Psalms 107:1-43
1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.a
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
6 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
21 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.b
23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
24 These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
25 For he commandeth, and raisethc the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
32 Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;
34 A fruitful land into barrenness,d for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
35 He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings.
36 And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation;
37 And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.
38 He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
39 Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow.
40 He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness,e where there is no way.
41 Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.
42 The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
43 Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Gordon Churchyard
Introduction
Here are some of the things that you should know as you read the psalms in this book.1. At the top of each psalm (say it "sarm") is a title in Dark Letters. This title is not in the *Hebrew psalm. It is not part of the Bible. It is there to give us help to remember the psalm and what it is about.
2. Under the title are some words either that Jesus said, or that somebody said about him. These words are from the *Gospels. They are part of the Bible. They are the four books at the beginning of the *New Testament - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
3. The psalm itself is in a box. Everything that is in the box is part of the psalm. This includes the words at the top that tell us who wrote the psalm and why. In this book, we believe that these words are true. We also believe that they give us some help to understand the psalm. Other parts from the Bible are also in boxes, except the verses under the titles.
4. Words in brackets like this: () are not in the *Hebrew Bible. They give us help to understand what the psalm means.
5. The *Hebrew writers of the psalms used some words that we cannot translate into EasyEnglish words. These are in a word list at the end. Some words are very important, like *LORD and *righteous. You will find a whole page about these words after some of the psalms. *Righteous is after Psalms 5, the *Covenant is after Psalms 25 and the names of God (*LORD, *Lord and God) are also after Psalms 25. These psalms are in Book 1 of the Psalms of David.
6. After each psalm is the story of the psalm. Some of the psalms we know a lot about, as Psalms 18. Other psalms we do not know anything about, as Psalms 1. When this happens we say "perhaps" or "maybe".
7. After the stories comes "what the psalm means". Sometimes Bible students are not sure what the writer meant. When that happens the notes tell you.
8. At the end of each psalm, there is "something to do". This will give you help to learn more about the psalm.
The Psalms of David (Book 5).
God Gave Us Help
Psalms 107
Jesus said, "Many people will come from the east and from the west. They will sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the *kingdom of *heaven" (Matthew 8:11). (*Heaven is where God lives; a *kingdom is where someone is king.)
Psalms 107:1-9
v1 Thank the *LORD because he is good.
His kind love will never stop.
v2 People must say that the *LORD has *redeemed them,
when he has redeemed them from the power of an enemy.
v3 He brought them from countries to the east, to the west,
to the north; and from the sea.
v4 They moved from place to place in the wild country.
They did not find the way to a city to live in.
v5 They were hungry and wanted a drink.
They thought that they were going to die.
v6 Then they prayed to the *LORD in their trouble.
And he saved them from the danger that they were in.
v7 He led them by an easy road to a city where they might live.
v8 They must thank the *LORD for his kind love.
And they must thank him for the *wonderful things that he does for people.
v9 His people have enough to drink
and he fills the hungry people with good things.
The Story of Psalms 107
The soldiers of Babylon took the *Jews away from their own country. 70 years later, they came home again. Then they wrote this psalm. They were *prisoners in Babylon, (verses 10-16). *Prisoners are people who are in a prison or not free. They had done what was wrong, (verses 17-22). That is why they were not free. But the *LORD (another name for God) brought them home again, (verses 4-9). He redeemed them, or saved them from their enemies. The journey was difficult, (verses 23-32). So they must tell the *LORD how good he was, (verses 33-43). Babylon was a country east of where the *Jews lived.What Psalms 107 means
There are 6 groups of verses in this psalm. Here is a picture of them:
| The Beginning Thank the LORD for what he has done. (verses 1-3) |
| The LORD gave help to people who were coming home. (verses 4-9) |
| The LORD gave help to people that were in prison. (verses 10-16) |
| The LORD gave help to people that were ill because they had done wrong things. (verses 17-22) |
| The LORD gave help to people that were on the sea (verses 23-32) |
| The End The LORD does wonderful things (verses 33-43) |
Note on Verse 3
Some Bible students think that "the sea" should be "the south". The two words are not very different in Hebrew. Hebrew is the language that the psalm-writers spoke. Because verses 23–32 are about the sea, we think that verse 3 may also be about the sea. There was a sea to the south of Judah, so perhaps both are right!
Psalms 107:10-22
v10 Some people sat in *darkness and in the shadow of death.
They were *prisoners behind iron *bars. And they felt *despair.
v11 This happened because they did not obey the words of God.
They laughed at the plans of the Most High.
v12 Hard work made them listen to him.
When they fell down, there was nobody to help them.
v13 Then they prayed to the *LORD in their trouble.
And he saved them from the danger that they were in.
v14 He led them out of the *darkness and the shadow of death.
He broke the *chains that held them.
v15 They must thank the *LORD for his kind love.
And they must thank him
for the *wonderful things that he does for people.
v16 (They must thank him) because he broke the metal gates
and destroyed the iron *bars.
v17 Fools went away from the right road
and were in pain because of their *sin.
v18 They would not eat any food, so they nearly died.
v19 Then they prayed to the *LORD in their trouble.
And he saved them from the danger that they were in.
v20 He sent his word and he *healed them.
He saved them from death.
v21 They must thank the *LORD for his kind love.
And they must thank him
for the *wonderful things that he does for people.
v22 They must give *offerings of *praise.
And they must sing about what he has done.
What Psalms 107:10-22 means:
Verse 10: They were *prisoners in two ways:• there were iron *bars to keep them in until they died;
• this made them very, very sad (or, in *despair).
In other words, they were *prisoners of their enemies. And they were like prisoners because of their own thoughts. "In darkness" means "in a dark place".
Verse 11: "Most High" is a name for God. He is so great and powerful that he has many names. They all tell us about God. ‘Most High’ means that there is nobody with more authority than God.
Verse 12: The hard work was what their enemies made them do. It made them feel very angry. But in the end, they said that God was right.
Verses 13 and 15: So they prayed to God and he saved them. These verses come 4 times. They are in bold type each time.
Verse 14: Chains are bits of metal. They hold people so that they cannot get away.
Verse 16: The metal gates were the gates of the prison. The bars were also pieces of metal. They were over the windows and they stopped people getting away.
Verse 17: The "right road" here means the "right way to live". If you can, study Psalms 1 or Psalms 119 in this set. They were not fools because they were silly. They were fools because they did not obey God. "In pain" means that something was hurting them. "*Sin" is "not to obey God’s rules".
Verse 18: Perhaps they were too ill to eat.
Verse 20: "He sent his word" can mean two things:
• God spoke to them and healed them (or made them well again);
• God sent one of his servants to heal them (make them well again).
The *Jews believed that God sent a special servant from *Heaven. We call these servants *angels.
Heaven is the home of God. In Hebrew, "death" is "the pit". This was a name for a place in *Sheol. The *Jews believed that they went to *Sheol when they died. The pit was a very bad part of *Sheol. People never came out from it.
Verse 22: "An offering" is something that you give to someone. In the psalm, the writer meant an animal. They would kill the animal and then burn it. They believed that this made God happy. The burning animal was called "a sacrifice". "*Praise" is to tell someone that they are very great.
Psalms 107:23-32
v23 Some went down to the sea, to work in deep waters.
v24 They saw the *wonderful things that the *LORD did there.
v25 He spoke and a wind started. A storm lifted up the sea.
v26 (The sailors) went up to the sky then down into deep places.
The danger made them afraid.
v27 It was not possible to stand up, so they fell over like drunks.
They did not know what to do!
v28 Then they prayed to the *LORD in their trouble.
And he saved them from the danger that they were in.
v29 He stopped the noise of the storm and made the sea become quiet.
v30 They were happy when it became quiet.
He showed them the way to the port that they wanted to reach.
v31 They must thank the *LORD for his kind love.
And they must thank him
for the *wonderful things that he does for people.
v32 The people must say that he is great when they meet together.
Their leaders must *praise him when they sit together.
What Psalms 107:23-32 means
Verses 23 - 24: We do not know who these people were. There was no sea near Babylon. They were probably *Jews that went to places to buy and sell things. We call them "traders".Verses 25 - 27: There was a bad storm. God sent it. The traders and the other sailors fell over. This was because the boat moved up and down a lot. They did not know what to do. They had sailed a lot. But this was something that they had not seen before. All that was possible was TO PRAY!
Verses 29 - 30: God answered them. The storm stopped. The sea was quiet. This made them happy.
Verses 31 - 32: When God answers us when we pray, we must remember to thank him! This is very important when Christians meet together.
v33 - v34 The people who live in some places are very bad.
In those places, God will make:
• rivers become *desert places
• wells of water become dry ground
• good ground become salt *marsh
v35 He can make *desert places become pools of water
and dry ground become wells of water.
v36 He can give a place to hungry people where they can build a city to live in.
v37 They can *sow seeds in the fields and plant *vineyards.
Then they will bring home much food.
v38 He will be kind to them so that they grow in number.
Their animals will not decrease in number.
v39 Then they began to decrease in number
because of *oppression, trouble and *despair.
v40 He just laughed at their leaders.
And he took them into roads that led nowhere.
v41 But he lifts people that are in need out of their trouble.
And he makes their families grow like wild animals.
v42 Good people see it and it makes them happy.
Bad people just shut their mouths!
v43 People that are not *stupid will think about these things.
Then they will understand the kind love of the *LORD.
What Psalms 107:34-43 means
Verses 34 - 35: God can change good places into bad places. A *desert is a dry place with no water but much sand. A marsh is a very wet place.Verses 35 - 38: God can also change bad places into good places. "Sow seeds" means "put them into the ground so they can grow". A vineyard is a place where people grow grapes. People make grapes into wine, a drink with alcohol in it.
Verses 39 - 40: He does not do good things to people that do not obey him.
"Oppression" means the trouble that you have when people are not kind to you.
Verse 41: But the *LORD is kind to those that need his help. Some wild animals have many babies, as the mouse does.
God will give you help
Psalms 107 is a *wonderful psalm. It tells us that God will give help to people that ask him for help. Some people think that they do not need help from God. Those people will not get help!Verses 4 - 9 are about *refugees. *Refugees are people with nowhere to go. They have no home or country. If you are one, ask God for help. He will give it to you if you believe in him.
Verses 10 - 16 are about people that are in prison. God will even give you help in prison. He may even set you free! But you must ask him. And remember, there are prisons without walls and *bars: They are bad things that we cannot stop ourselves from doing. God will give us help here also.
Verses 17 - 22 are about people that are ill. They are ill because they did something wrong. Now, not all illness is because we do something wrong. But some of it is. God will even give help here, but we must ask for help!
Verses 23 - 32 are about dangers when we travel. The *refugees in verses 4-9 were in danger on the road. And here they are in danger at sea. (There was no air-travel in those days!) God gave help to these people. And he will give help to you when you travel. It does not matter how you go, land, sea or air! Just ask God for help.
But look again at verse 2. It says, "People must say that the *LORD has redeemed them". "Redeemed" means "saved" or "bought back". This is true. But it also means any other way that God gives us help. If God gives you help, then tell people about it.
Verses 33 - 43 finish the psalm. They tell us that God will give help to those people that ask for help. But he will not give it if they do not ask. The last verse of the psalm tells us to think about this. If we ask God for help we are *wise. If we do not ask for help, then we are *stupid! And nobody wants to be *stupid, so let us all ask God for help in our lives!
Something to do
1. Learn to say the words in verses 6 and 8 without looking at them.2. If you are a *refugee, or in prison, or ill, or in danger as you travel, then ask God for help. HE WILL GIVE IT!
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.'New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about the things that Jesus did and taught. It is also about what Christians believe and do.
Lord ~ a name for God; it means he has authority, or "master"; It is the word "Adonai" in Hebrew. Look also at LORD below.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God. In Hebrew it is Yahweh or Jehovah. Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the names of God.
lord ~ someone with authority.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God (in a covenant you agree with someone).
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant.
Yahweh ~ the covenant name for God. Most Bibles translate it LORD with 4 capital letters. It means something like "I am" or "always alive".
Jehovah ~ how some languages say Yahweh, one of the names of God in Hebrew.
righteous ~ very good (only God is really righteous). God says that the people who love and obey him are righteous. Sometimes we say they are "the righteous", meaning "righteous people". Look after Psalm 5 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the word "righteous".
righteous ~ very good (only God is really righteous). God says that the people who love and obey him are righteous. Sometimes we say they are "the righteous", meaning "righteous people". Look after Psalm 5 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the word "righteous".
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant.
Lord ~ a name for God; it means he has authority, or "master"; It is the word "Adonai" in Hebrew. Look also at LORD below.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God. In Hebrew it is Yahweh or Jehovah. Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the names of God.
lord ~ someone with authority.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God (in a covenant you agree with someone).
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant.
Yahweh ~ the covenant name for God. Most Bibles translate it LORD with 4 capital letters. It means something like "I am" or "always alive".
Jehovah ~ how some languages say Yahweh, one of the names of God in Hebrew.
kingdom ~ the country that has a king.
heaven ~ the home of God.
heaven ~ the home of God.
wonderful ~ great and surprising.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; a person who has the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; in the Psalms, belief in God.
prisoner ~ person that the enemy has caught and kept.
prisoner ~ person that the enemy has caught and kept.
darkness ~ when there is no light.
bars ~ bits of iron over windows and doors to stop people getting out.
despair ~ being very, very sad.
chain ~ something strong to tie people up with.
sin ~ not obeying God; or what you do when you do not obey God.
heal ~ to give health instead of illness.
offering ~ a gift to please God.
praise ~ to say how great someone is; or, words that say how great someone is.
sin ~ not obeying God; or what you do when you do not obey God.
angel ~ spirit that lives in heaven with God.
spirit ~ this part of us lives when our body dies.
heaven ~ the home of God.
Sheol ~ Jews believed that you went to Sheol when you died.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; a person who has the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; in the Psalms, belief in God.
praise ~ to say how great someone is; or, words that say how great someone is.
desert ~ a dry place with much sand.
stupid ~ opposite of clever.
refuge ~ a place where you can hide and be safe.
refuge ~ a place where you can hide and be safe.
wise ~ when we understand God’s word. When we know what is good and right. And we do it. You know what to do.
refugee ~ refugees are people who have nowhere to go.