Many times He delivered them;
But they rebelled in their counsel,
And were brought low for their iniquity.
Nevertheless He regarded their affliction,
When He heard their cry;
And for their sake He remembered His covenant,
And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.
Our Abba Father has been delivering us from ourselves throughout our history. We can look at Judges and even David when he heard the cries of His children. He is a just God and because He heard the cries He regarded their afflictions and for their sake, He remembered His covenant and then relented according to His mercies. It would be easy to sit back and look and say “How could they keep doing the same thing over and over again? Can’t they see?” Except if we step back and look at ourselves, don’t we do the same thing? We sin or fall short and cry out to God, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit and God walks us through what we are going through only to sin and fall short again.
Thank God for what Jesus has done for us, and while we are waiting for Him to return the Father is working in us and teaching, correcting, and guiding us…….Bill
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Charles Spurgeon
“Many times did he deliver them.” By reading the book of Judges we shall see how truthful is this sentence: again and again their foes were routed, and they were set free again, only to return with rigor to their former evil ways.
“But they provoked him with their counsel.” With deliberation they agreed to transgress anew; self-will was their counselor, and they followed it to their own destruction.
“And were brought low for their iniquity.” Worse and worse were the evils brought upon them, lower and lower they fell in sin, and consequently in sorrow. In dens and caves of the earth they hid themselves; they were deprived of all warlike weapons, and were utterly despised by their conquerors; they were rather a race of serfs than of free men until the Lord in mercy raised them up again. ……. Deeply engrained in their nature must the sin of idolatry have been, or they would not have returned to it with such persistence in the teeth of such penalties; we need not marvel at this, there is a still greater wonder, man prefers sin and hell to heaven and God.
The lesson to ourselves, as God’s people, is to walk humbly and carefully before the Lord and above all to keep ourselves from idols. Woe unto those who become partakers of Rome’s idolatries, for they will be joined with her in her plagues. May grace be given to us to keep the separated path, and remain undefiled with the fornication of the scarlet harlot of Babylon.
“Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry.” Notwithstanding all these provoking rebellions and detestable enormities the Lord still heard their prayer and pitied them. This is very wonderful, very godlike. One would have thought that the Lord would have shut out their prayer, seeing they had shut their ears against his admonitions; but no, he had a father’s heart, and a sight of their sorrows touched his soul, the sound of their cries overcame his heart, and he looked upon them with compassion. His fiercest wrath towards his own people is only a temporary flame, but his love burns on forever like the light of his own immortality.
“And he remembered for them his covenant.” The covenant is the sure foundation of mercy, and when the whole fabric of outward grace manifested in the saints lies in ruins this is the fundamental basis of love which is never moved, and upon it the Lord proceeds to build again a new structure of grace. Covenant mercy is sure as the throne of God.
“And repented according to the multitude of his mercies.” He did not carry out the destruction which he had commenced. Speaking after the manner of men he changed his mind and did not leave them to their enemies to be utterly cut off, because he saw that his covenant would in such a case have been broken. The Lord is so full of grace that he has not only mercy but mercies, yea a multitude of them, and these live in the covenant and treasure up good for the erring sons of men.
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Enduring Word
Nevertheless He regarded their affliction: After the description of God’s correction of Israel in the previous lines, the word nevertheless comes as a wonderful, gracious reprieve. Despite the judgment they well deserved, God regarded their affliction and remembered His covenant. (Guzik)
i. “Although the people were unfaithful to him, God nevertheless was faithful to them, which is why a psalm dealing with the sins of God’s people can end on a positive note.” (Boice)
ii. “The covenant forgotten by men is none the less remembered by Him. The numberless number of His lovingkindnesses, greater than that of all men’s sins, secures forgiveness after the most repeated transgressions.” (Maclaren)
Relented according to the multitude of His mercies: It might have been different; God could have dealt with Israel only on the basis of their sin and His righteous judgment. While not ignoring their sin, God decided to deal with them according to the multitude of His mercies. (Guzik)
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Barnes
And were brought low for their iniquity – Margin, “impoverished or weakened.” The Hebrew word means to melt away, to pine; and hence, to decay, to be brought low. See Job 24:24, where it is rendered “brought low,” and Ecclesiastes 10:18, where it is rendered “decayeth.” The word does not occur elsewhere. The meaning is, that they were weakened; their national strength was exhausted as a punishment for their sins.
Nevertheless, he regarded their affliction – literally, “And he looked upon the trouble that was upon them;” or, “and he saw in the distress to them.” The meaning is, that he did not turn away from it; he saw the need of interposition, and he came to them.
And he remembered for them his covenant – His solemn promises made to their fathers. He remembered that covenant in their behalf; or, on account of that, he came and blessed them. He had made gracious promises to the patriarchs; he had promised to be the God of their posterity; he had his own great purposes to accomplish through their nation in the distant future; and on these accounts, he came and blessed them.
And repented – He averted impending judgments. He checked and arrested the calamities which he was bringing upon them for their sins. He acted toward them as though his mind had been changed; as though he was sorry for what he was doing. The word “repent” can be applied to God in no other sense than this. It cannot be applied to him in the sense that he felt or admitted that he had done wrong; or that he had made a mistake; or that he had changed his mind or purposes; or that he intended to enter on a new course of conduct, but it may be applied to him in the sense that his treatment of people is “as if” he had changed his mind, or “as if” he were sorry for what he had done: that is, a certain course of things which had been commenced, would be arrested and changed to meet existing circumstances, because “they” had changed – though all must have been foreseen and purposed in his eternal counsels.
According to the multitude of his mercies – The greatness of his mercy; the disposition of his nature to show mercy; the repeated instances in which he had shown mercy in similar circumstances.
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John Gill
Many times did he deliver them,…. By means of the judges, Othniel, Ehud, Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, and others.
But they provoked him with their counsel; in asking a king, whom he gave in his anger, and took away in his wrath, Hosea 13:11, and with their idolatries which they devised, setting up the calves at Dan and Bethel; and by taking counsel of others, and not of the Lord; seeking for help from the Assyrians and Egyptians, and trusting in them, Isaiah 30:1, all which was very provoking, and showed great ingratitude, after so many deliverances: or, “though they provoked him with their counsels”; with their inventions, as in Psalm 106:29, yet such were his grace and goodness, that he frequently wrought salvation for them.
And were brought low for their iniquity: or “when they were weakened,” or “impoverished by their iniquity” so that they could not help themselves; as they were particularly by the Midianites, Judges 6:1. Unless this should rather refer to some later times, as the times of Ahaz, when Judah was brought low for their transgressions, 2 Chronicles 28:19 as also the time of the Babylonish captivity. Sin is of a weakening and impoverishing nature; it has weakened all mankind, and took from them their moral strength to do good; and has brought them to poverty and want; to be beggars on the dunghill; to a pit wherein is no water; and left them in a hopeless and helpless condition: yea, it brings the people of God oftentimes after conversion into a low estate, when God hides his face because of it; temptations are strong, grace is weak, and they become lukewarm and indifferent to spiritual things.
When he heard their cry; or their “prayer,” as the Targum, and so other versions; crying is prayer; and it denotes vocal and vehement prayer, such as is put up to God in distress; and which he hears and answers; his ears are open to the cries of his people.
And he remembered for them his covenant,…. At Sinai, according to Aben Ezra; rather that made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; see Psalm 105:8, not their covenant who promised to hear and do all that the Lord commanded, and did it not; but his covenant, his promise of giving them the good land, and settling them in it: the Lord is ever mindful of the covenant of his grace for his people, for their good; he remembers the promises he has made, where they are in Christ; and so as to fulfill and apply them; he remembers the blessings of it, the sure mercies of David, and gives them; he remembers for whom it is made, and never forgets them; he remembers with whom it is made, with his Son, the surety, messenger, and Mediator of it; he remembers that he is their covenant God and Father, and will be so for evermore; he remembers his lovingkindness, which has been ever of old, which is the source and foundation of it.
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Matthew Henry
When God granted them some relief, yet they went on in their sins, and their troubles also were continued, v. 43. This refers to the days of the Judges, when God often raised up deliverers and wrought deliverances for them, and yet they relapsed to idolatry and provoked God with their counsel, their idolatrous inventions, to deliver them up to some other oppressor, so that at last they were brought very low for their iniquity. Those that by sin disparage themselves, and will not by repentance humble themselves, are justly debased and humbled, and brought low, by the judgments of God.
At length they cried unto God, and God returned in favor to them, v. 44-46. They were chastened for their sins, but not destroyed, cast down, but not cast off. God appeared for them,
As a God of mercy, who looked upon their grievances, regarded their affliction, beheld when distress was upon them (so some), who looked over their complaints, for he heard their cry with tender compassion (Ex. 3:7) and overlooked their provocations; for though he had said, and had reason to say it, that he would destroy them, yet he repented, according to the multitude of his mercies, and reversed the sentence. Though he is not a man that he should repent, so as to change his mind, yet he is a gracious God, who pities us, and changes his way.
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KJV W/ STRONGS BIBLE – PSALMS 106
106:43 Many 7227 times 6471 did he deliver 5337 8686 them; but they provoked 4784 8686 [him] with their counsel 6098, and were brought low 4355 8799 for their iniquity 5771.(brought…: or, impoverished, or, weakened)
106:44 Nevertheless he regarded 7200 8799 their affliction 6862, when he heard 8085 8800 their cry 7440:
106:45 And he remembered 2142 8799 for them his covenant 1285, and repented 5162 8735 according to the multitude 7230 of his mercies 2617.
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Geneva Bible 1560
Psalm 106:43-45
3 Manie y a time did he deliver them, but they provoked him by their counsels: therefore they were brought down by their iniquitie.
44 Yet he saw when they were in affliction, & he heard their cry.
45 And he remembred his covenant toward them, and z repented according to the multitude of his mercies,
y The Prophet shows that neither by menaces, nor promises we can come to God, except we be all together newly reformed, and that his mercy overcover and hide our malice. z Not that God is changeable in himself, but that then he seems to us to repent, when he alters his punishment, and forgives us.
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“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace” Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV
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