Pastor Billington's Blog

Psalm 107:10-16 “Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron, because they rebelled against the words of God, and condemned the counsel of the Most High. Therefore he brought down their heart with labor. They fell down, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to 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 broke away their chains. Let them praise the LORD for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men! For he has broken the gates of bronze, and cut through bars of iron.”

Just as we all don’t have the same experiences in life, so the Israelites experienced different things in exile. Some wandered in the desert (107:4), but some experienced imprisonment and hard labor. The ones pictured here are said to be suffering because of their continued rebellion. Was their rebellion that much worse than those who were wandering in the desert? Or is this just a general statement regarding why Israel went into exile? I think that it’s entirely possible that this is just a general statement, and the Psalmist is showing us that different Israelites experienced different hardships, but all cried out to God and experienced his help.

Whatever you’re going through right now, you can cry out to God. Even if you have rebelled against Him, if you turn back to Him with a contrite heart He will hear, and you’ll have reason to praise Him!

Luke 15:20-24 “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

For additional worship: The Prodigal Son (Out of the Wilderness Wild and Drear)

Out in the wilderness wild and drear,
Sadly I’ve wandered for many a year,
Driven by hunger and filled with fear,
I will arise and go;
Backward with sorrow my steps to trace,
Seeking my heavenly Father’s face,
Willing to take but a servant’s place,
I will arise and go.

Refrain
Back to my Father and home,
Back to my Father and home,
I will arise and go
Back to my Father and home.

Why should I perish in dark despair,
Here where there’s no one to help or care,
When there is shelter and food to spare?
I will arise and go;
Deeply repenting the wrong I’ve done,
Worthy no more to be called a son,
Hoping my Father His child may own,
I will arise and go. [Refrain]

Sweet are the memories that come to me,
Faces of loved ones again I see,
Visions of home where I used to be,
I will arise and go;
Others have gone who had wandered, too,
They were forgiven, were clothed anew,
Why should I linger with home in view?
I will arise and go. [Refrain]

O that I never had gone astray!
Life was all radiant with hope one day,
Now all its treasures I’ve thrown away,
Yet I’ll arise and go;
Something is saying, God loves you still,
Tho’ you have treated His love so ill,
I must not wait, for the night grows chill,
I will arise and go. [Refrain]

Psalm 107:4-9 “They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way. They found no city to live in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. He led them also by a straight way, that they might go to a city to live in. Let them praise the LORD for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!”

Even when we find ourselves in trouble of our own making, we can still cry out to the Lord for help, and He will help us. That help may differ depending on our circumstances, but it will come. Strength. Peace. Comfort. Guidance. Protection. Salvation. Deliverance. Acceptance! Whatever He provides, even if it’s not exactly what we expect, we need to be thankful, because it will always be exactly what we need.

Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

For additional worship: Jesus, Thou Joy Of Loving Hearts (Hymns of Grace)

Psalm 107:1-3 “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever. Let the redeemed by the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary, and gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.”

Any time we read about the regathering of God’s people it should remind us of the hope we have for the future. God is good and merciful, and He deserves our thanks and praise!

Revelation 5:9-10 “They sang a new song, saying, ‘You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals, for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood out of every tribe, language, people, and nation, and made us kings and priests to our God; and we will reign on the earth.’ ”

For additional worship: Since I Have Been Redeemed

Last verse: I have a home prepared for me,
Since I have been redeemed,
Where I shall dwell eternally,
Since I have been redeemed.

Psalm 106:47-48 “Save us, LORD, our God, gather us from amongst the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, to triumph in your praise! Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting! Let all the people say, ‘Amen.’ Praise the LORD!”

Our prayer: “Thank you for saving us, triune God. We long for the day when you bring us all into our heavenly home, where we will praise and give thanks to your holy name. All praise, forever, to the God of the nations. Let everyone say, ‘Amen!’ Praise the Lord!”

Revelation 5:13 “I heard every created thing which is in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion, forever and ever! Amen!’ “

For additional worship: Lo! He Comes In Clouds Descending (Richard Jensen)

Psalm 106:40-46 “Therefore the LORD burnt with anger against his people. He abhorred his inheritance. He gave them into the hand of the nations. Those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies also oppressed them. They were brought into subjection under their hand. He rescued them many times, but they were rebellious in their counsel, and were brought low in their iniquity. Nevertheless he regarded their distress, when he heard their cry. He remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. He made them also to be pitied by all those who carried them captive.”

This sums up about 300 years of Israelite history. They went into captivity but eventually were allowed to go back home. Even in his wrath (“He abhorred his inheritance”), He was merciful (“nevertheless he regarded their distress“).

For additional worship: His Mercy Is More (Keith & Kristyn Getty)

Psalm 106:32-39 “They angered him also at the waters of Meribah, so that Moses was troubled for their sakes; because they were rebellious against his spirit, he spoke rashly with his lips. They didn’t destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, but mixed themselves with the nations, and learnt their works. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land was polluted with blood. Thus they were defiled with their works, and prostituted themselves in their deeds.”

Not only does sin pollute, idolatry is like prostitution. Just as we are supposed to be faithful in our marriages, we are to be faithful to God. There is only one true God. There is only one God worthy of praise. There is only one God we worship and serve!

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 “For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead: Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

For additional worship: If We’ve Ever Needed You (Casting Crowns)

Psalm 106:24-31 “Yes, they despised the pleasant land. They didn’t believe his word, but murmured in their tents, and didn’t listen to the LORD’s voice. Therefore he swore to them that he would overthrow them in the wilderness, that he would overthrow their offspring amongst the nations, and scatter them in the lands. They joined themselves also to Baal Peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. Thus they provoked him to anger with their deeds. The plague broke in on them. Then Phinehas stood up and executed judgement, so the plague was stopped. That was credited to him for righteousness, for all generations to come.”

This passage ends with the events in Numbers 25. God was punishing his people for their willingness to marry into idolatry, and Phinehas stopped the plague from spreading. As a result, he and his offspring received a special blessing from God:

Numbers 25:12-13 “Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace. It shall be to him, and to his offspring after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ ”

We sometimes forget that the sin of individuals can affect the entire community of faith in one way or another. We should want to be holy not only for our own relationship with God, but because of the impact we have on His church!

1 Corinthians 5:6 “Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole lump?”

For additional worship: Build My Life (feat. Chris Tomlin)

Psalm 106:16-23 “They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron, the LORD’s saint. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. A fire was kindled in their company. The flame burnt up the wicked. They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped a molten image. Thus they exchanged their glory for an image of a bull that eats grass. They forgot God, their Saviour, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome things by the Red Sea. Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had Moses, his chosen, not stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, so that he wouldn’t destroy them.”

The people continued to rebel and a group of them spoke out against Moses. Even after seeing the Lord’s power in deposing them, they forgot about His majesty and might. They even forgot about the awesome power He showed in bringing them out of Egypt! They engaged in ongoing idolatry, and their idolatry continued to provoke God until He was ready to start over. Moses, however, pleaded on their behalf, and God spared them.

Exodus 32:11-14 “Moses begged the LORD his God, and said, ‘LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians talk, saying, “He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?” Turn from your fierce wrath, and turn away from this evil against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.” ‘ So The LORD turned away from the evil which he said he would do to his people.”

The lesson for us? Intercession can make a difference!

James 5:16-18 “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it didn’t rain on the earth for three years and six months. He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”

For additional worship: What if His People Prayed (Casting Crowns)

Psalm 106:6-15 “We have sinned with our fathers. We have committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. Our fathers didn’t understand your wonders in Egypt. They didn’t remember the multitude of your loving kindnesses, but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea. Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power known. He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up; so he led them through the depths, as through a desert. He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their adversaries. There was not one of them left. Then they believed his words. They sang his praise. They soon forgot his works. They didn’t wait for his counsel, but gave in to craving in the desert, and tested God in the wasteland. He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.”

There are both good and bad examples in Scripture. Here the Psalmist is remembering the failures of the people in the past and comparing that to the sinfulness of the people in the present. There is an important lesson for us here: hopefully we can learn from the mistakes other people make so that we won’t make them ourselves!

1 Corinthians 10:11-12 “Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall.”

There is another important lesson here too. There is someone who is always faithful. There is someone who always does what is right. There is someone who is always there. There is someone who is merciful, kind, and loving. There is someone who makes His power and might known in the way He deals with His people. God!

Romans 9:17 “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ ”

Part of the dealing with His people is helping them to understand when they make mistakes and disciplining them when they need it. It’s actually a form of love. So even when He gave them what they wanted (food), He made sure they understood that their unbelief was a problem: “He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.”

For additional worship: Faithfulness (Matt Maher)