The Psalms - Psalm 105
God of the Covenant
by Rev. Jim Jester
March 2, 2025
SCRIPTURE READING: Acts 7:2-5
“Brethren and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Depart from your land and from your kindred and go into the land which I will show you.’ 4 Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living; 5 yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him in possession and to his posterity after him, though he had no child.” (RSV)
SERIES INTRODUCTION
We are still in my series on the psalms concerning the history of salvation. For those who were not here previously, I should remind you that the Book of Psalms is the hymn-book of the Bible. The Psalms are the oldest surviving complete collection of poetry in the world.
This collection of Hebrew poetry is not divided into “Chapters” as the other books of the Bible are — it is the exception to the rule. It is not a divided book, but rather, it is a collection; just as a modern hymnal is a collection of hymns written by many authors at different times. There are no chapters in the Book of Psalms. As in a hymn-book, each psalm stands on its own as a separate composition. Therefore, when someone makes reference to a particular psalm it should be in the singular. The plural would refer to more than one psalm; or the entire collection.
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 105
The first 15 verses of Psalm 105 are also found in I Chronicles 16:8-22 and presented there as a composition of David, written and sung for the bringing of the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem. We can conclude then, that though this psalm is not here specifically attributed to King David, he is the author of it.
The history of God’s grace to Israel described in Psalm 105 is the history of Abraham, Joseph and Moses. This same topic is covered in the address of Stephen in Acts chapter 7: “Brethren and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham…” (v. 2) Once again, we see a clear example of a racial context in Scripture. In Psalm 105 we find the story of Abraham with the promise of God’s grâce; the story of Joseph with the source of God’s grace, namely the suffering of Christ; and the story of Moses with the effect of God’s grace, the redemption of his people. The promise of an inheritance was given even before Abraham had any children.
Whoever arranged and ordered the psalms placed Psalm 105 and Psalm 106 together on purpose. These psalms are companions, and reveal the two sides of the relationship between God and His covenant people over a long period of time. This one sings the song of God’s faithfulness and power; while the next tells the sad story of repeated failure and rebellion on the part of His people.
In Psalms 105-106 we find the glory of the Lord in connection with His people Israel. This is always the context of Scripture, for God Almighty has never claimed to be God to any other. Psalm 105 describes the ways of the Lord with His people before the law at Sinai, that is, the ways of God’s grace. The basis of those ways is the covenant He made with Abraham.
We see examples of God’s grace in the family of John the baptizer in the Gospel of Luke, which could be called the Gospel of Grace. His mother’s name is Elizabeth, which means “God has promised” (covenant). His father’s name is Zechariah, which means “the Lord has remembered.” The name of their son, John, means “the Lord is gracious.” This means that the Lord’s faithfulness to His covenant is only possible by way of grace, through the Mediator who shed the blood of the new covenant. We recognize that here in Psalm 105.
A CALL TO WORSHIP (v. 1-3):
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the people!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!”
Oh, give thanks to the Lord: Previous psalms focused on stirring one’s soul to bless the Lord. Now David encouraged himself and others to give thanks to the Lord, and Psalm 105 will give many reasons for this thanksgiving. This is the first of several quickly stated admonitions to honor and worship God. “Call upon His name,” for He alone deserves to be called upon to trust.
Make known His deeds among the people: David will recount the amazing deeds God has done in the sight of all his people, and he encouraged all who heard him to do the same. God’s people should “talk of all His wondrous works!” This is a witness to those of the covenant community.
Sing to Him: As in many other places in the psalms, God’s people are told the importance of praising Him in song. The songs should be sung “to Him,” and not to an audience or merely for one’s own pleasure.
Glory in His holy name: We can glory in many things. Some glory in wealth or status, while others glory in pleasure or entertainment. God’s people rightly find their greatest glory in His holy name, Jesus the Christ.
A CALL TO SEEK (v. 4-6):
“Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!”
Seek the Lord and His strength: God’s people are invited to not only “seek” God Himself, but also His strength. Strength is given as God’s people seek Him; as Paul would later write: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Eph. 6:10)
Remember His marvelous works which He has done: There is the constant danger that God’s people would forget “His marvelous works." This is a dishonor, and it is always easy to drift into forgetfulness if we do not actively “remember.”
O seed of Abraham His servant: This psalm is directed toward God’s covenant people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These were His chosen ones within His covenant plan and purposes, and it will always be so. The New Covenant did not change God’s original covenant, for it is “everlasting” in duration. (Gen. 17:7)
GOD’S COVENANT (v. 7-12):
Unison
“He is the LORD our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
Saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,’
When they were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.”
His judgments are in all the earth: Before focusing on the works and promises God made to his people Israel, David reminds us that God is over “all the earth.” His covenant focus on Israel does not take away from His interest and lordship over the entire planet.
He is the Lord our God: He is the self-existent and eternal God. He also is “our God,” because of his covenant, and we are his inheritance.
He remembers His covenant forever: God made a significant covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that was passed to the race (nation) of Israel. Because it is an “everlasting covenant,” Israel’s role of dominion remains until the end of the age.
The word which He commanded: This is a similar term to “his covenant.” It puts the stress on God’s initiative and sovereign authority in the covenant-making, which means that this bond with Adamkind is by grace, not mutual bargaining, and serves the interests of God’s kingdom, not the selfish ends of men.
I will give the land of Canaan: One aspect of this “everlasting covenant” is the land God appointed for Israel. It is the allotment of their “inheritance,” given to them when they were “few in number.” God promised the land to Abraham when he and his family were only a small group of people.
GOD’S PROTECTION (v. 13-15):
“When they went from one nation to another,
From one kingdom to another people,
He permitted no one to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,
Saying, ‘Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.’”
When they went from one nation to another: The patriarchs had their seasons of wandering. Abraham came “from Ur of the Chaldeans” (Gen. 11:31) and journeyed to Egypt (Gen. 12:10-20). Jacob also lived for many years with Laban in “the land of the people of the East” (Gen. 29:1).
He permitted no one to do them wrong: In all their wanderings among the nations, God protected them. He even “rebuked kings for their sakes” (for example, Gen. 12:17-20 & Gen. 26).
Do not touch My anointed ones: God protected Abraham and Sarah before the king Abimelech, and did not let Abimelech “touch” her (Gen. 20:6). God protected Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as His “prophets.” This principle of protection may also be applied to the whole of Israel since today we are still kings and priests anointed unto God.
Do My prophets no harm: Abraham had deceived Abimelech by saying that Sarah was his sister rather than his wife, and Abimelech had almost taken her before God intervened and warned him that she was married to Abraham. It was then that God referred to Abraham as ‘a prophet’ (Gen. 20:7); although a ‘lying’ prophet! The emphasis here is upon God’s faithfulness, not man’s.
GOD’S CARE (v. 16-22):
Unison
“Moreover He called for a famine in the land;
He destroyed all the provision of bread.
He sent a man before them—
Joseph—who was sold as a slave.
They hurt his feet with fetters,
He was laid in irons.
Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the LORD tested him.
The king sent and released him,
The ruler of the people let him go free.
He made him lord of his house,
And ruler of all his possessions,
To bind his princes at his pleasure,
And teach his elders wisdom.”
He called for a famine in the land: The great famine that came upon the greater region in the days of Joseph (Gen. 41:53-57) was no accident. God called for the famine, and “destroyed all the provision of bread.”
He sent a man before them: David understood that the injustice and misfortune which came upon Joseph was ordained by God, so that in His plan he could be sent ahead to Egypt to save the patriarchs (and the whole region) from famine.
They hurt his feet with fetters: Joseph’s pain in his slavery was real, yet it did not cancel the plan of God. His season of affliction was a time when “the word of the Lord tested him.”
He was laid in irons: He may have come into iron; but sin did not enter. Joseph emerges from his captivity well qualified to take the helm of Egypt. Charles Spurgeon encourages us, “The iron fetters were preparing him to wear chains of gold, and make his feet ready to stand on high places. It is even so with all the Lord’s afflicted ones, they too shall one day step from their prisons to their thrones.”
He made him lord of his house: Joseph was brought low, but in God’s timing he was lifted up. He was given authority over all the possessions of the house, and even over princes and elders.
GOD’S PRESERVATION (v. 23-25):
“Israel also came into Egypt,
And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
He increased His people greatly,
And made them stronger than their enemies.
He turned their heart to hate His people,
To deal craftily with His servants.”
Israel also came into Egypt: After God sent Joseph ahead, He took the people of Israel into the land of Egypt for their own protection.
He increased His people greatly: In Egypt, God’s covenant people were able to grow “greatly” (Ex. 1:7), and soon became “stronger than their enemies.”
He turned their heart to hate His people: The people of Israel were welcomed into the land of Egypt in the days of Joseph, but in later generations they were hated and made into slaves for the Egyptians.
DELIVERANCE (v. 26-36):
Unison
“He sent Moses His servant,
And Aaron whom He had chosen.
They performed His signs among them,
And wonders in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness, and made it dark;
And they did not rebel against His word.
He turned their waters into blood,
And killed their fish.
Their land abounded with frogs,
Even in the chambers of their kings.
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
And lice in all their territory.
He gave them hail for rain,
And flaming fire in their land.
He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,
And splintered the trees of their territory.
He spoke, and locusts came,
Young locusts without number,
And ate up all the vegetation in their land,
And devoured the fruit of their ground.
He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land,
The first of all their strength.”
He sent Moses His servant: With Israel under slavery in Egypt, God raised up deliverers for them at the appointed time: Moses was given the wonderful title “His servant,” along with his brother Aaron. God gave these men the ability to perform “His signs” to prove their work.
He sent darkness, and made it dark: David clearly regarded the record in Exodus as historically true. He recounted the plagues God sent upon Egypt, all according to the “word” God gave to Moses and Aaron, and “they did not rebel against His word.” Here David listed eight of the ten plagues described in Exodus 7-12, but not in the same order as in the Exodus account. Psalm 78 also has a partial listing of the plagues.
He struck their vines also, and their fig trees: This is not mentioned in Exodus; but we have seen it in Psalm 78:47.
He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land: The final and greatest plague against the Egyptians was the terrible death of the firstborn in every household which was not protected by the blood of the Passover lamb.
THE WILDERNESS (v. 37-41):
Unison
“He also brought them out with silver and gold,
And there was none feeble among His tribes.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
For the fear of them had fallen upon them.
He spread a cloud for a covering,
And fire to give light in the night.
The people asked, and He brought quail,
And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
It ran in the dry places like a river.”
He also brought them out with silver and gold: When Israel came out of Egypt, the Egyptians gave them great riches (Ex. 12:35-36). The Egyptians were so crushed by the many plagues that “Egypt was glad when they departed.”
There was none feeble among His tribes: What a contrast between Egypt and Israel! In Egypt one dead in every house, and among the Israelites, all healthy enough to make the journey.
He spread a cloud for a covering: As they journeyed through the wilderness, God gave Israel the protection of a “cloud” by day. He also provided “fire to give them light in the night.” These remarkable emblems of God’s presence and care led Israel through the wilderness.
The people asked, and He brought quail: God miraculously supplied nourishment for Israel in the wilderness, providing quail manna, and water out from rocks. David gave a positive remembrance of Israel in the wilderness, not mentioning their many sins and examples of unbelief. His purpose here is to remember the great works of God, and not to focus on the failings of man.
CANAAN (v. 42-45):
“For He remembered His holy promise,
And Abraham His servant.
He brought out His people with joy,
His chosen ones with gladness.
He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,
And they inherited the labor of the nations,
That they might observe His statutes
And keep His laws.
Praise the LORD!”
He remembered His holy promise: God’s faithfulness to Israel in taking them out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into Canaan was all based on a fulfillment of “His holy promise.” God binds Himself by His promises.
He brought out His people with joy: We could say that this joy both belonged to the Israelites and to their covenant God. It pleased both God and His people to rescue them from their bondage and bring them into their inheritance, “the lands of the Gentiles.”
They inherited the labor of the nations: By right of conquest they freely inherited cities, vineyards, orchards, cisterns, and all kinds of material benefits from the Canaanites.
That they might observe His statutes: At the conclusion of the psalm, David brought home a point of moral obligation. God rescued the Israelites and brought them into the land, setting them free, not for the purpose of personal indulgence, but so they could “observe His statutes” and “keep His laws.”
Praise the Lord: Psalm 105 ends just as the previous psalm, with the Hebrew word Hallelujah. It is right and worthy for God’s people to remember His marvelous works and to praise Him for all He has done.
CONCLUSION
Now let us return to the book of Acts, where in our reading we recall that Stephen began his address on the history of God’s salvation with the words: “Brethren and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham…” (Acts 7:2)
Now Stephen concludes his speech beginning at verse 44:
“Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.” (Acts 7:44)
Then dropping down to verse 48:
“Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet [Isaiah 66:1-2],
49 ‘Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? 50 Hath not my hand made all these things?’
51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.” (Acts 7:48-53)
And how many in America have not kept God’s Law after so many blessings upon our country?
God’s wonderful works will be in everlasting remembrance by the thoughtful and the grateful, and should be the subject of familiar conversation. We should continually give thanks to Him, for at best we can give but poor returns for such rich blessings and wondrous grace.
