Psalm 105 – Exodus to the Promised Land

“For God remembered his holy promise,

and Abraham, his servant.”

~Psalm 105:42 (NRSV)

This Psalm is a song of faithful reconnaissance in the oral tradition of the ancients, bringing back memory of the Lord’s fulfilled promises—both the multitudes of step-by-step covenant loyalty promises and of the bringing of the people to the Promised Land: The Promise. It records the journey from Joseph’s day, having been sold into slavery, through Israel’s bondage in Egypt, the signs and Plagues, the first Passover, and out into deliverance through the Exodus, and then, eventually, to the Promised Land.

And to us it means the same thing. What is a journey Psalm encourages us in our journeys. One day, as we consider our lives for what they’ve been, despite our struggles, we’ll find quiet praise for the Lord, a heart of thankfulness that he saw us through.

Along with a sense of mindfulness for Israel’s history, and for a theological bearing pointing us to our True North, Jesus, in the midst of such a history, we find the meaning for life placed. Life is a journey, and God’s faithfulness is uniquely part of each journey.

Before each journey starts, in the context of life and death, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) Our Saviour, Jesus, has brought us salvation—our personal Promised Land. The Father commanded it and the Holy Spirit sees it through.

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God’s faithfulness stands the test of time. Reflecting on the Lord’s deeds of loyalty we find much that is praiseworthy and thankfulness fills our hearts. This is evidence of our salvation.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.