One Brief Shining Moment

Psalm 106:1-12

1Praise the LORD!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

2Who can list the glorious miracles of the LORD?

Who can ever praise him half enough?

3Happy are those who deal justly with others

and always do what is right.

4Remember me, too, LORD, when you show favor to your people;

come to me with your salvation.

5Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones.

Let me rejoice in the joy of your people;

let me praise you with those who are your heritage.

6Both we and our ancestors have sinned.

We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!

7Our ancestors in Egypt

were not impressed by the LORD’s miracles.

They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them.

Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.

8Even so, he saved them—

to defend the honor of his name

and to demonstrate his mighty power.

9He commanded the Red Sea to divide, and a dry path appeared.

He led Israel across the sea bottom that was as dry as a desert.

10So he rescued them from their enemies

and redeemed them from their foes.

11Then the water returned and covered their enemies;

not one of them survived.

12Then his people believed his promises.

Then they sang his praise.

The final moments of the musical Camelot are heartbreaking.

King Arthur had a marvelous hope: that his nation would be ruled by law, not just by whim. He set up the famous Round Table, inviting knights to discuss their disputes rather than go to battle over them. He tried to create a civilization based on justice. And for “one brief shining moment” it worked.

Then, as the story goes, Lancelot and Guenevere fell in love, and Arthur himself was forced to go to war against his best friend. His kingdom was crumbling. All the glories were forgotten. People simply forgot how to be civilized.

But Arthur found hope in a young boy who showed up, ready to go into battle. Instead, the king sent him home, ordering him to tell the story of Camelot to “every living person, far and near.”

Forgetfulness brings disaster. That’s a common theme of the Old Testament. When people forget God’s “many acts of kindness,” they drift away from him. Again and again God worked miracles for his people. Again and again they forgot. But that’s why the psalmist tells the story—again and again. As we hear the tales of God saving his people, we remember that God remembers us.

I will tell the wondrous story,

How, my lost estate to save,

In his boundless love and mercy

He the ransom freely gave.

PHILIP P. BLISS

Fascinating Fact

Louis IX of France, before judging his people’s disputes, would often quote Psalm 106:3.

Bible Networking

In verse 3 we read one of the many beatitudes in the Psalms. See also Psalm 1:1, and compare it with Matthew 5:3-12.

Notable Quotable

“We inherit from our fathers much sin and little wisdom. They could only leave us what they themselves possessed. The sin of the understanding leads on to the sin of the memory. What is not understood will soon be forgotten.”

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON