I love that this Psalm asks us to remember- to remember what God has done and to remember who He is. As a fickle person, I easily forget both things. I constantly need to be reminded.
The Psalmist starts reminding the people of God’s rescue of the Israelites from Egypt (v. 1). What has God done? He has rescued them from slavery! What has God done for us? Rescued us from slavery! Rescued us from eternal separation! Rescued us from death! What has God done for YOU? Take the time to reflect on your life and the ways that God has worked- to bring you to himself and what He has done since then.
The Psalmist then goes on to talk about ‘Judah became his sanctuary. Israel his dominion’. What does it mean that Judah became his sanctuary? What is a sanctuary? Exodus 25: 8 tells us ‘And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst’. God has not just rescued us and left us to our own devices; that’s not who He is. He has made us His sanctuary that He might dwell with us. He desires to be with us. From the line of Judah comes David and then comes Jesus. What has God done? He has made a way for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and for us to be in His presence.
Versus 3-6 talk about who God is. He has dominion and power over everything, including the sea, the mountains and the hills. We have evidence of this through the crossing of the Red Sea (v.3). Who is God? He is Ruler of all, including nature.
The Psalm comes to an end with my favorite line.
“Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.”
It summarizes the main idea of this Psalm, showing that God is powerful and Ruler (over all the earth), but he uses this power to care for and provide for His people (who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water). Just as He provided water in the desert for the wandering Israelites to sustain them, he has provided us Living Water.
“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” (John 4:13-14)
Thanks be to God that during this time we can continue to remind each other (and the Psalms help remind us) who God is and what He has done!
-Ally Landis