Psalm 107 is a descriptive psalm of thanksgiving. It begins, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1). To give thanks (יָדָה yāḏâ) carries the idea of “extending the hands in praise.”[i] The psalmist calls us to thanksgiving because Yahweh, the LORD, is good. We are to praise Him for His “mercy”, or faithful lovingkindness, “endures forever”.
Verses 2 and 3 set the scene a bit more precisely by defining who it is who is to give thanks to the Lord: “2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, 3 And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.” (Psalm 107:2-3). This psalm certainly applies to us as those who have been redeemed from the bondage to sin and death by the blood of Jesus Christ. As we realize our helplessness and experience God’s gracious help in our problems, we ought to appreciate His love and give thanks to Him. That’s the message of Psalm 107.
Then the psalmist gives four illustrations of God’s redemption. First, in Psalm 107:4-9, God’s redemption is like lost wanderers whom the LORD rescues. Listen to their predicament:
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
5 Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
(Psalm 107:4-5).
What do you do when you are lost and your soul is fainting from distress? Call out to the LORD! This is what they do in Psalm 107:6: “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,” Did the LORD answer their cry? YES! The psalmist says, “And He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.” (Psa 107:6-7).
What should be the response of those God redeemed from lostness?
8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalm 107:8-9).
Do you feel lost? Jesus says, “I am the Way” (John 14:6). Do you feel empty and hungry? Jesus says, “I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35). Do you feel thirsty to know God? Jesus says, “I will give you living Water” (John 4:10). Do you feel exhausted and weary? Jesus says, “I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). To get help from God, you must realize that you are lost, give up your own efforts to find the way, and call out to God. He will save you.
Listen to how the LORD saves those who are imprisoned in darkness due to their rebellion against God’s word:
10 Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons–
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
12 Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried out to 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 broke their chains in pieces.
15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.
(Psalm 107:10-16).
It doesn’t matter how far you have fallen and rebelled against God and His law. Cry out to the LORD in your trouble. He will break the chains of sin and death.
Next the psalmist shows how God rescues from affliction and sickness due to sin:
17 Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.
(Psalm 107:17-22).
If you are in great trouble today and you know that the reason for your trouble is your own rebellion, you may feel that you can’t call out to God for help. Not so! Cry out to Him and He will deliver you from your sin to His glory!
What about those who are overwhelmed by their circumstances? Listen how God saves them as well:
23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
24 They see the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
26 They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts 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 out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
29 He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
30 Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.
(Psalm 107:23-32).
Thus the psalmist paints these four word-pictures to drive home the point: To receive help from God, you must abandon all trust in yourself and cry out to God for His undeserved favor. Our response to the LORD for redeeming us is to give thanks for His goodness and His wonderful works. We exalt Him and praise Him.
Finally, the psalmist gives a summary of God’s ways, showing how the LORD turns poverty into plenty and strikes down the proud and self-sufficient, but lifts up the needy who call on Him:
33 He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
34 A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35 He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
36 There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
37 And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
38 He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
40 He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
41 Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
42 The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
(Psalm 107:33-43).
Isn’t God good? Shouldn’t we thank Him for His mercy? Doesn’t He deserve all the praise and thanksgiving we could ever give? Every time we gather as a church we ought to be thanking God for saving us in Jesus Christ. We ought to be full of the joy of our salvation. “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:31). Today, let’s consider the goodness and mercy of the LORD as we sing and as we speak of what the LORD has done for us.
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[i] https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3034/nkjv/wlc/0-1/
