Good morning,
Psalm 105 is a song of praise, commemorating God’s deeds and miracles, displaying His faithfulness to the children of Israel. It serves as a constant reminder of His unwavering dedication towards His covenant with His chosen ones, highlighting His intervention during their times of need and despair.
Psalm 105
Call to Remember and Praise (v1-6)
O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.4 Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. 5 Remember his marvelous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
The psalm opens with an energetic summons: “Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the nations” (v. 1). Worship, testimony, and joyful song are woven together. Israel is urged to “remember the wonders He has done” (v. 5), and to see itself as the chosen offspring of Abraham and Jacob (v. 6). (https://biblehub.com/kjv/psalms/105.htm)
God’s Unbreakable Promise (v7-11)
7 He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth.8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.9 Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:11 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:
The singer turns to God’s covenant. He “remembers His covenant forever” (v. 8), the oath sworn to Abraham, confirmed to Isaac, and established with Jacob as “an everlasting covenant” (v. 10). The land of Canaan is identified as the concrete pledge. (https://biblehub.com/kjv/psalms/105.htm)
Patriarchs Protected (12-15)
12 When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.13 When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people;14 He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;15 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
While Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were “few in number, strangers” (v. 12), God protected them. He rebuked kings—Pharaoh in Genesis 12, Abimelech in Genesis 20 and 26—saying, “Touch not My anointed ones” (v. 15). (https://biblehub.com/kjv/psalms/105.htm)
Joseph Sent Ahead (v16-22)
16 Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him.20 The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:22 To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.
A sudden famine is introduced, yet God “sent a man before them—Joseph” (v. 17). Betrayed, imprisoned, then exalted to rule, Joseph becomes the agent who “opened wide the prison doors” and “taught [Pharaoh’s] elders wisdom” (vv. 20–22). (https://biblehub.com/kjv/psalms/105.htm)
Israel Grows in Egypt (v23-25)
23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.24 And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.
Jacob’s family arrives in Egypt and “the LORD made His people very fruitful” (v. 24). A new Pharaoh rises, turning affection into oppression (v. 25). (https://biblehub.com/kjv/psalms/105.htm)
Mighty Deliverance (v26-38)
26 He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.27 They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.28 He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word.29 He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.30 Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.31 He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.32 He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.33 He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts.34 He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that without number,35 And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.36 He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.37 He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.38 Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.
God “sent Moses His servant, and Aaron” (v. 26). The psalm lists nine of the ten plagues—darkness, blood, frogs, flies, locusts, hail, and the death of the firstborn—culminating in the Israelites’ departure laden with Egypt’s silver and gold (v. 37). (https://biblehub.com/kjv/psalms/105.htm)
Wilderness Gifts (v39-41)
39 He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.40 The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.41 He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.
A cloud for shade, fire for light, quail for meat, and water from the split rock showcase day-by-day care (vv. 39–41). (https://biblehub.com/kjv/psalms/105.htm)
Promise Kept, Purpose Given (v42-45)
42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.43 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:44 And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;45 That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the Lord.
The closing lines circle back: God “remembered His holy promise” (v. 42), brought Israel to the promised land, and gave it so “they might keep His statutes and observe His laws” (v. 45). Praise again crowns the story. (https://biblehub.com/kjv/psalms/105.htm)
Covenant Themes
The covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), formally cut in Genesis 15 and reaffirmed in Genesis 17 and 26, fuels the psalm. God’s faithfulness to the land promise, the seed promise, and the blessing to nations is highlighted. Psalm 105 places emphasis on the land, while Psalm 106 (its companion) stresses the people’s failures—two sides of the same story. (https://biblehub.com/kjv/psalms/105.htm)
New Testament Resonance
Jesus is the ultimate keeper of the covenant (Luke 1:72-73). The miracles surrounding His ministry echo Exodus power—water to wine, feeding multitudes, calming storms—showing the same God at work. The call to “proclaim His deeds among the nations” (Psalm 105:1) foreshadows the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). (https://biblehub.com/kjv/psalms/105.htm)
Practical Takeaways for Today
– Gratitude is not optional; remembering fuels worship.
– History is more than facts; it’s evidence of God’s character.
– The same God who guided nomads and shook an empire still directs and defends His people.
– Blessing comes with purpose: “that they might keep His statutes” (v. 45). Obedience is the natural response to grace.
Psalm 105 invites every reader to step into Israel’s story, see the hand of God, and echo the closing word: “Hallelujah!”
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Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
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