Psalm 107:1-2, 4, 6-10, 13-17, 19-21, 23-26, 28-29, 31, 33-36, 40-41, 43 NIV
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains,
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.
Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.
They saw the works of the Lord , his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,
and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs;
there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle.
He who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste.
But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.
Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.
Psalm 107 is the first psalm in Book V, the last section in the Book of Psalms. It is a call to give thanks and praise to God for His enduring love. The psalm begins with a phrase that is repeated elsewhere in several places in the Bible.
Psalm 107:1 NIV
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
You'll find that phrase in psalm 136, 118, 1st Chronicles 16:34, and a few variations in other passages.
The word translated as love can also be read as steadfast love or covenant faithfulness. God is bound to Israel through His covenant promises. God remains faithful to His promises and to His mission to bless the world with the knowledge of God through Israel and God's Christ.
Psalm 107 gives several examples of how God showed steadfast love. There's a poetic symmetry to each stanza or part. Here's the form.
- Some... gives description of trouble
- Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
- Gives examples of how God rescued those who cried out to Him.
- Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
- Gives reasons for thanksgiving.
There are four types of distress covered in Psalm 107 and a fifth pointing to the exile and the reversal of fortunes. There are those thirsty and hungry wandering in the desert. There are prisoners languishing in darkness and chains. There are rebellious fools suffering the consequences of their actions. There are sailors in peril at sea. God rescues them all when they cry out.
The exile in Babylon took nobles out of Palestine, leaving only the poor and needy behind. While the nobles served as slaves to their Babylonians captors, the faithful poor in Judea began to flourish. They suffered for a while when the infrastructure of Israel collapsed, but God provided.
And so the psalm invites thanks and praise for God's steadfast love.
Psalm 107:43 NIV
Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.
Remember that God delivers those who cry out to Him in their trouble. Remember to give Him thanks. Be wise and do not rebel against God's will and what He has shown as the path to life. Follow His right ways and be faithful to Him just as He remains faithful to you. Learn the lesson placed before you in the witness of scripture. God is good and His love endures forever. So give thanks.
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