In Isaiah 43:10, the Lord says to us, “You are My witnesses... My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.”
The three short sentences of Psalm 105:1 provide for us three keys to be a witness for God.
First, give Him thanks. In Christ we live, move and have our being. The air we breathe, the ground we walk on, the food we eat, the loving friendships we enjoy, the protection from harm, the revelation of who He is and the gift of eternal life are some of His many blessings to us.
Second, call upon His Name. Don’t attempt to speak for or serve God in your own strength. In Acts 1:8, Jesus said to us, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witnesses...” We need the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 4:29-31, after God’s people prayed that they would speak God’s Word with boldness, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness.” In Ephesians 6:18-20, Paul asked Christians to pray that he would make known the Gospel to others with boldness.
Third, “Make known His deeds among the peoples.” Trust the Lord to be with you! In Mark 16:15-18, when Jesus called the disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, He went with them and did signs such as casting out demons, giving them new tongues, healing the sick and protecting them from harm. His miracles opened doors for them.
“Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him. Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy Name. Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!” Psalm 105:2-3
Sing praises to God. Throughout history, testimonies of God’s miraculous works have been preserved in the lyrics of Holy Spirit anointed songs.
In Matthew 26:30, Jesus sang a hymn with His disciples before they went to the Garden of Gethsemane where He was a witness to the guards who arrested Him. In Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas sang hymns to God before they witnessed to the jailer and his family. Evangelists, like Billy Graham, preach the Gospel after their listeners sing praises to God. The Holy Spirit moves in peoples’ hearts when God’s praises are sung. God inhabits the praises of His people.
Sharing testimonies of God’s wondrous works is also another way to capture the attention of people who are generally disinterested in “God-talk.” The goal of every witness is to glorify the Lord so that the hearts of the seekers rejoice in HIM.
In Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches, but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight,’ says the Lord.”
“Seek the Lord and His strength. Seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, O seed of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob, His chosen ones!” Psalm 105:4-6
Some ancient translations read, “Seek the Lord and be strengthened.” Those who desire strength in their inner being must receive it from God through faith and prayer. [1]
“Remember His marvelous works!” In John 14:26, Jesus said, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
Consider your relationship with God. You are a “seed of Abraham His servant.” You belong to God’s household and share in the privileges of His servants—His protection and provision. [2]
You are “children of Jacob His chosen.” You have inherited the blessings associated with all the saints of God who have gone before you. God is your Father. You are a member of His family. [3]
“He is the Lord our God. His judgments are in all the earth.” Psalm 105:7
In Isaiah 26:9, Isaiah wrote of God, “When Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” In Deuteronomy 32:3-4, Moses wrote of God, “I proclaim the Name of the Lord. Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock. His work is perfect. For all His ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.” God’s verdict on every legal case that is brought before Him is perfect.
In Acts 17:30-31, Paul proclaimed to the men of Athens, Greece, “God commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
In Revelation 20:12, John shares what the Lord showed him, saying, “I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” In Revelation 20:15, we read, “Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
How does your name appear in the Book of Life? You believe in Jesus Messiah. The worst sin is to reject God’s remedy for sin... His Son Jesus. The best deed is to believe and profess Him.
“He remembers His covenant forever, the Word which He commanded, for 1,000 generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance,’ when they were few in number, indeed very few, and strangers in it. When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no one to do them wrong. Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying, ‘Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.’” Psalm 105:8-15
Throughout all His dealings with Israel, God remembered His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The land of Canaan was not obtained by human achievement but was granted by God’s gracious promise. In the same way, believers receive their heavenly inheritance not through their own merit but through the grace of God in Christ. [4]
The patriarchs were few in number, strangers in the land, and wanderers from nation to nation. From a human perspective, they appeared weak and vulnerable. Yet God protected them. He did not allow anyone to oppress them and even rebuked kings for their sake, saying, “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” Though they possessed little earthly security, they were safely kept under God’s sovereign care. [5]
“Moreover He called for a famine in the land. He destroyed all the provision of bread. He sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave.” Psalm 105:16-17
In Genesis 37, after Joseph shared with his father and brothers a dream that God gave him concerning his future and theirs, some of his brothers hated him and decided to kill him.
Thankfully, Reuben intervened for Joseph. He urged them to throw Joseph into a pit instead of killing him. He planned to rescue Joseph from the pit when his brothers were gone. However, while Reuben was temporarily absent, Joseph’s other brothers sold him as a slave to Midianite human traffickers. Was God’s promise to Joseph and the patriarchs thwarted?
“They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Until the time that his Word came to pass, the Word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom.” Psalm 105:18-22
Though Joseph suffered betrayal, slavery, false accusation, and imprisonment, God resurrected him from a metaphoric death and exalted him to the throne room of the king of Egypt. [6] Suddenly, the wealth of the mightiest nation on earth was committed to his care. He was over the princes (the king’s sons) and over the king’s advisors.
Joseph’s life serves as a striking foreshadowing of Christ. Just as Joseph was humbled before being exalted, so Christ suffered before entering into His glory. [7] Despite the evil that was done to Him while on earth, Jesus now sits on a throne at the right hand of God His Father.
“Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham. He increased His people greatly and made them stronger than their enemies.” Psalm 104:23-24
God fulfilled His promise to Abraham. He greatly multiplied his descendants. The king of Egypt feared them. What God promises, He accomplishes. [8]
The safest place to be on earth is resting in the promises of God. In Hebrews 11, the author recounts the many miracles that God did for those who trusted in Him.
“Dear Heavenly Father, please grant us Holy Spirit empowered convictions of faith in You. Please open doors of opportunity for us to boldly share the Gospel with those whose hearts You have prepared. I ask this in Name of Your Son and our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.”
[1-8] Material developed and edited from Matthew Henry’s Commentary
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