June 26, 2020
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Reading along with us in Psalm? Here’s today’s reading:
Psalm 107 (ESV)
Book Five
Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So
1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!....Continue Reading
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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!
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Here in this Psalm David tracks the faithfulness of God through various life situations. How unfortunate that it takes trouble and discipline to turn us bak to God, but in every incident described in the Psalm, God is wiling and able to provide, restore and bless. David then calls those who God has worked for to praise and honor Him for His love and faithfulness. David looks at people who have wandered in wastelands trying to find their way, others were imprisoned because of their rebellion, others suffered affliction because of their disobedience, still others went on the see and became merchants, others suffered under God’s hand, but in all these situations as people suffered in the place they were in and because of that cried to the Lord, God reused them and redeemed them from the place they were and brought them to a place of favor. David then calls them to recognize the love of God and praise Him for His faithfulness.
How comforting to know that God cares about our lives and the circumstances we find ourselves in and even the messes we make for ourselves. But as we cry out to Him and bring our need to Him, He will restore our soul and rescue us from our circumstances. “Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord”. v. 43
This is a beautiful song of praise. It opens giving thanks to God for his loving-kindness and patience with men. Then from verse 4-32, the Psalmist follows a pattern of listing a ‘trouble’, the cry for deliverance, God’s deliverance, and then a call to ‘thank the Lord for his steadfast love’.
Verses 33-34 warns me that God can change the fortunes of men. For those who are evil, he turns what is fertile into a salty waste, He turns rivers into deserts. Likewise, in verses 35-38, show that God can restore fortunes as well. The psalmist implies this is done for men who pursue righteousness instead of evil.
I found this in my study notes from James Montgomery Boice.
It is Psalm 107 that is referenced by Governor William Bradford when writing his account of the founding of the Plymouth Plantation.
May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: “Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice and looked on their adversity,”… “Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good: and his mercies endure forever.” “Yes, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, shew how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness and his wonderful works before the sons of men.”
William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647 (New York: The Modern Library, 1952), 63.
James Montgomery Boice, Psalms, Volume 3: Psalms 107-150, Paperback ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 864.
21 Let them (US! ) thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!