Commentary - Psalm 107:17-22

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 107 is a grand anthem dedicated to the steadfast lovingkindness of God, His covenant loyalty, what the Hebrews called hesed. The psalmist provides us with a series of four illustrative snapshots of human misery and divine deliverance, all designed to provoke the same response: "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness!" This refrain is the central pillar of the psalm. The section before us, verses 17 through 22, is the third of these vignettes. It follows the lost in the wilderness and the prisoners in darkness, and it precedes the sailors on the stormy seas. Here, the subjects are fools, afflicted on account of their own sin, brought to death's door by their own transgression. And yet, when they cry out, God in His mercy hears and delivers them. This is the gospel pattern: sin brings ruin, repentance brings a cry for help, and God brings salvation. The only proper response to such a rescue is public, vocal, and sacrificial thanksgiving.

This passage is a stark reminder that our own choices have consequences, often dire ones. But it is an even greater reminder that God's mercy is not limited to the upright or the merely unfortunate. His mercy extends even to those whose troubles are entirely of their own making, to those who have forged their own chains. This is a profound comfort to all who are in Christ, because at the end of the day, that describes every last one of us. Our salvation is not a reward for our wisdom, but a rescue from our foolishness.

Outline

Commentary

17 Ignorant fools, because of their way of transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.

The psalmist does not mince words. The affliction described here is not random, nor is it some noble suffering. It is self-inflicted. The subjects are designated as fools, not because of a low IQ, but because of a moral and spiritual deficiency. In Scripture, the fool is the one who says in his heart there is no God, or who lives as though there were none. Their affliction is a direct result of two things: their "way of transgression" and their "iniquities." This is cause and effect. The way of transgression is the rebellious path, the chosen lifestyle of sin. The iniquities are the specific acts of lawlessness that pave that road. When you decide to live like a fool, you will eventually reap a fool's reward. The universe is wired this way by a just God. Sin has consequences, and one of them is affliction. This is not to say all affliction is a direct result of a specific sin, for the book of Job teaches us otherwise. But it is to say that some affliction most certainly is, and we are fools ourselves if we pretend otherwise.

18 Their soul abhorred all kinds of food, And they reached the gates of death.

The affliction is severe. It is a sickness that brings them to the very edge of the grave. Their "soul," meaning their entire being, their appetite and life-force, detested all food. This is a picture of utter misery. Food is necessary for life and is a source of pleasure, but their condition was so foul that the very thing that could sustain them became repulsive. This is what sin does. It twists our appetites. It makes us loathe what is good and crave what is poison. When you are this deep in sin's sickness, you lose your taste for the bread of life. You are starving to death, but you have no desire to eat. They were knocking on death's door, not as visitors, but as prospective residents. This is the terminus of the fool's highway.

19 Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses.

And here is the pivot, the great turning point of the gospel. At the end of their rope, with the gates of death in sight, they finally do the only sensible thing they have done yet. They cried out. And who did they cry out to? To Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel. They did not cry out to their own strength, which was gone. They did not cry out to their idols, which were useless. They cried out to the very God whose ways they had transgressed. This is repentance in its most elemental form: a desperate cry for mercy from the one you have offended. And what is God's response? Does He say, "You've made your bed, now lie in it"? No. The text is gloriously simple: "He saved them out of their distresses." His salvation is not reluctant. It is not contingent on them cleaning themselves up first. It is an immediate and powerful response to their cry. Their trouble was great, but His grace was greater.

20 He sent His word and healed them, And provided them escape from their destructions.

How did God save them? He "sent His word." This is profoundly significant. In the Old Testament, the Word of the Lord is a creative and powerful agent. It is not mere information. It is an active force that accomplishes God's purposes. And in the New Testament, we know who that Word is. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Ultimately, all healing, all salvation, is accomplished by God sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the Word sent to heal us from the sickness of our sin. He is the one who provides our escape from the destructions, the "pits" that we have dug for ourselves. Our sin brings us to the pit of death, but God's Word pulls us out. The healing is total, and the escape is complete.

21 Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness, And for His wondrous deeds to the sons of men!

Now comes the required response, the refrain that echoes through this psalm. "Let them give thanks." This is not a suggestion; it is the only sane and righteous thing to do. Having been snatched from the jaws of death, silence is not an option. Ingratitude is a high crime. And what are they to give thanks for? Two things primarily. First, for His lovingkindness, His hesed. This is His covenant faithfulness, His loyal love that does not give up on His people, even when they are acting like fools. Second, for His wondrous deeds. The rescue operation was a miracle, a wonder. He did for them what they could not do for themselves. And notice, these deeds were done "to the sons of men." This is a public testimony. God's salvation is not a private affair to be kept under wraps. It is a public wonder to be declared before the world.

22 Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, And recount His works with joyful singing.

The thanksgiving must take a tangible form. It is not enough to feel grateful in your heart. That gratitude must be expressed. The psalmist mentions two expressions. First, "sacrifices of thanksgiving." Under the old covenant, this was a literal peace offering, a meal shared in God's presence. Under the new covenant, our sacrifices are spiritual. We offer the "sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (Heb. 13:15). We offer our very bodies as "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God" (Rom. 12:1). Second, they are to "recount His works with joyful singing." This is storytelling set to music. We are to tell the story of our rescue, the story of what God has done. And we are to do it with joy. This is not a mumbled, half-hearted testimony. It is a glad shout, a triumphant song. This is what corporate worship is all about: the redeemed gathering together to recount the works of God with joyful singing.

Application

The pattern in this psalm is the pattern of every Christian's life. We were all fools. We all walked the way of transgression. We all, because of our iniquities, were afflicted with the mortal sickness of sin and were heading for the gates of death. There was no hope in us. But at some point, by the grace of God, we cried out to the Lord in our trouble. And He heard us. He sent His Word, the Lord Jesus, to heal us and to deliver us from the pit.

Because this is true, the application is straightforward. First, if you are currently playing the fool, caught in a way of transgression that is bringing affliction into your life, the path forward is clear. Stop. Cry out to Yahweh in your trouble. He is a God who saves people from their distresses, even the ones they bring on themselves. Don't wait until you've cleaned yourself up. Cry out from the mess.

Second, for all of us who have been rescued, our primary duty and delight is to give thanks. Our lives should be characterized by a loud and joyful gratitude. This gratitude should be expressed in our worship on the Lord's Day, as we sing and recount His works together. It should be expressed in how we offer our entire lives to Him as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Let us not be amnesiac Christians. Let us remember the pit from which we were rescued, and let us never cease to give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness and for His wondrous deeds.