Psalm 107:33-43 “He turns rivers into a desert, water springs into a thirsty ground, and a fruitful land into a salt waste, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it. He turns a desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into water springs. There he makes the hungry live, that they may prepare a city to live in, sow fields, plant vineyards, and reap the fruits of increase. He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly. He doesn’t allow their livestock to decrease. Again, they are diminished and bowed down through oppression, trouble, and sorrow. He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in a trackless waste. Yet he lifts the needy out of their affliction, and increases their families like a flock. The upright will see it, and be glad. All the wicked will shut their mouths. Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things. They will consider the loving kindnesses of the LORD.

God does what God will. He can turn a prosperous land barren because of the people’s wickedness, or end up reversing that judgment as a mercy to the hungry. He can bring down the mighty and exalt the needy. Whatever He does is right and righteous, and it causes the upright to be glad and the wicked to shut their mouths. Do we want to be wise? Then we’ll pay attention to the many ways that God has displayed His steadfast love to us!

Romans 5:8 “But God commends his own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

For additional worship: Living Hope (Phil Wickham)

Psalm 107:23-32 “Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in great waters, these see the LORD’s deeds, and his wonders in the deep. For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up its waves. They mount up to the sky; they go down again to the depths. Their soul melts away because of trouble. They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry to the LORD in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distress. He makes the storm a calm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because it is calm, so he brings them to their desired haven. Let them praise the LORD for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds for the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people, and praise him in the seat of the elders.”

What we seem to have here are some of the exiled Israelites sailing in the service of a foreign king. Instead of ending up at the bottom of an ocean, God brings them back to shore and then back to their homeland. God should certainly be praised!

Did you catch the refrain for each group? “Let them praise the LORD for His loving kindness, for His wonderful deed for the children of men!” We should praise the Lord publicly and privately for the salvation we have through Jesus Christ, the protection and provision we have through the Holy Spirit, and the hope of a future forever with Him!

For additional worship: Eternal Father, Strong to Save

Psalm 107:17-22 “Fools are afflicted because of their disobedience, and because of their iniquities. Their soul abhors all kinds of food. They draw near to the gates of death. Then they cry to the LORD in their trouble, and he saves them out of their distresses. He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves. Let them praise the LORD for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men! Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his deeds with singing.”

This is the third group mentioned. Have they done something exceptionally foolish in exile? Or have they just been fools all along because of their refusal to follow God, which is the whole reason they ended up in exile in the first place! They end up so distressed that they can’t eat. Finally, when they are near death, they cry out to God. God answers, and they praise Him for His mercy and might!

Don’t be a fool!!!

Proverbs 1:20-33 “Wisdom calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares. She calls at the head of noisy places. At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words: ‘How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge? Turn at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make known my words to you. Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention; but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your disaster. I will mock when calamity overtakes you, when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me, because they hated knowledge, and didn’t choose the fear of the LORD. They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes. For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will dwell securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm.’ ”

For additional worship: Tell Out, My Soul

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)