Meditations on the Psalms #225

Psalm 106 Part 5

When the Israelites came into the Promised Land, God commanded them to destroy the Canaanite nations living in the land.  You may have problems with this genocidal command, but this was a unique war of judgment that God commanded Israel to perform against highly depraved cultures, ripe and even overdue for judgment. Archaeologists refuse to translate some of the vile material from this time. They had crossed the line, as the inhabitants of the world had in the days of Noah, and this was to be their judgment. But the Israelites ‘mingled’(v35). God wanted the Israelites to make war against the Canaanites to serve His purpose of judgment. He wanted the Canaanite cancer removed so they would not be an immoral influence upon the Israelites, leading them into the worship of their idols and their evil ways. Israel’s failure to do as God commanded meant this wicked influence corrupted God’s people. They went to school with the filthy Canaanites and educated themselves in the arts of iniquity. 

One of the worst examples of this evil influence was Israel’s worship of Molech, a one-eyed Canaanite god sometimes worshipped with child sacrifice. There is still a one-eyed god to whom parents sacrifice their children. We call it television and iPads today. In both the atmosphere they allowed, and the deeds they performed, the Israelites polluted (v38) themselves ‘and became unclean in their practices.’ The same statement could be said over many of God’s people today.

God’s wrath righteously burned against the Israelites for all the sins mentioned in this long psalm. In a sense, ‘He abhorred His own inheritance,’ and gave them over to severe correction. (v40-43). At this point, we conclude that this seems to be a psalm of exile (especially in light of v46), written after the conquest and forced exile of Judah. This giving of Israel ‘into the hand of the Gentiles’ was not merely defeat in a few battles, but their complete conquest and virtual depopulation of the land – ‘those who hated them ruled over them.’ 
After the description of God’s correction of Israel in the previous lines, the word ‘nevertheless’ (v44) comes as a wonderful, gracious reprieve.  

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