Psalm 105: The greatness of the Abrahamic Covenant
When God makes a promise, He keeps it. The Abrahamic Covenant is at the heart of this Psalm, and strangely for some, the first 15 verses are quoted in I Chronicles 16:8-22. That is significant because the Chronicles passage is about David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. What is the connection?
The heart of a promise is in its fulfillment. God systematically fulfills promises and that is what is happening with the land promise. (vs.7-11) When David uses this passage to highlight the moving of the ark into Jerusalem, it is testimony that God keeps the promise. The promise of the land included God ruling from the land in general and the city of Jerusalem specifically.
Vs.1-6: Praise is commanded: The nations need to know about what God is doing and so the first verse commands us to give thanks and make known among the nations what He has done. What God has done is to keep His promise to Abraham. This is a more comprehensive answer today than what it was when the Psalm was written. Here are the basics for today—first, God fulfilled the first part of the promise when He brought Israel out of Egypt which this Psalm highlights. Second, God established the 12 tribes in the land in Joshua and Judges. Third, He gave them a king after His own heart in David which fulfilled the promise in Deuteronomy 17. Fourth, God fulfilled the prophecy of removing them from the land so He can bring Messiah. Fifth, God is now fulfilling His promise to bring them back to the land (Romans 11:12)
Vs.7-42 Praise for What God Did!
According to vs.7-11, God calls the land covenant an everlasting covenant which is consistent with Gen.17:7-8. This means that the covenant is not dependent on man but on God who made it. God protected His investment of the land by protecting His people when they were in Egypt. As the patriarchs were in the land, they were among the 7 nations and were strangers because it was not their land yet. God protected them and sent them to Egypt to prepare the land for the soon coming of the people of Israel.(16-23) After 400 years God fulfilled His first promise of the land. Moses brought the people out and Joshua conquered the seven nations. (37-45)
The key people in this Psalm are Joseph, Moses, and Joshua. In vss.42-45 God gives us the reason God did this—what is it? When God says, “He remembered His holy word with Abraham His servant” what was God doing? When you remember a promise you try to fulfill it! God did just that when He fulfilled the prophecy of Gen.15! Now God is fulfilling the promise of Jeremiah 30-33 and God has done very similar things. He has kept the land for the Jews, He is driving out the nations that are occupying the land, and He is bringing the Jews back from all of the nations of the world. This fulfillment is like the first one. Praise God today for always keeping His promises.
