Sermon for July 3rd, 2022

Psalm 107:1-43

1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
    those he 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 an inhabited town;
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,
    until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty,
    and the hungry he fills with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom,
    prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God
    and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor;
    they fell down, with no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom,
    and broke their bonds apart.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wonderful works to humankind.
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
    and cuts in two the bars of iron.

17 Some were sick through their sinful ways
    and because of their iniquities endured 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 saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his word and healed them
    and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices
    and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.

23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
    doing business on the mighty 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 calamity;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards
    and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still,
    and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet,
    and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wonderful works to humankind.
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 wickedness 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 live,
    and they establish a town 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 cattle decrease.

39 When they are diminished and brought low
    through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
    and makes them wander in trackless wastes,
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress
    and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
    and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise pay attention to these things
    and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

Psummer of Psalms: Psalm 107

• Psalm 107 forms the opening piece of the modern liturgy for Israel Independence Day found in Religious-Zionist Jewish prayer books.
• Book V - final section in the book of psalms