1/ Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2/ Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary
3/ And gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.
4/ They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region;
They did not find a way to an inhabited city.
5/ They were hungry and thirsty;
Their soul fainted within them.
6/ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;
He delivered them out of their distresses.
7/ He led them also by a straight way,
To go to an inhabited city.
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
9/ For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,
And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.
10/ There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Prisoners in misery and chains,
11/ Because they had rebelled against the words of God
And spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12/ Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was none to help.
13/ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
14/ He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
And broke their bands apart.
15/ Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
16/ For He has shattered gates of bronze
And cut bars of iron asunder.
17/ Fools, because of their rebellious way,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18/ Their soul abhorred all kinds of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
He saved them out of their distresses.
20/ He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
21/ Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
22/ Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And tell of His works with joyful singing.
Who do business on great waters;
24/ They have seen the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
25/ For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
Which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26/ They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul melted away in their misery.
27/ They reeled and staggered like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end.
28/ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
So that the waves of the sea were hushed.
30/ Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired haven.
31/ Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
32/ Let them extol Him also in the congregation of the people,
And praise Him at the seat of the elders.
And springs of water into a thirsty ground;
34/ A fruitful land into a salt waste,
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35/ He changes a wilderness into a pool of water
And a dry land into springs of water;
36/ And there He makes the hungry to dwell,
So that they may establish an inhabited city,
And gather a fruitful harvest.
38/ Also He blesses them and they multiply greatly,
And He does not let their cattle decrease.
39/ When they are diminished and bowed down
Through oppression, misery and sorrow,
40/ He pours contempt upon princes
And makes them wander in a pathless waste.
41/ But He sets the needy securely on high away from affliction,
And makes his families like a flock.
42/ The upright see it and are glad;
But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.
43/ Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things,
And consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD.
This description of prisoners and captives intimates that they are desolate and sorrowful. In the eastern prisons the captives were and are treated with much severity. Afflicting providences must be improved as humbling providences; and we lose the benefit, if our hearts are unhumbled and unbroken under them. This is a shadow of the sinner's deliverance from a far worse confinement. The awakened sinner discovers his guilt and misery. Having struggled in vain for deliverance, he finds there is no help for him but in the mercy and grace of God. His sin is forgiven by a merciful God, and his pardon is accompanied by deliverance from the power of sin and Satan, and by the sanctifying and comforting influences of God the Holy Spirit.
If we knew no sin, we should know no sickness. Sinners are fools. They hurt their bodily health by intemperance, and endanger their lives by indulging their appetites. This their way is their folly. The weakness of the body is the effect of sickness. It is by the power and mercy of God that we are recovered from sickness, and it is our duty to be thankful. All Christ's miraculous cures were emblems of his healing diseases of the soul. It is also to be applied to the spiritual cures which the Spirit of grace works. He sends his word, and heals souls; convinces, converts them, makes them holy, and all by the word. Even in common cases of recovery from sickness, God in his providence speaks, and it is done; by his word and Spirit the soul is restored to health and holiness.
Let those who go to sea, consider and adore the Lord. Mariners have their business upon the tempestuous ocean, and there witness deliverances of which others cannot form an idea. How seasonable it is at such a time to pray! This may remind us of the terrors and distress of conscience many experience, and of those deep scenes of trouble which many pass through, in their Christian course. Yet, in answer to their cries, the Lord turns their storm into a calm, and causes their trials to end in gladness.
What surprising changes are often made in the affairs of men! Let the present desolate state of Judea, and of other countries, explain this. If we look abroad in the world, we see many greatly increase, whose beginning was small. We see many who have thus suddenly risen, as suddenly brought to nothing. Worldly wealth is uncertain; often those who are filled with it, ere they are aware, lose it again. God has many ways of making men poor. The righteous shall rejoice. It shall fully convince all those who deny the Divine Providence. When sinners see how justly God takes away the gifts they have abused, they will not have a word to say. It is of great use to us to be fully assured of God's goodness, and duly affected with it. It is our wisdom to mind our duty, and to refer our comfort to him. A truly wise person will treasure in his heart this delightful psalm. From it, he will fully understand the weakness and wretchedness of man, and the power and loving-kindness of God, not for our merit, but for his mercy's sake.
1 comment:
Yah, I know, this a LONG post, but there is SUCH IMPORTANT meat in this message; the kind that gives health, and vitality to the being, bringing long lasting advantage, and benevolence! PRAISE THE LORD, and WORSHIP HIS HOLINESS forevermore!!! OXOXOXO
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