Bird's-eye view
Psalm 106 is the second of a historical diptych, standing in stark contrast to the psalm that precedes it. Psalm 105 celebrated God's covenant faithfulness to Israel, recounting His mighty deeds on their behalf. This psalm, Psalm 106, is the other side of the coin: it is a long and painful confession of Israel's covenant faithlessness. This opening section (vv. 1-5) serves as a perfect introduction to this national lament. It begins with a pure, unadulterated call to praise, grounding worship in God's unchanging goodness and lovingkindness (v. 1). It acknowledges the impossibility of ever praising Him enough (v. 2) and sets forth the standard of true blessedness: consistent, unwavering obedience (v. 3). It is precisely this high standard that necessitates the personal plea that follows. The psalmist, aware of the nation's (and his own) failure to meet this standard, cries out to be included in God's covenant favor, not on the basis of merit, but of grace. His desire is not for personal gain but to participate in the corporate joy, prosperity, and glory of God's chosen people (vv. 4-5).
In short, these five verses are a gateway. They establish the basis of worship, the standard of the law, and the resulting need for a grace-based plea for inclusion in God's salvation. The rest of the psalm will provide the historical evidence for why such a plea is so desperately needed.
Outline
- 1. Introduction to a National Confession (Ps 106:1-5)
- a. The Unchanging Basis for Praise (Ps 106:1)
- b. The Unfathomable Greatness of God (Ps 106:2)
- c. The Unattainable Standard of Blessing (Ps 106:3)
- d. The Urgent Plea for Personal Inclusion (Ps 106:4)
- e. The Ultimate Goal: Corporate Glory (Ps 106:5)
Context In Psalms
Psalm 106 concludes Book IV of the Psalter (Psalms 90-106). It is a companion piece to Psalm 105, and they should be read together. Psalm 105 is a magnificent recital of God's faithfulness from Abraham to the conquest of Canaan. It is history told from God's point of view. Psalm 106 is history told from man's point of view, and it is a litany of rebellion, idolatry, and failure, from Egypt to the exile. Together, they answer a profound theological question: given God's absolute faithfulness (Psalm 105), why is Israel in such a mess (the backdrop of Psalm 106)? The answer is not found in God's character, but in ours. This psalm is a confession, a prayer for restoration, and it sets the stage for the final book of the Psalms, Book V, which will focus heavily on the Word of God (Psalm 119) and the coming Davidic King as the ultimate solution to Israel's sin.
Key Issues
- The Ground of Worship
- God's Goodness and Hesed
- The Standard of the Law
- The Nature of Divine Remembrance
- Individual Prayer and Corporate Salvation
- The Relationship between God's Favor and His People
The Right Kind of Amnesia
History is a story, and there are two ways to tell it. You can tell it from the standpoint of the hero, or you can tell it from the standpoint of the dolt who keeps messing everything up. Psalm 105 tells the story of God's faithfulness. Psalm 106 tells the story of our faithlessness. The introduction here sets the stage perfectly. It begins with the only possible sane response to reality: praise God. Why? Because He is good and His covenant love never quits. It then states the standard of the covenant: blessedness comes from obedience. But the rest of the psalm is a record of disobedience. So what is a man to do? He is to pray the prayer of verse 4: "Remember me." This is not a request for God to jog His memory. It is a plea for God to act in covenant faithfulness despite our covenant faithlessness. It is a prayer that God would have a certain kind of amnesia about our sins, and a very active memory of His own promises. And as we see in the New Testament, God is able to do this with perfect justice because of the work of Christ, who bore the curse of our historical rebellion.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1 Praise Yah! Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good; For His lovingkindness endures forever.
The psalm begins with "Hallelujah," which is both a command and an exclamation. Praise Yahweh. This is the baseline reality for all creation. The reason for this praise is immediately given, and it is twofold. First, we give thanks because He is good. This is not a statement about our feelings or His actions in a particular moment. It is a declaration about His essential nature. God is, in Himself, the definition of good. Second, we give thanks because His lovingkindness endures forever. The Hebrew word is hesed, a rich term that combines the ideas of love, loyalty, mercy, and covenant faithfulness. It is God's unbreakable commitment to His people. This goodness and hesed do not fluctuate. They are the bedrock of the universe. Even when the rest of this psalm recounts Israel's spectacular failures, this first verse stands as the ultimate truth. His loyalty outlasts our disloyalty.
2 Who can speak of the mighty deeds of Yahweh, Or can make all His praise to be heard?
This is a rhetorical question, and the answer is "no one." The psalmist, having just commanded praise, immediately acknowledges the inadequacy of any praise we could offer. God's mighty deeds are too numerous to count and too profound to fully articulate. His worthiness is infinite, and our capacity for praise is finite. This is not meant to discourage us from praising Him, but rather to humble us in the act of praising Him. It tells us that our worship is always an approximation, always a "down payment." We will spend eternity unpacking the glory of God and still not reach the end of it. The task is impossible, but it is the most glorious and joyful impossibility we could ever be assigned.
3 How blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times!
After establishing God's character, the psalm turns to the character required of God's people. The word "blessed" points to a state of true, God-given happiness and flourishing. This state belongs to those who "keep justice" and "do righteousness." This is the standard of the covenant. It's not about having good intentions, but about actively, consistently performing what is right. The kicker is the phrase "at all times." This raises the bar to a level of perfection. Who does righteousness at all times? The answer, as the rest of the psalm and the entire Bible testifies, is no one. This verse, therefore, serves two functions. It is a genuine description of the good life as God designed it, but it is also a mirror that shows us our own failure and our desperate need for a righteousness that is not our own.
4 Remember me, O Yahweh, in Your favor toward Your people; Visit me with Your salvation,
In light of the impossible standard of verse 3, the psalmist pivots from a general statement to a personal plea. "Remember me." When the Bible speaks of God "remembering," it does not mean He is recalling something He forgot. It is a covenantal term meaning to act on behalf of someone based on a prior commitment. The psalmist is asking God to act toward him in grace. And notice the basis of the appeal: "in Your favor toward Your people." He is not asking for special treatment. He is asking to be included in the general, corporate favor that God has for His chosen nation. He wants to be a recipient of the salvation God provides for His own. This is a prayer of humble dependence, a casting of oneself upon the mercy of God, asking to be counted among the people God has promised to save.
5 That I may see the goodness of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may boast with Your inheritance.
This verse gives the purpose and motivation for the prayer in verse 4. The psalmist's desires are entirely corporate and God-centered. His goal is not private bliss, but shared joy. He asks for salvation so that he can witness the prosperity ("goodness") of God's elect, so that he can share in the joy of God's people, and so that he can join his voice with all the saints in boasting, not in themselves, but in the God who is their inheritance. Salvation is not an individualistic escape plan. It is being brought into a vast, joyful, triumphant community. The ultimate end of our personal salvation is to see, rejoice in, and contribute to the gladness of the whole church, the nation of God. This is a prayer for the success of God's kingdom, and for the grace to have a part in it.
Application
This passage lays out the fundamental movement of the Christian life. We begin with praise, acknowledging who God is apart from us: He is good, and His covenant love is relentless (v. 1). We then acknowledge His infinite greatness, which humbles us and fuels our worship (v. 2). Then we look at His law, the perfect standard of righteousness, and we see that we have not kept it "at all times" (v. 3). This is the crisis that the gospel answers.
What do we do when we see our failure? We do exactly what the psalmist does. We pray, "Remember me, O Lord." We do not appeal to our own record, which is a record of failure just like Israel's. We appeal to God's character. We ask Him to remember us according to the favor He shows to His people. And for us, this prayer is explicitly Christ-centered. We are asking God to remember us by looking at Jesus. We are asking God to visit us with the salvation that Jesus secured. Our prayer is, "Father, remember Your Son, and remember me in Him."
And finally, our desire must be shaped by verse 5. Why do we want to be saved? We should want to be saved so that we can see the Church thrive, so that we can rejoice when God's people are glad, and so that we can glory and boast in the magnificent inheritance God has given to us together in Christ. Our personal salvation is for a corporate purpose. It is for the gladness of His nation. We are saved out of our lonely sins and into a boisterous, joyful, and eternal family.