Commentary - Psalm 107:1-3

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 107 is a grand anthem of redemption, and these first three verses are the call to worship that sets the stage for everything that follows. The psalmist is not interested in vague, sentimental feelings about God. He grounds our worship in two massive, objective realities: God's character and God's actions. The foundation is who God is, He is good and His lovingkindness is eternal. The response is what God's people must do, they must testify to the fact that He has acted, redeeming them and gathering them. This is the fundamental pattern of all true worship. It begins with theology proper, who God is, and moves to soteriology, what God has done. This psalm, likely written to instruct the returning exiles from Babylon, has a far grander fulfillment in the gospel, where God has redeemed a people for Himself not from a foreign land, but from the tyranny of sin and death, and has gathered them by His Spirit from every nation on earth.

The central command here is a summons to public testimony. Thanksgiving is not a private, internal mood. It is a public declaration. "Let the redeemed of Yahweh say so." This is the business of the Church. We are the gathered assembly of the redeemed, and our primary task is to tell the world about the goodness of our God and the power of His redeeming love. This is not just a suggestion; it is the necessary consequence of being redeemed. If you have been bought back from the enemy, you have a story to tell, and God commands you to tell it.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 107 begins the fifth and final book of the Psalter (Psalms 107-150). This final book is often seen as having a strong focus on the Word of God and the praise of God that flows from His covenant faithfulness, especially in light of the exile and return. Psalm 106, which concludes Book Four, ends with a plea for God to "gather us from among the nations" (Ps 106:47). Psalm 107 opens with the triumphant declaration that this gathering has happened. This strongly suggests a post-exilic setting, where the people of God are reflecting on His faithfulness in bringing them back to the land. However, like all the psalms, its meaning is not confined to its original historical context. It points forward to a greater exodus and a greater ingathering, accomplished not by Cyrus the Persian but by Jesus the Christ.

Key Issues

The Redeemed Shall Say So

All true worship is grounded in objective reality. It is not a matter of trying to stir up certain feelings within ourselves. It is a matter of recognizing what is actually true and responding appropriately. This psalm begins by laying down the doctrinal foundation before it ever gets to the experiential application. Before the psalmist describes the wandering, the imprisonment, the sickness, or the storm, he first establishes the character of the God who rescues from all these things. Our praise is not based on our circumstances, but on our God. And because our God is who He is, and has done what He has done, our response is not optional. We are commanded to open our mouths and "say so."

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good, For His lovingkindness endures forever.

The psalm opens with a command to give thanks. But this is not a command to feel grateful. It is a command to declare something, and the basis for the declaration is twofold. First, God is good. This is not to say that He does good things, though that is true. It is a statement about His essential nature. Goodness is what He is. All other goodness in the universe is derivative; His is original. Second, His lovingkindness endures forever. The Hebrew word here is hesed, a glorious, untranslatable term that encompasses covenant loyalty, steadfast love, and unfailing mercy. It is God's absolute commitment to His covenant people. And this commitment is not fickle; it does not have an expiration date. It endures forever. These two truths, God's essential goodness and His eternal covenant faithfulness, are the bedrock upon which all Christian confidence rests.

2 Let the redeemed of Yahweh say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary

Who is supposed to give these thanks? The redeemed of Yahweh. The word for redeemed here means to be bought back, to be ransomed. It is the language of the kinsman-redeemer, the one who pays the price to rescue a relative from slavery or debt. We were in bondage, held fast "from the hand of the adversary." This adversary is, in the first instance, the powers that held Israel in exile. But in the final analysis, the adversary is the devil, and the bondage is to sin and death. Those who have been bought out of that slavery have a particular obligation. They are to "say so." Say what? They are to affirm the truths of verse 1. They are to testify that God is indeed good and that His lovingkindness does indeed endure forever. Their own redemption is the proof. Redemption is not a private experience for our personal comfort; it is a public testimony for God's public glory.

3 And gathered from the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.

The act of redemption is described here as a gathering. God did not just redeem His people and leave them scattered; He brought them together. For the original audience, this was the literal return from the Babylonian exile, a miraculous ingathering from the lands where they had been dispersed. But the language, "from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south," points to a far greater reality. This is the language of the Great Commission. Jesus sent His disciples to the four corners of the earth to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19). The Church is the fulfillment of this verse. We are the people whom God has redeemed from the hand of the adversary and gathered from every tribe, tongue, and nation into one body. The scope of God's redemptive plan is not tribal or national; it is global and exhaustive.

Application

The application of this passage is profoundly simple and profoundly demanding. First, ground your faith in the objective character of God. Your spiritual life will be a rollercoaster of emotion if it is based on your feelings or your circumstances. Base it on what does not change: God is good, and His covenant love endures forever. Meditate on these truths. Preach them to yourself. This is the anchor in every storm.

Second, understand that your testimony is not optional. If you are among the redeemed, you have been drafted into the choir. "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so." This means in corporate worship, singing lustily and saying a hearty "Amen." It means in your personal conversations, being ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you. It means telling your story, the story of how God rescued you from the hand of the adversary. Your redemption was not accomplished in a corner, and your testimony should not be kept in one.

Finally, rejoice in the catholicity of the church. God is gathering His people from every point on the compass. This should destroy all pride, racism, and provincialism in our hearts. We are part of a vast, international, multi-generational family, all of whom share the same story. We were lost, and we have been gathered. We were slaves, and we have been redeemed. And therefore, with one voice, from every land, we say together that our God is good, and His lovingkindness endures forever.