"Israel Prone to Rebellion"

PSALMS 106 "Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Verse One)

If you like to read Matthew Henry's commentaries of the Scripture, then you probably have discovered that he does not always agree with some of his predecessors when it comes to interpreting the Scriptures, especially when it comes to determining who and why certain of the Psalms were written. Most of the previous commentaries had put this Psalm being written at or after Israel was held captive in Babylon, but Matthew would put it as a continuation of the previous Psalm, and have it penned by David. This Psalm starts and ends with the same Hallelujah as the end of the last Psalm, yet in between this two proclamations is the tale for the reason. And yes, the title of this post is the title written above the Psalm in my Bible. At the beginning of this new year, I believe it would do well for us to understand and know that we are going to fail at keeping God's commands. It might as well just be a forgone conclusion that is settled within our hearts; almost as if it is expected and we can just count on it happening. If we know what to expect of ourselves, maybe then we can more easily express and live presently in God's forgiveness. That is where we make the most of what we have been given, when it is present and real; not something from yesterday that we hope to return to tomorrow, but it is now, now is the day of salvation. We might not always understand the why of our failures; many people make a living trying to help people figure it out; most of them don't really know the answer, they just go off of what others have guessed and pass down bad information. The best information is found in the Bible. If you want to know why, then you need to read and study your Bible. Don't just read it for the sake of knowledge, but make it personal, as if God has written it just for you. If you really want to bring it home, then the word "Israel" could be replaced with your name, like, "Rich Prone to Rebellion." After you have accepted that reality, now read the first verse of this Psalm, and own it...
"Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. God's law was given so that all people can see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:18-21) NLT