PSALMS 107: “THE GOODNESS OF GOD, LEADS US TO BE THANKFUL” 11-1-08
Let me say that this psalm {107} was pinned in 536 B.C. we’re not told who the author is, it was written to commemorate the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity.
We read in this psalm the same words of exhortation in 4 different verses, in verse 8-15-21 and 31 we have these words of exhortation; Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 9For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
The psalmist exhorts Israel and you and I to praise God for redemption from captivity and Gods guidance in perilous journeys as we sojourn to a safe habitation.
So you and I that are saved can glean many wonderful truths from this psalm and apply these truths to us today.
Listen as I read verses 1-3 of Psalms 107 1O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 3And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
You and I that have been redeemed from the hand of our enemy,” the devil” should tell it far and near that the Lord is good and truly His mercy does endure for ever, He has and is gathering His Church from the 4 corners of the earth, Jews and Gentiles alike.
Acts 10: 34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. 5Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
Israel wandered in the wilderness—
They wondered 40 years in the wilderness of the desert, not really knowing where they were at are where and when their journey would end.
They murmured and complained to Moses about what they had to eat, and God sent Manna, and also Quail, they complained that they were thirsty, and God told Moses to strike the rock, and when Moses did out came water. God supplied their need.
Even today for the most part, the Jews don’t understand nor do they really comprehend what’s taking place as Gods great plan is unfolding, the old Orthodox Jews are still looking for their Messiah, we see pictures of the Jews worshipping and praying at the wailing wall’ as it’s called’ of Solomon’s Temple.
In a sense their still wondering, for the majority of the Israelites are blinded in part, but one day their eyes will see and they’ll understand that truly their Messiah has already come and fulfilled His 1st mission as He died on the cross not only for the Jews but for all mankind, and soon He’s to return and take His rightful place as King of the Jews. And then they recognize Who He is.
Zechariah 13:6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.—the JEWS.
And lets be sure to notice that it says “wounds” not scars. We believe the “wounds will always be there as a reminder of what He did.
That is when the Jews will realize that Jesus truly was and is their Messiah and their King, but as of now they’re blinded in part. Some understand, but a large part of them don’t.
Romans 11:25 blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Ø And the same was true to you and I that are saved, we wondered in the wilderness of sin
not realizing where our wondering was going to end up, if we had not heard the Word of God and then the Holy Spirit using the Word to convict us of our sinful ways we surely would have ended up in hell.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way;
We also wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way, we were going the way of the world, not realizing where we were going, hanging out in the hog pens of the world, never really knowing what danger we were in.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Psalm 36:4-- he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.
We see on the news some of the politicians using Gods Holy Name in vain, they use His Name in a profane manner, not knowing that God is their only way to stay out of hell and the only way to heaven, this Tuesday a politician whose last name is Murphy was using Gods Holy name in a profane way, he’s an old man that’s surely on the back slope of his life.
Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain
5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
But Jesus has taken care of our spiritual hunger, He said John 6: 48 I am that bread of life. He has taken care of our thirst, spiritual speaking, He said, John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
6Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. -- distresses—plural, I don’t know of any one that don’t have “distresses” plural.
Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble
7And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
God don’t lead people down a crooked path, Gods way is always the right way, and Gods way is not the way of the world.
1 John 2: 15-16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Often we might not understand why God would want us to do this or that, But never the less if we trust Him we’ll always be going the right way.
Jesus said, John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
We’ve heard it said many times, that Jesus is not a way, He is the only Way. We can go any where in the world and even start in many directions and end up at a certain destination, but if we want to go to heaven there’s only One Way, and that’s the Jesus Way.
7-b --that they might go to a city of habitation.— Jesus said in John 14:2-3 --I go to prepare a place for you. “A place of habitation” 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
8Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 9For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
All men should praise the Lord; it rains on the just as well as the unjust. But to you and I that are saved we want to always praise the Lord.
In psalms 150: the last Psalm we read, “praise the Lord” in all 6 verses, they are the 1st four words and also the last four words
1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. 2Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. 3Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. 4Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 5Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 6Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
10Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; 11Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned {provoked.} the counsel of the most High:
Every person in the world has at some time, and some still are “sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death”—
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
There are even people that sit in Church Sunday after SUNDAY and hear the WORDS of God, and yet it just goes in one ear and out the other.
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Somewhere along life’s journey these people will be “brought down” and in MANY cases there’s not any one present that can help when its time to face eternity. What I mean by that is, it may be a situation that there’s no one there that will know how to lead a person to Christ.
Ø I remember several years ago, a man told me about a certain friend of mine and his that was near death, I went to his house that afternoon after work, and there he was in a hospital bed all swelled because of so much fluid, there were several people already there, I walk to his bed side and he was happy to see me, I ask him if he’d like to be saved and he said yes he would.
Ø I had the privilege to lead him to the Lord, a couple of days later he died. I’ve often wondered why didn’t some one that was sitting there lead him to the Lord, if I had not went at the time that I did, I just wonder if people would have sit there and let him die in his sin and go to hell.
Ø Don’t misunderstand, I was only the instrument that God used, I had nothing at all in Gods part of saving him. I spoke at his funeral a short time later.
Ø There was a time he and I both were sinners out together many times in the sinful places of the world, God does work in mysterious ways. PRAISE YE THE LORD.
Its really a sad and freighting thought, that as many people who were there in his home that day would have sit there and allowed him to die in his sin, he needed some one to lead him to the Lord, the Lord is the Saviour and not and man, but He uses us in such matters.
What if the friend that had informed me about this dying man had been detained or any number of other things that could have happened that could have kept a Christian from finding out? **** -Hardys--
Maybe some one might have lead him to the Lord, but its possible that they might have not.
One of these days he and I will meet again in heaven.
I have heard of deathbed repentance and I suppose there’s some that are saved at the end of life’s journey and I believe my friend that I just told you about was one of them, but there are many that just suddenly have a heart attack and don’t have time to make things right with God.
Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life,
Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Ezekiel 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
13-16 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. 14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. 15Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 16For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
