Psalms 106:13 Meaning and Explanation
“They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →A great deliverance can be followed by a short memory. Psalms 106:13 asks us to notice the space between praising God for what he has done and continuing to trust him when the next need arises. It gives honest language for a recurring human weakness: receiving help with gratitude, then acting as though our timing and desires must govern the road ahead.
Israel quickly lost sight of the LORD's saving works and moved ahead without patiently seeking his direction. The verse exposes how forgotten mercy can lead a redeemed people into self-directed desire.
The Context of Psalms 106:13
Psalm 106 opens in praise of the LORD's enduring mercy and then includes the worshiper among the sins of Israel's ancestors: "We have sinned with our fathers" (verse 6). Verses 7-12 recount the Red Sea deliverance, ending with Israel's belief and song. Verse 13 immediately turns from that song to their failure to remember. The following verses describe intense craving in the wilderness, envy of Moses and Aaron, and the making of the calf at Horeb. The psalm's historical confession shows both the seriousness of Israel's rebellion and the persistence of God's mercy.
What Does Psalms 106:13 Mean?
The words "They soon forgat his works" identify the central failure as forgetfulness. Israel had seen the sea opened, their enemies overcome, and God's power displayed for his name's sake. Forgetting here is more than losing information. Their remembered experience no longer shaped trust, worship, or obedience. The next phrase explains the result: "they waited not for his counsel." They did not remain attentive for God's direction or accept his ordering of events. In the wilderness, where provision and direction were daily necessities, impatience treated God's past faithfulness as insufficient for the present. The verse joins memory and waiting because grateful remembrance gives courage to remain under God's wise guidance.
The chapter traces a sequence that begins with rescue and moves through desire, complaint, envy, idolatry, and rejection of God's word. Verse 13 stands at the entrance to that sequence. Israel's lack of waiting is seen soon afterward when they lust exceedingly in the wilderness and tempt God in the desert. God gave their request, while the result brought leanness to their soul. The psalm therefore distinguishes receiving what is asked from receiving what brings lasting good. God's counsel concerns more than an answer to a momentary want. It is the direction of the covenant God who had already acted to save, lead, feed, and form his people. Their history calls God's people to remember his works as living reasons for faithful patience.
The language of waiting for God's counsel finds a strong canonical echo in Isaiah's promise that those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength. Waiting is active confidence in the God whose works have been seen and remembered. The Gospels also portray Jesus seeking the Father's will and refusing to be governed by immediate hunger or public pressure. His faithfulness gives this verse a clear horizon without turning Israel's wilderness failure into a vague lesson. Where the psalm recalls a people who rushed after desire, Jesus' obedience displays trustful dependence upon God. Through him, remembrance of God's saving work can become a steadier pattern of prayer, endurance, and obedience.
Bible Verses Related to Psalms 106:13
“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.”
- Exodus 15:1
“And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?”
- Numbers 11:4
“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”
- Deuteronomy 8:2
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
- Isaiah 40:31
Where Psalms 106:13 Echoes in Scripture
Isaiah 40:31 takes up the verse's concern with waiting: those who wait upon the LORD receive renewed strength. Psalm 106 shows why such waiting matters. Israel had witnessed mighty works, yet their haste left them vulnerable to craving and distrust. Isaiah's promise presents waiting as hopeful reliance on the same God whose power and care the psalm remembers.
How to Apply Psalms 106:13 Today
We can practice remembrance before making a hurried decision. Recalling particular mercies, answered prayers, deliverances, and faithful guidance helps our present concerns take their proper size. Waiting for God's counsel can include prayer, attention to Scripture, wise conversation, and a willingness to leave a desire unfulfilled for a time. This verse also makes room for honest self-examination. When anxiety presses us toward quick control, we may ask whether a forgotten work of God needs to be remembered again. Gratitude becomes a way of remaining teachable and patient.
Reflection & Prayer
What recent work of God in our life has become too familiar to strengthen our trust today? We might pray: "Faithful Lord, keep your mercies before us. Teach us to wait for your counsel when desire, fear, or haste urges us to move ahead alone. Give us hearts that remember and obey."