Psalms 107

Psalms 107:1

V. BOOK 5 (Psalms 107150) Psalm 107: Let the Redeemed Say SoThere is a common behavior pattern in the lives of God’s people which can be summarized by two word series:

SinRebellionServitudeRetributionSupplicationRepentanceSalvationRestorationFirst of all the people stray from the Lord, walking in disobedience to His Word. Then they suffer the bitter consequences of their backsliding. When they come to themselves, they cry out to the Lord in confession of sin. He then forgives their sin and brings them back into the place of blessing once more. It is the old story of the prodigal son and surely no story is more familiar, more relevant and true to life. Two basic facts emerge from the contemplation of this ever-recurring cycle. One is the perpetual proneness of the human heart to wander away from the living God. The other is the seemingly inexhaustible mercy of the Lord in restoring His people when they come to Him in repentance. Here in Psalms 107, the merciful deliverance of the Lord is presented in four different pictures: Rescue for those lost in the desert (vv. 4-9). Rescue for those in prison (vv. 10-16). Recovery for those who are seriously ill (vv. 17-22). Deliverance for seamen in a terrible storm (vv. 23-32). Introduction (107:1-3)First, however, there is an introduction which sounds the theme. It is a call to give thanks to the LORD. Two reasons are giventhe Lord is good, and His mercy endures forever. Either reason would be more than enough cause for ceaseless gratitude. A special class of people is now singled out as particular recipients of His goodness and love, namely, those whom He has redeemed from persecution, slavery, oppression and trouble, and brought back to the land from worldwide dispersion. While it is clear that the psalmist has Israel in view, we will not surrender these verses to that nation exclusively because we too have been bought back from the slave market of sin, and as the redeemed of the LORD we want to join in the anthem of thanksgiving. Rescue for Those Lost in the Desert (107:4-9)This first picture seems clearly to allude to Israel’s forty-year trek through the waste, howling wilderness. The people were lost. They were hungry. They were thirsty. They were disheartened and discouraged. Then they cried out to the LORD. Suddenly their meanderings ended. The Lord led them by a direct route to the Plains of Moab. This proved the jumping-off place for their entrance into Canaan. And there they found a city where they could feel at home at last. How they (and all of us) should give thanks to the LORD continually for His undying love, and for the wonderful care He bestows on His people. For in the Promised Land He satisfies the thirsty, and provides the finest food for the hungry. Release for Those in Prison (107:10-16)107:10-12 The second vignette of lsrael’s history concerns the Babylonian captivity. The psalmist likens the seventy years to confinement in prison. Babylon was like a dark, gloomy dungeon. The Israelites felt like chained prisoners condemned to penal servitude (although conditions in Babylon were not as severe as they had been in Egypt). It was because of their rebellion against the words of God, their spurning of His Word, that they were sent off into exile. Crushed and beaten by hard labor, they fell down under the load, and no one took sides with them. 107:13-16 But when they cried out to the LORD, . . . He saved them from the land of darkness and broke the chains of their captivity. Now the only decent thing for them to do is to give thanks to the LORD for His unchanging love and for all the wonderful works He has done for them. For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut bars of iron in two.This is the verse that leads us to believe that the psalmist is referring to the Babylonian captivity in this section. The identifying link is found in Isa_45:2 where the Lord used almost identical words to describe the way in which He would bring the exile to a close. Speaking to Cyrus, He said: I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron. The context makes it clear that He was referring to the termination of the exile in Babylon. Recovery for Those Who Are Seriously Ill (107:17-22)107:17-20 This third section may refer to the nation of Israel at the time of Christ’s First Advent. The nation was sick at the time. They had just been through the trying days of the Maccabees. Some were fools, suffering God’s judgment because of their iniquities. They had lost appetite for food, and were rapidly drawing near to the gates of death. A godly remnant of the nation was praying and waiting for the hope of Israel.

God sent forth His word and healed them. His Word here may refer to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Logos, who came with a healing ministry to the house of Israel. How many times we read in the Gospel records “and He healed them all.” Matthew reminds us that in His healing of the sick, the Savior fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Mat_8:17). If it be objected that not all the Israelites were healed, we should remember that not all entered the promised land and not all returned from captivity in Babylon either. 107:21, 22 Again the psalmist calls on men to praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works. The gift of His Son is special cause for sacrifices of thanksgiving and for recital of His deeds in songs of joy. Deliverance for Seamen in a Terrible Storm (107:23-32)107:23-27 The last picture is most graphic. It is about seamen who worked on ocean-going ships. They knew something about the power of the LORD whenever they ran into a storm at sea. First the wind would arise to alarming proportions. Then the waves would form gargantuan mountains of water. The ship would rise up on the wave, its timbers creaking. At the crest, it would shudder, then crash into the trough. The stoutest ship would be like a matchbox in a swirling, foaming cauldron. In a storm like that, the toughest sailors lose courage. It is all they can do to stagger like a drunken man around the ship to perform their duties. They feel a terrible sense of their own insignificance and are at their wits’ end. 107:28-30 It is not surprising that cursing, irreligious sailors pray at a time like this. And the Lord is gracious enough to hear those prayers of desperation. He calms the storm and the waves become still. What a relief! The men can navigate once more, and soon they are entering the port toward which they were sailing. 107:31, 32 The relieved seamen should not forget to thank the LORD for His unfailing goodness and all the wonderful answers to prayer He gives. They should pay their vows by joining with His faithful people in extolling Him, by praising Him in the company of the elders. Are we stretching matters by saying that this depicts Israel’s final storm and her subsequent entrance into the kingdom of peace? The storm suggests the Great Tribulation. The sea typifies the seething, restless Gentile nations. The seamen represent the nation of Israel, tossed about by the other nations during the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. A believing remnant of the nation calls upon the Lord. He then personally intervenes, returning to earth to set up His reign of peace and prosperity. The Government and Grace of God (107:33-43)107:33, 34 The remaining verses of the Psalm explain how God reacts when His people are disobedient and then again when they are obedient. By His almighty power, He makes rivers bone-dry and causes bubbling springs to evaporate. It is nothing for Him to cause fruitful land to turn into salty wasteland when the people turn their backs on Him. 107:35-38 But He can also reverse the process, and this is exactly what will happen when the Prince of Peace returns to rule over the millennial earth. The Negev will be dotted with plentiful pools of water. The Sahara and the Mojave will be well-irrigated gardens. Housing settlements will spring up in places that have been uninhabitable for centuries. Modern cities will dot the landscape. The wilderness will suddenly become arable. Grain, vegetables, fruit and berries will grow in profusion. By His blessing there will be bumper crops everywhere, and the cattle will be disease-resistant. 107:39-43 The other side of the picture is seen in the way He deals with wicked rulers. Tyrants lose their strength and are brought low in the grip of misfortune and sorrow; He brings princes into contempt and leaves them wandering in a trackless waste (vv. 39, 40, NEB). This was the fate of Pharaoh, Herod, and Hitler, and it will be the termination of the evil triumvirate during the Tribulation. Yet God lifts the poor out of their troubles and blesses them with large families. When good men see this, they are profoundly glad. When the ungodly see it, they don’t have a word to say (which is unusual for them). Whoever is wise will see the hand of God behind the changing fortunes of men and of nations and will learn lessons from history and current events. Especially will they consider the lovingkindness of the LORD in His dealings with those who obey His Word.