Redemption Songs-- Psalm 107

This psalm has no superscription, so we don’t know who wrote it, or in what style. Some think that the psalm was written in the exile period in Babylon, but this is not known. This psalm is very structured, having an introduction, a conclusion and four body stanzas, each giving a different story revolving around the same pattern.

Give thanks to Yahweh for He is good
For his faithful mercy is forever.
Let the redeemed of Yahweh say so
Whom He redeemed from the hand of the enemy
And gathered from the lands
From the east and from the west
From the north and from the south.
This introductory stanza is a general statement which gives a summary of the point of the psalm. God is very merciful to his people and he delivers them from their enemies, which in the psalm is usually described as trials they are facing. The action the psalmist calls us to is to publicly give thanks to Yahweh, which is a statement repeated many times in the psalm.

1. They went astray in the wilderness
Treading in desolation
They found no settled city
Hungry and thirsty
Their soul fainted within them.
They cried out to Yahweh in their trouble
He rescued them from their plights.
He guided them by a straight way
To go to a settled city
Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his faithful mercy
And for His wonderful works to the sons of men.
For He has satisfied the thirsty soul;
The hungry He filled with good things.

2. Some sat in deepest darkness
In the shadow of death
Shackled in torturous irons
Because they had rebelled against the words of God
And spurned the counsel of the Most High
He humbled their heart through suffering labor
They stumbled with no one to help.
They cried out to Yahweh in their trouble;
He rescued them from their plights.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
And tore away their shackles.
Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his faithful love
And for his wonders to the sons of men.
For He shattered the doors of bronze
And split the bars of iron.

3. Fools were afflicted because of their evil way
And suffered because of their iniquities.
Their soul loathed all food
They reached the gates of death
They cried out to Yahweh in their trouble;
He rescued them from their distresses.
He sent His word and healed them
And delivered them from their death pit.
Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his faithful love;
And for his wonders to the sons of men.
Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices
And recount his deeds with shouts of joy.

4. Some went down to the sea in ships
Doing business on mighty waters.
They have seen the deeds of Yahweh
And his wonders in the deep.
He commanded and raised a stormy wind
And lifted high the waves
Mounting to the heavens
Then they plunged to the depths
They melted in terror in their misery.
They reeled and staggered like a drunk;
Their skill was for naught.
They cried out to Yahweh in their trouble
And he rescued them from their plights.
He stilled the storm to a whisper
So that the waves became silent.
They rejoiced that they quieted
So He guided them to their desired port.
Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his faithful mercy
And for his wonders to the sons of men.
Let them exalt Him in the congregation of the people
And praise Him in the council of elders.
This four-fold process is given four times in the psalm.
1. Some people are in trouble. Usually it was due to their own fault—they rebelled against God or they were involved in a risky business venture. But they found themselves in danger of their lives. Very strong language is used here—they are starving or they are in a terrible prison, or they are isolated in the wilderness or they are trapped in a storm at sea.
2. The same sentence is given in each stanza—that they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble. This is a simple prayer in the midst of distress, recognizing that God is the only one who can deliver them.
3. In response to that cry, Yahweh does an act to deliver them. The details differ, but usually the same language to describe the trouble is reversed to describe the deliverance. They end up in the opposite situation than they were in.
4. Finally, there is a command for them to thank Yahweh. They thank him for His chesed—his mercy on his people, and for his power in doing things no one else can do. In the final stanza the delivered are told to praise God in the gathering of God’s people.
Four is a number of completeness, and so the four stories are supposed to give a cycle of deliverance of Yahweh. Ultimately, what is communicated is that this works for anyone, in any situation like these.

He turns rivers into a wilderness
And the springs of water into a thirsty ground.
A fruitful land into a salt waste
Because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
He turns the wilderness into a pool of water,
And parched land into springs of water.
There he settles the hungry
And they establish a city for dwelling.
They sow fields and plant vineyards
They gather a fruitful harvest.
He blesses them and they multiply greatly.
And their cattle he does not decrease.
When they are diminished and brought low
Because of oppression, trouble and sorrow
He pours contempt upon rulers
And makes them wander in a pathless waste.
He lifts high the needy from affliction
And makes their families numerous like flocks
The upright see it and rejoice
And all unrighteousness stops it's mouth.
Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things,
And they will consider the faithful mercy of Yahweh.
The final stanza is a general one about God’s actions. God punishes the wicked and those who oppress the poor, but the needy who cry out to Him, God takes their difficulties and burdens and turns them on their head. He provides for their needs, gives them a community to live in, protects them. Finally, there is a statement for how to meditate on this theology. The righteous, the psalmist says, should recognize this pattern and take joy in it. The wicked should just be quiet because they will be judged in this patter. But the wise should pay attention to this pattern, and act in accordance with God’s mercy on the needy.