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Commentary on Psalms 106 verses 34–48
Here, I. The narrative concludes with an account of Israel's conduct in Canaan, which was of a piece with that in the wilderness, and God's dealings with them, wherein, as all along, both justice and mercy appeared.
1.They were very provoking to God. The miracles and mercies which settled them in Canaan made no more deep and durable impressions upon them than those which fetched them out of Egypt; for by the time they were just settled in Canaan they corrupted themselves, and forsook God. Observe,
(1.)The steps of their apostasy. [1.] They spared the nations which God had doomed to destruction (Psa 106:34); when they had got the good land God had promised them they had no zeal against the wicked inhabitants whom the Lord commanded them to extirpate, pretending pity; but so merciful is God that no man needs to be in any case more compassionate than he. [2.] When they spared them they promised themselves that, notwithstanding this, they would not join in any dangerous affinity with them. But the way of sin is down-hill; omissions make way for commissions; when they neglect to destroy the heathen the next news we hear is, They were mingled among the heathen, made leagues with them and contracted an intimacy with them, so that they learned their works, Psa 106:35. That which is rotten will sooner corrupt that which is sound than be cured or made sound by it. [3.] When they mingled with them, and learned some of their works that seemed innocent diversions and entertainments, yet they thought they would never join with them in their worship; but by degrees they learned that too (Psa 106:36): They served their idols in the same manner, and with the same rites, that they served them; and they became a snare to them. That sin drew on many more, and brought the judgments of God upon them, which they themselves could not but be sensible of and yet knew not how to recover themselves. [4.] When they joined with them in some of their idolatrous services, which they thought had least harm in them, they little thought that ever they should be guilty of that barbarous and inhuman piece of idolatry the sacrificing of their living children to their dead gods; but they came to that at last (Psa 106:37, Psa 106:38), in which Satan triumphed over his worshippers, and regaled himself in blood and slaughter: They sacrificed their sons and daughters, pieces of themselves, to devils, and added murder, the most unnatural murder, to their idolatry; one cannot think of it without horror. They shed innocent blood, the most innocent, for it was infant-blood, nay, it was the blood of their sons and their daughters. See the power of the spirit that works in the children of disobedience, and see his malice. The beginning of idolatry and superstition, like that of strife, is as the letting forth of water, and there is no villany which those that venture upon it can be sure they shall stop short of, for God justly gives them up to a reprobate mind, Rom 1:28.
(2.)Their sin was, in part, their own punishment; for by it, [1.] They wronged their country: The land was polluted with blood, Psa 106:38. That pleasant land, that holy land, was rendered uncomfortable to themselves, and unfit to receive those kind tokens of God's favour and presence in it which were designed to be its honour. [2.] They wronged their consciences (Psa 106:39): They went a whoring with their own inventions, and so debauched their own minds, and were defiled with their own works, and rendered odious in the eyes of the holy God, and perhaps of their own consciences.
2.God brought his judgments upon them; and what else could be expected? For his name is Jealous, and he is a jealous God. (1.) He fell out with them for it, Psa 106:40. He was angry with them: The wrath of God, that consuming fire, was kindled against his people; for from them he took it as more insulting and ungrateful than from the heathen that never knew him. Nay, he was sick of them: He abhorred his own inheritance, which once he had taken pleasure in; yet the change was not in him, but in them. This is the worst thing in sin, that it makes us loathsome to God; and the nearer any are to God in profession the more loathsome are they if they rebel against him, like a dunghill at our door. (2.) Their enemies then fell upon them, and, their defence having departed, made an easy prey of them (Psa 106:41, Psa 106:42): He gave them into the hands of the heathen. Observe here how the punishment answered to the sin: They mingled with the heathen and learned their works; from them they willingly took the infection of sin, and therefore God justly made use of them as the instruments of their correction. Sinners often see themselves ruined by those by whom they have suffered themselves to be debauched. Satan, who is a tempter, will be a tormentor. The heathen hated them. Apostates lose all the love on God's side, and get none on Satan's; and when those that hated them ruled over them, and they were brought into subjection under them, no marvel that they oppressed them and ruled them with rigour; and thus God made them know the difference between his service and the service of the kings of the countries, Ch2 12:8. (3.) When God granted them some relief, yet they went on in their sins, and their troubles also were continued, Psa 106:43. 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. (4.) At length they cried unto God, and God returned in favour to them, Psa 106:44-46. They were chastened for their sins, but not destroyed, cast down, but not cast off. God appeared for them, [1.] 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 (Exo 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. [2.] As a God of truth, who remembered for them his covenant, and made good every word that he had spoken; and therefore, bad as they were, he would not break with them, because he would not break his own promise. [3.] As a God of power, who has all hearts in his hand, and turns them which way soever he pleases. He made them to be pitied even of those that carried them captives, and hated them, and ruled them with rigour. He not only restrained the remainder of their enemies' wrath, that it should not utterly consume them, but he infused compassion even into their stony hearts, and made them relent, which was more than any art of man could have done with the utmost force of rhetoric. Note, God can change lions into lambs, and, when a man's ways please the Lord, will make even his enemies to pity him and be at peace with him. When God pities men shall. Tranquillus Deus tranquillat omnia - A God at peace with us makes every thing at peace.
II. The psalm concludes with prayer and praise. 1. Prayer for the completing of his people's deliverance. Even when the Lord brought back the captivity of his people still there was occasion to pray, Lord, turn again our captivity (Psa 126:1, Psa 126:4); so here (Psa 106:47), Save us, O Lord our God! and gather us from among the heathen. We may suppose that many who were forced into foreign countries, in the times of the Judges (as Naomi was, Rut 1:1), had not returned in the beginning of David's reign, Saul's time being discouraging, and therefore it was seasonable to pray, Lord, gather the dispersed Israelites from among the heathen, to give thanks to thy holy name, not only that they may have cause to give thanks and hearts to give thanks, that they may have opportunity to do it in the courts of the Lord's house, from which they were now banished, and so may triumph in thy praise, over those that had in scorn challenged them to sing the Lord's song in a strange land. 2. Praise for the beginning and progress of it (Psa 106:48): Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting. He is a blessed God from eternity, and will be so to eternity, and so let him be praised by all his worshippers. Let the priests say this, and then let all the people say, Amen, Hallelujah, in token of their cheerful concurrence in all these prayers, praises, and confessions. According to this rubric, or directory, we find that when this psalm (or at least the closing verses of it) was sung all the people said Amen, and praised the Lord by saying, Hallelujah. By these two comprehensive words it is very proper, in religious assemblies, to testify their joining with their ministers in the prayers and praises which, as their mouth, they offer up to God, according to his will, saying Amen to the prayers and Hallelujah to the praises.
"Yea, they offered their sons and their daughters unto devils" [Psalm 106:37]; "and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they offered unto the idols of Canaan" [Psalm 106:38]. That history does not relate that they offered their sons and daughters to devils and idols; but neither can that Psalm lie, nor the Prophets, who assert this in many passages of their rebukes. But the literature of the Gentiles is not silent respecting this custom of theirs. But what is it that follows? "And the land was slain with bloods." We might suppose that this was a mistake of the writer, and that he had written interfecta for infecta, were it not for the goodness of God, who has willed His Scriptures to be written in many languages; were it not that we see it written as in the text in many Greek copies which we have inspected; "the land was slain with bloods." What means then, "the land was slain," unless this be referred to the men who dwelt in the land, by a metaphorical expression....For they themselves were slaying their own souls when they offered up their sons, and when they shed the blood of infants who were far from consent to this crime: whence it is said, "They shed innocent blood." "The land" therefore "was slain with bloods, and defiled by their works" [Psalm 106:39], since they themselves were slain in soul, and defiled by their works; "and they went a whoring after their own inventions." By inventions are meant what the Greeks call ἐ πιτηδεύματα: for this word does occur in the Greek copies both in this and a former passage, where it is said, "They provoked Him to anger with their own inventions;" "inventions" in both instances signifying what they had initiated others in. Let no man therefore suppose inventions to mean what they had of themselves instituted, without any example before them to imitate. Whence other translators in the Latin tongue have preferred pursuits, affections, imitations, pleasures, to inventions: and the very same who here write inventions, have elsewhere written pursuits. I chose to mention this, lest the word inventions, applied to what they had not invented, but imitated from others, might raise a difficulty.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 106:38 serves as a chilling indictment of Israel's profound apostasy, vividly recounting their descent into the abhorrent practice of child sacrifice to the idols of Canaan. This verse starkly illustrates the spiritual and moral corruption resulting from their disobedience, culminating in the shedding of innocent blood and the defilement of the very land God had consecrated for His people. It underscores the ultimate consequence of turning from the true God: a radical distortion of divine and human values, leading to unspeakable atrocities and pervasive spiritual pollution.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 106:38 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its stark message. The most prominent is Imagery, particularly the visceral image of "shed innocent blood" and the "land... polluted with blood." This creates a vivid and repulsive mental picture, emphasizing the horrific nature of the act and its widespread consequences. The Repetition of "blood" (three times in one verse) serves to underscore the central element of defilement and violence, hammering home the gravity of the sin. There is also strong Pathos evoked by the phrase "their sons and of their daughters," appealing directly to the reader's emotions regarding the vulnerability and innocence of children, making the act of sacrifice even more tragic and abhorrent. Furthermore, the concept of the "land... polluted" functions as Symbolism, where the physical defilement of the land represents the spiritual and moral corruption of the nation, highlighting the interconnectedness between human sin and cosmic order in the biblical worldview.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse, deeply embedded in Israel's historical narrative of rebellion, serves as a profound theological statement on the nature of sin, idolatry, and divine justice. It vividly illustrates that turning from the true God leads not merely to spiritual error but to radical moral perversion, culminating in the most heinous acts imaginable. The shedding of innocent blood, particularly that of children, is presented as the ultimate defilement, not only of human dignity but also of the sacred land itself, which God had consecrated for His holy presence. This act of child sacrifice was a direct affront to God's character as the giver of life and His covenant commands, demonstrating the depths of human depravity when left to its own devices and influenced by pagan practices. It underscores God's absolute abhorrence for the devaluing of human life and the profound consequences that await those who persist in such abominations, ultimately leading to the land "vomiting out" its inhabitants.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 106:38 serves as a chilling historical mirror, reflecting the profound dangers of spiritual compromise and the insidious nature of idolatry. While literal child sacrifice may seem distant to modern believers, the underlying principles of this verse remain profoundly relevant. It compels us to examine what we truly worship and what we are willing to "sacrifice" on the altar of our contemporary idols – be it career ambition, material wealth, social acceptance, or personal comfort. Any pursuit that demands the compromise of our moral convictions, the neglect of the vulnerable, or the erosion of our spiritual integrity can become a form of modern-day idolatry, polluting our lives and communities. The emphasis on "innocent blood" also serves as a timeless call to champion the sanctity of human life in all its stages, from conception to natural death, and to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society. Ultimately, this verse challenges us to cultivate a radical devotion to God alone, guarding against syncretism and striving for lives of purity and justice, lest we too defile the "land" of our influence and experience the bitter consequences of spiritual compromise.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was child sacrifice considered such an extreme abomination by God?
Answer: Child sacrifice was considered an extreme abomination by God for several profound reasons, as highlighted in Leviticus 18:21 and Deuteronomy 12:31. First, it was a direct assault on the sanctity of human life, which God created in His own image (Genesis 1:27). The innocent lives of children, the most vulnerable, were cruelly extinguished. Second, it was a profound act of idolatry, giving ultimate devotion to false gods rather than the one true God who gives life. It represented a complete inversion of divine order and moral values. Third, it involved defiling God's holy name and His people by associating them with such detestable practices. The act was so abhorrent that it was seen as polluting the land itself, making it unfit for God's presence and ultimately leading to the land "vomiting out" its inhabitants (Leviticus 18:25). It was the ultimate expression of spiritual rebellion and moral depravity.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Psalms 106:38 vividly portrays the defilement caused by Israel's shedding of innocent blood, it also powerfully foreshadows the ultimate act of purification and redemption found in Christ. The "innocent blood" of sons and daughters sacrificed to idols stands in stark contrast to the truly innocent blood of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, shed not for idols but for the sins of humanity. Just as the land was polluted by the sin of Israel, humanity itself was polluted by the pervasive stain of sin, rendering it unfit for fellowship with a holy God. However, Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, offered Himself as the ultimate, once-for-all sacrifice, His blood having the power to cleanse from all sin (Hebrews 9:14). Through His death, Jesus not only atoned for sin but also inaugurated a new covenant where believers are made pure and holy, becoming a dwelling place for God's Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Thus, the horror of polluted land and shed innocent blood in the Old Testament finds its glorious resolution in the cleansing power of Christ's sacrifice, which purifies not only individuals but also redeems creation itself, pointing to a future where all things are made new and free from the stain of sin and idolatry (Revelation 21:1-5).