Not that anyone can truly limit God's power, but we often try to put God in a box with our mere weak mortal ideas of what He should and can do.  We can't see the larger picture and know what a much greater work the Lord is doing.  Rather than praying for our silly insignificant wants, we should always desire His will as that is always much better than anything we can imagine.

(42) They did not remember His hand, the day when He delivered them from the enemy.

They did not remember the glorious works of His hand when He so remarkably delivered them from Pharaoh.  The parting of the Red Sea is perhaps one of the greatest miracles in the Old Testament, and the people so easily dismissed and forgot about it.

(43) How He had wrought His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the field of Zoan; (44) And had turned their rivers into blood, that they could not drink.

Just as remarkably awesome were all the miracles God did against the Egyptians each time Pharaoh refused to let God's people go.  He turned their rivers and streams into blood (Exodus 7:20), actual blood, not just the color of blood, so that they were unable to drink it.  John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, pointed out something I had not thought of when I studied that passage in Exodus.  He wrote that that particular plague was a righteous retaliation for drowning all the boy infants of the Israelites in the river (Exodus 1:22).

(45) He sent diverse sorts of flies among them which devoured them, and frogs which destroyed them.

The Lord sent a grievous swarm of flies into Egypt (Exodus 8:24) which was said to have corrupted their land which surely destroyed some of the inhabitants because of lack of food and perhaps disease.  He also sent frogs (Exodus 8:5) which would have destroyed them in a similar fashion.

(46) He also gave their increase to the caterpillar and their labor to the locust.

The Lord sent locusts to devour all of Egypt's produce on which much labor had been expended.  In Exodus 10:13, we are told only about the locusts, not the caterpillars.  However, the meaning of the original word "chasiyl" that was translated as "caterpillar" means more completely "the ravager, that is, a locust; caterpillar."

(47) He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with frost.

The Lord rained down hail (Exodus 9:23) which covered the land like frost and killed the vines and the trees, actually every herb and tree of the field (Exodus 9:25).

(48) He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

According to the account in Exodus 9:23, the Lord sent both hail and thunder and fire that ran along upon the ground, lightning, and it killed Egypt's cattle and flocks.

(49) He cast upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels.

The Lord had cast upon the Egyptians the fullness of His anger, that which He held back for the rebellious Israelites (verse 38 above).  He sent angels instructed by Him to destroy the Egyptians.  The Israelites, who had seen the full anger of the Lord, did not consider what He could justly do to them because of their rebellion.

(50) He made a way for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death but gave their life over to the plague; (51) And killed all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of strength in the tabernacles of Ham.

The Lord forged ahead in His anger and did not spare their souls from death but gave them over to the plagues He sent.  He killed all the firstborn in Egypt, the pride and glory and heirs in Egypt, the posterity of Ham.

(52) But made His own people to go forth like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

However, the Lord did not harm His own people in the plagues but led them out of Egypt and guided them through the wilderness.

(53) And He led them on safely so that they feared not, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

The Lord led His people safely through the midst of the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but the waters covered the Egyptians who were chasing them.

(54) And He brought them to the border of His sanctuary, this mountain His right hand had purchased.

The Lord brought His people to the border of the land of Canaan, the land He had promised to His people that was acquired by His own power and goodness.  The mountain is probably Mount Moriah or Zion, referring to the same mountain, the mountain on which the temple was built, as it is believed that this psalm was actually written "after it was made known to David, by the prophet Gad, the place where the temple should be built; namely, on the very mountain" (Dr. John Gill).

(55) He cast out the heathen also before them and divided them an inheritance by line and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

The Lord cast out the heathen nations from their promised land and then divided the land into exact lots as an inheritance to each tribe.  Thus the Israelites dwelt in the tents of the heathens who had once lived there.

(56) Yet they tempted and provoked the Most High God and did not keep His testimonies, (57) But turned back and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers; they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

After all the goodness and provision of their Lord, the people provoked Him to anger because of their wickedness and disobedience.  They turned away from God and were unfaithful just as their fathers had been when the Lord first brought them out of Egypt.  They were turned aside like a crooked bow, or a bow that appears that it will carry an arrow straight but does not.

(58) For they provoked Him to anger with their high places and moved Him to jealousy with their engraved images.

The people provoked God to anger with their elevated places they built for other deities.  They moved Him to jealousy because of their worship of false idols.  The Lord's jealousy is a righteous one.  He was not jealous of the false idols, but rather because of His passionate love for His people as if a bride to Him, He was jealous and zealous for the relationship and did not want them destroyed by false gods that could do nothing for them.

(59) When God heard, He was wroth and greatly abhorred Israel.

When God heard His people worshipping false gods, He was very angry.  The original word "maas" which was translated as "abhorred" does not mean that God hated them.  Rather, it means that He rejected them, cast them away from Him as if He abhorred them.  But of course, God always acted as He did because He loved His people and desired for them to return to Him which was their only place of salvation.

(60) So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He placed among men, (61) And delivered His strength into captivity and His glory into the enemy's hand.

Chronologically, this refers to a future event, when God abandoned the tabernacle that had been erected for Him in Shiloh and allowed the Ark of the Covenant, called His strength and glory, to be taken by their enemy.

(62) He gave His people over also to the sword and was wroth with His inheritance.

The Lord allowed His people to be killed by the sword, 30,000 of them according to 1 Samuel 4:10.  He was very angry and turned away from the people He had chosen for His inheritance.  Without His protection, they were killed by the enemy.

(63) The fire consumed their young men, and their maidens were not given to marriage.

As this psalm is not truly placed in proper chronological order, once again events are being mentioned which I have not yet studied.  However, I believe the fire mentioned is not a physical fire, but rather a destructive war of fiery swords or even perhaps the righteous anger of the Lord consuming them like a fire.  Because the young men had been killed, young maidens were not able to marry.

(64) Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.

Even their priests were killed by the enemy and because of the fierce invasion, their widows were unable to have proper funerals or time for mourning.

(65) Then the Lord awoke as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts because of wine. (66) And He struck His enemies in the hinder parts; He put them to a perpetual reproach.

It's not as if the Lord had truly been asleep and suddenly realized what was happening to His people.  But as one who had been asleep who suddenly awoke and shouted, the Lord decided the destruction of His people up to that point was enough, and He struck their enemies, making them defeated and scattered and unable to contend with Him.

That's the way I interpreted the verses, having no knowledge of what had actually happened since chronologically, this event had not yet occurred.  However, in studying commentators on these verses, the true meaning of striking the enemy in the hinder parts meant that He "smote them that troubled them with hemorrhoids in their posteriors" (Targum of the Jewish scriptures).  That brings a whole new meaning to their perpetual reproach or disgrace.  It seems in testimony of their humiliation, they sent golden "emerods" representing the disease as an offering to the Lord (1 Samuel 6:4).

(67) Moreover He refused the tabernacle of Joseph and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, (68) But chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion which He loved.

The Lord refused to have His ark abide any longer in the tabernacle at Shiloh, a city in the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph, when the ark was brought back by the Philistines.  He chose the tribe of Judah, out of which He chose David to be ruler and king, and He chose Mount Zion in Jerusalem for His temple of worship where the ark was placed.  Psalm 87:2 said that the Lord loved the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.  The Lord choosing Judah fulfilled prophecy in Genesis 49:8-10 which stated that indeed his brothers would praise him, and their descendants would bow down before him.  It prophesied that the king's scepter would not depart from that tribe until the Messiah came.

(69) And He built His sanctuary like the high, like the earth which He has established forever.

The Lord built His sanctuary exalted, as if it were on a high hill, prominent and permanent, not to be moved from place to place as the tabernacle had been, but established as firmly as the earth itself.

(70) He chose David also His servant and took him from the sheepfolds, (71) From following the ewes great with young, He brought him to feed Jacob His people and Israel His inheritance.

The Lord chose David, a simple shepherd boy, to be His servant and His people's king.  From attending and nourishing to bring up young sheep, the Lord brought David up to attend and shepherd His people, His inheritance, Israel.

(72) So he fed them accordingly to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

David fed the Lord's people according to the integrity of his heart which was upright and pure, according to the will of God.  He guided them by his counsel and defended them by his power.  

Although this psalm was placed here chronologically because it detailed much of the history of the Israelites from Egypt through their forty years in the wilderness, it was composed during the time of David or even after.  Its main purpose was to show why Ephraim, or the ten tribes, had been rejected and Judah had been chosen to be the head of the nation.  

The Symbol of God's Promise Hijacked by Satan

Continuing a chronologically ordered Bible study:

(Genesis 9:1) And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. (2) And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. (3) Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. (4) But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

Even as the herbs were food, so animals would be, but only when properly killed with the blood let out. They were not to be devoured alive as by a beast of prey. More importantly, blood made atonement for a sinner, and should not be considered an unimportant thing. The life of a sacrifice was accepted for the life of the sinner. The life or blood of an animal had a special significance to the Lord and was not to be eaten with its flesh.

(5) And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

This scripture is a little difficult to understand. Whether your life is required if you take the life of another beast (life) or another man, or whether God requires the life of the beast or man who kills you, either way it demonstrates that God will avenge the blood of the murdered. The word translated as beast in the scripture above also means "life".

(6) Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.

Wow! Really take in that scripture for a moment. If a man kills, by man he should be killed...because man is made in the image of God! We are created by God in His image, each person on this earth special to God, and for that reason, not a life for man to take upon himself to dispose of. Think of that scripture in the context of abortion. Life is so precious to God; each one is conceived in the image of God, and not a life to be snuffed out by man, especially when you consider it is to the idol of convenience!

(7) And you, you be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it." (8) And God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, (9) "And I, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you, (10) And with every living creature that is with you, of the birds, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you, from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. (11) And I will establish my covenant with you; never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." (12) And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: (13) I do set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. (14) And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; (15) And I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. (16) And the rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." (17) And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth."

How atrocious and blasphemous that God's rainbow should now be a symbol for homosexuality, what God called an abomination! But Satan is the king of counterfeits. What he offers is worthless and usually just the opposite of what God offers. In this case, he led homosexuals to use a symbol of God's to promote the exact opposite of what God used it for - life. It was a symbol of God's promise that He would not destroy life as He had done with the flood, but homosexuals destroy their own lives with their behavior. Not only can homosexuals not be fruitful and multiply, and would therefore die out as a race if left to their own devices, but the average lifespan of a homosexual male is something like 42 years, and that is EXCLUDING DEATH FROM AIDS! The lifestyle is so destructive and dangerous, that they literally kill themselves. Throw AIDS into the mix and you have deaths at an average age of 35! IMAGINE THAT THIS IS THE DIVERSITY THEY WANT TAUGHT IN OUR SCHOOLS!! Think of the insanity of teaching that such a destructive lifestyle is normal, a lifestyle that could kill our kids in their 30's, but then they preach about unhealthy foods! That is one way you can tell that these political battles are not really about our health and welfare, but only about control and destruction.

(18) And the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan. (19) These are the three sons of Noah, and from them was the whole earth populated. (20) And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. (21) And he drank of the wine and was drunk, and he was uncovered in his tent. (22) And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

The word translated "outside" can mean "out in the street", so that gives us a little more insight to Ham's behavior. He probably didn't just accidentally see his father and privately tell his brothers, but he broadcast it in the streets, bringing shame to his father.

(23) But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness.

With great respect for their father, and possibly because of their own modesty and piety, Shem and Japheth covered their father in his embarrassment without seeing him themselves.

(24) And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. (25) And he said: "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren."

It is interesting to note here that descendants of Ham were the Canaanites, who were destroyed by the Israelites, and also the Egyptians, and African slaves.

(26) And he said, "Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. (27) God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant." (28) And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. (29) And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

To recap the blessing of Noah by God, He blessed life and promised no more destruction by flood. Satan has twisted that blessing to convince us that abortion and homosexuality are God-given rights. Incredible, isn't it? And truly incredible and sad, that so many so-called Christians cannot see through these lies of Satan to God's truth.

Noah and the Flood

(Genesis 6:1) And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, (2) that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

Recall in Genesis Chapter 4 when Seth was born, it was noted that men began to call on the name of the Lord again, indicating that up to then they weren't. This scripture says that the godly men began to marry the daughters of the men who did not follow God.

(3) And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."

Funny, as a child, I always thought this scripture to indicate the time when God changed the lifespan of man from the 900+ years of Adam and his children and grandchildren, to only 120 years. I now see that God was giving men just 120 years to get their acts together. After all, Noah lived a great many more than 120 years. God had just about had it with men, but He was giving them 120 years to repent before He brought the flood.

(4) There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

How interesting to note that the word "giants" here actually has a much expanded definition: Properly, a feller, that is, a bully or tyrant: giant. Although they may have been giants in stature, I believe the word is more properly defined as "bullies" or "tyrants", as that best continues the theme of a line of godly men versus a line of ungodly men, who are now intermarrying.

(5) And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it sorrowed the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at his heart. (7) And the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the birds of the air, for it sorrows Me that I have made them." (8) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (9) These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. (10) And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (11) The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. (12) And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. (13) And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (14) Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. (15) And this is how you shall make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

A cubit was the length of a man's forearm, about 18 to 20 inches. Therefore the length of the ark was to be 450 to 500 feet long, the width 75 to 83 feet wide, and the height 45 to 50 feet high.

(16) You shall make a window for the ark, and in a cubit you shall finish it above; and the door of the ark you shall set in its side; you shall make it with lower, second, and third stories. (17) And behold, I Myself am bringing a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh from under heaven, in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. (18) But with you will I establish my covenant; and you shall go into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. (19) And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. (20) Of the birds after their kind, of cattle after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. (21) And you take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them." (22) Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

God makes His plan to destroy men on earth, but He had found favor with one godly man, Noah. God tells Noah of His plan to save a remnant of all living things in an ark that Noah will build.

(Genesis 7:1) And the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen you are righteous before Me in this generation. (2) Of every clean beast you shall take to you by sevens, a male and his female; and of beasts that are not clean by two, a male and his female; (3) Also of fowls of the air by sevens, male and female, to keep species alive on the face of all the earth.

Growing up, weren't we always taught that Noah took two of every species of animal? Here it clearly states there were more of the clean animals. But does it say seven or seven pairs of clean animals? I still do not know. The old commentaries state that there were seven animals, three pairs of male and female, and a seventh for sacrifice; and they point to a later scripture where Noah does indeed sacrifice "of every clean beast". However, I find it interesting that in both instances of the word translated as "sevens" above, the original word "sheba" is written twice, if I am understanding my Strong's correctly. I suppose "sheba sheba" is translated "by sevens" or is it "seven and seven"? This is not an important doctrinal issue, by any means, but I found it interesting to ponder.

(4) For in seven days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made." (5) And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. (6) And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood waters were on the earth. (7) And Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. (8) Of clean beasts, of beasts that are not clean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, (9) Two by two they went into the ark to Noah, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

Two by two, the male and the female, seems to indicate an even number of each species, so at this point, I believe there were seven pairs of clean animals, rather than only seven animals.

(10) And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. (11) In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Not only did it rain from heaven, but the "fountains of the deep were broken up", indicating perhaps that land or hills, etc. that held the water in the seas broke away, allowing the oceans to rush over the land.

(12) And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. (13) On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark; (14) They and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. (15) And they went in to Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, in which is the breath of life. (16) And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. (17) And the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. (18) And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark went upon the face of the waters. (19) And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. (20) The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.

Again, a cubit is the length of a forearm, about 18 to 20 inches, so 15 cubits is 22 to 25 feet. The hills were covered and then the waters went upward another 25 feet and covered the mountains.

(21) And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. (22) All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. (23) And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle, and the creeping things, and the birds of the air; and they were destroyed from the earth; and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. (24) And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.

(Genesis 8:1) And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided; (2) The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. (3) And the waters receded continually from the earth; and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. (4) And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. (5) And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. (6) And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. (7) And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. (8) He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. (9) But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and pulled her into the ark to himself. (10) And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. (11) And the dove came in to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; so Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. (12) And he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. (13) And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry.

It was the 601st year of Noah's life, on the first day of the first month of the new year, appropriately so, for a new beginning.

(14) And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried. (15) And God spoke to Noah, saying, (16) "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. (17) Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, of birds and of cattle and of every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth. (18) And Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. (19) Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their kinds, went out of the ark. (20) And Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. (21) And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again destroy any more every living thing as I have done. (22) While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

The Genealogy of Man Between Adam and Noah as Told in Genesis Chapter 5

(Genesis 5:1) This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. (2) He created them male and female, and blessed them and called their name Adam in the day they were created.

As God made Adam and Eve one by marriage, He called them both Adam. Adam is also the Hebrew name for mankind, and the name for red or ruddy, which some scholars speculate may be for the red earth from which man was created.

(3) And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth. (4) And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years; and he begat sons and daughters. (5) And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. (6) And Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begat Enos. (7) And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. (8) And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died. (9) And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan. (10) And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters. (11) And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years; and he died. (12) And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel. (13) And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters. (14) And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died. (15) And Mahalaleel lived sixty-five years, and begat Jared. (16) And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. (17) And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died. (18) And Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begat Enoch. (19) And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. (20) And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died. (21) And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begat Methuselah. (22) And after he begat Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. (23) And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. (24) And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

He was no longer there because God took him. In Hebrews 11:5, it is further explained that Enoch was translated by God that he should not see death. Some scholars say this was to "show that there was a better life prepared and to be a testimony of the immortality of souls and bodies".

(25) And Methuselah lived a hundred and eighty-seven years, and begat Lamech. (26) And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begat sons and daughters. (27) And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died. (28) And Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and begat a son. (29) And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed."

This was a prophetic statement because even though the ground had been cursed, through Noah's toil humanity was saved. This is a lovely example of how when we work according to God's will, our toil will be a blessing and a comfort, even though the land may be cursed.

(30) And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred and ninety-five years, and begat sons and daughters. (31) And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died. (32) And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.