Again, I invite you to turn to Psalm 107. Psalm 107. This morning, Brother Colin opened for us Lamentations chapter four, and a challenge to us. But at the end, a note of hope for the children of Israel. In Lamentations 4.22, we read, the punishment of our iniquity is accomplished. "'O Daughter of Zion, "'he will no more carry thee away into captivity. "'He will visit by an iniquity, O Daughter of Edom. "'He will discover thy sins.'" If you didn't hear that sermon this morning, I encourage you to go to church website and to listen to that. It's a challenge and an encouragement for us. That said, Psalm 107, reflects the end of their captivity of the children of Israel. They've been in bondage in Babylon and they have returned and scholars feel that Psalm 107 underlines that captivity and the way that God came in for them and to redeem them and to release them. Those of you who have been studying with us these past months, We'll be going through the Book of Psalms. We're now in book four of the Book of Psalms. And we finished last study with Psalm 106. And 106 and 107 are twin psalms. 106 begins, praise ye the Lord, O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good. For his mercy endureth forever. Psalm 107 begins exactly the same way. So give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. And this psalm is gonna reflect on the goodness of God to his people. It's gonna reflect upon the goodness of God to individuals and also to a company of people and as a nation. And the pictures he's gonna bring before us. speak of the same situation and was viewing it from different aspects as a jeweler would see different facets of a diamond. So this psalm will highlight the goodness of God. So the psalmist, we don't know who he is, but he instructs us very clearly, oh give thanks unto the Lord. Friends, are you a thankful people? Are you thanking the Lord daily? This is what we are instructed to do, Old and New Testament. This is a facet of our Christian character, we are people of thankful. We're not stingy, we don't take things for granted, but we know the one who has provided for us and the one who has provided for us in every aspect of our life, be it temple mercies and spiritual mercies, is the Lord. and we're instructed to give thanks. And the reason we are to give thanks unto the Lord is quite simply for He is good. God is good. No matter what circumstance and difficulty and trial you have gone through or are going through, God is good. And his goodness is displayed in the way he provides for us as we go through trial and tribulation, how he sustains us, how he supports us. He's a God who is good in salvation. He's a God who cares. He's a God who has concern. He's not as the idols, the foreign gods. They have no interest for the wooden stone. But our God is good. He's a God who is sovereign. He's a God who knows. He's a God who has ears to hear our cry and our prayers. He's a God who is good. And his mercy, it's that rich Hebrew word again, which we've considered many times here, his hesed, his loving kindness, his mercy, his long suffering, his goodness. And his mercy, his hesed, his goodness is not for today. Wasn't it for yesterday? It's forever. Our God is good. This is an attribute of our God. He is a God who is full of mercy and full of compassion. And this psalm opens up that aspect of God's character, this God who is good. Why is he good? Verse two, quite simply. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he have redeemed from the hand of the enemy. Twice that word, redeemed. Let the redeemed of the Lord, whom he have redeemed from the hand of the enemy. So what we see here is that simple picture of God's redeeming his people. And what we have here is what we find in the Old Testament of the kinsman redeemer. This is one who has the right to redeem. So when the invading army came into Israel and the people were carried captive, there was a ransom put up. that ransom was paid, they'd be released. That ransom wasn't paid, they'd still be in captivity. And what we see here, we see one who is a kinsman redeemer, one who's a close relative. Remember Ruth? She had that close relative. And Boaz goes to a relative and says, you are nearer than I. You have the right. And he hands over that right to Boaz to be that kinsman redeemer. We have one here who is God Almighty. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hands of the enemy. Isaiah 54, he speaks of this. Isaiah 54 and verse 5, I think it is. Yes, it is. Isaiah 54 verse 5, for thy maker, this is God, for thy maker is thine husband, the Lord of hosts is his name, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth, shall he be called. Just grasp that, true friends, tonight. That our Redeemer is our husband, As a man loves his wife, his wife has been taken into captivity. And he comes, he pays the ransom to set her free. But in this sense, it is God Almighty. These are strange words, that God is my husband. For thy maker is thine husband. And look at his character. He's the Lord of Hosts. He's the God of heaven and earth. He's the one who sets the spheres and the planets in the sky. He's the one who calls upon angels and archangels to come and to fight for the host of Israel. It's the picture of the Lord of Hosts for the host of Israel as the armies go into battle. The Lord of Hosts goes before them. The Lord of Hosts is his name. Thy Redeemer. Another. Name for our God, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth. Maybe you're thinking, I don't have a husband. My husband's passed. Isaiah 63, 16 gives us another picture of the same aspect. Isaiah 63. We read these words, "...doubtless of our art, our Father. For Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not. For thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer. Thy name is from everlasting." God is our Father, friends, and He has redeemed us. He has purchased us with a price. And that price was the blood of his own eternal son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He came and laid his life down for his people, for those who were called before the foundation of the earth. The Lord is our Redeemer. And what a great Redeemer he is. So friends, let's be thankful. We have much to be thankful for and in. And as we sing these hymns, they are hymns of thanksgiving to God. They're hymns which remind us of His goodness, His love, and His mercy. So, let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy. Who is our enemy? Sin and death? Hell? the devil himself and how God has redeemed us from those great enemies and he has conquered those enemies and he has crushed those enemies under his feet for he is a mighty redeemer and gathered him out of the lands from the east and from the west and from the north. and from the sea. God is gathering a people. His purpose, his desire is to have a people unto himself. And he is gathering them from all the nations of the world. Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. He is gathering. He is building a church. Don't look at our poor situation here at home. But look further abroad to what God is doing for the kingdom of God. Now, the psalmist is gonna give us four pictures of why we should give thanks unto the Lord and to see his goodness in those situations. How he has provided, how he's met the needs of his people. Again, I remind you, this can be personal, it can be for families, it can be for a nation. And they wandered in the wilderness, verse 4, in a solitary way. They found no city to dwell in. And the word there, wandered, is they wandered aimlessly. They were lost in the wilderness, a place of death and destruction. A place of no habitation. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way. There was no path. They had no direction to go in. It was all the same. Picture a desert. There's no paths in a desert. And this is how they are described. They wandered in a wilderness in a solitary way. And friends, we were in a wilderness. We lived in that wilderness before the Lord snatched us and redeemed us. We were lost. We're aimless. We were like these people. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitude way, and they found no city to dwell in. And in that wilderness, we find them, in verse five, they're hungry and they're thirsty. Their soul fainted in them. That's what we find. We read stories during the Second World War of the Long Range Desert Group and the SAS, and staking out enemy positions, and they were hungry, they were thirsty. You find them wandering in the desert, and they'd lack food and water, and their souls fainted in them. These are interesting pictures, aren't they? They wandered in the wilderness. The Lord Jesus Christ speaks of that lost sheep in the wilderness. And he came and found that sheep and bear upon his shoulders. He bore the burden of the lost. You notice also, Jesus says, if you're hungry, I am the bread of heaven. You notice he says, if you're thirsty, I am the living water. These are little pictures for us to see what the Savior has achieved for his people. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. That's what sin causes. That's the reaction of sin, isn't it? When we are not fed, when we're not watered, we become faint and our souls are downcast. That's what sin does to us. It suppresses us, it's bondage. But the Lord Jesus Christ came to give life everlasting. In verse six, this is a refrain which is repeated four times. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. Are you troubled, friend? Are you distressed? The psalmist instructs us to call upon the Lord. Then they cried unto the Lord. It wasn't a whimper, it was a heart rendering a cry, a shriek, a scream that the Lord would deliver them. Has that been your experience? Have you gone through these troubles? and cried unto the Lord. Verse 7 says, and he led them forth by the right way. He directs them in the path, in the paths of righteousness. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Jesus is the way and he opens this way. This is what the world needs. This is what we need as individuals, as families, as a church. We need Jesus to lead us in the way, the right way, the narrow way. And that path will lead us to a city of habitation. And there I believe we're thinking of heaven itself and all its glory and all its majesty. So that first picture comes to an end, and we get this refrain now, O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness. Do you see God's goodness in his deliverance? Breaking into that situation from place of wilderness to a place of habitation, a place of safety and refuge, a place where we are fed and watered. O that men would praise the Lord. for his goodness, for his wonderful works to the children of men, for he satisfyeth the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with goodness, with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron. The psalmist has gone now from a journey in people to a picture of sin, to a picture of bondage and the infectiousness of sin. So we see here these two pictures, one in the wilderness and one on the sea that encompasses all our, the wholeness of our life situation, land and sea travel. These two pictures here speak of sin and How infectious it is and how grievous it is to us. Such as sit in darkness, verse 10, and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron. Why are they bound? Because they rebelled against the words of God and contain the counsel of the Most High. And this is us by nature. We sit in darkness. We think we're sitting in light. But the devil has blinded us so much. He's blinded this world. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Death all around us. The shadow of death. Breathing down our necks. And being bound in affliction and iron. That's a little link there to a previous psalm, 106, of Joseph being bound. hand and foot and that iron collar around his neck and in chains. Because he rebelled against the words of God, refused his counsel, refused the counsel of the Most High. Therefore he brought down their hearts with labor. They fell down and there was none to help. all our schemes, all our social programs. In the old days, they used to say, give people education, give them good housing, raise them up, better standard of living, then life would be better. The country would be prosperous. How foolish. Men's schemes fail continually because the problem is of the heart. It's the root problem. Martin this morning asked his daughter, are you a sinner? And she nodded her head. She nods her head to every question. But you see, we are sinners. It's the root problem. This is our condition. We are born in sin and iniquity. And we are rebellious people. And we rebel against the word of God. And these, as Christians, dare I say, we rebel against the word of God. When something challenges us, we rebel against it. A secret sin, that most beloved sin, which only you know. When the word of God challenges it, we rebel. Because they rebelled against the words of God. They refused his counsel, therefore he brought down their heart with labor. They fell down and there was none to help." Hard labor. That's what Satan offers the soul. Hard labor. Ruling. What's the payment for that labor? The wages of sin is death. And the people, they fell down. And there was none to help. None to help. Maybe the Psalmist is thinking of the labor there of the children of Israel and Egypt. There was none to help. But then, in verse 13, Then they cried unto the Lord in their troubles and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and break their bands in sunder. This is the power of God. He can break the bands of sunder, of sin, and of their rebelliousness. It's just sung there in a hymn. My chains fell off. Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night. By night, effused a quickening ray, I awoke. The dungeon flamed with light. My chains fell off. My heart was free. I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. Christ alone has the power to break those bands asunder. O that men would praise the Lord, for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men, for he had broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron in sunder. One tinker from Bedford said, he broke the gates of brass in my heart. Bunyan refused to submit to the word of God. And yet, our God had the strength to break through those gates that Bunyan set up of brass and those bars which kept those doors firmly shut. And the Savior breaks into that man's life and grants him grace and mercy. For he had broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron in sunder. So we considered that position as sinners. This section here now speaks of the consequences of the affection or the disease of sin. Fools, verse 17, fools because of their transgression, because of their iniquities are afflicted. Their soul abhor if all manner of meat may draw near unto the gates of death. We're seeing here Sins, the consequence of sin, disease, and the body deteriorating. We see here that they're foolish because of their iniquities. They are afflicted because of their sin. You know people, I know people that we know they sin grievously. And there's a consequence that comes out in their lifestyle, in the way they look. If you're a drug addict, you become emaciated, and you don't care for yourself. You're alcoholic. These things affect outward appearance. Their soul abhoreth all manner of meat. They lose their appetite. Their one thing, one craving, the next fix. And they draw near unto the gates of death. And then they cry. unto the Lord in their troubles, and He saveth them out of their distresses." And how does He do that? Has He drawn them out of their trouble and their distresses? Verse 20, He sent His Word and healed them. Do you not see the goodness of God? The loving kindness of our God? Friends, God doesn't need us. God is not up in heaven feeling Lost and lonely and bereft of friendship, no. He does this for grace and for his loving, tender mercy toward his people. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and his wonderful works to the children of men. Verse 22 is an interesting verse because it's the only verse where, in these four pictures, We read, and let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare his works with rejoicing. Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving. That counters what we considered the other week from Psalm 106. In verse 28, this is the sin of the children of Israel. This is part of their apostasy. Verse 28, they joined themselves also unto Baal-pir and ate the sacrifices of the dead. And then, again, their unfaithfulness in verse 37. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils. This apostate people, they are so taken with their unbelief, they're so jealous of the gods around them, they partake of the sacrifices of the dead, and they sacrifice their sons and their daughters unto the devil. And what the psalmist says here, In Psalm 170 it says, this is the acceptable sacrifice unto God. Sacrifices of thanksgiving. Sacrifices of thanksgiving for the goodness and chesed of Almighty God. Again, this is what makes us distinct. We are a thankful people for God's love and mercy. And as we are thankful for what God has done and achieved in our lives through the Spirit of God, we're instructed and declare his works with rejoicing. Verse 23, they that go down to the sea in ships that do business in great waters, they see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind We've lifted up the waves thereof. Again, this is going back to a previous psalm where we saw Jehovah as the God of creation, the one who sustains, the one who has control of the winds and the rains and of the seas. A sovereign God. He commandeth, and he raises up the stormy wind, lifts up the waves. They mount up to heaven. They go down again to the depths. Their soul is melted because One commentator says, you can almost feel seasick just by reading that narrative. And they are in trouble, just as Jonah was in trouble. And they reeled to and fro and staggered like a drunker man. And like the sailors with Jonah, and were at their wits end. And when they become to their wits end, Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble. He bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh a storm to calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad, because they be quiet. And so he bringeth them unto their desired haven." Firm, solid ground. Again, we Her minds go straight to the Lord Jesus and the storm on the Sea of Galilee. And there they are, being tossed to and fro by a mighty storm. And the Lord's asleep in the back part of the boat. And disciples say, Lord, don't you care where we perish? And the Lord, in sovereign power, commands the storm to be quiet. And they say, what manner of man is this? Friends, this man is the eternal Son of God. He is sovereign of wind and rain and storm. He is God Almighty. And he brings them to their desired haven. My desired haven is heaven. Is that your desired haven, friend? Do you have that assurance? Do you have that confidence as a child of God that that is our home, our end? O 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 water springs into dry ground. A fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. And again, Colin mentioned this this morning. Of Sodom and Gomorrah, the God's judgment upon that land. Lot desired that land because it was fruitful. It had a plenty. And yet God brings judgment upon Sodom. And it becomes a wilderness, becomes salty, unprofitable. In a sense, these verses speak to our day and to our generation. I think it speaks of our condition as a church. What I like about scripture is it's honest with us. It doesn't pull the wool over our eyes. He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water springs into dry ground. God mentioned again this morning about churches being closed, and places of worship being turned over to warehouses, antique centers, and the such. Friends, this is God's hand upon us for judgment. He has given us over. We have denied his word. We don't believe in these miracles. We don't believe that the Lord Jesus Christ and the virgin birth and the resurrection from the higher critics, as reminded this morning. And God has turned those places of abundance, of fruitfulness, into a wilderness. Again, as Connie said this morning, that's quite depressing. That's quite discouraging, but no. We can turn it the other way. He turned the wilderness into a standing water, verse 35, and dry ground into water springs. God can turn the situation around, but are we as a people praying that God would do that? In the words of Psalm 106, verse 6, we pray in these prayers, we have sinned, we, you and I, with our fathers. We have committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. We are part of the problem. We have sinned with our fathers. Do you not join with us to pray? for God's reviving, God's intervention. That's the call, that's the need of the day. Pray that God will come and turn things around, that the wilderness, this barren world, our barren nation will become standing water and full of water springs, full of life and life in abundance. For they may give the hungry to dwell, but they may prepare a city for habitation, and sow the fields and plant vineyards, which may yield fruit 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 pour contempt upon princes and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way. Again, that's brought out in Mary's song in Luke 1, 17. He's raised up the poor and the needy and the mighty he has cast down. Yet saith he to pour on high from affliction, and make of him families like a flock. The righteous shall see it and rejoice, and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. So friends, whoso is wise and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord. And that is the end note for this psalm here, that we may remember the loving kindnesses of the Lord, that he has our interest at his heart. He hasn't abandoned us. He hasn't forsaken us. He is a God who is full of chesed, grace, love, and mercy. May we know the truth of those things in our own lives, in the lives of our family, and in the life of his church. Amen. As the psalmist instructed us to give thanks, we'll sing number 63 now. Thank we all our God with hearts and hands and voices. Hymn 63. ♪ O God, pray for sentments and voices ♪ ♪ Who wondrous things have done ♪ ♪ In whom Israel rejoices ♪ ♪ To hear from our Father's heart ♪ ♪ With countless gifts of love ♪ ♪ And still is ours today ♪ ♪ Only we shall discount ♪ ♪ Through all our life be near us ♪ May they rejoin your hearts, and their stead be still. Keep us in his grace, and guide us to improvement, and free us from all ills in this world. Praise and thanks to God, the Father, the Holy Spirit, the Son, and Him who reigns. ♪ With heaven in highest heaven ♪ ♪ The one eternal God ♪ ♪ Who earth and heaven adore ♪ ♪ For us it was, is, are, and shall be ♪ May the Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.