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Commentary on Psalms 105 verses 25–45
After the history of the patriarchs follows here the history of the people of Israel, when they grew into a nation.
I. Their affliction in Egypt (Psa 105:25): He turned the heart of the Egyptians, who had protected them, to hate them and deal subtilely with them. God's goodness to his people exasperated the Egyptians against them; and, though their old antipathy to the Hebrews (which we read of Gen 43:32; Gen 46:34) was laid asleep for a while, yet now it revived with more violence than ever: formerly they hated them because they despised them, now because they feared them. They dealt subtilely with them, set all their politics on work to find out ways and means to weaken them, and waste them, and prevent their growth; they made their burdens heavy and their lives bitter, and slew their male children as soon as they were born. Malice is crafty to destroy: Satan has the serpent's subtlety, with his venom. It was God that turned the hearts of the Egyptians against them; for every creature is that to us that he makes it to be, a friend or an enemy. Though God is not the author of the sins of men, yet he serves his own purposes by them.
II. Their deliverance out of Egypt, that work of wonder, which, that it might never be forgotten, is put into the preface to the ten commandments. Observe,
1.The instruments employed in that deliverance (Psa 105:26): He sent Moses his servant on this errand and joined Aaron in commission with him. Moses was designed to be their lawgiver and chief magistrate, Aaron to be their chief priest; and therefore, that they might respect them the more and submit to them the more cheerfully, God made use of them as their deliverers.
2.The means of accomplishing that deliverance; these were the plagues of Egypt. Moses and Aaron observed their orders, in summoning them just as God appointed them, and they rebelled not against his word (Psa 105:28) as Jonah did, who, when he was sent to denounce God's judgments against Nineveh, went to Tarshish. Moses and Aaron were not moved, either with a foolish fear of Pharaoh's wrath or a foolish pity of Egypt's misery, to relax or retard any of the plagues which God ordered them to inflict on the Egyptians, but stretched forth their hand to inflict them as God appointed. Those that are instructed to execute judgment will find their remissness construed as a rebellion against God's word. The plagues of Egypt are here called God's signs, and his wonders (Psa 105:27); they were not only proofs of his power, but tokens of his wrath, and to be looked upon with admiration and holy awe. They showed the words of his signs (so it is in the original), for every plague had an exposition going along with it; they were not, as the common works of creation and providence, silent signs, but speaking ones, and they spoke aloud. They are all or most of them here specified, though not in the order in which they were inflicted. (1.) The plague of darkness, Psa 105:28. This was one of the last, though here mentioned first. God sent darkness, and, coming with commission, it came with efficacy; his command made it dark. And then they (that is, the people of Israel) rebelled not against God's word, namely, a command which some think was given them to circumcise all among them that had not been circumcised, in doing which the three days' darkness would be a protection to them. The old translation follows the Septuagint, and reads it, They were not obedient to his word, which may be applied to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, who, notwithstanding the terror of this plague, would not let the people go; but there is no ground for it in the Hebrew. (2.) The turning of the river Nilus (which they idolized) into blood, and all their other waters, which slew their fish (Psa 105:29), and so they were deprived, not only of their drink, but of the daintiest of their meat, Num 11:5. (3.) The frogs, shoals of which their land brought forth, which poured in upon them, not only in such numbers, but with such fury, that they could not keep them out of the chambers of their kings and great men, whose hearts had been full of vermin, more nauseous and more noxious-contempt of, and enmity to, both God and his Israel. (4.) Flies of divers sorts swarmed in their air, and lice in their clothes, Psa 105:31; Exo 8:17, Exo 8:24. Note, God can make use of the meanest, and weakest, and most despicable animals, for the punishing and humbling of proud oppressors, to whom the impotency of the instrument cannot but be a great mortification, as well as an undeniable conviction of the divine omnipotence. (5.) Hail-stones shattered their trees, even the strongest timber-trees in their coasts, and killed their vines, and their other fruit-trees, Psa 105:32, Psa 105:33. Instead of rain to cherish their trees, he gave them hail to crush them, and with it thunder and lightning, to such a degree that the fire ran along upon the ground, as if it had been a stream of kindled brimstone, Exo 9:23. (6.) Locusts and caterpillars destroyed all the herbs which were made for the service of man and ate the bread out of their mouths, Psa 105:34, Psa 105:35. See what variety of judgments God has, wherewith to plague proud oppressors, that will not let his people go. God did not bring the same plague twice, but, when there was occasion for another, it was still a new one; for he has many arrows in his quiver. Locusts and caterpillars are God's armies; and, how weak soever they are singly, he can raise such numbers of them as to make them formidable, Joe 1:4, Joe 1:6. (7.) Having mentioned all the plagues but those of the murrain and boils, he concludes with that which gave the conquering stroke, and that was the death of the first-born, Psa 105:36. In the dead of the night the joys and hopes of their families, the chief of their strength and flower of their land, were all struck dead by the destroying angel. They would not release God's first-born, and therefore God seized theirs by way of reprisal, and thereby forced them to dismiss his too, when it was too late to retrieve their own; for when God judges he will overcome, and those will certainly sit down losers at last that contend with him.
3.The mercies that accompanied this deliverance. In their bondage, (1.) They had been impoverished, and yet they came out rich and wealthy. God not only brought them forth, but he brought them forth with silver and gold, Psa 105:37. God empowered them to ask and collect the contributions of their neighbours (which were indeed but part of payment for the service they had done them) and inclined the Egyptians to furnish them with what they asked. Their wealth was his, and therefore he might, their hearts were in his hand, and therefore he could, give it to the Israelites. (2.) Their lives had been made bitter to them, and their bodies and spirits broken by their bondage; and yet, when God brought them forth, there was not one feeble person, none sick, none so much as sickly, among their tribes. They went out that very night that the plague swept away all the first-born of Egypt, and yet they went out all in good health, and brought not with them any of the diseases of Egypt. Surely never was the like, that among so many thousands there was not one sick! So false was the representation which the enemies of the Jews, in after-ages, gave of this matter, that they were all sick of a leprosy, or some loathsome disease, and that therefore the Egyptians thrust them out of their land. (3.) They had been trampled upon and insulted over; and yet they were brought out with honour (Psa 105:38): Egypt was glad when they departed; for God had so wonderfully owned them, and pleaded their cause, that the fear of Israel fell upon them, and they owned themselves baffled and overcome. God can and will make his church a burdensome stone to all that heave at it and seek to displace it, so that those shall think themselves happy that get out of its way, Zac 12:3. When God judges, he will overcome. (4.) They had spent their days in sorrow and in sighing, by reason of their bondage; but now he brought them forth with joy and gladness, Psa 105:43. When Egypt's cry for grief was loud, their first-born being all slain, Israel's shouts for joy were as loud, both when they looked back upon the land of slavery out of which they were rescued and when they looked forward to the pleasant land to which they were hastening. God now put a new song into their mouth.
4.The special care God took of them in the wilderness. (1.) For their shelter. Besides the canopy of heaven, he provided them another heavenly canopy: He spread a cloud for a covering (Psa 105:39), which was to them not only a screen and umbrella, but a cloth of state. A cloud was often God's pavilion (Psa 18:11) and now it was Israel's; for they also were his hidden ones. (2.) For their guidance and refreshment in the dark. He appointed a pillar of fire to give light in the night, that they might never be at a loss. Note, God graciously provides against all the grievances of his people, and furnishes them with convenient succours for every condition, for day and night, till they come to heaven, where it will be all day to eternity. (3.) He fed them both with necessaries and dainties. Sometimes he furnished their tables with wild fowl (Psa 105:40): The people asked, and he brought quails; and, when they were not thus feasted, yet they were abundantly satisfied with the bread of heaven. Those are curious and covetous indeed who will not be so satisfied. Man did eat angels' food, and that constantly and on free-cost. And, as every bit they ate had miracle in it, so had every drop they drank: He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out, Psa 105:41. Common providence fetches waters from heaven, and bread out of the earth; but for Israel the divine power brings bread from the clouds and water from the rocks: so far is the God of nature from being tied to the laws and courses of nature. The water did not only gush out once, but it ran like a river, plentifully and constantly, and attended their camp in all their removes; hence they are said to have the rock follow them (Co1 10:4), and, which increased the miracle, this river of God (so it might be truly called) ran in dry places, and yet was not drunk in and lost, as one would have expected it to be, by the sands of the desert of Arabia. To this that promise alludes, I will give rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen, Isa 43:19, Isa 43:20.
5.Their entrance, at length, into Canaan (Psa 105:44): He gave them the lands of the heathen, put them in possession of that which they had long been put in hopes of; and what the Canaanites had taken pains for God's Israel had the enjoyment of: They inherited the labour of the people; and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. The Egyptians had long inherited their labours, and now they inherited the labours of the Canaanites. Thus sometimes one enemy of the church is made to pay another's scores.
6.The reasons why God did all this for them. (1.) Because he would himself perform the promises of the word, Psa 105:42. They were unworthy and unthankful, yet he did those great things in their favour because he remembered the word of his holiness (that is, his covenant) with Abraham his servant, and he would not suffer one iota or tittle of that to fall to the ground. See Deu 7:8. (2.) Because he would have them to perform the precepts of the word, to bind them to which was the greatest kindness he could put upon them. He put them in possession of Canaan, not that they might live in plenty and pleasure, in ease and honour, and might make a figure among the nations, but that they might observe his statutes and keep his laws, - that, being formed into a people, they might be under God's immediate government, and revealed religion might be the basis of their national constitution, - that, having a good land given them, they might out of the profits of it bring sacrifices to God's altar, - and that, God having thus done them good, they might the more cheerfully receive his law, concluding that also designed for their good, and might be sensible of their obligations in gratitude to live in obedience to him. We are therefore made, maintained, and redeemed, that we may live in obedience to the will of God; and the hallelujah with which the psalm concludes may be taken both as a thankful acknowledgment of God's favours and as a cheerful concurrence with this great intention of them. Has God done so much for us, and yet does he expect so little from us? Praise you the Lord.
"He spoke the word, and there came all manner of flies, and lice in all their quarters" [Psalm 105:31]. If it be asked when He spoke, it was in His Word before it took place; and there it was, without time, at what time it should take place: although even then He commanded it to be done, when it was to be done, through Angels, and through his servants Moses and Aaron.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 105:31 powerfully recounts two of the ten devastating plagues God unleashed upon ancient Egypt—the swarms of flies and the plague of lice (or gnats)—as part of His mighty intervention to liberate Israel from bondage. This verse stands as a profound testament to God's absolute sovereignty over all creation, His precise and escalating judgment against the oppressors of His chosen people, and His unwavering commitment to fulfilling His covenant promises through miraculous and undeniable acts. It encapsulates divine power manifested through a mere spoken word, demonstrating that no earthly authority or natural force can ultimately withstand the sovereign will of the Almighty.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The psalmist employs several literary devices to convey the unparalleled power and precision of God's actions. The most prominent is Divine Speech, where God's simple utterance ("He spake") is presented as the sole and sufficient cause for the plagues. This highlights God's omnipotence and direct control over creation, functioning as a powerful cause-and-effect mechanism that demonstrates His word is inherently effective. The listing of two distinct plagues within a single clause ("divers sorts of flies, [and] lice") creates a sense of conciseness and cumulative impact, compressing the narrative while emphasizing the relentless and overwhelming nature of God's judgment. Furthermore, the phrase "in all their coasts" employs hyperbole to underscore the pervasive and inescapable reach of the plagues, affecting every part of Egyptian territory. There is also an implied contrast between the suffering of the Egyptians and the protection afforded to the Israelites, a theme more explicitly developed in the Exodus narrative but subtly present in the psalmist's concise summary, showcasing God's covenantal faithfulness.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 105:31 profoundly illustrates the active and sovereign nature of God in human history, particularly His role as both judge and deliverer. The plagues, initiated by God's spoken word, demonstrate that His power is not abstract but tangibly manifested in the natural world and in the affairs of nations. This verse reinforces the biblical truth that God is utterly unique, distinct from the impotent idols of Egypt, and that His will cannot be thwarted by human defiance or magical arts. It serves as a powerful reminder that God remembers His covenant and acts decisively on behalf of His people, even when they are in deep oppression. The precision of the plagues, affecting Egyptians but sparing Israelites, further underscores God's meticulous care and His ability to differentiate between the righteous and the unrighteous. Ultimately, the verse points to a God who is just, powerful, and faithful to His promises, using even the most humble creatures to achieve His grand redemptive purposes and demonstrate His absolute Lordship over all creation.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 105:31 calls us to a deeper trust in God's absolute sovereignty and the inherent efficacy of His word. In a world often characterized by chaos, injustice, and seemingly insurmountable challenges, this verse reminds us that the God who spoke flies and lice into existence to bring down a superpower is still actively at work today. It encourages us to recognize that no human authority, no oppressive system, and no natural force can ultimately stand against the will of the Almighty. For believers, this instills profound confidence that God hears the cries of His people and will act in His perfect timing and in His powerful way to bring about justice and deliverance. It challenges us to align our lives with His revealed will, knowing that His word, whether spoken in creation or written in Scripture, carries the same divine authority and power to transform circumstances and fulfill His purposes, both in the grand sweep of redemptive history and in the intimate details of our individual lives. We are invited to rest in the knowledge that our God is not only powerful but also faithfully committed to His promises.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Psalm 105 mention the plagues out of the order found in Exodus?
Answer: Psalm 105 is not intended to be a strict chronological historical record like the book of Exodus. Instead, it is a poetic and theological recounting of God's mighty acts, designed primarily to highlight His faithfulness, power, and covenant loyalty. The psalmist often groups events thematically or for literary effect rather than adhering to a precise historical sequence. In this specific instance, grouping the "flies" and "lice" together in Psalms 105:31 allows for a concise summary of two insect-related plagues, emphasizing the pervasive nature of God's judgment through seemingly small creatures. The primary purpose of the psalm is to evoke praise, remembrance, and trust in God's covenant loyalty, not to serve as a detailed historical chronicle.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Psalms 105:31 powerfully speaks of God's judgment and deliverance through the plagues in Egypt, it ultimately points forward to the ultimate demonstration of God's power and redemptive purpose in Jesus Christ. The "He spake" of the Old Testament, which brought forth plagues and liberation for Israel, finds its profound fulfillment in the "He spake" of the New Testament, which brought forth salvation and eternal life for all who believe. Jesus, as the eternal Word made flesh (John 1:1 and John 1:14), perfectly embodies the divine authority seen in the plagues. He spoke, and demons fled (Mark 1:27), diseases vanished (Matthew 8:8), and even the raging winds and waves obeyed His command (Mark 4:39). Just as God's judgment on Egypt led to Israel's physical liberation, Christ's sacrificial death on the cross, a divine judgment against sin, paved the way for humanity's ultimate deliverance from the spiritual bondage of sin and death (Romans 6:23). The plagues distinguished between Egypt and Israel; similarly, Christ's atoning work establishes a new covenant, distinguishing those who are in Him from those who are not, offering protection, adoption, and eternal life to His chosen people (John 10:28). Thus, the power and purpose of God displayed in Psalms 105:31 are fully realized and infinitely surpassed in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the ultimate Deliverer and Lord over all creation.