A — EXHORTATION TO PRAISE

PSALM 107:1 a Oh give thanks to the Lord, b for he is good,

b for his steadfast love endures forever!

2 b a Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

b whom he has redeemed c from trouble

3 b and gathered in c from the lands,

c from the east and from the west,

c from the north and from the south.

• v1 Alleluia. (LXX) Septuagint
• Give Thanks! HE IS Good!
• For His mercy endures forever – This phrase is used 30 times across the book of Psalms.
• (Spurgeon) “The word endureth has been properly supplied by the translators, but yet it somewhat restricts the sense, which will be better seen if we read it, ‘for his mercy for ever.’ That mercy had no beginning, and shall never know an end.”
• Say so!
• Redeemed of the Lord? Say so!
• Redeemed = Rescued.
• c from trouble
• c from the lands
• c from the east and from the west,
• c from the north and from the south.
• From the south: (Poole) “Hebrew, from the sea.”
• Luke 1:67-68And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, (68) "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people
• The various stories of God’s redeeming work
• Some… (RSV) Revised Standard Version, (ESV) Successor English Standard Version, (MSG) the Message.
• v4 Some a wandered in desert wastes,
• v10 Somea sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
• v17 Some were a fools b through their sinful ways
• v23 Somea went down to the sea in ships

B — GOD DELIVERS THOSE IN THE DESERT

PSALM 107:4 Some a wandered in desert wastes,

a finding no way to a city to dwell in;

5 a hungry and thirsty,

b their soul fainted within them.

6 a Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he b delivered them from their distress.

7 c He led them by a straight way

till they reached a city to dwell in.

8 a Let them thank the Lord b for his steadfast love,

b for his wondrous works c to the children of man!

9 a For he satisfies b the longing soul,

b and the hungry soul a he fills with good things.

• Wandered - (Hammond) “Their passage through the wilderness was not a journeying, such as when men pass on in a road to some inhabited place; but a wandering up and down away from all path and road, and so in an endless maze of desolation.”
• By a straight way – Straightened out their path. Has he ever done that for you?
• To the children of man – It’s important to praise God for how he works in our lives, but also how it works in the lives of others.
• He satisfies the longing soul – (LXX) the empty soul. For he satisfies the empty soul, and fills the hungry soul with good things
• Luke 1:46-53 ESV And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, (47)and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,(48)for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;(49)for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (50) And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.(51)He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; (52)he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; (53)he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

C — GOD DELIVERS THOSE IN DARKNESS

PSALM 107:10 Some a sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,

a prisoners in affliction and in irons,

11 b for they had rebelled against the words of God,

b and spurned the counsel of the Most High.

12 c So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;

c they fell down, with none to help.

13 a Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and b he delivered them from their distress.

14 a He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,

a and burst their bonds apart.

15 a Let them thank the Lord b for his steadfast love,

b for his wondrous works c to the children of man!

16 a For he shatters b the doors of bronze

a and cuts in two b the bars of iron.

• Prisoners, in irons. – Punished.
• For they had rebelled against the WORDS… and spurned the COUNSEL. –
• Cried out! – (Guzik) “This was pure grace and mercy from God; these prisoners were under God’s own discipline. Yet when they cried out to Him, He mercifully answered”
• For he shatters the doors – I love this phrase!

D — FOOLS REPENT AND FIND SALVATION

PSALM 107:17 Some were a fools b through their sinful ways,

b and because of their iniquities c suffered affliction;

18 they a loathed any kind of food,

b and they drew near to the gates of death.

19 a Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and b he delivered them from their distress.

20 a He sent out his word and healed them,

b and delivered them from their destruction.

21 a Let them thank the Lord b for his steadfast love,

b for his wondrous works c to the children of man!

22 a And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,

a and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

• Some were fools – Ouch.
• They loathed any kind of food. – Someone who is dying is rarely hungry.
• Hows your appetite? –
• Then they cried – Unto the Lord. v6, v13, v19
• He send out His Word and healed them – Jesus often healed with only a word.
• Are you suffering ?
• No better place to get healing than hearing God’s Word.
• (Spurgeon) “All that God has to do, in order to save us, is to send us his word. He has done that by sending his dear Son, who is the incarnate Word. He sends us the word in the shape of the Holy Scriptures; he sends us the word in the preaching of his servants; but what we want most of all is to have that word sent home by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
• Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving – Fitting response.

C2 — GOD DELIVERS THOSE IN THE DEEP

PSALM 107:23 Some a went down to the sea in ships,

a doing business on the great waters;

24 b they saw the deeds of the Lord,

b his wondrous works in the deep.

25 a For he commanded b and raised the stormy wind,

b which lifted up the waves of the sea.

26 c They mounted up to heaven; c they went down to the depths;

d their courage melted away in their evil plight;

27 a they reeled and staggered like drunken men

b and were at their wits’ end.

28 a Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

b and he delivered them from their distress.

29 a He made the storm be still,

a and the waves of the sea were hushed.

30 a Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,

b and he brought them to their desired haven.

31 a Let them thank the Lord b for his steadfast love,

b for his wondrous works c to the children of man!

32 a Let them extol him b in the congregation of the people,

a and praise him b in the assembly of the elders.

• Rough Seas – Life can be that way.
• (Horne) “We cannot help reflecting, that there is a ship in which we are all embarked; there is a troubled sea on which we all sail; there are storms by which we are all frequently overtaken; and there is a haven which we all desire to behold and enter.”
• v29 Made the storm be still. – Matthew 8:23-27 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. (24)And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.(25)And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." (26)And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.(27)And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"
• Wild as it is, the sea obeys God’s command. (Trapp) if we “…will not be pacified when the Lord saith unto us, ‘Be still’; every drop of water in the sea will be a witness of our monstrous rebellion and disobedience.”
• v31 So Thank GOD… (MSG) the Message.
• v4 Some a wandered in desert wastes,
• (ESV) 8 a Let them thank the Lord b for his steadfast love, b for his wondrous works c to the children of man!
• Psalms 107:8So thank GOD for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
• v10 Somea sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
• Psalms 107:15 (MSG) So thank GOD for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
• v17 Some were a fools b through their sinful ways
• Psalms 107:21 (MSG) So thank GOD for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
• v23 Somea went down to the sea in ships,
• Psalms 107:31 (MSG) So thank GOD for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.

B2 — GOD DELIVERS THOSE IN THE DESERT

PSALM 107:33 a He turns rivers b into a desert,

a springs of water b into thirsty ground,

34 a a fruitful land b into a salty waste,

c because of the evil of its inhabitants.

35 a He turns a desert b into pools of water,

a a parched land b into springs of water.

36 a And there he lets the hungry dwell,

b and they establish a city to live in;

37 c they sow fields and plant vineyards

d and get a fruitful yield.

38 By his blessing a they multiply greatly,

a and he does not let their livestock diminish.

39 a When they are diminished and brought low

b through oppression, evil, and sorrow,

40 c he pours contempt on princes

d and makes them wander in trackless wastes;

41 a but he raises up the needy out of affliction

b and makes their families like flocks.

42 a The upright see it and are glad,

b and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

• He turns rivers into deserts, fruitful land into a salty waste –
• Sodom - Genesis 13:10-11 ESV And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)(11)So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.
• Genesis 19:27-29 ESV And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.(28) And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace. (29) So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.
• Deuteronomy 29:21-23 ESV (21) And the LORD will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for calamity, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.(22) And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the LORD has made it sick-- (23) the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger and wrath—
• Egypt - Ezekiel 30:14-16 ESV I will make Pathros a desolation and will set fire to Zoan and will execute judgments on Thebes. (15) And I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and cut off the multitude of Thebes. (16) And I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium shall be in great agony; Thebes shall be breached, and Memphis shall face enemies by day.
• Israel
• He turns the desert into pools of water – He can change things!
• How he has done this in my own life!
• How has he done this in yours? – SAY SO

A2 — EXHORTATION TO BE WISE

PSALM 107:43 a Whoever is wise, b let him attend to these things;

b let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

• Conclusion
• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
• We see how He operates in the world. Bringing low and raising high.
• Rivers and deserts, princes and prisoners.
• Discipline and Mercy.

B — GOD DELIVERS THOSE IN THE DESERT

PSALM 107:4 Some a wandered in desert wastes,

a finding no way to a city to dwell in;

5 a hungry and thirsty,

9 a For he satisfies b the longing soul,

b and the hungry soul a he fills with good things.

C — GOD DELIVERS THOSE IN DARKNESS

PSALM 107:10 Some a sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,

a prisoners in affliction and in irons,

16 a For he shatters b the doors of bronze

a and cuts in two b the bars of iron.

D — FOOLS REPENT AND FIND SALVATION

PSALM 107:17 Some were a fools b through their sinful ways,

b and because of their iniquities c suffered affliction;

22 a And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,

a and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

C2 — GOD DELIVERS THOSE IN THE DEEP

PSALM 107:23 Some a went down to the sea in ships,

a doing business on the great waters;

32 a Let them extol him b in the congregation of the people,

a and praise him b in the assembly of the elders.

B2 — GOD DELIVERS THOSE IN THE DESERT

PSALM 107:33 a He turns rivers b into a desert,

35 a He turns a desert b into pools of water,

36 a And there he lets the hungry dwell,

b and they establish a city to live in;

38 By his blessing a they multiply greatly,

41 a but he raises up the needy out of affliction

b and makes their families like flocks.

42 a The upright see it and are glad,

And they will understand: (Maclaren) “‘All things work together for good to them that love God’; and the more they love Him, the more clearly will they see, and the more happily will they feel, that so it is. How can a man contemplate the painful riddle of the world, and keep his sanity, without that faith? He who has it for his faith will have it for his experience.”

Next week – Paul’s letter to the ROMANS