Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Reading: Psalm 107:1-43
Introduction:
O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Psalm 107:1-7
Today we will be looking at Psalm 107…in its entirety. Whilst somewhat unconventional, I believe the structure of the psalm allows me to do this.
I remember 2018 whilst reading Psalm 107, one verse in particular sat up and made me take notice and this is the title of our message: “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
It resonated with me personally, since observing the wholesale rejection of God despite his continued goodness and mercy being lavished upon them continually.
I had been reading the bible regularly and from cover to cover.
Two things generally happens when you do this:
First there is a heightened awareness of God working in your life and in the lives of others
Secondly an increased burden for the lost. It is this burden for the lost that desires… “… that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
It’s quite an incredible Psalm in that those words are repeated 4x throughout the Psalm…as what I would consider a chorus. (Psalms are songs after all).
If this is the chorus, then what is contained in what would be considered the stanzas is that which we ought to praise God for: notably his “GOODNESS and his wonderful works to the children of men” DEMONSTRATED in various ways.
This Psalm is an exhortation to praise God, and this is what should define PRAISE!!!
Praise ought to be a CONSIDERED response and a HEART-FELT expression of gratitude for God’s intervention in our lives. By considered, I mean actual perceivable and definable intervention and not praise for the sake of praise. Anything short of this (or greater than this) runs the risk of taking the Lord’s name in vain.
For example:
Pentecostals are great at devising strange doctrines. In psalm 22:3 we read: “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”
(Psalms 22:3)
For some weird reason they believe that God lives inside our praise and that through praise, they can conjure up the presence of God. This is very dangerous stuff and grounded in the occult.
No: In saying that God inhabits the praises of Israel, the psalmist is saying that the the knowledge and remembrance of God is passed on from generation to generation VERBALLY through the praises of Israel (esp. Psalms)
The first thing that we notice within this Psalm is that there is an HISTORICAL content (of real and actual events). In that respect, it is a call to REMEMBRANCE
Memory is a good thing…we should learn from from the past in order to AVOID making the same mistakes again. Did they? I don’t think so.
The first half of the Psalm especially deals with the Exodus and the wilderness wanderings in its content. I’ll admit that some of the content is somewhat obscure…but that which is clear is VERY teachable.
I’ve divided the Psalm into 4 points which deal with a specific praise-worthy work or aspect of God’s nature. These aspects aren’t necessarily confined neatly within each section, and so we see some cross-over (of these aspects) between the stanzas.
[Turn to]
The first seven verses set the scene (so to speak)
Verse 1 declares God’s goodness… “Give thanks to the Lord for he IS good”
In verse 2, the redeemed of the Lord are exhorted to say so.
Whilst the redemption and salvation referred to here are in a physical sense, we who have been redeemed spiritually speaking, have all the more reason to say so.
A theme that repeats itself throughout this Psalm (and in fact, entirety of scripture: see Judges) and it is that when the people cry out to the Lord, he delivers them from their distresses.
In verse 7 we are told that the Lord led them in the right way towards their place of habitation. This really sums up the goodness of God because his thoughts towards us are always good and his plans are always leading us towards an expected end, even when we stray.
What is really incredible (and we see it in the first 7 verses) is the Lord’s faithfulness to the nation of Israel and his ability to preserve them throughout history, despite their constant rejection of him.
Let’s pray 🙏
Praise the Lord for his Patience:
[Turn to]
“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.” (Psalms 107:8-14)
In our first point we see the exhortation to praise the Lord for his goodness…BECAUSE “he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” This is despite their REBELLION
THEY REBELLED AGAINST THE WORDS OF GOD…and
CONTEMNED (the counsel of the most High).
The word CONTEMN means to hold in contempt…to disregard.
Scripture uses another term which is TO SET AT NOUGHT…or in other words to regard something or someone as having LITTLE OR NO VALUE.
Yet this very word, the Lord places above his name (Psalm 138:2)
And this is the very word that we are required to tremble at. (Isaiah 66:2)
Contempt for the word of God should give you CHILLS. Imagine picking up your bible and throwing it in the bin…and saying IT IS WORTHLESS.
There is no one incident or group of individuals specified in the text, though there are many accounts in the wilderness wanderings that fall into this category.
Notwithstanding, there are numerous other times seen in scripture where individuals ignore the counsel of God despite receiving it from the mouth of a prophet.
How many times do we see in scripture…man falling into trouble when he fails to harken unto God?
Eve listened to the serpent…
Adam listened to Eve…
Abraham listened to Sarah and took Hagar as a concubine, who gave birth to Ishmael.
Joshua listened to Gibeonites instead of seeking the Lord’s counsel regarding those men who claimed to come “from a far country”
Sin always has consequences:
And in the case of those who rebelled against the words of God:
They were:
“…bound in affliction and iron”
Their souls left longing, sitting in darkness and the shadow of death.
In many respects, their punishment fitted the crime…contempt for the word of God must be seen as SERIOUS…
There is a certain freedom that accompanies walking in the light of God’s word. In rejecting God’s word, they were deprived of both freedom and light.
We saw that the reason for their distress was their rebellion. This was the natural consequences of their actions…YET the key to the relief from their distress was that they cried to the Lord. Again…this is a common pattern in scripture and one which ought to give us confidence when we pray.
Are we any better than they…when we disobey the the clear commandments of God. And fail to seek him in even the smallest matters.
The same applies to us…when we are entangled and ensnared by our own sin and the consequences of our sin, we inevitably find ourselves in darkness and misery.
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:6-7)
IN ALL THIS WE SHOULD REALIZE JUST HOW PATIENT AND LONGSUFFERING OUR GOD IS…
Not only does he not repay us according to what our sins deserve, he gives us the chance to start again. HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING.
Even when we are in sin, he provides the means of restoring our relationship with him.
Our text goes on to say:
Therefore he brought *down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
*The Lord humbled them…
This is exactly what we read in the book of Deuteronomy
[Turn to]
“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” (Deuteronomy 8:2-3)
How important then is the word of God…and his counsel? Job esteemed God’s word more than his necessary food. Yet at the same time the Lord rebukes him saying: “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?”
(Job 38:2)
Whilst we know that:
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” (Psalms 103:8)
The Lord also treats us as sons THEREFORE we can expect to be chastened (PURIFIED). The Lord chastens those he loves and therefore we ought not to despise the chastening of the Lord…despite it being unpleasant.
“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Hebrews 12:11)
This can be a very lonely process…as the text says: “they fell down, and there was none to help.” It can certainly feel like that…
Remember that when we ARE chastened of the Lord, he always brings us back to his word. It is his word that feeds and satisfies our hungry soul. Through the chastening process the Lord brings us to that place where we fully appreciate the goodness of God.
It is through God’s word that we are able to:
TASTE and SEE that the Lord is GOOD!!!
Again, it was in crying to the Lord that their help came…and this requires HUMILITY…GOD GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE
Praise the Lord for his Providence:
[Turn to]
“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder. *Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat;and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalms 107:15-20)
Just how much did the Lord provide for his people throughout their
topsy-turvey history …?
In this passage alone we see the provision of sustenance. We see the provision of healing and forgiveness of sins, and deliverance from (their destructions) the due recompense of their error.
We see that the Lord provided them deliverance from bondage: Both actual and spiritual. Interestingly Egypt is referred to as: THE HOUSE OF BONDAGE (10 verses in fact) and in this respect it is a picture of the world. Inflicting its occupants BOTH with hard labour and enticing them with the pleasures of sin.
Nehemiah chapter 9 gives us another great summary of God’s providence to the nation of Israel:
“Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.” (Nehemiah 9:20-21)
Psalm 103 invites us to bless the Lord with all of our being for all of those things which I just mentioned:
“A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and FORGET NOT all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalms 103:1-5)
In our text today [Turn to v17]:
And yet we see that because of sin FOOLS reject the providence of God: When they should have been grateful to the Lord who “…hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.” (God’s deliverance was comprehensive) … “Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.” (Walking on thin ice)
This is a direct reference from the book of Numbers:
[Turn to]
“And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; *and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.” (Numbers 21:4-6)
The word LOATHE and ABHOR are such HARSH words when APPLIED to the GOODNESS and PROVIDENCE of God.
This account concludes with the Lord commanding Moses to make a brazen serpent and place it on a pole.
Again, despite their rebellion and despising the Lord’s providence:
“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
He gave them prophets (in this case Moses) to instruct them in the ways of the Lord. And as we saw in the previous point… THEY CONTEMNED HIS COUNSEL AND REBELLED AGAINST HIS WORDS!!!
INGRATITUDE whether we realise it or not, is YET ANOTHER serious sin. I say this because it is linked closely to apostasy and the depravity that exists in the heart of mankind.
“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” (Romans 1:21)
Highlighting its seriousness, we see a similar link in the perilous times foretold in 2 Timothy:
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, UNTHANKFUL, unholy,” (2 Timothy 3:1-2)
IF ingratitude was just a matter of forgetfulness, we might be inclined to think that it wasn’t so bad. But we see that ingratitude also goes hand in hand with complaining and murmuring…as we read in our text:
“…OUR SOUL LOATHETH THIS LIGHT BREAD”
And it doesn’t just STOP there…the path of apostasy is a downward slope which leads to more serious sin.
You have to love the bible…and in case you didn’t know
THE BIBLE IS ITS OWN COMMENTARY!!! (x2)
I say this because the book of James gives us an INCREDIBLE insight into this Old Testament account. From this passage we see that ingratitude had its roots in envy and covetousness.
In chapter 4, James is speaking about worldliness and discontent and says:
“Do ye think that the scripture *saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?” (James 4:5)
The spirit that dwells in us is envious…it DESIRES those things which others have and which we don’t have.
James is referring to this passage in the book of Numbers (10 chapters earlier than our previous passage). Here we see them coveting the food which they had previously eaten in Egypt. In complaining about the manna, their hearts had already turned back to Egypt.
[TURN TO]
“And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them. And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a *lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” (Numbers 11:1-6)
And it doesn’t stop there:
After coveting the things that they previously enjoyed in Egypt (leeks, fish, garlick etc), the Lord provides them with quail. He sends a wind to blow the quail their way. But the story doesn’t end there…
AND IT DOESN’T END WELL
“And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.” (Numbers 11:33)
In Psalm 78 (Another psalm with some great historical content) gives us further insight:
“They were not *estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.” (Psalms 78:30-31)
We see that the Lord slew the FATTEST of them!!!
So not only do we see INGRATITUDE
We see: COMPLAINTS, COVETOUSNESS AND NOW GREED.
The Lord answered their prayer request (for flesh) EVEN though they asked amiss…
ONLY TO CONSUME IT UPON THEIR LUSTS
Intertwined in this story is UNBELIEF
Psalm 78 also tells us that:
They forgot his works and his wonders
They limited God…
They tempted God in their heart saying, “can God furnish a table a table in the wilderness.”
“Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:”
(Psalms 78:22)
Another critical point to remember in all this and something that Moses was very explicit in pointing out:
He said:
“…that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.” (Exodus 16:8)
Remember when we murmur and complain about people or situations in our lives…our ACCUSATION is in all reality DIRECTED AT GOD because we accuse him of not providing for us.
This is particularly heinous when you think that the scripture tells us that he is our PORTION, our exceeding great REWARD and our LENGTH OF DAYS.
Of course, we can’t ignore the fact that the Lord Jesus drew a parallel between himself and the manna in the desert and said:
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)
CHRIST IS CENTRAL TO GOD’S PROVISION IN OUR LIVES AND ALL THE PROMISES OF GOD ARE YES AND AMEN IN HIM
HOPEFULLY, we see the valuable lesson here:
The apostle Paul had learnt the secret of contentment (you can either learn the hard way or the easy way).
In the closing passages of Philippians, he writes:
“…for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:10-13)
DO WE SEE THE LORD’S PROVISION IN OUR LIVES? IF SO, THEN WE CANNOT HELP BUT PRAISE HIM
MEMORY VERSE:
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.” (Psalms 68:19)
Praise the Lord for his Preservation:
[Turn to]
“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is meltedbecause of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, *and are at their wits’ end.Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.”
(Psalms 107:21-30)
In the previous 2 points SCRIPTURE paints a picture of apostasy, the gravity of sin and the danger that it presents to those who indulge in it.
In this stanza SCRIPTURE shifts from an historical perspective and for a brief moment focuses on the WORKS of God (and not his goodness) …works here are defined as “seas and great waters.”
The scripture tells us that it is those who go down to the sea in ships…the merchant seamen that observe the grandeur of God’s creation.
Anyone who has ever been on a cruise, knows how VAST the ocean is…
Truly incredible and absolutely praise-worthy. (Insert testimony)
Yet…
As much as God’s creation is truly remarkable (and praise-worthy) …it is not without dangers as we see in our text.
The SCRIPTURE gives us a vivid description of the ocean waves and the storms which accompany it. So, we get a sense of the danger and the fear.
SCRIPTURE paints a vivid picture of stormy seas whose waves “mount up” to the heaven. SCRIPTURE uses words to describe in great detail the sheer terror of being caught in the tempest… “their soul is melted because of trouble”
The bible is incredible in the way it puts into words (and communicates) our deepest emotions and distresses.
“AT THEIR WITS’ END”
To be at your wit’s end is to be beyond knowing what to do. This was exactly Jehoshaphat’s prayer in 2 Chronicles when Israel was besieged by the Moabites and the Ammonites.
“O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)
Similarly,
In our text today we see that those sailors who were in danger and “at their wits end”
“…cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.” PSALM107:28-30
It’s incredible to think that the simple act of crying out to God in such dire circumstances moves God to answer prayer. In doing so he calms the storm and calms their fears… “they are glad”
This is not to say that a situation needs to be dire for the Lord to answer prayer…sometimes we need a storm in our life to motivate us to seek God. In those cases, it should be seen as a test of faith. Perhaps we should thank God for the storm and his answer to our prayers.
In looking at this scenario, we cannot but help draw parallels with the account in the gospels:
“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, *What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:35-41)
We know what manner of man is this: God manifest in the flesh!!!
Psalm 89 might very well have been conscious of this fact as this event unfolded:
“Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.” (Psalms 89:9)
The story in Psalm 107 doesn’t just end with the calming of the seas; the Lord doesn’t just still the waves “…he bringeth them unto their desired haven.”
A HAVEN IS A PLACE OF SAFETY AND PROTECTION
As I pondered the danger described in our text; and the help rendered and the preservation of life given by the Lord, I was reminded of the hymn “Love lifted me”
I was sinking deep in sin
Far from the peaceful shore
Very deeply stained within
Sinking to rise no more
But the master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me
Now safe am I
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me
This should help us realise our utter helplessness and our complete dependence upon God for everything…our lives are completely in his hands. As we see that in our text today…lives rescued from danger and certain death.
Praise God we are perfectly preserved and none can snatch us out of his hands.
AND SO… we should contemplate the preservation of our own lives from actual or unseen dangers.
Which is why the psalmist exhorts the reader saying:
“…let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.”
The sheer relief of avoiding certain death…DEMANDS IT!!!
This is sacrifice that pleases God: He desires mercy and not sacrifice (per se)
“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6)
What greater way to promote the knowledge of God than through our praises.
Doubtless the greatest danger man faces is the loss of his soul. And what total dependence do we have when it comes to the salvation of our soul.
The Lord clearly places enormous value on our souls even if we don’t.
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
WE KNOW THE VALUE PLACED BECAUSE: “For God so loved the world, that he GAVE his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
There’s something dreadful about the word “perish” that should really stick in our minds…
Unbelievers are:
Completely oblivious to the danger that imminent death presents.
Completely oblivious that they are storing up WRATH against the day of WRATH.
IT OFTEN TAKES A STORM IN LIFE TO AWAKEN THE SOUL TO THE REALITY OF THIS…
Do you remember the time that your soul was awakened to the danger?
If so, YOU have EVERY reason to PRAISE GOD
This is why the writer of Hebrews exhorts us to:
“…offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (Hebrews 13:15)
Praise the Lord His People:
[Turn to]
“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground; A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings. And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation; And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase. He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease. Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock. The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.” (Psalms 107:31-42)
In this final point we see the PSALM shift from an individual recognition of the works of God to a corporate one, as IT exhorts the entire congregation and assembly of elders to exalt the Lord…praising him for his goodness and his wonderful works.
Once again, we see Israel from an historical perspective…complete with its HIGHS and LOWS…but especially the GOODNESS of God.
*It’s important to realise that Israel is a picture of the believer. Israel’s highs and lows correspond to our own.
In these final verses of our text:
We see a picture of repeated drought and famine… He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;
We see fruitfulness and barrenness.
We see increase and decrease…
He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease. Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow.
The chief cause in all of this was SIN and a failure to follow the law of Moses. Incredibly we see that God is no respecter of persons and doesn’t hesitate to pour contempt upon princes.
Is this a direct reference to that which happened to Hezekiah (?) If not it is certainly a fitting example…having his sons slain before his eyes and then having his eyes thrust out. *Remember that Hezekiah was more worried about being humiliated in front of his people than following the recommendations of Jeremiah (sought the Lord on his behalf).
SADLY, sin is contagious!!! And it only took the evil report of 10 men to infect and discourage the faith of the ENTIRE nation of 2 million Israelites. And it only takes the murmuring of a few people to split a congregation.
Hence why the exhortation is to the entire assembly including the elders, who we hope would set an example to whole congregation based on their intimate KNOWLEDGE of Israel’s past.
Hindsight should be a valuable teacher…sadly we don’t always learn from history and wisdom doesn’t naturally come with age.
But rather:
Our text tells us that the righteous see these things and despite the picture of judgement here, they REJOICE because the judgement of God stops the spread of evil (as we read): “and all iniquity shall stop her *mouth.”
It’s interesting that the gospel is spread from Faith to Faith through preaching. Likewise sin and unbelief is spread by mouth (murmuring etc)…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
The emphasis (in our text) on corporate worship is a poignant one for a number of reasons:
Unity is the biggest reason…unity of thought and belief. To be of ONE MIND in the KNOWLEDGE of those things which occurred in the past. As such, there is the opportunity not only for mutual EDIFICATION but also mutual EDUCATION.
The same applies to the New Testament church:
Again, in respect of corporate worship and the general functioning of “the body of Christ” we’re told in Hebrews:
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
“…as the manner of some is”
Sadly this (forsaking) is a growing trend within the body of Christ. Amputated Christians…dead lifeless and disconnected… not fulfilling their God given purpose, not the least of which is to provoke and exhort one another unto love and to good works.
AND TO PRAISE GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS
Conclusion:
“Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.” (Psalms 107:43)
In our previous point we saw that it is the righteous who see the works of God in time past. This thought is distilled and refined in the final verse of our text today. Righteousness is equated with the wisdom to ACTUALLY observe (and ponder) these things. And this is a lesson to all of us…the bible was written for our LEARNING
“Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.” (Psalms 107:43)
Within this longing for men to praise God is both a recognition that they DO NOT!! and also a question WHY NOT?
As much as our heart’s desire is “…that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
Scripture tells us that it is the WISE who observe these things and therefore understand the goodness (lovingkindness) of God and are therefore given to praise him.
What do we know about wisdom?
Certainly (as scripture tells us):
WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING BEGIN WITH THE FEAR OF GOD…
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)
Without godly wisdom a person walks blindly (and not in the fear of the Lord), and consequently he is unable to observe or understand the things that happen around him…the reason they occur or the purpose behind them.
We’ve seen the folly exhibited by individuals in our text:
Murmuring and contempt for the word of God.
It’s no different today…AS we see the wholesale rejection of God by the unbeliever. Even as the Lord described “the days of Noe”: Men were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage.
This is the grief: They are completely oblivious to the mercy and goodness extended to them EVERY DAY.
Whilst we can understand the actions and inactions of the unbeliever…those of the professed believer are incomprehensible.
SO:
If we truly desire to see man praising God, it comes down to our own WITNESS…
To RECOGNISE the workings of God in our lives
To AVOID the pitfalls of sin described in our text
To BE salt and light to those around us.
To FEAR God and keep his commandments
To WARN the wicked…
To SHARE the gospel…
To BE the people of praise that we ought to be…in light of his GOODNESS and lovingkindness towards us.
Let’s pray 🙏
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