What is the meaning of Psalm 107:21? Let them give thanks to the LORD • This opening summons everyone God has rescued (see the four stories in Psalm 107:4-32) to move beyond silent appreciation into spoken, public gratitude. • Psalm 100:4 urges, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving,” and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 adds, “Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Gratitude is not optional; it is obedience. • Psalm 107 repeats this refrain four times (verses 8, 15, 21, 31), highlighting how quickly we forget and how patiently God invites us back to praise. • The directive is corporate—“let them”—reminding us that thanksgiving strengthens community worship (Ephesians 5:19-20). for His loving devotion • The motive for praise is God’s steadfast, covenant love. Exodus 34:6 reveals the Lord as “abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,” and Psalm 136 drives the point home twenty-six times: “His loving devotion endures forever.” • This love rescues rebels (Psalm 107:10-16), heals the afflicted (verses 17-22), stills storms for weary sailors (verses 23-32), and provides food in deserts (verses 4-9). • Romans 5:8 echoes the theme: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” His love initiates, sustains, and completes our salvation. • Because this devotion is unearned, gratitude—not entitlement—must shape our response. and His wonders • God’s “wonders” are His unmistakable interventions in human history: parting seas (Exodus 15:11), crumbling prison doors (Acts 12:7-11), calming seas (Mark 4:39). • Psalm 105:5 urges us to “remember the wonders He has done.” Forgetting breeds fear; remembering fuels faith. • In Psalm 107 the wonders are practical: freedom, healing, guidance, protection. The same hand that hung the stars (Psalm 8:3) reaches into everyday chaos to save. • Ephesians 3:20 reminds believers that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,” so we thank Him not only for past wonders but also for those yet unseen. to the sons of men • “Sons of men” widens the lens from Israel to all humanity. God’s mercy is not provincial; it is global. Isaiah 49:6 foretells a salvation that reaches “to the ends of the earth,” and John 3:16 affirms it. • Acts 10:34-35 declares that God shows no favoritism but accepts all who fear Him. Psalm 107 anticipates this inclusiveness, inviting every tribe, tongue, and nation into thanksgiving. • By praising God publicly, the redeemed testify so that others may see and trust the same Deliverer (Psalm 40:3). • Gratitude thus becomes evangelistic; it points the watching world to the Source of every good gift (James 1:17). summary Psalm 107:21 is a call to vocal, communal gratitude. It anchors thanksgiving in God’s unwavering love, celebrates His awe-inspiring interventions, and extends the invitation to all people. Remembering His past rescues energizes present praise and ignites future hope, ensuring that the story of God’s faithful love is told from generation to generation. |
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