Psalms 107:1

The Bible says in Psalm 107:1-3, “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.[2] Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;[3] And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.” Verse one gives two of the greatest reasons to be thankful to the Lord: His goodness and His mercy. God is good and God is everywhere. God is doing good at all times for everyone in every place. Open your eyes, and you will see God’s goodness right where you are. We can also be thankful for God’s mercy. His mercy “endureth for ever.” His mercy never ends. That is one of the reasons to enjoy the truth of eternal security. Once you enter into God’s mercy through faith in Christ, that mercy will never be taken away from you. Once you die and stand before God, you will be welcomed into heaven because “his mercy endureth for ever.”

Once you have been saved and have experienced God’s mercy through faith in Christ, there is one important reaction to have: tell others about it. It says in verse two, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so.” Anyone who has received such great mercy will want to spread the news. One of the things that His mercy has done for us is stated at the end of verse two, “whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.” The enemy is the devil, but the devil is already a defeated foe. No matter what the devil does, he cannot harm the soul of anyone who is “redeemed” because we now belong to God. We were purchased by the precious blood of Christ. Jesus will never lose one of His own, not to the devil or to anyone else. Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ.

Verse three says that God “gathered them out of the lands.” This has a direct reference to the children of Israel who were scattered into all the nations of the world. They were scattered because of their own failures and sins. But God will undo all the failures of His children, whether that be the failures of the Jews or the failures of Christians. As a preview of what God has in mind, the Jews have been partially re-gathered to the Promised Land more than once. They were gathered back into that land seventy years after the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. They were gathered back into that land after world war two, and the modern nation of Israel was created in order to undo part of the savagery that had befallen the Israelites. That was the hand of God in order to show that He has a regathering in mind. God likes gathering His people together. That is what church services are all about. Jesus called church a gathering. He said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” These gatherings of believers together in what we call church services are a small symbol of the final gathering together when all Christians will be gathered together with Christ in heaven.

The Bible says in Psalm 107:4-7, “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.[5] Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.[6] Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.[7] And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.” The things that the children of Israel suffered because they turned away from the Lord are the same types of things that all believers suffer when they do not walk in fellowship with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On verse four it says that they “wandered.” If you go your own way instead of the way that Jesus wants to lead you, that is exactly what will happen: you will wander. You will have no real purpose to your life. When you are not led by the Shepherd, then you wander because you do not know and you will never know which way to go without the Lord.

The first part of verse five says that they were “hungry and thirsty.” In other words, their material needs were not being met. Jesus gave the formula for having one’s material needs met in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” God does not lie, and God always keeps His promises. There is a practical side to having your needs met: get the best education that you can, get the best job that you can, make the most money that you can, and save as much as you can so you can use your money to serve the Lord and spread the gospel of Christ. But there is also a spiritual side to Having your needs met, and the spiritual side is more important. Many people go about trying to meet their material needs from the practical side, but their mistake is they make their own efforts their number one priority. Jesus told us what the priority should be: “seek ye first the kingdom of God.”

What did the Israelites do after they had wandered enough to wake up, and after they were hungry and thirsty, and after their souls had fainted within them? They turned to the Lord and called upon His name. When anyone does that, God always answers. That is why it says in Romans 10:13, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It says in verse six that the Israelites “cried unto the LORD in their trouble,” and of course, the Lord delivered them, just like He does for us too if we call upon Him. It says in verse seven that after God delivered them, that “he led them forth by the right way.” One of the benefits of being rightly-related to the Lord Jesus is that He will lead us. That is critically important in this world of uncertainties and many dangers. God knows the end from the beginning. We do not.

The Bible says in Psalm 107:8, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” If we know who God is and if we are really aware of what He is doing in this world, then we know that God is constantly doing good things and “wonderful works” for the children of men. God is good. God is everywhere. Therefore, goodness takes place everywhere.

What are some of the good things that God does? It says in Psalm 107:9-10, “For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.[10] Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;” Jesus reveals Himself to people who want to know Him. We call that being born-again, being saved, and being converted to Christ. Which people in the world will come to know God: the ones who want to know Him. If you have a “longing soul” and a “hungry soul,” then you will be fed with spiritual food. God Himself will feed you. Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” That is the most important work that God does: saving souls, and seeking and finding the lost sheep. Jesus said, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

God has great pity and compassion for lost souls. God has pity for those who “sit in darkness” as it says in verse ten. Their problem is that they need light. They need the light of Christ to shine into their souls. They “sit” in darkness. They are stuck. They cannot get up on their own to get out of it. It takes divine intervention for any soul to turn to Christ for salvation.

Lost souls are not only in darkness, but they are also “in the shadow of death.” Anyone can die at any moment. That is the urgency behind getting saved today. That is why it says in Second Corinthians 6:2, “….behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Since no one knows when they are going to die, the safest choice is to turn to Christ today. Whoever dies without putting their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will not be allowed into heaven, but will instead go to the other place forever. (The other place is hell.)

The last part of Psalm 107:10 gives us one more description of lost souls. They are “bound in affliction and iron.” They are bound in affliction and they are bound in iron. They are “bound.” That means they are enslaved. God sees them as being bound in affliction, and that is one reason that He has compassion on them. They suffer and they have no way of getting out of their sufferings, partly because they are reaping what they have sown and partly because the wicked world has overcome them. They are bound in “iron.” This emphasizes the fact that there is no escape possible for them from a human standpoint. But there is an escape if they turn to Jesus. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”

The Bible says in Psalm 107:11-12, “Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:[12] Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.” These two verses tell us why people get into such a terrible state as described in verses nine and ten. They “rebelled against the words of God.” Notice that it was not only God that they rebelled against, but also the “words” of God and the “counsel” of the most High. People need the Bible. It is the Word of God. When people reject the Word of God or ignore the Word of God, they do so to their own loss and their own peril. We need the spiritual food that the Bible alone can provide. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.” God wants people to love His Word, to hear His Word preached in sermons at church, and to memorize His Word so that we can put His Word into practice. There will be consequences to rejecting or ignoring His precious Word. It says in verse twelve that God “brought down their heart with labour.” They were given a hard path in life, not only because of the labor and burden that they were forced to carry, but also because God “brought down their heart.” “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18). You must have hope in life. You must be able to look forward to what the day will bring and beyond. No one can give you such a positive outlook like the Word of God. If you reject the Word of God or rebel against the Word of God, you will fall down and there will be “none to help.” That is because only Jesus can solve your spiritual needs.

The Bible says in Psalm 107:13-14, “Then they cried unto 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 brake their bands in sunder.” How does a believer get out of trouble or distress? Just cry unto the Lord. The Lord loves us and the Lord answers prayer. Even when our troubles are due to our own faults, He will deliver us when we call upon Him. When Jesus saves us, He takes us out of darkness by giving us the light of truth. He takes us out of the shadow of death by giving us eternal life. And Jesus breaks the bands of whatever is tying us down or holding us back because, as Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”

The Bible says in Psalm 107:15-16, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men![16] For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.” These verses give three reasons to praise God: for God’s “goodness,” for God’s “wonderful works,” and for the fact that God has “broken the gates of brass” and “cut the bars of iron.” God is good. Everything that He does is good. And because God is everywhere, God’s goodness is everywhere. Open your eyes, look on the bright side, and have an appreciative heart. Because God is good, He does “wonderful works to the children of men.” There are some works that God does for all human beings. If you are alive on the earth, He has done the wonderful work of creating you, and so you can enjoy more of His wonderful works: all of creation. If you are saved through faith in the Lord Jesus, He has done the wonderful work of forgiving your sins, and giving you eternal life. He has done the wonderful works of giving you ability and opportunity. If you are married, He has given you a loving spouse. If you have children, He gave you those children. These things do not happen by accident. God did wonderful works to make them happen.

Looking back to the blessing of being saved through faith in Christ, God did a wonderful work in anyone’s life and heart because it took something that only Jesus can do. If you have been delivered from your sins and the consequences of them, it only happened because God broke “the gates of brass” and cut “the bars of iron.” Many people are still held fast by chains and gates and bars of their own sins, of peer pressure and the wrong friends, or of the foolish lies of the world’s philosophies and ideas. There is a lot to praise God for. We should be praising Him every day for what He has done for us.

The Bible says in Psalm 107:17-18, “Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.[18] Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.” Verse seventeen gives one of the reasons that some people have suffered as much as they have: sin. Sin brings consequences. One of the great benefits of repenting of sin and turning to Christ is that the sin problem is taken care of, and the consequences of sin are done away with. The first part of Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…” The ultimate result of sin is death, and this is speaking of eternal death because of what follows in the rest of Romans 6:23.

People who are still under the power of sin cannot enjoy life. That is why it says in verse eighteen, “Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat.” Even the simple pleasure of eating a good meal can elude them. One of the benefits of knowing Christ as Savior is experiencing the joy of salvation, which is the greatest joy of all. Finally, the pieces will fit together and the believer will start to understand his or her place in God’s creation. A believer will learn to enjoy the goodness of life, and then when this life is over will live in heaven with Christ forever. It says in the last part of Romans 6:23, “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The Bible says in Psalm 107:19-20, “Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.[20] He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Once again we are told the solution to any of our problems, whether it be the sin problem or anything else: “cry unto the LORD.” Once a person makes such a cry for help, it promises at the end of verse nineteen that God “saveth them out of their distresses.” This is a great formula to always remember and to put into practice. It starts the day that you get saved from your sins. Cry unto the Lord Jesus and ask Him to forgive you. It says in Romans 10:13, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Once you get saved, just keep calling upon His name and He will keep delivering you from whatever life brings your way. God can do anything. It says in Psalm 107:20 that “He sent his word.” He only has to say the word, and everything will change.

The Bible says in Psalm 107:21-22, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men![22] And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.” Verse twenty-one is a repetition of verses eight and fifteen. Of course, whenever the Bible repeats something, it is for emphasis. This is the third time that we are told in this Psalm, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” It appears that God wants us to recognize that He is good and that He is doing good things for all people on the earth. It is no wonder that the New Testament tells Christians in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice.” If we really believe the following, then we should be constantly rejoicing in the Lord and praising Him: God is all powerful, God is everywhere at all times, God knows all things, God is in control of all things; and God is good, and He is constantly manifesting His goodness by using His power to do “wonderful works to the children of men.” What can we do to show that we believe these things? Verse twenty-one says that we can “praise the LORD.” Verse twenty-two says that we can give Him “thanksgiving” and “rejoicing.”

The Bible says in Psalm 107:23-27, “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;[24] These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.[25] For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.[26] They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.[27] They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.” The Holy Spirit has led the writer of this Psalm to think of places where the wondrous works of God are seen. And so he writes about sailors and fishermen who “go down to the sea in ships.” The winds blow and the waves roar, and there is a world of wonder “in the deep.” There is an entirely other life than that which is on land: a life of beautiful and wonderful creatures. In verses twenty-five and twenty-six we are told about storms that can arise on the oceans and the great waves that come with them. These storms and these great waves are compared to the troubles that can come against anyone in life. The Bible says at the end of verse twenty-six, “their soul is melted because of trouble.” It is made clear that we cannot handle the troubles of life on our own. As it says in verse seven, “They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.”

Thankfully, there is a solution to the troubles of life. It says in Psalms 107:28-30, “Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.[29] He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.[30] Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.” If you have ever been out on the water when the waves are high and the winds are strong, and have also been out on the water when everything is still and calm, then you have experienced that great difference. What does it take to get the storm to become calm: “cry unto the LORD.” God can do anything. The proof is that he can calm any storm. Interesting that Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee. This was one of the proofs that Jesus is God. The Bible says in Matthew 8:24-27, “And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.[25] And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.[26] And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.[27] But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”

It says in Psalms 107:31-32, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men![32] Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.” Once again we are told to praise the Lord for His goodness and for “for his wonderful works to the children of men!” This time we are told in verse thirty-two where to praise Him: “in the congregation of the people.” One of the places to praise God is in church services when Christians in the community gather together in the name of the Lord. We praise the Lord Jesus through song. We praise the Lord Jesus in fellowship and in our Christian testimonies. Maybe it is even easier to praise the Lord Jesus in the congregation because of the combined power of the Spirit and because of the extra promise of the presence of Christ. He said, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

It says in Psalms 107:33-38, “He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;[34] A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.[35] He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings.[36] And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation;[37] And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.[38] He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.” One of the things that these verses remind us about is that God does everything that happens, whether it be good or whether it be bad. God is everywhere doing all things to fulfil His purposes. It is His world. Every person and everything in this world belong to Him, and He determines what happens. Through the eyes of faith, hopefully, you see the hand of God in all things going on in your life. When He wants to, God turns “rivers into a wilderness” and “a fruitful land into barrenness” as it says in verses thirty-three and thirty-four. But when God wants to, He does the opposite like He did when He established the United States of America. God can turn “the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings.” God can bless the efforts of people so that “they may prepare a city for habitation.” God can decide to bless a people so that when they “sow the fields, and plant vineyards,” the result will be that they will “yield fruits of increase.” It is all up to God. The same is true concerning our lives and our ministries. We can plant the seed, but God gives the increase.

It says in Psalms 107:39-43, “Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow.[40] He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.[41] Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.[42] The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.[43] Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.” Why is there “oppression, affliction, and sorrow” in life? One reason is that God brings such things in order to teach people to look to Him for rescue and help. Princes are mentioned in verse forty in order to remind us that God is over everyone on this earth. There is no one so high that God cannot bring them down. People need to be humble in order to see their need of God and turn to Christ.

It says in verse forty that God “causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.” There was no way from a human standpoint, but God makes a way where there is no way. God delivers us when we cannot deliver ourselves. God puts us in a situation where we cannot deliver ourselves, so that our prayer will be: “help.” And when we ask Him for help, He always responds.

Verse forty-one says that God sets “the poor on high from affliction.” In other words God raises up whoever He wants to raise up. Just because you are poor does not mean that you will stay poor. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor.” By the blessings of God, you will get training, and opportunity, and wisdom to work and to become better paid so that you will no longer be poor.

As God does His work in the world of casting down the proud and raising up the poor by bringing His righteous judgment upon the children of men, verse forty-two tells us the result in the hearts of believers: “The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.” By the events that take place in the world, God can give joy to the believers and God can shut the mouth of the wicked who constantly oppose God and speak against goodness and truth.

If you have wisdom, then as you observe what is going on in the world, you will know that it all happened by “the lovingkindness of the LORD.” God is love, and what He does is always motivated by His great eternal love. God will manifest His greatness and His power so that people will turn to him and come to know His love.

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