David was one cool dude! His love for the Lord is admirable, and he was real. He had a lot of faults and God used him anyway. What a perfect example to show people that God loves us for us- His forgiveness is not contingent on our perfection, and He will use us if we allow Him to!
For this study we are looking at verses 1-32 only. This passage in Psalms is a great parallel to the saving power of the Lord and our calling to share the message. Let’s read it (sections are separated with italics due to formatting issues):
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless.
5 Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.
6 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress.
7 He led them straight to safety, a city where they could live.
8 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery.
11 They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High.
12 That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help them.
13 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains.
15 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; he cut apart their bars of iron.
17 Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins.
18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door.
19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death.
21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.
23 Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world.
24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action, his impressive works on the deepest seas.
25 He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves.
26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end.
28 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
29 He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves.
30 What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor!
31 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation.
We are going to look at each section of scripture broken out individually here:
In the first section (verses 1-3) David is asking have we been redeemed. If we have, he is telling us clearly to speak out about it and to give thanks! Is this not what we are called to do; to thank the Lord for our salvation and to share the message to a hurt and dying world? His reference in verse 3 epitomizes the collective ability for all to be saved “For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.” We can take the word “exiles” here to mean people who were cast out from a society, people who are shunned for their faults or sins; essentially these are the people who are not saved and living a life of sin and death. Yet God has called them, the exiles, He has called us- all of us! He has brought us from the place of exile into the Kingdom of Heaven where we are set free from the life of sin and death.
In the second section (verses 4-9) Davi is referring to the wilderness. We know that there are many biblical references to the “wilderness.” Here are some secular definitions of wilderness: an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region; a neglected or abandoned area; a position of disfavor. Can you tell based on these examples that wilderness can mean a variety of things, but that the essential point is a state of separation; especially separation from God? This wilderness biblically has also been referred to as a place of testing (Jesus wet through this form of wilderness during the 40 days of testing). In almost all of the stories involving wilderness it seems that the common theme is a place of growth, loneliness, testing, and a point of separation- for a time. In verses 4-6 here we see David is addressing the lost, the hungry and the thirsty. They are nearly to the point of death before they cry out to the Lord for help. How many times have we felt lost, separated from God, or confused…how many times have we struggled in trials and tribulations and suffered spiritual distress? In these times what helps us to overcome is asking God for help and thanking Him for His redemption!
The third section is comprised of verses 10-16. David is calling out the depressed and the ones who are filled with misery and self-pity. Many of us struggle with depression, gloom, doom, and misery from time to time. Some struggle with it more and some less. When we get to the point where we would rather wallow in the sadness and allow ourselves to go further and further into the black hole without doing something about it, we become a slave to it. We are trapped and shackled against the walls in our mind and the traps of the devil. But there are things we can do and in this section one of them, and the most powerful thing, is to cry out to the Lord for help giving thanks for His power. And when we do, He will set us free.
Section four speaks to the rebels; the ones who deliberately go against God and seek after their flesh rather than His Spirit. “They couldn’t stand the thought of food…” I do not believe David was referencing physical food here but rather the Spiritual Manna that comes from the Lord (People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God –Matthew 4:4). If we are in a state of rebellion naturally we do not want to take in the bread of life. Whether it is from guilt and shame, selfish desire; no matter what the reason, without this food we will suffer! And the wonderful theme reiterated here is they cried out to the Lord for help and were grateful He saved them; and He set them free.
The final section, section 5 (verses 23-32) speaks to me about our times of stormy weather; the times where we are battling and fighting to keep our heads above water, the times where it feels like we will be swallowed whole and overcome by the sea of difficulty. However, even though the storms were great they cried out to the Lord for help. He calmed the storms, and set them free. They were instructed to bring praises for the wonder of the saving power of the Lord, and as was directed in the first section, the final section closes telling them to share the message.
What can we derive from this story as a whole? No matter what is going on in our lives, whether we have been condemned by others, lost in a time of testing, suffering with depression and despair, rebelling against God’s will and word, or battling a raging storm; the common theme for being set free is to ask the Lord for help, to thank Him and praise Him for His power and redemption, and to share the message with others. Is this not a simplistic way to look at our purpose as a Christian? What do you think?
Miranda Embry
(we do not own the rights to this photo)
The Righteous Woman Ministries 