Psalm 107 A

Psalm 107

This is a beautiful Psalm of Praise and thanksgiving for the deliverance that God has given in so many different times and circumstances. The theme of the Psalm might be taken from the 2nd verse where the Psalmist exhorts us in this way: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy” (KJV)

Psalm 107:2 (ESV)

2Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble

From this and the next verse many commentators believe that this Psalm was written after the exile when the people had been brought back into their own land. vs. 3 speaks of God gathering them from east, west, north and south.

Whatever the time of the writing we can see from vs. 32 that the Psalm was composed to be used in a congregational worship service, a time of joy, and from vs. 22 that the occasion was to be a time of sacrificing and offering especially with rejoicing and thanks... Following the first three verses of introduction and call to Praise and worship...vv.4-32 gives us four examples of God's deliverance and protection. Each of these pictures is very similar in pattern… but they each describe a different situation. In each case we have a description first of the trouble, then a cry for help, then the gracious deliverance of God, and finally the call of the Psalmist to offer our praise and thanks unto God. Note the refrain of the people crying unto God in verses 6,13,19,28. The Psalmist uses the same words to describe his thanksgiving and praise!

Also note the exhortation to praise God for His Steadfast Love is the same refrain each time: Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31(ESV): “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! “

and again nearly the same in the concluding verse43 -- Psalm 107:43 (ESV)

“Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”

These four different pictures describe the tragedy of life in different situations.

1) We see the movement of a pilgrimage. The redeemed of the Lord are wandering in the wilderness, hungry and thirsty, with no place to live.

2) We see the stagnation of a Prision, The bondage of Sin is like being in a prison. They have rebelled against God and His Word.

3) The sickness of the soul that had sinned and rebelled against God. They are near the gates of death.

4)We see the stormy sea and the threat of drowning. We see the wonders of the Lord in the deep. The storms and tempests, the great waves, etc. display God’s power.

Note the deliverance of God in each case… vs. 7, 14, 20, 30

Some would see in the deliverances a picture of the way, the light, the word of life, and the peace of His very Presence. Certainly these are things that appear over and over in the experiences of God’s people, especially with regard to His deliverances from trouble.

In the last section of the Psalm we have a slightly different structure and pattern. We do not have the refrains that were mentioned above. game would see in this section s reference to the restored nation. The goodness of the Lord is shown in His preparing the way for His people. Certainly the theme would show itself to be the Sovereignty of God rather than the Need of man that we see so much in the earlier part of the Psalm. Throughout this part of the Psalm we see the action of God as He goes about His works of Providence and Government. Consequently in the conclusion of the Psalm we do not find the Psalmist exhorting that we offer praise to God.... but rather the Psalmist says that the "The righteous shall see it, and rejoice.,." and that all who are "Wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the LORD." (KJV)

May vs. 2 be a theme verse for us..(quote)

Do we say so?

Do we talk to others and tell them of God’s Blessings and deliverances?

Can we conclude with the Psalmist that we have seen the works of God?

If so, we will want to rejoice and Praise Him. Let us do so!!!

The Song of the Redeemed – v. 2

Call to Praise – vv 1-3

Deliverances of God

From wandering - vv 4-9

From Bondage – vv 10-16

From Sickness – vv 17-22

From Perils – vv 23-32

The Providence of God – vv 33-43

Knight, G. A. F. (2001). Psalms (Vol. 2, pp. 165–171

This psalm is a synthesis of the themes of Psalms 105 and 106 made to remind worshippers how wonderfully Book IV of the Psalter had concluded. It sets the scene for what could almost be called a new chapter of revelation. Ps. 106:26 had contained the words in the wilderness, which is the Hebrew name for our book of Numbers, the Fourth Book of the Torah. If we had been present in an ancient synagogue we would now be about to hear psalms read that accompanied the reading in public of the Fifth Book of the Torah, viz. Deuteronomy. The latter was written after the settlement in Canaan was complete. In the same way, and parallel with it, Book V of the Psalter refers to the life of Israel after its re-settlement on returning home to “Canaan” from its experience of the Exile. See Jer. 33:11 in connection with Ps. 107:8.

Verses 1–3. The Exile is now over. The lost sheep for whom Ps. 106:47 had prayed are now in the fold, gathered in from the four points of the compass. Had the journey home been an easy one? The psalmist answers this question by presenting us with a series of vignettes. Each of them is a word-picture. In them we see different groups of sheep, all of them in great trouble. Yet we are to remember that, in the providence of God, these vignettes illustrate the journey we all face as we seek our home in the heavenly Jerusalem. This psalm, therefore, is to be read much in the same way as we read The Pilgrim’s Progress, that is, as an analogy that applies to all people everywhere.

Verses 4–9, Vignette I. The first picture is of weary returnees crossing the desert of northern Syria as they struggle, hungry and thirsty, to reach their ancient home. We are shown them in deep need. We are told that they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. That was God’s first move. He delivered them from their distressful situation. His second step, however, was positive. He led them by a straight way—no getting lost among the sand dunes!—till they reached a city to dwell in (see Jer. 31:23–25). Jerusalem is, of course, the city in question, although to dwell in is the word moshav that means any hospitable place. This particular historical picture is then generalized to refer to anyone who is struggling through the deserts of life to reach the city of God. Nor only is it generalized, it is also spiritualized by the references to hunger and thirst. So verse 8 fits well at the end of the picture: Let them thank the Lord for his hesed, which does not fail when his people are hungry and thirsty and lost.

Verses 10–16, Vignette II. On this panel there is painted a picture of the exiles in Babylon. Isa. 42:22 portrays their plight in just one verse of poetry. But our psalmist declares that they were receiving in their affliction what was only their just judgment. For they had rebelled against the words (or perhaps “promises”) of God, and had spurned the counsel, the plan, of the Most High God which he had revealed for their lives through Moses. (Note how much of that was in the book of Deuteronomy that was read in parallel with this psalm.) Within that “plan” of God, as we can discover in the book of Deuteronomy, there is the reality which the NT sums up under the one word “the Cross”. Despite this reality of history, however, many people today can see no meaning in events at all, preferring just to quote Henry Ford, who reportedly declared that “history is just one damn’ thing after another.” Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress—the same words as at verse 6. God’s positive act in this case is to break their bonds in sunder (whether these are made of iron or of binding intellectual concepts does not affect the issue). Thus verse 15 is a repeat of verse 8, and verse 16 shows what God does when he delivers his people at any time.

The fact that we have produced hymns on the themes of this vignette shows how a particular Biblical historical situation can become available for all people to use throughout the centuries. A hymn such as “Come we that love the Lord, and let our joys be known”, by Isaac Watts, is built upon the refrain that occurs in verses 8, 15, 21, and 31 of this psalm, while a hymn such as “Lift up your heads, ye gates of brass, Ye bars of iron yield”, by James Montgomery, has been inspired by verse 16 (as well as by Psalm 24).

Verses 17–22, Vignette III. This time we see a picture of some stay-at-homes, especially if they are at home because they are sick. And this could apply of course to anyone anywhere. We note that our word-picture joins sickness with sin. Some were fools (RSV verse 17 ftn) through their sinful ways. They may have taken drugs, or alcohol, or have merely overeaten, or have developed a venereal disease. Yet even such fools are not beyond God’s love and care. This time he sent forth his word and healed them (compare Ps. 105:19). Ps. 33:6 (like Gen. ch. 1) has told us of the Word controlling Nature. Here the Word heals people. It delivered them from destruction, that is, from the pit of Sheol into which they had nearly toppled. They at least were grateful. But we are glad to discover that the poet recognizes how gratitude ought to be costly.

Verses 23–32, Vignette IV. Some exiles had evidently become successful merchants. Perhaps they were now trading down the Red Sea or amongst the Isles of Greece. But here they are wending their way home to Jerusalem. The dangers they faced as they crossed the sea were different from those faced by the returning exiles who crossed the desert. In each of the first four vignettes we see pictured for us God’s testing ways when he uses suffering and loss to that end. Here of course what we have is a vivid picture of a storm at sea. The order is: (1) they were at their wits’ end. God waited till they had finally realized that they could not save themselves. (2) Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, as at verses 6, 13, and 19. (3) He delivered them from their distress, God’s first and negative act. (4) He made the storm be still, God’s positive act that followed and which continued on after his act of deliverance. (5) He brought them to their desired haven (compare verses 7, 14, 20). The last part of the picture shows us the merchantmen arriving in Jerusalem, going up to the Temple to worship, and extolling God before the congregation of the people.

Let us note again: (a) It needed a storm before there could be a calm, as we see at Gen. 1:2 and at Mark 4:37. (b) Therefore the “stormy” nature of God’s mighty deeds in chastening Israel were only a means to an end—and he brought them to their desired haven. (c) The OT draws no line between “church” and “state”. Some of the elders mentioned at verse 32 were “democratically” elected representatives of the people. They regularly sat in council, probably in an outer court of the Temple. Some of these elders again seem to have represented the village communities from which they and their worshippers came up to Jerusalem three times a year for the great festivals. In his village the elder acted as a kind of “Justice of the Peace”. Thus he could bring up with him to the capital the thoughts and ideas of his village. Before the Exile this council of elders met both to advise the king—if he was willing to accept their advice!—as well as to share in the decisions relating to the conduct of the Temple. After the Exile the council of elders became the governing body of the nation under the authority of the Persian Governor of the Province. In a real sense what we have is a “theocracy” rather than a “democracy in council”. Yet this Israelite system is much more the ancestor of our western governmental system than is the so-called democracy of the Greeks. At Athens it was only free men (never women or workers or foreigners) who had the vote, and only free men who were citizens of the city, not of the country. Athenian democracy is rather the ancestor of the apartheid form of government that obtains in South Africa than it is of other western models.

We read in Gen. 1 that everything God made he saw to be good. Yet how could a storm at sea be “good”? It is good, just because God sees it to be so. He sees it as an occasion for exercising his loving care over a group of frightened sailors. The occasion has thus been enriched by his seeing it not as a moment of terror but as an opportunity to allow a group of scared people to experience the protection of his love.

Verses 33–38, Vignette V. Till now we have seen four parable pictures of what God can do for his Covenant people. The fifth picture is rather different. In it we see all Nature suffering. It does so, moreover, at God’s command. This suffering results, horrible as it is to discover, from man’s wickedness, and not from any wickedness of Nature’s own. When will this world learn that erosion, for example, is not a misfortune but is a sin? That man, all down the centuries, has actually created the deserts of the world? But God can override the basically “evil” nature of man (this is the word wickedness at verse 34) and reverse the processes brought about by man’s misuse of his free will. Thus God can make deserts fertile again so as to produce food to enable human being to resettle the land they have lost, and to live under his blessing once again. God’s creation is not conceived of as dead matter. The scientist has revealed to us only recently that the smallest unit of matter conceivable never actually stays still, but keeps on coalescing with other units, propagating, creating ever new life in new forms and positions. By his blessing they multiply greatly, says this poet. Yet, man is not just part of Nature; he is no mere “naked ape”. God has set man over nature, under himself (Gen. 1), so that man’s rule must necessarily be analogous to God’s rule; it must, therefore, inevitably be informed by love.

This is because God loves us human beings as his children. The mosquito can and does multiply and die. But God is concerned if this other creature of his, man, goes hungry. Professor J. Bronowski writes: “There must be something unique about man because otherwise, evidently, ducks would be lecturing about the behaviour of humanity, and rats would be writing papers about the professor who was experimenting upon them.”

Verses 39–42, Vignette VI. In the same way that God handles Nature and can produce new life out of the desert (a symbol, we remember, of the chaos of evil that was there “in the beginning”), so too he handles human nature. If people, even those at the top, important people, choose to walk the wrong path (compare this idea with turning arable land into desert), he makes them wander in trackless wastes, that is, he lets them go down the wrong road which they have freely chosen, and so go down into the “hellish” deserts of the world. But he raises up the needy out of affliction, parallel with how he feeds the hungry from land that once was dead (verse 36 above). So verse 41 notes that great affirmation made by the whole of the OT, that God deals, not so much with individual “souls”, as with families as units. It is in this light, in fact, that we are to understand that the coming of Christ meant the forming first of the Holy Family.

This vignette concludes by showing us the upright as being glad, while all wickedness, personified as if it were a personal devil, stops its mouth in awe and shame.

Verse 43. Finally the poet says: If you are wise, think about the meaning of these word-pictures, and note how they all illustrate the steadfast love of the Lord.

Lane, E. (2006). Psalms 90-150: the lord reigns (pp. 81–86)

Psalm 107The Lord’s Unfailing Love

This psalm celebrates God’s frequent deliverances of his people. Verses 2–3 suggest that the occasion was their return from exile, but the particular instances which follow could apply to many other periods of Israel’s history. Nor are they all national ones; some may cover small groups or individuals. Moreover, the covenant background is quite pronounced. There is frequent reference to God’s ‘unfailing love’ (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31, 43), but also to their sins against the covenant and the threatened punishments, set out in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.

Thus it follows 105 and 106 appropriately. Like 106 it brings out the distressed state the people found themselves in because of their sins, and like 105 it shows how God delivered them when they turned and cried to him again. Its dominant theme is therefore thanksgiving. It begins on this note (v. 1), and every example of God’s deliverance contains the same exhortation (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31).

Verses 1–3: Give thanks for the return from exile

The psalm begins, as do 105 and 106, with a call to give thanks to the Lord and for the same reasons: he is good and his love endures for ever (v. 1). The psalm is going to show how God’s faithful love comes to the aid of those who find themselves in situations which are beyond the power of man. It begins with the most recent experience and the one which has affected everyone: their deliverance from Babylon. What they could not do for themselves and no one else could do for them he has done: redeemed them from the hand of the foe (v. 2). The choice of the word redeemed goes well with the goodness and love of God, for in Old Testament thought redemption was the responsibility of the closest relative to pay for someone to be purchased from debt or slavery, conditions from which none could free himself (cf. Ruth 4:1–10).

In 106:47 the cry had gone up from a people suffering under God’s wrath for their sins, that he would ‘gather us from the nations’. Here they are rejoicing that he has already begun to do that (v. 3). But it was just a beginning, for the Jews were not only exiled to Babylon but scattered through its empire, from which they are now beginning to be gathered, as Isaiah prophesied (Isa. 43:5–7). The psalm is teaching them how to express their thanks to the Lord: by saying this (v. 2), that is, by joining in the words which follow, which acknowledge God’s many other deliverances. These are examples for us all to take to heart (v. 43).

Verses 4–9: Give thanks for food and drink

The experience of being hungry and thirsty was a common one in the ancient Near East, particularly when travelling. You could not get far in that area without having to cross desert wastelands (v. 4). Their recent return journey from Babylon would have taken them across such terrain and would have made the 40-year journey of their fathers across the desert of Sinai more real to them. Where there is no way to a city where they could settle (v. 4), there is no access to food and water, so their lives ebbed away (v. 5).

What do God’s people whom he loves do in such circumstances? They cry out to the Lord in their trouble (v. 6). What happened when they did this? In the journey from Egypt we know he fed them miraculously with water from the rock and food from heaven. But in this case he led them … to a city where they could settle (v. 7). Verse 4 suggests the problem was that they were lost and wandered in the desert; a city was not far away but they could not find the way to it. So he led them there.

Verse 7 applies particularly to people who are not just away from home but have no home. For such God provides so that they can cease wandering and settle down. Then they can produce their own food and water. But since God has done it they should give thanks to him (v. 8), and recognise him as the One who satisfies the thirsty and feeds the hungry (v. 9). Notice the hint of the Redeemer of all here, for Mary’s song takes up these words in Luke 1:53, as does Christ himself in Matthew 5:6.

Verses 10–16: Give thanks for release from prison

This experience would still be in the minds of the returned exiles. They had been kept chained in a prison (v. 10) and only let out to do bitter labour (v. 12). If through weakness due to malnutrition and overwork they stumbled on the road, there was no-one to help them to their feet. This was worsened by the fact that it was their own fault they were there, because they had rebelled against the words of God (v. 11), which had provoked his wrath against them.

Yet there was one thing they could still do. As the Lord’s people and because ‘he is good’ and ‘his love endures for ever’, they could cry to him in their trouble. They had certainly done this in captivity as 137 shows. God’s covenant promise was that if they did this with a penitent heart he would hear them, as he had their fathers in Egypt (Lev. 26:40–45). Solomon had prayed for this very thing when he dedicated the first temple (1 Kings 8:46–51) and here they were now in the second temple as a testimony to the fact that he has been faithful to his promise, and has brought them out of darkness and broken away their chains (v. 14). Who had more reason than they to give thanks to him as the one who breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron (v. 16)?

Verses 17–22: Give thanks for recovery from sickness

Imprisonment and exile were not the only curses in the covenant for rebellious ways; there was also sickness (Lev. 26:14–15; Deut. 28:22, 59–61). Clearly the particular affliction here in view is sickness, as it caused loss of appetite and threatened life itself (v. 18). Sickness is not necessarily the result of sin (John 9:1–3), but it can be (e.g. Luke 5:20; James 5:15). This may well have been part of their suffering in exile, but it was not confined to that time. Plagues characterised their original journey from Egypt and occurred during their lives in the promised land. Apart from these general visitations there were instances of individuals being struck down, as was David (Pss. 32, 38) and Hezekiah (2 Kings 20). Even the wisest could become fools, that is, behave like people who have no God (Ps. 14:1).

But the remedy is at hand and is the same as before: humbling and prayer (v. 19). This moved God, who sent forth his word, that is, gave his command for the sickness to be removed, so that they were healed and saved from death (v. 20). Again, he has done this, as all his other wonderful deeds for men, to prove his unfailing love, to which the expected response is again to give thanks to him (v. 21). But such was the seriousness of this situation that it called for more than words. Yes, let them tell of his works with songs of joy but also sacrifice thank-offerings and show they truly meant their gratitude. Perhaps this was Passover time and everyone contributed in some way by bringing an offering.

Verses 23–32: Give thanks for rescue from the sea

This is unlikely to have any connection with their recent exile, although Deuteronomy 28:68 does refer to being ‘sent back in ships to Egypt’. In any case there is no reference here to sin and God’s punishment, so it is more likely to refer to troubles at sea during ordinary voyages. Israel did trade by sea (1 Kings 9:26–28; 10:22, to which this passage seems to be referring)—see verse 23b with its reference to merchants.

However, the thought here is not so much of sinfulness as littleness. The Mediterranean, where their merchant ships would sail, could become very rough, and sudden storms were frequent even on their own lake of Galilee. Such a storm is described here and the vivid words of verses 25–27 show how small and weak are the strongest men in the face of the elements.

But the One behind this is God himself, who spoke and stirred up a tempest (v. 25). A storm is one of the works of the Lord, one of his wonderful deeds (v. 24). He who sends it can end it, so the answer again is to call to him, not here confessing particular sins, simply human frailty before the mighty power of God in nature (v. 28). How often has he by way of answer stilled the storm and hushed the waves (v. 29), thus making the mariners glad again, and able to continue their journey safely (v. 30).

Since he has done this, it is appropriate to give thanks to him, for he has done it out of his unfailing love. As the stirring up of the storm was one of his wonderful deeds (v. 24), so too was its stilling (v. 31). And what place more suitable to do so than in the assembly of the people (v. 32)? Perhaps there were those present who had actually been in this situation, for trading by sea may have been resumed since the return; if so they would be the first to respond.

Verses 33–42: Give thanks for the return of prosperity

In this final passage the format is altered: instead of describing a situation from the standpoint of the sufferers, it is all about what he (God) did. Also the usual refrain is omitted. This may be because, whereas the other experiences only applied to ‘some’ and ‘others’, this affected all, so the format is changed to draw attention to this. For it has to do with the fluctuating condition of the land itself. God could turn this land of rivers and streams into a desert and make it a salt waste (vv. 33–34). This too had been threatened on the people if they broke the covenant (Lev. 26:32; Deut. 28:16–18). This had certainly happened in recent years while they had been away and there had been few left to cultivate the land, so that it ‘enjoyed its sabbaths’ (Lev. 26:43), perhaps suggesting they had not been observing these. Psalm 126 speaks of how when they returned they ‘sowed in tears’.

But equally God can reverse the process and return it to prosperity. Then the desert becomes pools of water enabling them to sow their fields and gather a fruitful harvest, so that their numbers increased (vv. 35–38). But the process could happen all over again; indeed it had since their return (v. 39–40). Because they had neglected God’s house and put their resources into their own houses, the land had again come under his curse and not yielded its increase (v. 39–40; Hag. 1:6). But once they had put this right and finished the temple, the blessing returned and they again enjoyed an increase (vv. 41–42).

Verse 43: Learn the lessons

Here is the indication that the psalm had been composed, not only for that occasion and even just for that people, but for whoever is wise, whoever wants to know how to walk with the Lord. There are lessons to heed here: about human frailty, physical, moral and spiritual; but chiefly about the great love of the Lord who forgives, redeems and restores.

Questions:

How does the Old Testament use of the word ‘redeemed’ (v. 2) throw light on what it involved for Christ to redeem us from the power of sin, death and Satan? (See Heb. 2:10–18.)

Hebrews 2:10–18 (ESV)

10For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

11For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

12saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

13And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

14Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

15and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

16For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.

17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

(2) We who know ‘the great love of the Lord’ in Christ can apply these experiences to our salvation. How do you see these five scenes as pictures of the various states of sin from which Christ saves us?

(3) How often and with how much fervour do you ‘give thanks to the Lord’ for these aspects of his redemption you have just been considering? (See Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3.)

Ephesians 1:3 (ESV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 107–150: An Expositional Commentary

It may seem strange to anyone who knows anything about the English Puritans to speak of Psalm 107 as “The Pilgrims’ Psalm,” not because they did not know, frequently read, and greatly cherish it, but because being people of the Book they loved and cherished the other psalms too. In fact, they cherished the entire Bible.

But that is not the whole story. As anyone who knows anything about the Pilgrims is aware, Psalm 107, more than any other portion of the Bible, aptly describes the many dangers, toils, and snares they experienced prior to, during, and after their courageous crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to found America’s Plymouth Colony. Did they recognize this description themselves? There is reason to think they did, since Governor William Bradford in his account of the founding of the Plymouth Plantation explicitly referred to Psalm 107 in his well-known summation of their achievement:

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.”1

Those words are based on Psalm 107, which suggests that the psalm was often in the Pilgrims’ minds. Since the Pilgrims came ashore on Monday, December 11, 1620, after having spent the prior day worshiping God, it is even likely that Psalm 107 was the basis for that Sabbath’s meditation.

In its own setting Psalm 107 is a praise song of the regathered people of Israel after their Babylonian bondage. Thus Psalms 105, 106, and 107 form a trilogy. Psalm 105 recounts Israel’s experience from the time of God’s covenant with Abraham to the people’s entrance into the promised land; Psalm 106 tracks their unfaithfulness during that same time period and reflects the years of their exile to Babylon; and Psalm 107 thanks God for their deliverance from that exile. Still, the psalm was aptly used by the Pilgrims and may be loved by us as well, since the examples it gives of the perils from which the people of God are delivered are at once common, varied, and suggestive. We can see ourselves in each of these situations.

The psalm has three parts: an opening (vv. 1–3), the main body (vv. 4–32), and a closing grateful reflection on God’s sovereignty in human affairs (vv. 33–43, the subject of our next chapter).

Psalm 107 (ESV)

1Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

2Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble

3and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

4Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;

5hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.

6Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

7He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.

8Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

9For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

10Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons,

11for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.

12So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help.

13Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.

15Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

16For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.

17Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;

18they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.

19Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

20He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.

21Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

22And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

23Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters;

24they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep.

25For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.

26They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;

27they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end.

28Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

29He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.

30Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.

31Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

32Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

33He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,

34a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.

35He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.

36And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in;

37they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield.

38By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish.

39When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow,

40he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;

41but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks.

42The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

43Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.