changing scale

And he gave them the lands of the nations,

and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' toil,

that they might keep his statutes

and observe his laws.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 105:44-45

A brief retelling of Israel’s history, from the call of Abraham to the conquest of Canaan, is retold in song through the 105th psalm. And it reminds us that God has his own scale and scope to doing His work... vastly more than in one lifetime. The psalm downplays Israel’s struggles against God and their lack of faith and instead emphasizes the sovereign plan of God as He was able to bring His people to the Promised Land. It emphasizes the faithfulness of God and Israel’s covenantal obligation to live under God’s Law.

Key people were part of this history of the covenant of the Law. Abraham received the first promise. Isaac and Jacob continues as heirs of this promise. The first three generations died not seeing the full measure of God’s promise, but believing God would do it. Joseph was “sent ahead” to Egypt through painful personal circumstances to rise to saving power for the sons of Jacob so that Israel might grow to be a mighty people there. God then used Moses, generations down the line, to deliver them from slavery so that all of God’s promise to Abraham might find fulfillment as Moses led them out of Egypt singing!

All the emphasis upon God’s faithfulness to His Word throughout generations reminds me of the cosmic, eternal perspective of redemption that God is still doing. It took hundeds of years and number of generations for God’s promise to Abraham to come to fulfillment with Israel in the Promised Land. It took centuries more in the “fullness of time” for God to send Jesus to save us all so that all nations might join in the blessing. And it has taken two millennia of gospel proclamation in church history (so far) for the good news to go out into all the world. God’s timing is never off, neither too fast nor too slow. It just isn’t our timing at all! He is making all things new. It’s His time. Praise the LORD!