Give Thanks to the Lord
Some thoughts from Psalm 107.
Psalm 107 is a psalm of thanksgiving to the Lord for delivering the nation of Israel out of Babylonian and Persian captivity.
Those who have been delivered from sin through Jesus Christ can echo the words of this psalm of praise and thanksgiving.
Give Thanks to the Lord Because He is Good and Merciful (Psalm 107:1-3).
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.
The call is made to give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and everlasting mercy.
The Lord demonstrated His goodness and mercy by redeeming the children of Israel out of captivity and bringing them back home from foreign lands – just as He promised (Jeremiah 33:10-11).
Give Thanks to the Lord Because He Fed Us (Psalm 107:4-9).
They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
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.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
The children of Israel were pictured as wandering in the wilderness – homeless, hungry, thirsty, and exhausted.
And then the Lord heard their cry, and brought them out of their trouble and led them in the right way to a home where He fed and refreshed them (Matthew 5:6).
Give Thanks to the Lord Because He Freed Us (Psalm 107:10-16).
Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.
The children of Israel were pictured as chained up as slaves in darkness and the shadow of death because of their rebellion against God’s word.
And the Lord heard their cry, and brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke their chains – setting them free (Isaiah 45:1-2; Luke 1:76-79; Romans 6:3-7).
Give Thanks to the Lord Because He Healed Us (Psalm 107:17-22).
Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.
The children of Israel were pictured as becoming deathly ill because of their sin.
And the Lord heard their cry, and He sent His word to heal them and deliver them from the destruction of death (Matthew 8:8; Luke 5:30-32).
Give Thanks to the Lord Because He Saved Us (Psalm 107:23-32).
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
They see the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.
The children of Israel were pictured as lost in a storm at sea, afraid and despairing for their lives.
And the Lord heard their cry and brought them through the storm by calming the storm, quieting the waters, and guiding them safely to their destination (Mark 4:37-39; Luke 19:10; John 14:6).
Give Thanks to the Lord Because He is Good and Merciful (Psalm 107:33-43).
He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.
When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction and sorrow,
He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.
Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
The wicked will find their life “dried up” because of their rebellion against God. But for those who turn back to Him, He will refresh and bring back to life what was dead and dying.
Even the powerful of this world will find no resting place and peace if they live life opposing God. But even the poor of this world who turn to God and trust Him will be tenderly cared for like sheep by the Lord.
This is cause for rejoicing – to see and understand the everlasting lovingkindness of the Lord.
These words are so true!