Introduction
How would you like to travel on a small ship for 66 days with about 130 other people and all their belongings?
The Pilgrims did that in 1620 on a ship called Mayflower.
Mayflower set sail from England in July 1620 but had to turn back twice because its sister ship, Speedwell, leaked.
After deciding to leave the leaky Speedwell behind, the Mayflower finally got underway on its journey to the New World on September 6, 1620.
Sixty-six days later, on November 11, 1620, Mayflower arrived at Cape Cod.
In the 1600s, the ocean was full of dangers.
Ships could be attacked by pirates or damaged by storms. Passengers could get sick, die, or fall overboard.
Pirates did not take over the Mayflower, but a storm severely damaged it. Many people were seasick, but only one person died on their way to America.
The psalm we are going to study today is Psalm 107.
This psalm is often called “The Pilgrims’ Psalm.” Perhaps more than any other portion of the Bible, it describes the various perils the Pilgrims experienced before, during, and after their courageous voyage to America.
Governor William Bradford explicitly referred to Psalm 107 in his well-known summary of their achievement:
May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: “Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice and looked on their adversity,.… “Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good: and his mercies endure forever.” “Yes, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, shew how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness and his wonderful works before the sons of men” (James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 107–150: An Expositional Commentary [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005], 864).
Likely, Psalm 107 was often on the minds of the Pilgrims.
Psalm 107 is a psalm of thanksgiving by God’s people after their Babylonian captivity. The psalm thanks God for his deliverance from various perils.
That is why the Pilgrims loved Psalm 107. Like their ancient brothers and sisters, they also experienced God’s deliverance from various perils.
Scripture
Let’s read Psalm 107:1-43:
1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.
39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
Lesson
Psalm 107:1-43 teaches believers to thank God for his deliverance from various perils.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. Thank God for His Deliverance When You Lose Your Way (107:4-9)
2. Thank God for His Deliverance When You Lose Your Freedom (107:10-16)
3. Thank God for His Deliverance When You Lose Your Health (107:17-22)
4. Thank God for His Deliverance When You Lose Your Courage (107:23-32)
5. Thank God for His Deliverance When You Lose Your Home (107:33-43)
The theme of Psalm 107 is thanksgiving to God.
The psalmist urges the people of God to thank God for his steadfast love.
In verses 8, 15, 21, 31, and 43, a refrain highlights thanksgiving to God.
The psalmist begins Psalm 107 with these words in verses 1-3: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.”
These opening words call you and me to examine ourselves.
How do you answer the question: “Am I among the redeemed?”
That is, “Am I one who has been delivered from sin and Satan so that I now belong completely to Jesus?”
Only those whom the Lord redeems can sing the words of this psalm.
Only those whom God has redeemed can thank him for the perils from which he has been delivered.
I. Thank God for His Deliverance When you Lose Your Way (107:4-9)
First, thank God for his deliverance when you lose your way.
In verses 4-5, the psalmist writes, “Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.”
It is easy to see why the Pilgrims would see themselves in this peril.
In the early 1600s, these people had been driven from their homes. They eventually fled to Holland before traveling to America.
William Bradford states they “were hunted and persecuted on every side.… Some were taken and clapped up in prison, others had their houses beset and watched night and day, and hardly escaped their [enemies’] hands; and the most were fain [constrained] to flee and leave their houses and habitations, and the means of their livelihood” (James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 107–150: An Expositional Commentary [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005], 866).
Like their fellow believers in Babylon, the Pilgrims cried out to God, as we read in verses 6-7, “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.”
God eventually delivered the Babylonian believers by bringing them to the Promised Land.
God also delivered the Pilgrims by bringing them to the New World.
In a congregation like ours, not many of us have experienced homelessness.
But all of us have lost our way at one time or another. We knew that we needed to be in the right place. We were in a place of trial, peril, struggle, and despair. We were sad and discouraged.
We cried out to the Lord, who delivered us when we lost our way.
If that is our situation, let us join with the psalmist and say: “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things” (vv. 8-9).
II. Thank God for His Deliverance When you Lose Your Freedom (107:10-16)
Second, thank God for his deliverance when you lose your freedom.
The ancient believers were in prison and exile because they had rebelled against the Lord. That is why the psalmist writes in verses 10-11, “Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.”
The Pilgrims were often imprisoned because they disagreed with the established church of England.
Governor Bradford tells of several incidents in which the Pilgrims lost their freedom. In one case, he recounts how the men were separated from their wives and children:
“Pitiful it was to see the heavy case of these poor women in this distress; what weeping and crying on every side, some for their husbands that were carried away… others not knowing what should become of them and their little ones; others again melting in tears, seeing their poor little ones hanging about them, crying for fear and quaking with cold. Being thus apprehended, they were hurried from one place to another and from one justice to another, till in the end they knew not what to do with them” (James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 107–150: An Expositional Commentary [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005], 866–867).
Again, in a congregation like ours, only a few have lost their freedom.
But many of us know what it is like to be bound by sin and Satan. We were spiritually imprisoned.
But, thank God, a day came when we were set free by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone! We found liberty in Jesus. We received a new life, hope, and destiny because of what Jesus has done for us.
As the psalmist urged his fellow believers, he also encouraged us with verses 15-16, “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.”
Has Jesus shattered the door of your sin-hardened heart and set you free from sin and Satan?
III. Thank God for His Deliverance When you Lose Your Health (107:17-22)
Third, thank God for his deliverance when you lose your health.
In verses 17-18, the psalmist writes, “Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.”
The Pilgrims suffered plenty of illness. Over half of the Pilgrims who arrived in America died in that first harsh winter.
Governor Bradford noted, “Only twelve of the original twenty-six heads of families and four of the original twelve unattached men or boys survived, and all but a few of the women perished. As for the rest, there was much sickness” (James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 107–150: An Expositional Commentary [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005], 867).
Physical sickness is a metaphor for spiritual sickness.
Usually, medicine heals our physical sickness.
Only God’s word can heal our spiritual sickness.
The fact, however, is that our spiritual condition is far more terrible than we imagine. We are not merely spiritually sick; we are spiritually dead.
The Bible says that we are “dead in [our] trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Only the word of the living God, as applied by the Spirit of the living God, can give new life to our dead souls.
When God’s Spirit takes the word of God that the preacher speaks, it penetrates our hearts, and new life begins pulsing in our souls. We experience a spiritual resurrection, just as Lazarus experienced a physical resurrection when Jesus called him to come out of his tomb (John 11:43-44).
If you are born again by the Spirit of God, the psalmist says that you should thank God, “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!” (vv. 21-22).
IV. Thank God for His Deliverance When you Lose Your Courage (107:23-32)
Fourth, thank God for his deliverance when you lose your courage.
Many think verses 23-32 are this psalm's most beautiful and stirring verses. These verses mainly describe the Pilgrims’ experience on their way to America by sea. Psalm 107:23-30 states:
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
It is not difficult to see how these words were so meaningful to those who survived the voyage to America.
But the truth of these words also applies to any of you who has lost your courage.
You may face a severe financial challenge, a personality conflict, or the worst peril in your lifetime.
Let me urge you to turn to the Lord and let him deliver you.
And when he does, do what the psalmist says in verses 31-32: “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.”
V. Thank God for His Deliverance When you Lose Your Home (107:33-43)
Finally, thank God for his deliverance when you lose your home.
The ancient people of God in Babylon had lost their homes.
The Pilgrims had lost their homes, too.
In this section, God delivers in astonishing ways. He turns deserts into pools of water. He provides beautiful things for his people, as the psalmist says in verse 36, “And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in.”
The pilgrims came to America, and God helped them “establish a city to live in.” When they reached the shores of Massachusetts Bay, they established the Plymouth Colony. At last, they had a home of their own.
Only a few among us have lost homes.
All of us have likely lost something essential and precious to us.
We turned to the Lord, who wonderfully provided for us.
Let us then join the psalmist as he urges in verses 42-43, “The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”
Conclusion
Alexander Duff (1806 - 1878) was a Scottish missionary, the first sent by the Free Church of Scotland to India.
On October 14, 1829, Duff and his wife set out for India on the Lady Holland.
Four months later, at midnight on February 13, 1830, the ship ran aground while attempting to navigate the Cape of Good Hope.
The pounding surf soon destroyed the ship, washing away everything it held, but miraculously, all the passengers and crew made it safely to land.
Nothing remained of their belongings, but as one sailor walked along the shore looking for food and fuel, he found two books, a Bible and the Scottish Psalm Book. He saw the name of Alexander Duff in both of them, so he brought them to the missionary.
Duff had been transporting eight hundred books to India, where he hoped to establish a college (and later did), but only these two remained.
Despite this loss, Duff immediately opened the Bible to Psalm 107 and read it to the other survivors, concluding, “Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord” (v. 43) (James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 107–150: An Expositional Commentary [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005], 876).
Can you do that?
What matters most in life is not the number of perils from which you are delivered but whether you are in the hands of that steadfastly loving God.
If you are in his hands, you can “attend to these things,” “consider the steadfast love of the Lord,” and then praise him as Psalm 107 does. Amen.
