Psalm 107
THEME: THE LORD RESCUES PEOPLE FROM MANY TROUBLES
(107:1-8)
The psalm opens by showing gratitude to God for His goodness. The psalm writer tells us to give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever. He has redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. He has delivered them from their distresses and led them the right way. Let them praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works to the children of men!
(107:9-16)
God satisfied the longing soul and filled the hungry soul with goodness. Some were set in darkness and death because they rebelled against God's words and contemned the counsel of the Most High. When they cried to the Lord in their trouble, He saved them from all their distresses and brought them out of the shadow of death. Let them praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works to the children of men!
(107:17-21)
Fools are afflicted because of their transgression and iniquities. They draw near the gates of death, and He saves them from their distress. He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their destruction. Let them praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works to the children of men!
(107:22-31)
Let them offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about how great God is and the wonderful works He has done. Those who work on ships also see God's great works. He commanded and raised the storm wind and lifted up the waves. When the waves tossed and lifted the ships, they became seasick and cried out to the Lord. He made the waves still and brought them safely to their desired place. Let them praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works to the children of men!
(107:32-43)
Let them exalt Him in front of all people and praise Him in front of the leaders of all nations. He has done marvelous things. He turns rivers into wilderness and watersprings into dry ground, a fruitful land into barrenness. He made the hungry dwell and prepared a city for habitation. He sowed the fields and planted vineyards that may yield fruits of increase. The righteous shall see it and rejoice. Whoever is wise and will observe these things shall understand the Lord's lovingkindness.
My observation:
Psalms 107 is a hymn of praise celebrating God‘s goodness and deliverance in various situations. According to the Life Application Commentary, this psalm speaks to people in four stressful situations and how God rescues them: 1) the wanderer, 2) prisoners, 3) the distressed and sick, and 4) the storm-tossed. No matter how extreme our calamities, God breaks through to help us. He offers love and kindness to those in deep distress. Even when we wander and face captivity, become sick, or are caught in the sea's storms, we can never forget God’s steadfast love that endures forever.
No matter what we face or go through, we must remember God‘s goodness and rejoice in His wonderful works, for God will deliver us. When we rebel against God, we bring trouble amongst ourselves, but this psalm offers hope for us. Even when we make a mess in our lives, we can know for sure that God will restore us. We can see God‘s love and kindness in times of deep distress. We must remember that all things were together for the good of them that loved the Lord.
Psalm 34:19, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all”.