Psalms 105:1-16: a reflection

1Give thanks to the LORD! Call on his name! Make his doings known among the peoples. 2Sing to him, sing praises to him! Tell of all his marvelous works. 3Glory in his holy name. Let the heart of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 4Seek the LORD and his strength. Seek his face forever more. 5Remember his marvelous works that he has done: his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth, 6you offspring of Abraham, his servant, you children of Jacob, his chosen ones. 7He is the LORD, our God. His judgments are in all the earth. 8He has remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations, 9the covenant which he made with Abraham, his oath to Isaac, 10and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute; to Israel for an everlasting covenant, 11saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance,” 12when they were but a few men in number, yes, very few, and foreigners in it. 13They went about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people. 14He allowed no one to do them wrong. Yes, he reproved kings for their sakes, 15“Don’t touch my anointed ones! Do my prophets no harm!” 16He called for a famine on the land. He destroyed the food supplies.

This psalm calls God's people to give thanks and to remember, and at its heart is a truth about God himself: he remembers and keeps his covenant forever. He has remembered his covenant forever, the psalm says, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant which he made with Abraham. Long after Abraham, through generations who came and went, God kept remembering the promise he had made, and kept it. His covenant was not forgotten with the passing years, not set aside as generations died; he remembered it forever, faithful to a thousand generations. The God who makes a promise remembers it and keeps it, across all the years, faithful long after those to whom he first spoke it have passed away.

Notice what the psalm says of God's faithfulness: he has remembered his covenant forever, to a thousand generations. God does not make a promise and then forget it as the years pass; he remembers it forever, keeps it across generations, stays faithful to the word he has given long after those who first heard it are gone. The covenant with Abraham was kept through Isaac, through Jacob, through all the generations that followed; God remembered it and kept it, faithful to a thousand generations. His faithfulness is not the short faithfulness of a season but the enduring faithfulness of one who remembers his covenant forever. What God promises, he remembers; what he remembers, he keeps; and his keeping endures across all generations. God's memory of his covenant does not fade with time.

That is worth resting in, for God remembers and keeps his covenant forever, faithful across all generations. We can fear that God's promises might be forgotten with the passing years, that his faithfulness might not reach to us so long after it was first given; but the psalm declares that God remembers his covenant forever, keeps it to a thousand generations. His faithfulness does not fade with time; what he has promised, he remembers and keeps, across all the years. When you wonder whether God's promises still hold, remember that he keeps his covenant forever, faithful to a thousand generations. Rest in the God who remembers and keeps his covenant forever, faithful across all generations, as the psalm declares he has remembered his covenant forever, the word he commanded to a thousand generations; for God does not forget his promises with the passing years but remembers and keeps them, and his faithfulness endures long after those to whom he first spoke, reaching even to us.

Lord, this psalm calls your people to give thanks and to remember, and at its heart is a truth about you: you remember and keep your covenant forever. You have remembered your covenant forever, the psalm says, the word which you commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant which you made with Abraham. Long after Abraham, through generations who came and went, you kept remembering the promise you had made, and kept it. Your covenant was not forgotten with the passing years, not set aside as generations died; you remembered it forever, faithful to a thousand generations. Show me what the psalm says of your faithfulness: you have remembered your covenant forever, to a thousand generations. You do not make a promise and then forget it as the years pass; you remember it forever, keep it across generations, stay faithful to the word you have given long after those who first heard it are gone. The covenant with Abraham was kept through Isaac, through Jacob, through all the generations that followed. Your faithfulness is not the short faithfulness of a season but the enduring faithfulness of one who remembers his covenant forever. Let me rest in that, for you remember and keep your covenant forever, faithful across all generations. I can fear that your promises might be forgotten with the passing years, that your faithfulness might not reach to me so long after it was first given; but the psalm declares that you remember your covenant forever. When I wonder whether your promises still hold, help me remember that you keep your covenant forever, Lord, faithful to a thousand generations, reaching even to me.