All Of The Above

Psalm 107:1-9

1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

2Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out!

Tell others he has saved you from your enemies.

3For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,

from east and west, from north and south.

4Some wandered in the desert,

lost and homeless.

5Hungry and thirsty,

they nearly died.

6“LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he rescued them from their distress.

7He led them straight to safety,

to a city where they could live.

8Let them praise the LORD for his great love

and for all his wonderful deeds to them.

9For he satisfies the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

This is a beautiful and fascinating psalm. After a three-verse introduction, there are four stanzas, each beginning with the word some and each ending with “Let them praise the Lord.” Then the last ten verses offer a conclusion with a very surprising twist.

At first glance the four sections seem to describe four different groups of people: (1) wanderers who got lost in the desert; (2) prisoners condemned to hopelessness; (3) sufferers of incurable illnesses; and (4) sailors about to be shipwrecked. But commentator Derek Kidner points out that the psalmist was using all four figures to describe Israel—and they all can describe us as well.

The New Testament presents Jesus Christ as the answer. He is the way (John 14:6) for lost wanderers. He is the one who breaks the chains of sin and declares that there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1) for hopeless prisoners. He is the Great Physician (Luke 5:31), bringing relief for sufferers. He is the calmer of storms (Mark 4:39-41) for those about to sink beneath the waves.

If Christ has rescued you from any of these four situations, then your natural response should be as the second verse indicates: “Speak out! Tell others he has saved you.”

All my life long I had panted for a drink from some cool spring

That I hoped would quench the burning of the thirst I felt within.

Hallelujah! I have found him whom my soul so long has craved!

Jesus satisfies my longings; through his blood I now am saved.

CLARA T. WILLIAMS

Bible Networking

What city is the psalmist talking about in verse 7? Maybe it’s the one in Hebrews 12:22 or in Revelation 21:1-4.

Notable Quotable

“Every furrow in the book of Psalms is sown with seeds of thanksgiving.”

JEREMY TAYLOR