Last week we looked at Psalm 45 and the encouragement it
offers to be ‘all glorious within’ as befits a Princess (or anyone from the
Royal Household of God). This week the Psalm is 107 which is a song of
thanksgiving. (Psalms are essentially songs which were and are chanted during
religious celebrations.) What is interesting to me is the way this Psalm is formatted
so that 2 strains of need and thanks are interwoven into each stanza of this
song. Then there is the refrain of “give thanks to the Lord” occurring again
and again as a necessary reminder that no matter what-God is there when we
call. (You can read the entire Psalm below.)
The Psalm starts out with an expanded refrain, as is the way
with some hymns and contemporary songs today, too. We are called to “give thanks to
the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures
for ever.” All those redeemed by the
Lord from the four corners of the world are called to praise the Holy One. The steadfast love of the Lord is more than just constant and unchanging love-it is chesed, the all encompassing kindness and mercy of the Lord that we are called to emulate. As the Psalmist says, the chesed of the Lord endures forever.
The first stanza focuses on God’s redemption of people from
physical distress. In verse 4 we come to the first plaint, which is answered in
verse 7. “Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no
way to an inhabited town… he led them by a straight way, until they reached an
inhabited town.” The same pattern is repeated with verses 5 and 8. “hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them… For
he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things” In the
midst is the refrain-the reminder that God is the one to deliver. “Then they cried to the Lord
in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress…Let them thank the Lord
for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.”
Verses 10-16 have a similar pattern, focusing on freeing those
held captive, whether by their own or other’s will. “Some
sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons…he brought them
out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder.” “for they had rebelled against the words of God, and
spurned the counsel of the Most High. Their hearts were bowed down with hard
labour; they fell down, with no one to help…For he shatters the doors of
bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron.” Once again we hear the refrain. “Then they cried to the Lord
in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress…Let them thank the Lord
for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.”
The third stanza highlights relief from illness, esp.
spiritual sickness. “Some were sick* through their sinful ways, and
because of their iniquities endured affliction… he sent out his word and healed
them, and delivered them from destruction.” Verses 18 and 22 highlight two
different kinds of food. The people were so ill that they couldn’t eat, but
when redeemed they offer thanksgiving sacrifices, which would include foods. “They
loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death…And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of
his deeds with songs of joy.” The refrain is a reminder of the One who saves
and our response. “Then they cried to
the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from
their distress…Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to
humankind.”
Verses 23-32 is a little different in pattern, talking about
the labor of sailors and the mighty deeds of God in the ocean. Even there,
though, when “They mounted up to heaven, they went down
to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity…he made the storm be
still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” Although they had “reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were at their
wits’ end…they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their
desired haven.” In the end, when “they
cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them
from their distress…Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to
humankind.”
The last two stanzas almost seem to come from another song
because they do not follow the same pattern of need and blessing and
thanksgiving. Instead they recount the works of God which bless the people even
when “they are diminished and brought low through
oppression, trouble, and sorrow, he pours contempt on princes and makes them
wander in trackless wastes; but he raises up the needy out of distress…”
Verse 43 ends the Psalm with a reminder which does return the focus of the
Psalm to the beginning “Let those who are wise give
heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”
Paul reiterates this same theme in Romans 8:28 when he says,
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.” Sometimes it’s hard to see the
positive spin when something bad happens, but as the Psalmist discovers we too see that God does bring good and then we can say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.”
Psalm 107
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures for
ever.
2 Let the redeemed of
the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in
from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.*
4 Some wandered in desert
wastes,
finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to
the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their
distress;
7 he led them by a
straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies
the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good
things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in
gloom,
prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled
against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most
High.
12 Their hearts were
bowed down with hard labor;
they fell down, with no one to help.
13 Then they cried to
the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
14 he brought them
out of darkness and gloom,
and
broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the
Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
16 For he shatters
the doors of bronze,
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were sick* through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities
endured affliction;
18 they loathed any
kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of
death.
19 Then they cried to
the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his
word and healed them,
and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the
Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer
thanksgiving sacrifices,
and tell of his deeds with songs of
joy.
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds
of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded
and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to
heaven, they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their
calamity;
27 they reeled and
staggered like drunkards,
and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to
the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out from their
distress;
29 he made the storm
be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were
glad because they had quiet,
and he brought them to their desired
haven.
31 Let them thank the
Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
32 Let them extol him
in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the
elders.
33 He turns rivers into a
desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land
into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its
inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert
into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets
the hungry live,
and they establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields,
and plant vineyards,
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing
they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their cattle
decrease.
39
When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt
on princes
and makes them wander in trackless
wastes;
41 but he raises up
the needy out of distress,
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it
and are glad;
and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are
wise give heed to these things,
and consider the steadfast love of the
Lord.