8 He has remembered His covenant forever , The word which He commanded to a thousand generations , 9 The covenant which He made with Abraham , And His oath to Isaac . 10 Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute , To Israel as an everlasting covenant , 11 Saying , " To you I will give the land of Canaan As the portion of your inheritance ," 12 When they were only a few men in number , Very few , and strangers in it. 13 And they wandered about from nation to nation , From one kingdom to another people . 14 He permitted no man to oppress them, And He reproved kings for their sakes : 15 " Do not touch My anointed ones , And do My prophets no harm ." 16 And He called for a famine upon the land ; He broke the whole staff of bread . 17 He sent a man before them, Joseph , who was sold as a slave . 18 They afflicted his feet with fetters , He himself was laid in irons ; 19 Until the time that his word came to pass , The word of the Lord tested him. 20 The king sent and released him, The ruler of peoples , and set him free . 21 He made him lord of his house And ruler over all his possessions , 22 To imprison his princes at will , That he might teach his elders wisdom . 23 Israel also came into Egypt ; Thus Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 105:8-23
Commentary on Psalm 105:8-23
(Read Psalm 105:8-23)
Let us remember the Redeemer's marvellous works, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth. Though true Christians are few number, strangers and pilgrims upon earth, yet a far better inheritance than Canaan is made sure to them by the covenant of God; and if we have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, none can do us any harm. Afflictions are among our mercies. They prove our faith and love, they humble our pride, they wean us from the world, and quicken our prayers. Bread is the staff which supports life; when that staff is broken, the body fails and sinks to the earth. The word of God is the staff of spiritual life, the food and support of the soul: the sorest judgment is a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Such a famine was sore in all lands when Christ appeared in the flesh; whose coming, and the blessed effect of it, are shadowed forth in the history of Joseph. At the appointed time Christ was exalted as Mediator; all the treasures of grace and salvation are at his disposal, perishing sinners come to him, and are relieved by him.