Friday, 5th Week of Easter

Psalm 106:1-18

It is appropriate that on Friday, we join the people of Israel in confessing our sins and begging God’s forgiveness. Probably written after their exile, the psalmist recalls the story of Israel’s oppression in Egypt, their deliverance by God, their failure to trust their deliverer, and God’s retribution.

This psalm figures prominently in early Christian preaching. Look at v.20, and then compare it to Romans 1:23. Look also at v.37 in the Psalm and compare it to 1 Corinthians 10:20. If Jesus is our Savior, then presumably He came to save us from something. And in the faithlessness of Israel, the Christians found the indictment of the human race.

But also look at v. 10 in this Psalm, and compare it to Luke 1:71; or compare v.45 to Luke 1:72. We are not called to continually beat our breasts. No amount of beating would be enough to make restitution for the wrong s that cannot be undone anyway. We are not to wallow in fear of God. For through Jesus Christ, we know how much God loves us, and as Zechariah sang, we are truly “free to serve him without fear.”