Psa 106:3 Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.

Psalm 106 recounts the history of Israel's faithlessness from Moses to the Promised Land. The psalmist opens with praise of thanksgiving to God for His wonderful mercy: “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (v.1). How did God demonstrate His mercy? He demonstrated His mercy on a people who were ungrateful, who kept forgetting the mighty deeds He had done for them. In an earlier Psalm, the Psalmist David exhorts us not to forget His benefits (Psalm 103:2). In this psalm, the Psalmist laments that Israel has forgotten all the good things the LORD had done for them. What are the things they had forgotten? 1. His mercies: “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” (v.7). 2. His works: “But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel” (v.13, ESV). 3. Their Saviour: “They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt” (v.21, ESV). These are sad words: “But they soon forgot what he had done” (v.13a). They had forgotten the miracles God wrought in Egypt, delivering them from thence with a mighty hand, leading them through the Red Sea as on dry land, and destroying all their enemies. It’s not as if those events happened many years ago. They were only a few days in the wilderness. But as soon as the children of Israel were led out of Egypt, they complained when they reached the Red Sea (Exodus 14:10-31). They said: “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” (Exodus 14:12). A few days later, they complained about food and water (Exodus15:22-27; 16:1-36). The Psalmist reminds his readers that their fathers soon forgot about God and worshipped a golden calf (v.19-23). The list of their unfaithfulness goes on and which I shall not dwell into it. Yet, each time, when they were afflicted and cried to God, He was merciful to them: “Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry” (v.44). What does it tell us about God? It tells me that God has a soft heart. The children of Israel were forgetful, unthankful, ungrateful, and unfaithful and yet, God delivered them each time they cried to Him. Like a loving parent, God ran to them when they cried. What is the lesson for us? It is easy to condemn Israel for their ungratefulness. But are we grateful and loving children of God? Have we been guilty of forgetting His benefits towards us? Have we been complaining about how our lives have been affected by the present crisis? We may not complain about lacking food and water, but have we been complaining about not being able to go for vacations, dining out, or meet friends in this period of COVID-19 pandemic? When the weather is hot, we ask for rain, and when it rains, we want the sunshine. We should be thankful for both the sunshine and the rain. Brethren, while we enjoy the good times, let us not complain when it is “bad”. Let us thank God for His mercies and goodness! We are currently in the middle of a global pandemic. Life is bad and our livelihoods are affected. However, we can be sure that good will come out of this crisis. We tend to count our losses, misfortunes, and miseries; let’s not forget to count our blessings. God will deliver us like He always did: “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD” (v.48).