Thanks Giving Blessings

Intro

Psalm 107

Thanksgiving is a blessed time of year! The harvest is just about done and we celebrate the abundance! The gardens have had to come off so that they don’t get frost damage and we enjoy the bounty! The types of meals we enjoy have shifted from BBQ’s and salads to more hearty comfort foods like chillies and roasts… things that take longer in the oven and not as much on the grill. Thanksgiving dinners are great too. Wasn’t last Sunday amazing? And oftentimes we gather with family and friends to share in these special meals this time of year and it really is a comforting and cozy celebration of what God has done throughout the growing season!

Through it all, the celebration of Thanksgiving should stir something within us. It is more than a holiday… more than a family gathering, or a special church service and/or banquet. Thanksgiving needs to be understood for what it is… literally giving thanks. It’s convenient to have a time of year to celebrate it, but it ought to be something we do all year round.

Scripture has a lot to say about giving thanks. You could argue that grattitude ought to underlay almost every other doctrine taught in scripture because of how important grace is to the message of the cross. Without gratitude for that grace, we disrespect God and the price He paid to forgive us for our sins. So great was God’s gift to us of His Son Jesus Christ, that gratitude and grace ought to be some of the foremost features people notice about us when they first meet us. Strive to be a thankful people because we have much to e thankful for!

Today, we return to the Psalms to find some inspiration. The book of Psalms is a book of praise and it seeks to find any and everyway of giving God praise. There is an entire genre within the Psalms dedicated to the topic: Thanksgiving! For the psalmist, it wouldn’t have been about pilgrims, turkeys and pumpkin pies, but rather giving thanks where thanks is due. Psalm 107 is where I would like you to open your Bibles this morning. It’s a bit of a long psalm, but as with Hebrew poetry, it’s all about structure and there is a repetitive section along with some words of wisdom that we are looking at today and I think we can learn a great deal about how to express our gratitude to God and why.

To be sure, this Psalm was written for a reason and the context in which it was written appears to be post-exile, meaning that the nation is being reminded about how good God is for bringing a scattered people back together! God is a just God through and through and we can trust in Him for all things. We would be wise to consider what His word says about all things and this Psalm offers a nice reminder of some of what God did for the people of Israel, which ought to remind us of the things God has done for us!

Call to the Redeemed

Psalm 107:1–3 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary And gathered from the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.”

The Psalm opens on a strong note of giving thanks. It calls to the reader to give thanks to God and gives a solid reason… God’s lovingkindness is everlasting. It never ends. He is always loving, always kind. That alone is enough reason to praise and give thanks. Then the psalmist calls on the redeemed to agree. Knowing all of scripture that we have now, compared to what the psalmist would have had, we have such a great picture of what that redemption looks like. It’s Jesus Christ and Him crucified! It is our sins nailed to the cross. It is our hearts and souls purchased by His blood so that we could become part of the family of God.

As the psalmist continues, we see evidence of the post-exilic origins of this psalm as he calls on those scattered across the lands. Of course, this would have been the kind of redemption he had in mind while penning these words, but I find the greater fulfillment to be that which Christ purchased.

What follows these three introductory verses are a series of four descriptions of the people who were scattered. I am preaching out of the NIV today, which does a great job of signifying these sections by starting with the word “Some...” Considering how verse 3 has just described how the nation was scattered in the four directions, perhaps the psalmist is hinting at those 4 directions individually as he offers up the following descriptions.

Condition of the Lost #1

Psalm 107:4–9 NIV

Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

I don’t want to spend too much time on each of these four examples because I believe they echo each other. Here is the formula I want us to watch for. Part of Israel experiences adversity. The people cry out to God. The Lord rescues them. And finally, people are called to Thanksgiving.

This first group are those who wandered the desert regions. Perhaps there is a historical note here harkening back to Moses’ days, but again, this is a post-exile Israel who was scattered. Some seeminly went to the wilderness. There, they experienced hunger and thirst, as you might expect. They cry out and the Lord delivers them. Give thanks to the Lord for his lovingkindness! He satsifies the thirsty soul and the hungry soul. He fixes the problem they experienced.

Condition of the Lost #2

Psalm 107:10–16 NIV

Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High. So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

This group has been exiled to darkness. Note that while these descriptions can be understood physically, there is also a note of spirituality to them as well. Suffering in darkness in iron chains because of their rebellion. It is the nation’s rebellion that led to their exile and this group in particular suffers in complete and utter darkness. The psalmist talks as though they are slaves, and indeed that was the reality of the exile for the majority of Israel. And yet they cry to the Lord and the Lord delivers them. He breaks the gates of bronze and iron and frees the people. They are called to give thanks for His wonderful deeds. God fixes the problem they are experiencing.

Condition of the Lost #3

Psalm 107:17–22 NIV

Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.

This third group seems exiled to folly. They have become fools and thus suffer affliction because of what they are doing to themselves. It seems their foolishness goes to extremes as they don’t even seem to be feeding themselves and are on the brink of starvation. It makes me wonder if the ancient world had their own versions of highly addictive drugs to deal with. Drunkeness was prevalent enough that the Bible speaks of it, but I had always thought drug addiction to be a more modern problem. However, the symptoms here described echo quite closely some of the drug related problems of the modern era. Perhaps this psalm is more prophetic in nature than I had originally given it credit for.

Regardless, when they snap back to reality and realize their desparate condition, they cry out to the Lord and He saves them. He heals them. He rescues them even from the grave. The people are called to give thanks to the lord for His unfailing love and how He works wonderful deeds for all mankind. God fixes the problem they are experiencing.

Condition of the Lost #4

Psalm 107:23–32 NIV

Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.

This fourth and final group exiled found themselves out to sea. It seems as though perhaps these ended up best of all those scattered to the four points of the compass as they became merchants and were able to witness the wonderful deeds of the Lord in the deep. And yet their journey was also extremely tumultuous as their experiences seemed to be radically up and down and the peril they found themselves destroyed their couraged. They cry out in the midst of the waters just like Jesus’ disciples when they found themselves in a storm at night. And like Jesus, God stills the storms and the waves and they were guided to their destination. God fixes their problem. They are called to give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and wonderful deeds for all people.

How God Changes Circumstances

Psalm 107:39–42 NIV

Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste. But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths.

As the Psalmist moves to close his poem, he highlights how dramatically God can change circumstances. This can be incredibly encouraging to those in the midst of hard times. This is not typically the kind of thought you have when things are going well, but rather when our worlds seem to be falling apart. We see that we are relatively nice people and ought to deserve good things to happen to us. We want good things to happen to good people. Ironically, we don’t really pay attention to when that happens. But when bad things happen to us… I mean to good people, that’s when we see and we want justice!

What we need to remember is that the Lord is in control! He is in charge! He is perfectly just and will make all things right in His good time. Some of that will happen in this life, but the ultimate fulfilment will happen in the final judgment when we stand before Him and are judged. Praise the Lord that Jesus stands in the gap and declares the price on our heads paid in full through His sacrifice. But we still want the bad guys to pay don’t we? The Psalmist declares that those who have done wrong will pay. Their numbers will be decreased and bad things will happen to them. The righteous and upright will rejoice but the wicked will shut their mouths. A day is coming when all things will be made right! Even in the dark times, we ought to give thanks to God, for He is good. His lovingkindness is everlasting!

Call to the Wise

Psalm 107:43 NIV

Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

The very last verse almost sounds more like it belongs in the book of Proverbs. It is a call for the wise to listen to what was just said. Think about the Lord and all that He does. Ponder His wonderful deeds. Perhaps another way of saying it is as the old song goes… Count your blessings, name them one by one.

Conclusion

In fact, as I wrap up this message today, that really is the heart of what is going on here. Find reason to praise God. Give Him thanks this day and every day! He has done so much for each of us that we could never truly repay.

Count your blessings. Count them when you are in the midst of life’s billows and feel tempest tossed. Count your blessings whnenyou are discouraged and feeling lost. Count your blessings when you feel burdened with care. Count your blessings when that cross you are called to bear feels more heavy than usual.

Count your blessings each and every day and you will be surprised by what God has done. The more you do it, the better you get at spotting how God has protected and provided.

Whether you have been scattered to the four directions and have gone through the deepest valleys, the severest storms, the driest droughts, or the darkest of times, God is there and He knows your condition. He comes through and provides and fixes our problems, just as He fixed those of the Israelites so long ago. God is good and worthy of all praise!