All through out Psalm 106, there is a recurring theme: forgetfulness and rebellion by the Israelites and justice, remembering, and atonement by God for the Israelites. Again and again God intervenes and saves His people with mighty works and to make His name known among the nations, but the Israelites again and again forget the wondrous works of God and the steadfast love of the Lord. And as they forget God, they begin to consequently put other things at the center of their lives, essentially rebelling against the only One who is worthy of centeredness. Their forgetfulness gives way to peripheral worship, aka idolatry. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox. When we forget the only one who is worthy to be center and begin to center our lives around other things, we are exchanging the glory of God for infinitely and drastically lesser things. But God, amidst the continual forgetfulness and rebellion of the Israelites, responds with love. Amidst their forgetfulness, He remembers his covenant with them, and amidst their rebellion He redeems them. Amidst our forgetfulness and rebellion, God remembers and redeems! (Psalm 106). Is it fair that God loves us like this, that he loves us when we are least worth? No, but He does. May I not ever forget that. This is why we fight to remember the steadfast love of God. Fighting to remember the steadfast love of God is fighting to keep Christ central. Fighting to keep Christ central is to fight idolatry. Fighting to keep glory of God the center is fighting to increase joy.
