Dont Do That!

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by elizabethaudet

by elizabethaudet

Psalm 106:1-48

Israel knew that PRAISE to God usually followed their rebellious streaks of disobedience, because God had to get them out of situations they had created. The Psalmist reminds them of the instances because God had better plans for them and His are Eternal!
   So we begin with Psalm 106:1-(NKJV)-"O give thanks to the Lord, for HE IS GOOD! FOR HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER." (Psalm 136:1-this Psalm has the last line of 26 verses, once at the end of each verse, with these same words of Praise!; -also read 1 Chronicles 16:34, 41 which are other repeats of the same verse).
   OK! The praise begins with confession of the problems in PSALM 106:2-15-(CEB)-
"Who could possibly repeat all of the Lord's Mighty Acts or publicly recount all His Praise." (Amen! Remember Psalm 105:1-2- praises to God)
"The people who uphold Justice, who always do what is right, are truly happy!" (Psalm 15:1-5-describes the Righteousness of God!; Galatians 6:9- Don't grow weary!)
"REMEMBER ME, LORD, with favor You show Your people. Visit me with Your Saving Help." (Psalm 119:132)
I repeat, "Visit me with Your Saving Help":
1. "So I can EXPERIENCE THE GOOD THINGS YOUR CHOSEN ONES EXPERIENCE,"
2. "So I can REJOICE IN THE JOY OF YOUR NATION,"
3. "So I can PRAISE ALONG WITH YOUR POSSESSION."
But unfortunately they must admit their guilt:
1. WE HAVE SINNED-right along with our ancestors."
2. "WE'VE DONE WHAT IS WRONG."
3. "WE'VE ACTED WICKEDLY." ( Daniel 9:5)
Next in verse seven the Psalmist refers back to verse 6a- "Our ancestors in Egypt didn't understand Your Wondrous Works. They didn't REMEMBER how much faithful love You have. So they rebelled by the sea-at the Red Sea." (Exodus 14:11-12 records this event.)
"But God was not stopped by their unbelief-"But God saved them for the sake of His Good Name, to make known His Mighty Power." (Exodus 9:16-How patient God is!)
"God scolded the Red Sea, and it dried up; HE LED THEM THROUGH THE DEEPS LIKE THEY WERE A DRY DESERT." (Exodus 14:21-22; Isaiah 63:11-13)
"GOD SAVED THEM FROM HOSTILE POWERS; HE REDEEMED THEM FROM THE POWER OF THE ENEMY." (Exodus 14:30-Death to the enemy, victory to the people of God.)
"But the waters cover over the foes-not one of them survived!" (Exodus 14:27-28; 15:5,
"SO OUR ANCESTORS TRUSTED GOD'S WORDS;"
"THEY SANG GOD'S PRAISE." (Exodus 15:1-21-read the song of praise and PRAISE GOD FOR YOUR OWN VICTORIES THROUGH JESUS THAT BROUGHT YOU SAFELY THROUGH YOUR RED SEA.)
   But ALAS!
"But how quickly they FORGOT what He had done! They wouldn't wait for His Advice." (Exodus 15:24; 16:2; 17:2; back to their old habits again!)
"They were overcome with craving in the desert; they tested God in the wastelands."
(1 Corinthians 10:6)
"God gave them what they asked for; He sent food to satisfy appetites." (Numbers 11:7-9, manna; 11:31, quail; They got what they needed but wanted more...sound familiar? God gave manna and they wanted meat; Numbers 11:34-35) God gave quail but they also called the place " Kibroth Hattaavah" as many were buried there because of their greed. The word means "the graves of Lust." A sad story of sin ending in death!)
But that was not the end of their sinning. How easily they FORGOT the God who led and guided them. Wouldn't you think the cloud by day and the fire by night would have reminded them? So, what do you do when you see the Sun, Stars, Rainbow or Clouds in the sky? That is our sign of GOD'S CONSTANT PROVISION AND GUIDANCE. We do not worship them but we respect the God who placed them there for us as a reminder of His Love And Care!
   Now Psalm 106:16-43 goes on to tell us more sad stories. But they should be reminders to us that HE WAS THERE ALL THE TIME! I will number these as you check them out categorically. (TEV):
1. "There in the desert they were JEALOUS of Moses, and of Aaron, the Lord's Holy Servant;" (Jealousy still exists today and is just as active and destructive as it was for Israel.)
2. "Then the earth opened up and swallowed Dothan, and buried Abiram and his family;" (Deuteronomy 11:6; Numbers16:1-3; Are you swallowed by sin)
3. "Fire came down on their followers, and burned up those wicked people." (Numbers 16:35, 46; The results of listening to others and following them in sin is dangerous.)
4. "They made a golden calf at Horeb, and worshiped this image;" (Exodus 32:1-4; what are you worshiping that keeps you from serving God. God's are not all images we can see but sometimes desires in our hearts which turn us away from God. That is our god's!)
5. "They exchanged the GLORY OF GOD for an image of an animal that eats grass." (The real crux of the matter is that they took a creature God had made, eating grass that God had created, and set it up as their God above the Creator God! What a mix-up! Also it was handmade by man out of material from God's Creation!; Romans 1-23)
6. "They forgot the God who had saved them by His Mighty Act in Egypt. What Wonderful things He did there! What amazing things He did at the Sea of Reeds (Red Sea)!"
( How absolutely absurd to forget the God who performed miracles for you. Forget Him? Wow! Watch out for your own self-confidence! Trust God and Praise Him!)
7. "And so God said He would destroy His people; BUT MOSES , HIS CHOSEN SERVANT, stood up against God, and kept His anger from destroying them." (The prayers of God's Anointed Ones may be all that keeps God's patience with adverse sinners or rebellious believers because it is given in faith to Him.; Exodus 32:10; 22:30-God looked for an intercessor and found none.)
8. "They refused the pleasant land, because they did not believe God's promise." (Numbers 13:1-2, 17-20, 31; Deuteronomy 8:6-10)
9. "They stayed in their tents and grumbled, and would not listen to the Lord." (Hebrews 3:10-19; Guess we'd better listen and quit grumbling lest we also come under the rejection by God and not enter in!; Numbers 14:2, 27-You asked for it, You got it! Watch out what you ask for! Is it God's will!)
10. "So God gave them solemn warning that He would make them die in the desert,"
(Ezekiel 20:15-16; Numbers 14:28-"I will do it!") "And scatter their descendants among the heathen, letting them die in foreign countries." (Numbers 14:30-32-God does recognize those who follow Him obediently and those who were too young to make adult decisions.)
11. "Then God's people joined in the worship of Baal, at Peor, and ate the sacrifices offered to dead gods." (Dead from the beginning as they never were alive; Hosea 9:10)
12. "They stirred up the Lord's anger by their actions and a terrible disease broke out among them;". (So does God care? Why do you think He gets angry? Do you get upset when those you love don't listen to you? Obvious answer is YES!)
   13. "But Phinephas stood up and punished the guilty, and the plague was stopped." (Numbers25:7-8; Genesis 15:6-Their own correction would have been easier if they had "believed in the Lord" for He would have accepted this as "RIGHTEOUSNESS.")
"And this was remembered in his (Phinephas) favor ever since and will be for all time to come."
(Numbers 25:11-13; We are priests to God to carry out His will and to assist others to believe in God!)
14. "The Lord's people made Him angry at the springs of Maribah and Moses was in trouble on their account." (Numbers 20:1-13; Psalm 95:8-11)
15. "They made Moses so bitter that he said things he shouldn't have said," (Numbers 20:8-11-God had said, "Take the rod...Speak to the Rock before their eyes and it will yield its water..." But, "Moses...said to them, 'Hear now, you rebels! Must WE bring water for you out of this Rock? Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly." God still provided for the Israelites in spite of Moses self-centered attitude and disobedience in striking, not speaking, to the Rock as God had instructed. God is faithful even when we forget who is really in charge! We must do exactly as He says and not succumb to our own selfish, cocky ways;)
   Verse 12-13 of Psalm 106 sums it up:
16. "They did not kill the heathen as the Lord commanded, but they intermarried with them and imitated their Pagan ways?" (Judges 1:21; Deuteronomy 7:2, 16)
17. "God's people worshipped idols, and this caused their destruction." (Judges 3:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:16d-"for that will be a snare to you.")
18. "They offered their own sons and daughters as sacrifices to pagan gods; They killed these innocent people, their own sons and daughters as a sacrifice to the idols of Canaan; the land was made impure by these killings. They defiled themselves by their actions and were unfaithful to God." ( Numbers 35:33-34; Ezekiel 20:18-19; Leviticus 17:7; Need I say more! It's not nice to try to fool the Living God of the Universe! Better re-think your connection to God!; Proverbs 3:5-"Trust in the Lord with all your hearts and lean not unto your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.")
19. "So the Lord was angry with His people, He was disgusted with them. He abandoned them to the power off the heathen, and their enemies ruled over them." (Yes, He abandoned them because they had already abandoned Him. The only way God has, to turn away from us, is when we refuse Him and turn away from Him; Deuteronomy 9:29-Moses intercedes; 32:9-Moses instructions to Israel; Judges 2:14-16; God loves us so much that He made a way of escape so that we could bear it-1 Corinthians 10:13; John 3:16-21; that is why we are forgiven today for our rebellion against God. But we must be the "whosoever believes in Him" to gain eternal life and forgiveness for our past. All things are made new in Him.)
20. "They were oppressed by their enemies, and were in complete subjection to them."
21. "Many times the Lord rescued His people, but they chose to rebel against Him and sank deeper in sin." ( Judges 2:16-18)
Heavy so far! But God! Psalm 106:44-47-(TLB)-"Yet, even so HE LISTENED TO THEIR CRIES AND HEEDED THEIR DISTRESS." (Judges 3:9-10-Othniel; 6:7-9-Prophet; 10:10-12-by REPENTANCE; God hears us when we come to Him in sincere repentance.)
   "HE REMEMBERED HIS PROMISE TO THEM AND RELENTED BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE." (Luke 26:40-42; Judges2:7; Psalm 69:13-16-Hear me, hear me!)
"And caused even their enemies who captured them to pity them" (Ezra 9:9)
"O Lord, Save Us! Regather us from the nations so we can THANK YOUR HOLY NAME AND REJOICE AND PRAISE YOU." (1 Chronicles 16:35-36-Almost Word for word from Psalm 106:47. Good idea ! We owe God PRAISE & WORSHIP FOR ALL He has done for us!)
   The last verse of Psalm 106:48-(NKJV-"BLESSED BE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING! AND LET ALL THE PEOPLE SAY, 'AMEN!' PRAISE THE LORD!" Now they are doing what God wants from them! REMEMBERING!
Psalm 41:13-"BLESSED BE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING! AMEN AND AMEN."That's my PRAISE & WORSHIP EVERY DAY!

   Next time...