Psalms 107

1 O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.

2 Let those whose cause the Lord has taken up say so, his people whom he has taken out of the hands of their haters;

3 Making them come together out of all the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

4 They were wandering in the waste places; they saw no way to a resting-place.

5 Their souls became feeble for need of food and drink.

6 Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles;

7 Guiding them in the right way, so that they might come into the town of their resting-place.

8 Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!

9 He gives its desire to the unresting soul, so that it is full of good things.

10 Those who were in the dark, in the black night, in chains of sorrow and iron;

11 Because they went against the words of God, and gave no thought to the laws of the Most High:

12 So that he made their hearts weighted down with grief; they were falling, and had no helper.

13 Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles.

14 He took them out of the dark and the black night, and all their chains were broken.

15 Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!

16 The doors of brass are broken by his arm, and the bands of iron are cut in two.

17 Foolish men, because of their sins, and because of their wrongdoing, are troubled;

18 They are disgusted by all food, and they come near to the doors of death.

19 Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles.

20 He sent his word and made them well, and kept them safe from the underworld.

21 Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!

22 Let them make offerings of praise, giving news of his works with cries of joy.

23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in the great waters;

24 They see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

25 For at his word comes up the storm-wind, lifting high the waves.

26 The sailors go up to heaven, and down into the deep; their souls are wasted because of their trouble.

27 They are turned here and there, rolling like a man who is full of wine; and all their wisdom comes to nothing.

28 Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles.

29 He makes the storm into a calm, so that the waves are at peace.

30 Then they are glad, because the sea is quiet, and he takes them to the harbour of their desire.

31 Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!

32 Let them give glory to him in the meeting of the people, and praise among the chiefs.

33 He makes rivers into waste places, and springs of water into a dry land;

34 He makes a fertile country into a salt waste, because of the sins of those who are living there.

35 He makes a waste land into a place of water, and a dry land into water-springs.

36 And there he gives the poor a resting-place, so that they may make themselves a town;

37 And put seed in the fields and make vine-gardens, to give them fruit.

38 He gives them his blessing so that they are increased greatly, and their cattle do not become less.

39 And when they are made low, and crushed by trouble and sorrow,

40 He puts an end to the pride of kings, and sends them wandering in the waste lands where there is no way.

41 But he puts the poor man on high from his troubles, and gives him families like a flock.

42 The upright see it and are glad: the mouth of the sinner is stopped.

43 Let the wise give thought to these things, and see the mercies of the Lord.

Psalms 107 Commentary

Chapter 107

God's providential care of the children of men in distresses, in banishment, and dispersion. (1-9) In captivity. (10-16) In sickness. (17-22) Danger at sea.(23-32) God's hand is to be seen by his own people. (33-43)

Verses 1-9 In these verses there is reference to the deliverance from Egypt, and perhaps that from Babylon: but the circumstances of travellers in those countries are also noted. It is scarcely possible to conceive the horrors suffered by the hapless traveller, when crossing the trackless sands, exposed to the burning rays of the sum. The words describe their case whom the Lord has redeemed from the bondage of Satan; who pass through the world as a dangerous and dreary wilderness, often ready to faint through troubles, fears, and temptations. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, after God, and communion with him, shall be filled with the goodness of his house, both in grace and glory.

Verses 10-16 This description of prisoners and captives intimates that they are desolate and sorrowful. In the eastern prisons the captives were and are treated with much severity. Afflicting providences must be improved as humbling providences; and we lose the benefit, if our hearts are unhumbled and unbroken under them. This is a shadow of the sinner's deliverance from a far worse confinement. The awakened sinner discovers his guilt and misery. Having struggled in vain for deliverance, he finds there is no help for him but in the mercy and grace of God. His sin is forgiven by a merciful God, and his pardon is accompanied by deliverance from the power of sin and Satan, and by the sanctifying and comforting influences of God the Holy Spirit.

Verses 17-22 If we knew no sin, we should know no sickness. Sinners are fools. They hurt their bodily health by intemperance, and endanger their lives by indulging their appetites. This their way is their folly. The weakness of the body is the effect of sickness. It is by the power and mercy of God that we are recovered from sickness, and it is our duty to be thankful. All Christ's miraculous cures were emblems of his healing diseases of the soul. It is also to be applied to the spiritual cures which the Spirit of grace works. He sends his word, and heals souls; convinces, converts them, makes them holy, and all by the word. Even in common cases of recovery from sickness, God in his providence speaks, and it is done; by his word and Spirit the soul is restored to health and holiness.

Verses 23-32 Let those who go to sea, consider and adore the Lord. Mariners have their business upon the tempestuous ocean, and there witness deliverances of which others cannot form an idea. How seasonable it is at such a time to pray! This may remind us of the terrors and distress of conscience many experience, and of those deep scenes of trouble which many pass through, in their Christian course. Yet, in answer to their cries, the Lord turns their storm into a calm, and causes their trials to end in gladness.

Verses 33-43 What surprising changes are often made in the affairs of men! Let the present desolate state of Judea, and of other countries, explain this. If we look abroad in the world, we see many greatly increase, whose beginning was small. We see many who have thus suddenly risen, as suddenly brought to nothing. Worldly wealth is uncertain; often those who are filled with it, ere they are aware, lose it again. God has many ways of making men poor. The righteous shall rejoice. It shall fully convince all those who deny the Divine Providence. When sinners see how justly God takes away the gifts they have abused, they will not have a word to say. It is of great use to us to be fully assured of God's goodness, and duly affected with it. It is our wisdom to mind our duty, and to refer our comfort to him. A truly wise person will treasure in his heart this delightful psalm. From it, he will fully understand the weakness and wretchedness of man, and the power and loving-kindness of God, not for our merit, but for his mercy's sake.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 107

This psalm, from its style, and from its connection with the preceding psalms, seems to have been written by David. The two foregoing psalms respect the children of Israel; this is generally thought to concern all mankind, and its view to assert a general providence which attends all, in whatsoever condition and circumstance; and to encourage men in their distresses to cry unto the Lord. According to Kimchi, Aben Ezra, and others, four sorts of persons are mentioned, travellers through a wilderness, prisoners, sick persons, and such who use the seas; to which some add a fifth, husbandmen; these are instanced in, not to the exclusion of others, but from them it may be concluded that whatsoever state or condition persons may be in, they are known and taken notice of by the Lord, and are relieved by him when they call upon him. Some restrain the whole to the Israelites, as the Targum, R. Obadiah, Arama, and others, where they make any application; and others apply the psalm to New Testament times; and indeed, though the literal sense should be attended unto and preserved, yet it seems to be applicable to spiritual persons and things. The title of it in the Syriac version is pretty remarkable,

``it is said concerning Joab and Abiah the sons of Samuel, who recited the commandments of the Lord. God gathered the Jews out of captivity, and brought them out from Babylon. Also the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, gathered the Gentiles from the four corners of the world, by preaching to baptism.''