Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an inheritance.” – Psalm 105:1-11 (ESV)
James L. Mays writes:
Psalm 105 advances a single explanation for Israel’s foundational story. The whole story from the wandering of Abraham to the settlement of Israel in the land of Canaan is based on the LORD’s promise of the land to Abraham. The psalm praises the LORD, whose power was manifest in the wonderful works and acts of judgment of which the story is composed. …
Israel was chosen as servant by the LORD’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (vv. 7-11). The promise is given in the narratives of Genesis in different forms, but the psalmist focuses on one, the promise of the land of Canaan as Israel’s assigned inheritance (v. 11). The psalm views the gift of the land in analogy to the grant of territory by a human suzerain to a king who thereby becomes his vassal. It is the basis of all that follows in the LORD’s way with Israel, and the most solemn vocabulary available in the tradition is used to speak of it. The psalm calls the promise, [an] everlasting covenant, oath, word of command, statute, and, coining a unique phrase, [a] “holy word.” … This concentration reflects the importance that life in the land assumed during and after the Babylonian exile. The psalmist describes the Exodus in the colors that … Isaiah 40-55 uses to portray the return to Judah. Israel is to experience life in its land as a life lived out of the promise of God. Having their own land and means in the midst of the nations is a sacrament of God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham.
MEMORY WORK – Shorter Catechism Q/A 3
Q. 3. What do the Scriptures principally teach?
A. The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.