Sunday Devotional: Psalm 107:1-3

¹ Give thanks to Yahweh, for His is good,
For His lovingkindness endures forever.
² Let the redeemed of Yahweh say so,
Those whom He redeemed from the hand of the enemy
³ And gathered them from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

The theme of this psalm is how God, in his lovingkindness, delivers those who call upon His name. It presents a variety of scenarios: wandering in the wilderness, prisoners of the darkness due to rebellion against God, sinful fools afflicted due to their sin, merchant sailors on treacherous seas, and those in general need. In each case, the cry of faith elicits God’s redemption. That redeeming love should be the source of neverending praise as He reaches out to those who had set themselves against Him. Indeed, such were we all at one time. Each one of us was at one point in our lives at enmity with God, wandering in desert places, prisoners of our sin, afflicted by our own disobedience to His law, tossed around the turbulent seas of life. But when God stirred our hearts to call upon His name, often having come to the very end of ourselves with no other place to turn, He proved Himself faithful to rescue and redeem us.

There are some interesting points about the Hebrew text that help us to appreciate what these first few verses are communicating. The word translated “lovingkindness” is the Hebrew word hesed (חֶסֶד) for which there isn’t a precise English translation. “Lovingkindness” communicates aspects of God’s benevolence toward us, especially in light of how much we really don’t deserve such grace and favor. The concept I prefer for this word is “covenant love,” because it helps us understand that God bestows special forbearing love upon His people due to the fact that they are His covenant people. We shouldn’t see this as specifically referring to Old Testament national Israel, however, because in Christ we are all under the new covenant–those faithful Old Testament saints who trusted in the promises of God, and those of us now who trust in Christ, in whom those promises find fulfillment.

The extent of God’s covenant people is alluded to in verse 3: from the east and the west, from the north and the south. In Hebrew, the words “east” and “west” refer to where the sun rises and sets. The word translated “south” is the Hebrew word for “sea” which is a little confusing here since, as a direction, “sea” normally refers to the west, presumably due to the “Great Sea”–the Mediterranean Sea–being west of Israel. Because it is set against “north” most translators assume the psalmist intends us to understand “south” as its meaning. Some have suggested the word should be yamin (יָּמִין), normally a reference to the right hand, the idea being that if you face east, your right hand is to the south. Perhaps in this instance, the reference is to the Red Sea, which is to the south, though there doesn’t appear to be much evidence for that use elsewhere. Another suggestion is that “sea” anticipates the mention of sea merchants in verses 23-32, and maybe implies those “from overseas” or “beyond the sea.” I favor this understanding since it corresponds to the general idea being expressed without changing the Hebrew text: Yahweh has redeemed His people and gathered them from all over the earth. From where the sun rises, from where the sun sets, from the northernmost regions, and from all places across the sea.

This was the original promise to Abraham, that Yahweh would multiply his offspring such that they would be as numerous as the stars and would bless many nations (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:5). If you are a Christian, you are part of this promise. You are one of those the Lord has redeemed from one of the places included in “east, west, north, and beyond the sea.” And that redemption comes from God loving you with His covenant love, a love that redeems the irredeemable. A love that brings salvation to those who hate Him and rebel against Him, turning their hearts and giving them a voice to cry out for help so that His favor can rest upon them.

For this undeserved love, which motivates God to move heaven and earth, time and space, for His people, He deserves to be praised and thanked. May our hearts do so today and every day.