Psalms 106:21
They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;
Psalms 106:21
Verse 21 moves back to the core reason for the people’s distress: they forgot God their savior, who had done mighty acts in Egypt. The phrase “forgot God” is not mere forgetfulness; it signals moral recalcitrance—a turning away from dependence on God’s past deeds in order to create their own security and plans. The memory of God’s saving acts in Egypt—the plagues, the Red Sea crossing, and deliverance—should have fortified trust and obedience. Instead, the people fixated on present discomfort and neglect the ground of their hope. The psalm uses this memory recall to show that forgetting God invites danger and dampens hope. In ancient Israel, memory is a covenant act: remembering God is entailed with remaining in relationship and obedience.
Forgetting God is a severe breach of covenant relationship. It implies misplacing ultimate allegiance and misreading God’s character and works. Theologically, this verse foregrounds the mercy of God despite human forgetfulness: God remains faithful, yet human faithfulness wanes. It ties memory to gratitude, as remembering God’s saving acts should generate trust, humility, and worship. The verse also hints at the continuity of salvation history: God saves, people forget, corrective judgment follows, and mercy persists through leaders like Moses to intercede on behalf of the people.
Practically, memory matters. Do you regularly recall moments when God intervened—times when you saw provision, protection, or guidance? Keep a gratitude journal or a “faithful acts” log to counter forgetfulness. When you face uncertainty, recall past mercies, not merely present feelings. The danger of forgetting is not only spiritual amnesia but a receding faith that no longer expects God to act. Cultivate rhythms of remembrance: family prayers with testimonies, annual reminders of God’s faithfulness, and community confession that invites accountability. Let past mercies shape present trust.
Cross-References: Deuteronomy 8:11-18; Psalm 77:11-15; Isaiah 51:12-16; Luke 17:17-19