He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.
This psalm shows God's boundless goodness toward His people, yet it confesses that they repaid His kindness with rank ingratitude, idolatry, and rebellion from the very start. The Psalmist begins with praise precisely so that we would dare to ask pardon for such shameful abuse of His covenant mercies.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 106:1-48
He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives. Having the hearts of all men in his hands he produced compassion even in heathen bosoms. Even as he found Joseph friends in Egypt, so did he raise up sympathizers for his captive servants.
Sin descends step by step: first we spare what God commands destroyed, telling ourselves we show compassion God Himself lacks; then we mingle with the ungodly in what seems harmless; finally we learn their worship and serve their idols. Rotten wood corrupts the sound far faster than the sound can heal the rotten.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 106:34-48