Psalm 107

A Bible Devotion from Psalm 107

Whoever is Wise Will Understand

8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! 9 For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.

15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! 16 For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two.

21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! 22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.

31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! 32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the company of the elders.

41 Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, and makes their families like a flock. 42 The righteous see it and rejoice, and all iniquity stops its mouth. 43 Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Psalm 107:8-9, 15-16, 21-22, 31-32, and 41-43, NKJV

Four times in Psalm 107 the Psalmist repeats the words: Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! He gives us four examples of the children of God sinning against God and then crying out to Him for help. Each example is followed by the above words. Why the repetition?

The answer is found in the conclusion of this Psalm with the words: Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

One of the great benefits of the Bible is the historical narratives we are given where we see God working in the lives of his people. Like we are so prone to do, they follow Him and then fall away, cry out to Him for help, and then come back to Him. We, unlike the Children of Israel, have the written Word and can see this repetition again and again.

But what is our reaction? Most in the world today ignore it or don't believe any of the stories the Bible recounts are true, especially in the Old Testament. But the wise, in other words the true believers, observe these things and understand the loving kindness of the Lord.

Pray today that you would be among the wise who know and believe that God will show His loving kindness to you just as He did to His people in the Bible as in Psalm 107.

Next: Psalm 108 - Through God We Will Do Valiantly