1Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the
hand of the enemy,
3And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the
west,
From the north and from the
south.
4They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell
in.
5Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
6Then they cried out to the Lord
in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of
their distresses.
7And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city
for a dwelling place.
8Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord
for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to
the children of men!
9For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with
goodness.
10Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
11Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of
the Most High,
12Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was
none to help.
13Then they cried out to the Lord
in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their
distresses.
14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in
pieces.
15Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord
for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to
the children of men!
16For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in
two.
17Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their
iniquities, were afflicted.
18Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the
gates of death.
19Then they cried out to the Lord
in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their
distresses.
20He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their
destructions.
21Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord
for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to
the children of men!
22Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with
rejoicing.
23Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great
waters,
24They see the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
25For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of
the sea.
26They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the
depths;
Their soul melts because of
trouble.
27They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
28Then they cry out to the Lord
in their trouble,
And He brings them out of
their distresses.
29He calms the storm, So that its
waves are still.
30Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their
desired haven.
31Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord
for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to
the children of men!
32Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company
of the elders.
33He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry
ground;
34A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those
who dwell in it.
35He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into
watersprings.
36There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city
for a dwelling place,
37And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful
harvest.
38He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their
cattle decrease.
39When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction
and sorrow,
40He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in
the wilderness where there is no way;
41Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like
a flock.
42The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its
mouth.
43Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the
lovingkindness of the Lord.
Preamble: If Psalm 107 should be called anything, it should be called the Psalm of the redeemed. For that is what it does it celebrates the goodness of God towards us all who believe in Him, even while we were still alienated from Him, He watched over us.
Commentary
1Oh, give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the
hand of the enemy,
3And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the
west,
From the north and from the
south.
This Psalm opens by foreseeing the Day when the Lord God gathers not just His people Israel, but all the people whom He has redeemed from the ends of the earth. That He has redeemed us from the hand of the enemy, is a clear declaration of His saving us from the enemy of our collective souls, Satan.
Vs. 4-9 4They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell
in.
5Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
6Then they cried out to the Lord
in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of
their distresses.
7And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city
for a dwelling place.
8Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord
for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to
the children of men!
9For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with
goodness.
In this first example of the Lord God’s amazing grace, we are told of people wandering in the wilderness, lost and in distress. Looking for a place to dwell, maybe even a place where they could fit in, but they find no city, no place that they can call home, and so they carry on in their travels hungry and thirsty, and soon their soul faints within them (vs. 4-5). It is then in their crises that they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivers them out of their distresses (vs.6), which is a beautiful statement, for He did so with no other conditions being met other then they; broken and beautiful as Mark Schultz’s song says; ask Him to save them. You want to know why God allows unsettling things in peoples lives well here is one answer, so that when they have come to end of themselves, when everything and everyone else has failed or deserted them, they will call upon Him and then He can deliver them, because they are now ready, willing and wanting Him to be in their persons and lives. Therefore, with the Lord as their Savior and Redeemer, He now leads them forth in the right way, not in the world’s ways, but in His Words way. That is the Spiritual application of this Psalm. That He leads them (and us) in the right way so that they may go to city for a dwelling place (vs. 7). Now ultimately that is the New Jerusalem, but down here it is giving them a place to live, where once they had none. Therefore, the Psalm in celebration of this now rejoicefully declares all of our (the redeemed) collective desires to see men give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men (vs. 8). “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Vs. 9 This then is Lord Jesus Christ’s calling card to everyone who is hurting, longing, or lost.
Vs. 10-16 10Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
11Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of
the Most High,
12Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was
none to help.
13Then they cried out to the Lord
in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their
distresses.
14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in
pieces.
15Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord
for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to
the children of men!
16For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in
two.
These next individuals are people who willingly rebelled against the Words of God, indeed they even despised the counsel of the Most High. And so in rejecting His Word and counsels they eventually found themselves in all manner troubles. Maybe they even lived wicked lives for a season until their sins found them out. Here then we see them at their lowest, bound in chains, cast away from society, and left to sit in darkness and the shadow of death. Ancient prisons and captivity and slavery were not pretty places (Vs. 10-11). Even the Lord our God laid His burden upon them, bringing down their heart with labor, and so they fell down under the weight of it all and there was none to help them (vs. 12). It is then with their pride and rebellious spirit broken that they cry out to the Lord in their trouble and He saves them from their distresses (vs. 13). For God does not desire the death, nor ruin, nor misery of anyone, what He desires though is repentance, and when it is His people who rebel against Him and His Word, He will move heaven and earth to bring them back to Himself. Therefore, with their crying out to Him, He then begins working out their restoration, which is wonderfully portrayed in verses 14, 16. Therefore let us all give the Lord thanks for not letting them, or us perish in our own sins and transgressions. For it is the Lord alone who wonderfully works deliverance and salvation and restoration for everyone who repents and believes in Him!
Vs. 17-22 17Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their
iniquities, were afflicted.
18Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the
gates of death.
19Then they cried out to the Lord
in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their
distresses.
20He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their
destructions.
21Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord
for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to
the children of men!
22Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with
rejoicing.
Here we see the fool, the person who has no knowledge of God, (and yet probably thinks they are "wise"), who only lives by their vices and senses, and thus reaps the consequences of their sins and choices. And so here they are broken, and so afflicted that their soul abhorred all manner of food, they even drew near to the gates of death. Which indicates a deep and lasting melancholy or depression, maybe they even attempted suicide at some point, or had a prolonged sickness or illness? Whatever it was, it brought them to seeing their need for the Lord. And so, it is when they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, that He saved them out of their distresses (Vs. 17-19). “He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them out of their destructions.” vs. 20 Which is what Gospel does, for it is God's Word sent to heal believing mankind (John 3:16). Verses twenty-one and twenty-two once again as if speaking for them (and us), say: “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to
the children of men!
22Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with
rejoicing.”
For that is the sacrifice that is always pleasing to God, not our money, or our “sacrificial” service, but our heartfelt thanksgiving to Him, and our praising Him on our lips, which then precipitates all of our giving and service (2 Cor. 2:8-9).
Vs. 23-32 23Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great
waters,
24They see the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
25For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of
the sea.
26They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the
depths;
Their soul melts because of
trouble.
27They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
28Then they cry out to the Lord
in their trouble,
And He brings them out of
their distresses.
29He calms the storm, So that its
waves are still.
30Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their
desired haven.
31Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord
for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to
the children of men!
32Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company
of the elders.
In this section we get to see the ancient mariners, those brave individuals who sailed the then unknown seas and oceans, hauling cargo and people from various ports around the Mediterranean Sea and beyond. These men then by the nature of their vocation became very astute at studying the works of the Lord in creation. For they observed and lived by the works of the Lord which they observed in the sky’s and in the nights heavens. As well they saw His wonders in the deep; all of the sea life that they observed on their voyages, or caught in their nets, then bore witness of Him to them (vs.23-24). But ultimately it was the stormy wind, which the Lord Himself commands, which lifts up the waves of the sea, that moved their hearts and souls to see their need for Him. For it is by these that the Lord brought them to their wits end (vs. 25-27, think Jonah on the ship and how the Lord moved those sailors with him to repentance, see Jonah 1:1-16). And so it was in their distress, and at their wits end, that they cried out to the Lord and He saved them out of their troubles. He even guided them safely to their desired haven (vs. 28-30). The Psalm then, as if speaking for them, now says to us all,
31Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord
for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to
the children of men!
32Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company
of the elders.
Vs. 34-38 33He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry
ground;
34A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those
who dwell in it.
35He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into
watersprings.
36There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city
for a dwelling place,
37And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful
harvest.
38He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their
cattle decrease.
Moving then from the great waters back to the land, the Psalm now recalls some of the Lord God’s judgments on earth. Declaring in verse thirty-three how He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground. for the wickedness of those who dwell in it (vs. 33-34). Thus droughts and floods (i.e., extreme weather events) can be, and have been, the judgment of God. This passage of then Scripture could resolve so many of humanities problems if they would only heed it. For its not climate change that will be the ruin of humanity, but the moral change, of now justifying all manner of wickedness which only brought about the absolute destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, will also bring about the judgment of the Lord, progressively more and more, on us all (consider Jude 7, 14-15).For it is obsoletely right for the Judge of all the earth to judge the wickedness He sees on it, when and how He sees fit. That said this Psalm is not about judgment, but about God's mercies and blessings and provisions, which far and away exceed in this life, His judgments towards us all. For if the Lord now judged all the wickedness that He observes on earth who could stand? For it is Lord our God who turns a wilderness into pools of water, and makes a dry land into watersprings (vs. 35) so that He might cause the hungry to dwell there; those then who are hungry will always find Him providing for them if they seek Him; so that they may establish a city to dwell in (vs. 36). And so, He gives them a place where they can sow fields and plants vineyards, and all the while He blesses the works of their hands so that they multiply greatly. He even watches over their livestock and does not allow their cattle to decrease (vs. 37-38). For this is how God intends for humanity to live with Him, always fruitful and always abounding in His goodness. However as this section of the Psalm warned at its beginning, if we shun Him, and starting running after the devil and all of his allurements to sin, which always promise us riches and pleasure, but only ruin and enslave us and others in the end, then we will reap the God given consequences of our sins and actions, both individually and collectively as societies and nations (Rom 2:5-10). For sin is never a self-contained thing, it always has far reaching tenacles that will affect others well beyond yourselves. The innocent will suffer from your sins and self centered choices, including those you love.
Vs. 39-43 39When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction
and sorrow,
40He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in
the wilderness where there is no way;
41Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like
a flock.
42The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its
mouth.
43Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the
lovingkindness of the Lord.
And so it is that we now see that the Lord our God watches over everyone who fears and obeys Him. Thus, when they are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow, He responds by dealing with their oppressors, those princes and lets call them "power brokers" who oppress and trouble them will soon find themselves troubled by Him (2 Thess. 1:6-9)! For He causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way, no way out. Therefore, having dealt with them, He sets the poor on high, far from affliction and sorrow and makes their families like a flock (vs. 41). This will be most clearly seen in Christ’s Millennial Reign. Therefore the righteous rejoice and will rejoice to see this justice done towards the poor, and with it being done by the hand of the Lord all iniquity stops its mouth forever! (consider Job 5:15-16).
“Whoever is wise will observe
these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.”
I hope then that you are wise enough to also observe and desire these things for yourselves, for the Lord Jesus Christ will bring about God’s blessings and goodness into your own person and life when you believe in Him.
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.
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