After the writer of Psalm 106 remembered God's goodness and greatness, He then confessed his sin to God by identifying himself with the sins of his people, Israel. Psalm 106:6-12 says, "Like our ancestors, we have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly! Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lord's miraculous deeds. They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea. Even so, he saved them—to defend the honor of his name and to demonstrate his mighty power. He commanded the Red Sea to dry up. He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert. So, he rescued them from their enemies and redeemed them from their foes. Then, the water returned and covered their enemies; not one of them survived. Then, his people believed his promises. Then they sang his praise." One of the reasons the Israelites sinned against God was that they easily forgot the goodness and greatness of God towards them. Despite seeing the ten miraculous plagues that God demonstrated in Egypt to rescue them from slavery, they were not impressed and did not completely trust in God. They sinned at the Red Sea because they did not trust God but complained against Moses. Nevertheless, God rescued them by splitting the Red Sea so that they could safely cross to the other side of the Red Sea.
Not appreciating all the goodness that God has done for us in the past will lead us to the sin of unbelief, which is not trusting and submitting to God in our problems and difficult situations. When we become ungrateful, we become self-absorbed and self-centered or even feel a sense of entitlement. We grumble and complain when we do not get our way, and as a result, we become angry and discontent about everything. The Israelites were ungrateful to God, and God could have severely judged them, but because of His grace, mercy, and love, He continued to take care of them in the desert. Imagine being with ungrateful people. No matter how much kindness you show to them, they are not appreciative. If anything, they will complain about anything. As a result, they become a very negative person. They become toxic to us because every time we talk or hang out with them, we become negative ourselves.
We can easily become negative and discontent people when we become ungrateful. When we are not thankful for what God has done for us, we will eventually stop believing and submitting to God. Thus, it leads us to the sin of unbelief.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Do I have a problem of ungratefulness? What are the consequences of ungratefulness? What should I do to protect myself from ungratefulness, especially towards God?
Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for reminding me today to always be thankful for all the goodness you have shown me. Please forgive me if I have not been thankful. Please help me to be thankful today so that I can always praise and trust you in every situation. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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