Psalm 107

Reading for August 16, 2012      Psalm 107

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,”

Psalm 107:2a (NRSV)

This theme is repeated throughout Psalm 107. Four times the psalmist writes:

“Let them praise the Lord for his great love

    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.”

Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

This psalm was written as a psalm of thanksgiving for God bringing His people out of the Babylonian captivity and as a psalm of wisdom where the psalmist urges his congregation to not repeat the mistakes of their ancestors. When Israel was faithful to God, the psalmist would sing to the Lord,

for you are my refuge,

   a strong tower against the enemy.

Let me abide in your tent for ever,

   find refuge under the shelter of your wings.

Psalm 61:3-4 (NRSV)

When Israel was not faithful to God, they

wandered in desert wastes,

   finding no way to an inhabited town;

hungry and thirsty,

   their soul fainted within them.

Psalm 107:4-5 (NRSV)

While all of the followers of Christ can sing “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;” (Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson, 1758), we can take comfort that “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NRSV). However, there is something we can do to minimize our wanderings. Every time the people of God gather, whether in small groups or Sunday Worship,

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

   for his wonderful works to humankind.”

Psalm 107:2a, 8 (NRSV)

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

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Reading for August 17, 2012      Psalm 108