History #1 — Psalms 105
O give thanks unto the Lord. Call upon his name. Make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him. Talk of all his wondrous works. Glory in his holy name. Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face ever.
Remember his marvelous works that he has done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth, O you seed of Abraham his servant, you children of Jacob his chosen. He is the Lord our God. His judgments are in all the earth. He has remembered his covenant for ever — the word which he commanded to a thousand generations — which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac, and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, Unto you will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance, when they were but a few men in number, yea, very few and strangers in it. When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, he suffered no man to do them wrong. Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm.
Moreover, he called for a famine upon the land. He broke the whole support of bread. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant, whose feet they hurt with fetters. He was laid in iron until the time that his word came. The word of the Lord tried him. The king sent and released him, even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his substance, to bind his princes at his pleasure and teach his elders wisdom. Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And he increased his people greatly and made them stronger than their enemies. He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtly with his servants.
He sent Moses his servant and Aaron whom he had chosen. They showed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. He sent darkness and made it dark, and they rebelled not against his word. He turned their waters into blood and slew their fish. Their land brought forth frogs in abundance in the chambers of their kings. He spoke and there came diverse sorts of flies and lice in all their borders. He gave them hail for rain and flaming fire in their land. He smote their vines also, and their fig trees, and broke the trees of their borders. He spoke and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that without number, and did eat up all the herbs in their land and devoured the fruit of their ground. He smote also all the first born in their land, the chief of all their strength. He brought them forth also with silver and gold, and there was not one feeble person among their tribes. Egypt was glad when they departed, for the fear of them fell upon them. He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night. The people asked and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of Heaven. He opened the rock and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river. For he remembered his holy promise unto Abraham his servant. And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness, and gave them the lands of the heathen; and they inherited the labor of the people, that they might observe his statutes and keep his laws. Praise the Lord.
History #2 — Psalms 106
Praise the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures for ever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise? Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that does righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord, with the favor of your people. O visit me with your salvation, that I may see the good of your chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.
We have sinned with our fathers. We have committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. Our fathers understood not your wonders in Egypt. They remembered not the multitude of your mercies, but provoked you at the sea, at the Red Sea. Nevertheless, he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up, so he led them through the depths as through the wilderness. And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies; there was not one of them left. Then they believed his words, they sang his praise.
They soon forgot his works. They waited not for his counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tested God in the desert. And he gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul. They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron, the saint of the Lord. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram, and a fire was kindled in their company. The flame burned up the wicked. They made a calf in Horeb and worshipped the molten image. Thus, they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their savior, who had done great things in Egypt — wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea. Therefore, he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turn away his wrath lest he should destroy them. Yea, they despised the pleasant land. They believed not his word, but murmured in their tents and listened not unto the voice of the Lord. Therefore, he lifted up his hand against them to overthrow them in the wilderness, to overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands. They joined themselves also unto Baal-Peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. Thus, they provoked him to anger with their inventions, and the plague broke in upon them. Then Phineas stood up and executed judgment, and so the plague was stopped. And that was counted unto him for righteousness, unto all generations for ever.
They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes, because they provoked his spirit so that he spoke rashly with his lips. They did not destroy the nations concerning whom the Lord commanded them, but were mingled among the heathen and learned their works. And they served their idols, which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went whoring with their own inventions. Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance. And he gave them into the hand of the heathen, and they that hated them ruled over them. Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand. Many times did he deliver them, but they provoked him with their counsel and were brought low for their iniquity.
Nevertheless, he regarded their affliction when he heard their cry. And he remembered for them his covenant, and spared his people according to the multitude of his mercies. He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.
Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto your holy name and to triumph in your praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. And let all the people say, Amen. Praise the Lord.
If I were a Jewish missionary and wanted to convince others to join the faith, I’d probably share with them the first history from Psalms 105. It’s filled with all the glorious splendor and evidence of God’s favor being poured out upon his people. It’s a beautiful summary of wonderful things that God has done throughout Jewish history. Who wouldn’t want to be part of something filled with so many wonderful and glorious events as these?
If I was raised up only hearing Jewish history from the perspective of Psalms 105, and then someone came along preaching from Psalms 106, I might think that such a person was an enemy of God’s people, trying to get members to leave the Jewish faith. What good is this history anyway? Isn’t it designed to destroy the Jewish faith? If it doesn’t get people to leave Judaism, this version of Jewish history would surely make it much more difficult to get new converts to join them, wouldn’t it? I mean, who is going to want to join up with people who had, “shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan“? How could God approve of such a retelling of history when it has so much potential to be damaging to his people? Wouldn’t this cause those who read it and believe to doubt their heritage and potentially leave the faith? Even if Psalms 106 is true, shouldn’t it be repressed because of the potential damage it might do, or the harm it might cause the effort of increasing the count of those who are numbered among God’s people?
How could such a history as Psalms 106 be true, especially if I all ready know that Psalms 105 is true? How am I to reconcile that both of these can be true?