Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea….They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:…They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;
Psalm 106:7, 13, 21
For years, the enslaved Israelites had been earnestly praying for relief. Then God sent them a deliverer in the man Moses, who said to Pharaoh: ‘Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go…’ When Pharaoh refused, God sent ten devastating plagues to move the stubborn Pharaoh. Eventually the king of Egypt relented. Israel was free! How happy they were to hastily gather their belongings and follow Moses out of Egypt.
Days later they stood on the banks of the Red Sea. Fickle Pharaoh had changed his mind. He wanted his slaves back. He and his armies pursued the Israelites.
We pick up the story in Exodus 14:10 ‘And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness’ (vv. 10-12).
Does that sound like trust or panic? Notice the accusations against Moses, and by implication, God Himself. ‘You don’t care about us! You don’t love us at all!’
This very moment is what the Psalmist is addressing in Psalm 106:7. The Israelites forgot the multitude of God’s mercies that clearly spelled L-O-V-E. They provoked the Lord.
But God destroyed Pharaoh’s armies and rescued the Israelites again. But not long after, verse 13 says they ‘soon forgat his works.’ The verses that follow reveal the result of forgetting God’s mercies. Dark days followed as they complained, rebelled and worshipped the golden calf.
Verse 21 sums it up. ‘They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt.’
How like them I can be, Father, forgetful of Your wonderful mercies toward me. Time and time again You have not treated me as I deserve. When I should have been punished, You graciously withheld Your judgment.
As You did the Israelites, You delivered me too. My bondage was to sin. It had dominion over me. It ruled rigorously. But Your Son’s blood released me from captivity.
Don’t let me forget. I see where forgetfulness takes a person. I see the awful sin that results.
Help me to rehearse ‘the multitude of thy mercies’ (verse 7) consistently, that I may live gratefully all the days of my life.