Psalm 105 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Psalm 105 Short Summary:
Psalm 105 is a summary of the history of the Israelite nation from the days of Abraham to the conquest of the land of Canaan. The author calls on his listeners to praise the Lord for keeping His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them the land of Canaan as a home. The chapter mentions other important Israelite figures like Joseph, Moses, and Aaron.
Psalm 105 Summary
AUTHOR:
No author is named for Psalm 105.
NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:
No Known New Testament References.
THEMES:
A history of the nation of Israel and how God kept His promise to give them the land of Canaan.
God was worthy of praise and worship for keeping His promises to His people.
DEFINITIONS:
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (105:9-10) – These 3 men were the forefathers of the nation of Israel. They were the patriarchs of the nation. Abraham was Isaac’s father and Isaac was Jacob’s father.
OUTLINE:
PRAISE THE LORD FOR KEEPING HIS PROMISES TO ISRAEL (105:1-45):
The author of Psalm 105 wanted his countrymen to give thanks to God and remember His wondrous deeds.
Specifically, the author wanted the people of Israel to remember the covenant (the promises) that God had made to their nation.
God had promised to give them the land of Canaan as a home, which at the time of this psalms writing had come to pass.
A large portion of this chapter is a recounting of the history of God’s promise.
This promise was originally made to Abraham, then to Isaac, and then to Jacob.
It was made to Abraham when the nation was very small (just one family). God protected this family, and they grew over time.
The psalmist then summarized the story of Joseph (Abraham’s great-grandson), how he was sold into slavery in Egypt but ended up saving His family from a famine through God’s providence.
Joseph’s brothers all moved to Egypt and their children lived there for hundreds of years, during which time they grew into a large nation, the nation of Israel.
The Pharoah of Egypt enslaved the people of Israel until God sent Moses, Aaron, and 10 plagues (105:29-36) to deliver His people.
God led them through the wilderness, giving them water and food, until they reached the land of Canaan after 40 years.
God gave them the land as a home in fulfillment of His promise.
The psalmist wrote that the proper response to God keeping this great promise was to worship the Lord and keep His commandments.
APPLICATION:
In verse 17, the psalmist wrote that God “sent a man ahead” of the Israelites to Egypt. This refers to Joseph being sent to Egypt to eventually save his family from a famine.
It’s interesting to me that the text says God sent Joseph to Egypt, because if you know the story of Joseph, you’ll know he got to Egypt because his brothers hated him and sold him into slavery in Egypt.
Their sin was the reason Joseph went to Egypt, but at the same time we’re told God sent him there.
What can we learn from this?
One thing we can learn is that God may use the sins others commit against us to set up the work He wants to do through us and to form us for future events.
When the Bible says that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord it means ALL THINGS!
God can take the godless acts of sinners and use them to mature His saints or to position them for future success.
When we understand that God’s work can be accomplished through the people who hate us, it makes it easier to obey the words of Jesus in Luke 6.
Luke 6:27-28 – “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
Its easier to bless our enemies when we know the sins they commit against us will be used by God for our good.
It may be that through the sins of our enemies God will send us ahead and place us in our own Egypt, ready to serve Him and His people to great effect in some future hour of need.
