Psalms 105:7-15, 23-42

He’s GOD, our God, in charge of the whole earth. And he remembers, remembers his Covenant— for a thousand generations he’s been as good as his word. It’s the Covenant he made with Abraham, the same oath he swore to Isaac, The very statute he established with Jacob, the eternal Covenant with Israel, Namely, “I give you the land. Canaan is your hill-country inheritance.” When they didn’t count for much, a mere handful, and strangers at that, Wandering from country to country, drifting from pillar to post, He permitted no one to abuse them. He told kings to keep their hands off: “Don’t you dare lay a hand on my anointed, don’t hurt a hair on the heads of my prophets.”

Then Israel entered Egypt, Jacob immigrated to the Land of Ham. God gave his people lots of babies; soon their numbers alarmed their foes. He turned the Egyptians against his people; they abused and cheated God’s servants. Then he sent his servant Moses, and Aaron, whom he also chose. They worked marvels in that spiritual wasteland, miracles in the Land of Ham. He spoke, “Darkness!” and it turned dark— they couldn’t see what they were doing. He turned all their water to blood so that all their fish died; He made frogs swarm through the land, even into the king’s bedroom; He gave the word and flies swarmed, gnats filled the air. He substituted hail for rain, he stabbed their land with lightning; He wasted their vines and fig trees, smashed their groves of trees to splinters; With a word he brought in locusts, millions of locusts, armies of locusts; They consumed every blade of grass in the country and picked the ground clean of produce; He struck down every firstborn in the land, the first fruits of their virile powers. He led Israel out, their arms filled with loot, and not one among his tribes even stumbled. Egypt was glad to have them go— they were scared to death of them. God spread a cloud to keep them cool through the day and a fire to light their way through the night; They prayed and he brought quail, filled them with the bread of heaven; He opened the rock and water poured out; it flowed like a river through that desert— All because he remembered his Covenant, his promise to Abraham, his servant.