Psalm
107:1 ¶ O give thanks unto the LORD, for
he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the
east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. 4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary
way; they found no city to dwell in. 5
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. 6 Then they cried unto the LORD in their
trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. 7 And he led them forth by the right way, that
they might go to a city of habitation. 8
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for
his wonderful works to the children of men! 9
For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with
goodness.
Verse 1 repeats Psalm 106:1. Praising
God is a theme of the Psalms. God is the only thing that is absolutely good and
we would do well to understand that. His mercy endures forever, which is just
one reason we know He is not done with the Jews as a people and that He will
never abandon us. Of course, none of that makes sense unless you take the
eternal perspective and see things in the long run rather than confined to this
mortal body.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
See Psalm 136 as for his mercy
endureth for ever is in every line.
Psalm 2 and moving forward is very
interesting. I think of the millennial reign of Christ or even eternity and tie
Isaiah 34 and 35, perhaps depicting Christ’s triumph over Satan and the kings
of the earth at the end of His millennial reign (read Revelation 20), to this
passage. While it is not completely clear I think it gives us pause to think.
Isaiah 34:1 ¶ Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken,
ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all
things that come forth of it. 2 For the
indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their
armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the
slaughter. 3 Their slain also shall be
cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the
mountains shall be melted with their blood. 4
And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be
rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf
falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. 5 For my sword shall be bathed in heaven:
behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to
judgment. 6 The sword of the LORD is
filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and
goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in
Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. 7 And the unicorns shall come down with them,
and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and
their dust made fat with fatness. 8 For
it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the
controversy of Zion.
9 ¶ And the streams thereof shall
be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof
shall become burning pitch. 10 It shall
not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from
generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for
ever and ever. 11 But the cormorant and
the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and
he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.
12 They shall call the nobles thereof to
the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.
13 And thorns shall come up in her
palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an
habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. 14
The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of
the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall
rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. 15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and
lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be
gathered, every one with her mate. 16
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall
fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit
it hath gathered them. 17 And he hath
cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they
shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell
therein.
Isaiah 35:1 ¶ The wilderness and the solitary place shall
be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even
with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the
excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the
excellency of our God. 3 Strengthen ye
the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not:
behold, your God will come with
vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
5 ¶ Then the eyes of the blind
shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and
the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and
streams in the desert. 7 And the parched
ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the
habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 And an highway shall be there, and a
way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass
over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not
err therein. 9 No lion shall be there,
nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but
the redeemed shall walk there: 10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall
obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Psalm 107 makes one consider whether or
not this is a depiction of the wandering in the Wilderness after being
delivered from Egypt but you have to wonder what this means about taking them
from every direction before they wander because we know the Israelites that
came out of Egypt were from one man’s family? So, who are these who are drawn
from every direction? This makes me think of prophecy of a future time. There
is more to this Psalm than meets the eye on first glance, I think.
Will this be the Jews in the Tribulation
who Christ reveals Himself to, as the Jewish people are represented by the
woman, being persecuted by the Beast?
Revelation 12: 1 ¶ And there appeared a great wonder in heaven;
a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a
crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being
with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven;
and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven
crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail
drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and
the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to
devour her child as soon as it was born. 5
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a
rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where
she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand
two hundred and threescore days. 7 And
there was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against
the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place
found any more in heaven. 9 And the
great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which
deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were
cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud
voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and
the power of his Christ: for the accuser
of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of
the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives
unto the death.
12 ¶ Therefore rejoice, ye
heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of
the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he
knoweth that he hath but a short time. 13
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted
the woman which brought forth the man child. 14
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might
fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and
times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water
as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the
flood. 16 And the earth helped the
woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the
dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the
dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her
seed, which keep the
commandments of God, and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ.
Psalm
107:10 ¶ Such as sit in darkness and in
the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; 11 Because they rebelled against the words of
God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: 12 Therefore he brought down their heart with
labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. 13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their
trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the
shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. 15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for
his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of
brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
The context of this passage appears to
be the enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt. It also seems to represent the
times that Israel fell away and then repented in their torment and God
delivered them from their enemies yet again.
Judges 2:14 And the anger
of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of
spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies
round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the
LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn
unto them: and they were greatly distressed. 16
Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the
hand of those that spoiled them.
God’s mercy and grace also delivered His
people from the bondage of sin and death.
Isaiah 9:2 The people that
walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the
shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Isaiah 42:6 I the LORD have
called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and
give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the
prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison
house.
Jonah 2:2 And said, I cried
by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly
of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
Luke 1:76 And thou, child,
shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face
of the Lord to prepare his ways; 77 To
give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby
the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
1Peter 3:18 ¶ For Christ
also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the
spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime
were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were
saved by water.
Christ defeated death and broke the gates of brass and the bars of
iron.
John 10:28 And I give unto
them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck
them out of my hand.
1Thessalonians 4:16 For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the
Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
For we, too, were once disobedient and did not value God’s words.
We held them in contempt, if we knew them at all. We contemned them.
1Corinthians 6:9 ¶ Know ye
not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers
of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall
inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such
were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Let us praise God for His mercy!
Psalm
107:17 ¶ Fools because of their
transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. 18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and
they draw near unto the gates of death. 19
Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them
out of their distresses. 20 He sent his
word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
21 Oh that men would praise the
LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the
children of men! 22 And let them
sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
God’s people who willfully sin are
indeed fools. We have been saved not only from the penalty of sin but from the
power of sin. We will be saved from even the presence of sin in eternity. Just
read Romans, chapters 6 through 8.
But God will deliver even the most
wayward of His children. He has promised.
Psalm 34:17 The righteous
cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Our sacrifices are the thanks and praise we lift up to the Lord
God.
1Thessalonians 5:18 In
every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you.
Hebrews 13:15 By him
therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the
fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
God has been so kind and merciful to me, a sinner. The bad times
are all the more pronounced because we tend to not think clearly in the good
times. We have so many good moments, typically, that God blesses us with that
the times of trouble stand out like utter unreconcilable catastrophes. I have
sinned so much and am so undeserving of God’s mercy I am amazed each and every
day. I pleaded with God for deliverance and was often delivered. And when you
consider eternity life becomes even more amazing. Oh, give thanks to God for
His goodness and His kindness to us in spite of ourselves.
Psalm
107:23 ¶ They that go down to the sea in
ships, that do business in great waters; 24
These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. 25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy
wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their
soul is melted because of trouble. 27
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their
wits’ end. 28 Then they cry unto the
LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves
thereof are still. 30 Then are they glad
because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for
his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
32 Let them exalt him also in the
congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
The Psalmist notes that sailors, those
who do commerce in the sea, and this could be a reference to the Mediterranean
or even the Atlantic or Indian Oceans as the Phoenicians were great travelers
and explorers there, see the amazing wonders of God in the deep. As even the
most ardent landlubber can see in videos on the internet the the raging of the
sea, the mighty waves, and the vast expanses are truly remarkable.
These seagoing men find themselves in
trouble in the storms and particularly on those relatively frail boats,
compared to ours, they are at the mercy of God’s grace. When God shows them
mercy, which is often, they are grateful to Him and praise Him mightily. I
think of the sailors in Jonah, chapter 1, and their great fear on the storm
caused by Jonah’s rebellion against God. See how Jesus calmed the storm in Mark
4.
We should praise the Lord God for His
mercy to us, praise Him at the scene of His deliverance and in church.
Psalm 89:9 Thou rulest the
raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
A storm at sea may be the seafarer’s greatest fear. May God
deliver us from our greatest fears, things much bigger than ourselves.
Psalm
107:33 ¶ He turneth rivers into a
wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground; 34 A fruitful land into barrenness, for the
wickedness of them that dwell therein. 35
He
turneth
the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings. 36 And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that
they may prepare a city for habitation; 37
And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of
increase. 38 He blesseth them also, so
that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
39 Again, they are minished and brought
low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. 40 He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth
them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. 41 Yet setteth he the poor on high from
affliction, and maketh him families like a flock. 42 The righteous shall see it, and
rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. 43 Whoso is wise, and will observe these things,
even they shall understand the
lovingkindness
of the LORD.
It is God who turns lush places into
deserts, sometimes as a punishment for the wicked deeds done in a land. Imagine
the land around Sodom. Then, He can turn again the desert into a fruitful
place. People build cities and prosper but then God can bring them low again. Even
great men like princes can be brought low and the poor and lowly He can raise
up. It is the righteous who see God’s hand in these events and are wise in
their understanding of God’s mercy and of His wrath. All of this was
accomplished in Israel and Judah in the days of the Old Testament writings.
Do you see God’s hand in your life in
chastisement and in blessings, in His disappointment at your behavior and
attitude and in His grace and mercy? Are you wise, and are you observant? We
would do well to review our study on the Book of Job and other books of the Law
and of the history of the Israelites. But check your own life and think about
the ups and downs and about God’s hand in your affairs.
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