1Let the Lord be praised. O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. 2Who is able to give an account of the great acts of the Lord, or to make clear all his praise? 3Happy are they whose decisions are upright, and he who does righteousness at all times. 4Keep me in mind, O Lord, when you are good to your people; O let your salvation come to me; 5So that I may see the well-being of the people of your selection, and have a part in the joy of your nation, and take pride in your heritage. 6We are sinners like our fathers, we have done wrong, our acts are evil. 7Our fathers did not give thought to your wonders in Egypt; they did not keep in memory the great number of your mercies, but gave you cause for wrath at the sea, even at the Red Sea. 8But he was their saviour because of his name, so that men might see his great power. 9By his word the Red Sea was made dry: and he took them through the deep waters as through the waste land. 10And he took them safely out of the hands of their haters, and kept them from the attacks of those who were against them. 11And the waters went over their haters; all of them came to an end. 12Then they had faith in his words; they gave him songs of praise. 13But their memory of his works was short; not waiting to be guided by him, 14They gave way to their evil desires in the waste land, and put God to the test in the dry places. 15And he gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease into their souls. 16They were full of envy against Moses among the tents, and against Aaron, the holy one of the Lord. 17The earth opening put an end to Dathan, covering up Abiram and his band. 18And a fire was lighted among their tents; the sinners were burned up by the flames. 19They made a young ox in Horeb, and gave worship to an image of gold. 20And their glory was changed into the image of an ox, whose food is grass. 21They had no memory of God their saviour, who had done great things in Egypt; 22Works of wonder in the land of Ham, and things of fear by the Red Sea. 23And he was purposing to put an end to them if Moses, his special servant, had not gone up before him, between him and his people, turning back his wrath, to keep them from destruction. 24They were disgusted with the good land; they had no belief in his word; 25Talking against him secretly in their tents, they did not give ear to the voice of the Lord. 26So he made an oath against them, to put an end to them in the waste land: 27That their children might be mixed among the nations, and sent away into other lands. 28And they were joined to Baal-peor, and took part in the offerings to the dead. 29So they made him angry by their behaviour; and he sent disease on them. 30Then Phinehas got up, and made prayer for them; and the disease went no farther. 31And all the generations coming after him kept the memory of his righteousness for ever. 32They made God angry again at the waters of Meribah, so that Moses was troubled because of them; 33For they made his spirit bitter, and he said unwise things. 34They did not put an end to the peoples, as the Lord had said; 35But they were joined to the nations, learning their works. 36And they gave worship to images; which were a danger to them: 37They even made offerings of their sons and their daughters to evil spirits, 38And gave the blood of their sons and their daughters who had done no wrong, offering them to the images of Canaan; and the land was made unclean with blood. 39So they became unclean through their works, going after their evil desires. 40Then the wrath of the Lord was burning against his people, and he was angry with his heritage. 41And he gave them into the hands of the nations; and they were ruled by their haters. 42By them they were crushed, and made low under their hands. 43Again and again he made them free; but their hearts were turned against his purpose, and they were overcome by their sins. 44But when their cry came to his ears, he had pity on their trouble: 45And kept in mind his agreement with them, and in his great mercy gave them forgiveness. 46He put pity into the hearts of those who made them prisoners. 47Be our saviour, O Lord our God, and let us come back together from among the nations, so that we may give honour to your holy name, and have glory in your praise. 48Praise be to the Lord God of Israel for ever and for ever; and let all the people say, So be it. Give praise to the Lord.
Matthew Henry's Commentary
The happiness of God's people. (1-5) Israel's sins. (6-12) Their provocations. (13-33) Their rebellions in Canaan. (34-46) Prayer for more complete deliverance. (47,48) 1-5 None of our sins or sufferings should prevent our ascribing glory and praise to the Lord. The more unworthy we are, the more is his kindness to be admired. And those who depend on the Redeemer's righteousness will endeavour to copy his example, and by word and deed to show forth his praise. God's people have reason to be cheerful people; and need not envy the children of men their pleasure or pride. 6-12 Here begins a confession of sin; for we must acknowledge that the Lord has done right, and we have done wickedly. We are encouraged to hope that though justly corrected, yet we shall not be utterly forsaken. God's afflicted people own themselves guilty before him. God is distrusted because his favours are not remembered. If he did not save us for his own name's sake, and to the praise of his power and grace, we should all perish. 13-33 Those that will not wait for God's counsel, shall justly be given up to their own hearts' lusts, to walk in their own counsels. An undue desire, even for lawful things, becomes sinful. God showed his displeasure for this. He filled them with uneasiness of mind, terror of conscience, and self-reproach. Many that fare deliciously every day, and whose bodies are healthful, have leanness in their souls: no love to God, no thankfulness, no appetite for the Bread of life, and then the soul must be lean. Those wretchedly forget themselves, that feast their bodies and starve their souls. Even the true believer will see abundant cause to say, It is of the Lord's mercies that I am not consumed. Often have we set up idols in our hearts, cleaved to some forbidden object; so that if a greater than Moses had not stood to turn away the anger of the Lord, we should have been destroyed. If God dealt severely with Moses for unadvised words, what do those deserve who speak many proud and wicked words? It is just in God to remove those relations that are blessings to us, when we are peevish and provoking to them, and grieve their spirits. 34-48 The conduct of the Israelites in Canaan, and God's dealings with them, show that the way of sin is down-hill; omissions make way for commissions: when they neglected to destroy the heathen, they learned their works. One sin led to many more, and brought the judgments of God on them. Their sin was, in part, their own punishment. Sinners often see themselves ruined by those who led them into evil. Satan, who is a tempter, will be a tormentor. At length, God showed pity to his people for his covenant's sake. The unchangeableness of God's merciful nature and love to his people, makes him change the course of justice into mercy; and no other change is meant by God's repentance. Our case is awful when the outward church is considered. When nations professing Christianity, are so guilty as we are, no wonder if the Lord brings them low for their sins. Unless there is general and deep repentance, there can be no prospect but of increasing calamities. The psalm concludes with prayer for completing the deliverance of God's people, and praise for the beginning and progress of it. May all the people of the earth, ere long, add their Amen.