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Let the Redeemed of
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Sermon on Psalm 107
Now, as a result, the people, instead of crying out, are giving thanks for what the Lord has done, and then finally, the Psalmist describes the new situation which the people find themselves in and this is the reason for praise.
This Psalm is a thanksgiving for the work the Lord has done, especially in regard to delivering the chosen people from their captivity in Babylon, and it is a reflection on Job, and the fulfillment of the prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah.
But you will notice something strange in verse three. You find that the people are gathered from the east and from the west, From the north and from the sea. You would expect “south” instead of “sea,” and in fact most of your English translations have changed it to south since there is only a two letter difference in Hebrew between South and Sea. But there is no manuscript evidence for such a reading, and as you can see from this chart, “sea” fits perfectly here. I want to suggest to you that the Psalmist is teaching us that the people of God are being delivered not just from every where in the world, but also from every thing. The directions represent, not only locations on a map, but conditions from which we need deliverance.
Look with me at the first Stanza—the East. To the Israelites, if you looked to the East, you would see wilderness and desert for hundreds of miles. The desert is that place where there is no food or water. It is the place where no person can live and thrive. Jeremiah tells us that those who fail to put their trust in the Lord will be cast into the wilderness—Babylon for Judah, which was not a very habitable city for them. So, in verse 6, they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of the distresses.” You will remember that the Lord used the Persian ruler Cyrus to overtake Babylon and send the Israelites back on a level road to their home. And now, the people in the refrain, “give thanks to the Lord for His loyal love, And for His wonders to [or before] the sons of men [or the nations].” And then we are told that “He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”
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