Remembrance and Reflections

 

The psalmist encourages God's people to remember God's marvellous works, His wonders and His judgments (Psalm 105:5). Remembering what God did in past history leads to reflections that make us evaluate our present and consider our future. Those who fail to learn from history, as the saying goes, are likely to repeat its mistakes. We simply don't have to reinvent the wheel, but we can learn from those who did. We can learn from history. Remembrance and reflections from the past are important to gain wisdom for the present and the future. The wise person learns from his or her mistakes as well as the lessons from history. Many people prefer to judge history, rather than learn from it. This is futile; we can;t change history, not even our own. But we can learn from it and make things better. Some people distort history and seek to make it look perfect and themselves look great. But reality is what it is. We better learn and create a future based on that we learn in the past.

 

Before the psalmist embarks on a journey to reflect on history, he sets the remembrance and reflections in the framework of praise and gratitude towards God and encourages God's people to seek Him. We are to give thanks to Him and call on His Name (Psalm 105:1). In our psalms to God we make known His deeds (vv 1-2) and rejoice in His wondrous works and His holy Name (v 3). We are to seek the Lord of history and gain strength from the One who never grows weary (v 4; cf., Isaiah 40:28-31). Although the past can be discouraging because of our mistakes, reflections on past history can be an empowering experience as we learn wisdom and gain encouragement, comfort and hope from the biblical Scriptures (see Romans 15:4; D5).

 

Much of the Bible is historical narrative which display important lessons and precious insight in how we are to relate to God and live pleasing to Him. The way God wants His creatures to live finds expression within history. The Bible is not simply a cold law code, but reveals how God relates to us in a personal way in the context of real life. The psalms reflect this reality. God is real and He comes to us in our life's circumstances. Remembering and reflecting on history is, therefore, a positive type of gaining wisdom and insight. We are to remember what God did and reflect on it (Psalm 105:5-6).

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Important Lessons from History: Faithfulness and Provision

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The ​psalmist proclaims Yahweh as the God of His people, Israel, and as the One who keeps His covenant (Psalm 105:7-8). He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel), the three patriarchs of God's people (vv 9-10). Their story begins in Genesis 12, where God promises to bless them and make them a blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:1-3). The fulfilment of this Abrahamic Covenant is in Jesus Christ through whom the blessings of salvation comes to the whole world based on His redemption at the cross (Galatians 3:113-14). He is the promised Seed. Everything culminates an consummates in Him.

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Israel's history is witness to God's goodness and covenant faithfulness. Even in times of their temporary unfaithfulness, God remained faithful to them and His covenant to their father, Abraham. God promised them their land as their inheritance and He was faithful and powerful to fulfil His promise (Psalm 105:9-11). They were few in numbers yet God is their ever faithful God (v 12). He was with them in their journeys among other nations and kingdoms, protecting them as His anointed ones (vv 13-15). The first important lesson from history we can learn from these reflections is that God is faithful and will fulfil His promises to His people. He is provider and protector no matter what opposition may try to get in the way of God's promises and its fulfilment. 

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The second important lesson from history the psalmist reflects on in this psalm is God's provision during famine (Psalm 105:16-25). No matter what circumstances may befall us, God has a way to fulfil His word. A famine came over the known world of what we today call the Middle East and what used to be called the Fertile Crescent for its agricultural prosperity along the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers as well as along the Nile in Egypt. But before that famine brought great worry over the peoples, God had sent a man ahead of time: Joseph (Psalm 105:16-17). A large section of Genesis is dedicated to his story (Genesis 37—50). Jospeh didn't arrive in Egypt as a strategic executive business advisor on a first-call ticket or private jet. He was sold as a slave by his brothers, separated from his father and with nothing to his name. He was wrongly accused, thrown into prison, yet ever faithful to serve others. God promoted him in fulfilment of His word (Psalm 105:18) to be ruler and administrator of one of the most powerful persons in ancient history: the king of Egypt (vv 19-22). God's people lived temporarily in a foreign land and prospered greatly (vv 23-24), yet it caused envy among the Egyptian that made them to oppress them (vv 25). 

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God's blessing for all people at the time was only appreciated in that generation. Later, feeling threatened, a new Egyptian ruler turned against God's people. God is faithful in His provisions, both towards His people, Israel, as well as all the nations around them. God used Joseph as His instrument to bless all the nations with His provisions by the wisdom of His servant, Joseph. We should always seek to be a blessing to those around us, no matter if we are in a difficult situation or advantageous position. Jospeh remained faithful in all of life's circumstances. God moved powerful through His chosen vessel. We may, however, never take success for granted. Jealousy can turn even those who were blessed through us into oppressors and enemies. These types of  circumstances expose what is truly in them, yet their evil should never kill the goodness in us. These are important lessons from history. God lets the sun shine on the good and the wicked (Matthew 5:45), yet we are to be perfect as God is perfect (v 48) in the way we won't revert to hatred even of our enemies. God's love must remain central in everything we do (vv 43-48). We are to overcome evil by doing good, and not be overcome by the evil people do to us (Romans 12:21). 

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