What is the meaning of Psalm 105:12? When they were few in number Psalm 105 is rehearsing God’s faithfulness to the patriarchs. Verse 12 opens with the reminder that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob began as a very small family unit. Genesis 12:1-3 shows only Abraham and Sarah stepping out in faith; by Genesis 15:5-6, the promise of countless descendants is contrasted with the single, childless couple. God keeps count of every individual in His covenant family, as seen again in Deuteronomy 7:7 where Israel is told, “The LORD set His affection on you and chose you, because you were the fewest of all peoples.” Though tiny, they were never insignificant to Him. Key takeaways: • God delights in starting great works with small beginnings. • Numerical weakness magnifies divine strength (cf. Judges 7:2-7). • Each believer today can rest in the truth that God values even the “few” (Matthew 18:20). few indeed The repetition underscores vulnerability. Genesis 46:27 counts only seventy members when Jacob’s clan enters Egypt. Humanly speaking, such a handful could be erased by famine, conflict, or assimilation. Yet the very next verses in Psalm 105 (vv. 13-15) highlight how God “allowed no one to oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf.” He guards the fragile until His purposes ripen (Exodus 1:7 speaks of explosive growth after the period of being “few indeed”). Points to notice: • Double emphasis shows God’s people have no strength apart from Him (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). • History validates that His covenant promises never depend on majority status. • Encouragement for modern believers: apparent smallness is not defeat but stage-setting for God’s glory (Zechariah 4:10). and strangers in the land Abraham lived in tents “as a stranger in a foreign country” (Hebrews 11:9). Psalm 105 reminds readers that the patriarchs possessed no legal claim to Canaan at first; Genesis 23 records Abraham negotiating just to buy a burial plot. Still, God’s promise in Genesis 17:8—“the whole land of Canaan… I will give as an everlasting possession”—stood firm. Being “strangers” heightens God’s protective care, evidenced when He warns pagan kings in Genesis 12:17 and 20:3 not to touch Sarah, and later when He shields Israel in Egypt (Psalm 105:37). Living as pilgrims: • God’s people often occupy earthly spaces without permanent status (1 Peter 2:11). • Their true security lies not in citizenship papers but in covenant promises (Philippians 3:20). • God actively defends His sojourners until He hands them the inheritance prepared for them (Joshua 21:43-45). summary Verse 12 spotlights the humble, exposed beginnings of the covenant family—tiny in number, doubly emphasized as vulnerable, and resident aliens in foreign territory. Every phrase magnifies the Lord’s power to protect, multiply, and eventually settle His people exactly as He vowed. What seemed fragile was in fact firmly held by the unbreakable promises of God, inviting believers today to trust Him with every weakness, minority status, and season of sojourning. |
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