Psalm 107:1-22 - Confessional Thanksgiving

The best way to give thanks to God is to know Him and confess Him to others.

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The Bible App

Psalms Book V

Psalm 107:1–22 (NASB95)

¹ Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

² Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, 

Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary

³ And gathered from the lands,

From the east and from the west,

From the north and from the south.

⁴ They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region;

They did not find a way to an inhabited city.

⁵ They were hungry and thirsty;

Their soul fainted within them.

⁶ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;

He delivered them out of their distresses.

⁷ He led them also by a straight way,

To go to an inhabited city.

⁸ Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,

And for His wonders to the sons of men!

⁹ For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,

And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

¹⁰ There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death,

Prisoners in misery and chains,

¹¹ Because they had rebelled against the words of God

And spurned the counsel of the Most High.

¹² Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;

They stumbled and there was none to help.

¹³ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;

He saved them out of their distresses.

¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death

And broke their bands apart.

¹⁵ Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,

And for His wonders to the sons of men!

¹⁶ For He has shattered gates of bronze

And cut bars of iron asunder.

¹⁷ Fools, because of their rebellious way,

And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.

¹⁸ Their soul abhorred all kinds of food,

And they drew near to the gates of death.

¹⁹ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;

He saved them out of their distresses.

²⁰ He sent His word and healed them,

And delivered them from their destructions.

²¹ Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,

And for His wonders to the sons of men!

²² Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,

And tell of His works with joyful singing.

Belgic Confession

Article 1: The Only God

We all believe in our hearts

and confess with our mouths

that there is a single

and simple

spiritual being,

whom we call God—

eternal,

incomprehensible,

invisible,

unchangeable,

infinite,

almighty;

completely wise,

just,

and good,

and the overflowing source

of all good.

Summary

This week's psalm begins the fifth and final 'book' of the Psalter. These various 'books' are identifiable in that they end with several verses of doxology (words of praise), after which the next 'book' begins by setting its overall theme.

The psalms in this section emphasize divine restoration and praise. This theme is made evident in the second verse:

Let the redeemed of the LORD [give thanks], 

Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary.

We only read the first half of the psalm, but already the overall template for it becomes clear:

(1) God’s people experience trouble;

(2) they cry out to God in their trouble;

(3) they are rescued;

(4) they are invited to give thanks for God’s unfailing love demonstrated in their deliverance (source).

This mirrors the pattern of the entire Old Testament. It also shows the futility of trying to attain lasting peace and salvation outside of Christ. Yes, as Psalm 107 makes crystal clear, God's love and redemption are unfailing, but it also makes clear our sinful tendency to continually wander back into sin and trouble right after being saved.

Christ broke this hopeless pattern by becoming man and finally fulfilling on our behalf the perfect and lasting and complete righteousness the holy LORD God Almighty requires of us.

  Dig Deeper  

There's a ton of theology packed into Psalm 107's opening verse:

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Let's work through it:

Oh give thanks

This command appears five times in Psalm 107. The thanksgiving we are called to here goes beyond just simple gratitude. Literally translated the Hebrew word means to confess / praise. So one of the best ways to express gratitude to the LORD then is to speak theologically - that is, to exuberantly proclaim who the LORD is and what He has done and continues to do.

to the LORD

Remember, every time you see the word LORD in all caps in the Bible, it's referring to the holiest of God's names - the one He called Himself by as He introduced Himself to Moses from the burning bush: I AM WHO I AM. The ancient Hebrews held the name YHWH as being so holy that they did not dare to pronounce it. They would instead pronounce the word Adonai, which translates into the word Lord.

for He is good

The adjective good can seem dull, since we prefer more superlative words to describe things of tremendous value. But whatever other word that you might prefer - awesome, superb, excellent, etc. - remember that the LORD is the overflowing source of it.

For His lovingkindness

Almost every time you see the word 'love' either in a compound form or preceded with an adjective in the Bible, it's referring to God's ḥěʹ·sěḏ - His loyal, covenant love, unfailing kindness and devotion.

is everlasting.

The concept of eternity is almost incomprehensible for us. God's ḥěʹ·sěḏ will not just last all throughout your lifetime, but will never ever fail and last forever and ever.

AAA Prayer (About)

• ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the LORD, whose good lovingkindness is everlasting;

• ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength and desire to know God as best as you can so that you can properly give thanks as you've been commanded;

• ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

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