Thank the Lord for His Enduring Love

107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, and his loyal love endures! 107:2 Let those delivered by the Lord speak out, those whom he delivered from the power of the enemy, 107:3 and gathered from foreign lands, from east and west, from north and south. 107:4 They wandered through the wilderness on a desert road; they found no city in which to live. 107:5 They were hungry and thirsty; they fainted from exhaustion. 107:6 They cried out to the Lord in their distress; he delivered them from their troubles. 107:7 He led them on a level road, that they might find a city in which to live. 107:8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love, and for the amazing things he has done for people! 107:9 For he has satisfied those who thirst, and those who hunger he has filled with food. 107:10 They sat in utter darkness, bound in painful iron chains, 107:11 because they had rebelled against God’s commands, and rejected the instructions of the sovereign king. 107:12 So he used suffering to humble them; they stumbled and no one helped them up. 107:13 They cried out to the Lord in their distress; he delivered them from their troubles. 107:14 He brought them out of the utter darkness, and tore off their shackles. 107:15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love, and for the amazing things he has done for people! 107:16 For he shattered the bronze gates, and hacked through the iron bars. 107:17 They acted like fools in their rebellious ways, and suffered because of their sins. 107:18 They lost their appetite for all food, and they drew near the gates of death. 107:19 They cried out to the Lord in their distress; he delivered them from their troubles. 107:20 He sent them an assuring word and healed them; he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped. 107:21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love, and for the amazing things he has done for people! 107:22 Let them present thank offerings, and loudly proclaim what he has done! 107:23 Some traveled on the sea in ships, and carried cargo over the vast waters. 107:24 They witnessed the acts of the Lord, his amazing feats on the deep water. 107:25 He gave the order for a windstorm, and it stirred up the waves of the sea. 107:26 They reached up to the sky, then dropped into the depths. The sailors’ strength left them because the danger was so great. 107:27 They swayed and staggered like a drunk, and all their skill proved ineffective. 107:28 They cried out to the Lord in their distress; he delivered them from their troubles. 107:29 He calmed the storm, and the waves grew silent. 107:30 The sailors rejoiced because the waves grew quiet, and he led them to the harbor they desired. 107:31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love, and for the amazing things he has done for people! 107:32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people! Let them praise him in the place where the leaders preside! 107:33 He turned streams into a desert, springs of water into arid land, 107:34 and a fruitful land into a barren place, because of the sin of its inhabitants. 107:35 As for his people, he turned a desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into springs of water. 107:36 He allowed the hungry to settle there, and they established a city in which to live. 107:37 They cultivated fields, and planted vineyards, which yielded a harvest of fruit. 107:38 He blessed them so that they became very numerous. He would not allow their cattle to decrease in number. 107:39 As for their enemies, they decreased in number and were beaten down, because of painful distress and suffering. 107:40 He would pour contempt upon princes, and he made them wander in a wasteland with no road. 107:41 Yet he protected the needy from oppression, and cared for his families like a flock of sheep. 107:42 When the godly see this, they rejoice, and every sinner shuts his mouth. 107:43 Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things! Let them consider the Lord’s acts of loyal love! Psalm 108 A song, a psalm of David.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Psalm 107 calls the redeemed to give thanks to the Lord, because his loyal love lasts forever. It shows the Lord rescuing people from many kinds of trouble: wandering in the wilderness, bondage in darkness, sickness near death, and danger at sea. It also shows that God can bring blessing or judgment in the land. The wise should notice these things and consider the Lord’s steadfast love.

Psalm 107 opens with a clear call: give thanks to the Lord, because he is good and his loyal love endures. Those whom he has delivered should speak up and tell what he has done. The psalm then gives four pictures of rescue. Some were lost in the wilderness and hungry and thirsty. Some sat in darkness and chains because they rebelled against God’s commands. Some were sick and close to death because of foolish sin. Some were sailors caught in a great storm. In each case, they cried to the Lord in their distress, and he delivered them. He led wanderers to a city, broke prisoners free, healed the sick, calmed the storm, and brought the sailors to their desired harbor.

The repeated refrain makes the point plain. Those who are rescued should give thanks, offer thank offerings, and tell others what the Lord has done. The last section broadens the lesson. God can turn fruitful land into barrenness because of sin, and he can turn desert into a place of water and life for his people. He protects the needy, humbles proud rulers, and cares for his people like a flock. The psalm ends by saying that the godly rejoice, sinners are silenced, and the wise should reflect on the Lord’s acts of loyal love.

• The Lord is good, and his loyal love endures.
• The redeemed should publicly thank the Lord and tell others what he has done.
• God delivers people from many kinds of distress.
• He helps wanderers, prisoners, the sick, and sailors in danger.
• Some troubles come with rebellion and sin.
• The Lord can humble people through suffering.
• God’s word can heal and rescue.
• He can calm the storm and bring people safely to their desired place.
• God rules over land, leaders, families, and provision.
• The wise should consider the Lord’s loyal love.

• Give thanks to the Lord.
• Let the redeemed speak out.
• Cry out to the Lord in distress.
• Present thank offerings and proclaim what God has done.
• Do not ignore rebellion against God’s commands.
• Consider the Lord’s acts of loyal love.
• The Lord delivers those who cry to him.
• He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
• He protects the needy and cares for his people like a flock.
• Do not treat this psalm as a promise that every trouble will end quickly or in the same way.

This psalm fits the Bible’s larger story of redemption. God gathers the scattered, frees the bound, heals the weak, and brings the helpless home. It stands in the Old Covenant world of blessing, curse, exile, and restoration. In the wider canon, these patterns prepare readers for the fuller redemption God gives through Christ, without changing the psalm’s original focus on the Lord’s faithfulness to his people.

When the Lord helps you, thank him openly. Tell others what he has done. When you are in trouble, cry out to him instead of giving up. Be careful not to excuse rebellion. Learn to read your life in light of God’s faithful love, and let his mercy lead you to worship.

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