>This Psalm and section that I am blogging on is pretty long therefore I am putting it after my comments. Again this is another historical Psalm. The basic pattern is God’s failful act, then faith form the people, sliding into disobedience and unfaith, then God moving in their lives again. That about sums up my life I don’t know about you. I do believe that it is getting better. Reminds me of the Monty Python skit, “I’m not quite dead yet, actually I think I am getting better.”
These Psalms are cool and remind of the Lord of the Rings. Remember how then the Return of the King was over there was talk of the songs that would be written about Frodo and Sam, and the wild adventure with the ring. This is what the Psalms do. They capture part of our spiritual history and put it to music so that we can sing and turn even a history of disobedience into worship to remind us that we are just as flawed as those who went before.
13 But they soon forgot his works;they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked,but sent a wasting disease among them.
16 When men in the camp were jealous of Mosesand Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,
17 the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,and covered the company of Abiram.
18 Fire also broke out in their company;the flame burned up the wicked.
19 They made a calf in Horeband worshiped a metal image.
20 They exchanged the glory of Godfor the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God, their Savior,who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore he said he would destroy them—had not Moses, his chosen one,stood in the breach before him,to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they despised the pleasant land,having no faith in his promise.
25 They murmured in their tents,and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 and would make their offspring fall among the nations,scattering them among the lands.
28 Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor,and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
29 they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,and a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,and the plague was stayed.
31 And that was counted to him as righteousnessfrom generation to generation forever.
32 They angered him at the waters of Meribah,and it went ill with Moses on their account,33 for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They did not destroy the peoples,as the Lord commanded them,35 but they mixed with the nations nd learned to do as they did.
36 They served their idols,which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sonsand their daughters to the demons;38 they poured out innocent blood,the blood of their sons and daughters,whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus they became unclean by their acts,and played the whore in their deeds.
40 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,and he abhorred his heritage;
41 he gave them into the hand of the nations,so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,but they were rebellious in their purposesand were brought low through their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,when he heard their cry.
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant,and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.46 He caused them to be pitiedby all those who held them captive.
47 Save us, O Lord our God,and gather us from among the nations,that we may give thanks to your holy nameand glory in your praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,from everlasting to everlasting!And let all the people say, “Amen!”Praise the Lord!
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