I.
Introduction
Psalms of thanksgiving contain
expressions of gratitude for what God has done to his people. They usually
begin with a brief reason behind the offering of thanksgiving followed by
specific details of experiences of hardship. The conclusion usually consists of
further affirmation of God's kindness.[1] After
analyzing Psalm 107
from literary and historical perspectives, this paper focuses on verses 23-32 particularly
by answering two questions and ends with practical theology for today's use.
II.
Literary-Historical
Analysis
As we look at the theme of kingship
that demonstrates some parallel to the history of Israel throughout the Psalms,
Psalm 107 is strategically
placed as the first psalm in Book V. Psalm
2 (Book I) speaks of the coronation of a God-ordained king whose
righteous reign is described in David's prayer in Psalm 72 (Book II). Historically,
his prayer was answered during the reign of Solomon. Psalm 89 at the end of Book III
shows that the kingship was in trouble as the nation experienced humiliation
and defeat by the enemy. By the end of Book IV, the people were already in
exile as evident from their cry at the end of Psalm 106 (verse 47a) calling God to save and gather them
from among the nations. Psalm 107
is a grateful response to God's answer to this call with a declarative praise
for specific circumstances of God redeeming his people from troubles. Psalms 110 , 132 Ps 145:1 ).
Weiser believes that the
description of the first exile experience in Psalm 107 of some wandering in the desert, nearly
fainting as they long to find a city to dwell in (verses 4-9)[4] is
a summary representation of the other three cases: sitting as captives in
prison (verses 10-16), being ill to the point of near death (verses 17-22), and
being hammered by a great storm in high seas (verses 23-32). Others such as
Henry,[5]
Boyce[6]
and Spurgeon[7] seem to agree that there
are four distinct scenarios and the first one does not represent the other
three.
One may argue in support of Weiser
that sitting in prison, being severely ill and in danger of perishing at sea
are examples of an exile experience described in verses 4-9. However, as we
look at the history of Israel Babylon Psalm 107 could also relate to
the second case from one of their own kings Manasseh, bound with chains of bronze
and jailed in Babylon because of his disobedience (2 Chron 33:10-13 ). The case
of Hezekiah's sickness to the point of near death (Isa 38:1-6 ) matches the third
case though it is not clear whether there was a specific sin that caused it.[8]
III. Two Problems with Verses 23-32
Verses 23-32 talk about some sea
traders who are also skilled mariners[9]
witnessing not only the wonders of God's creation, but also his mighty power
raising a powerful storm that causes surging waves as they carry on their job.
As a result they are tossed around mercilessly[10]
by the waves and at the point of despair after having applied all known
techniques to remain in control of the ship in the midst of the storm and
failed.[11]
In the state of terror,[12]
they cry out to Yahweh to rescue them from perishing at sea. Yahweh answers
their plea not only by calming the storm, but also by bringing them to a harbor[13] where
they find a resting place for their ship and themselves. The Psalmist then
calls them to give thanks to Yahweh and share what He has done to his people as
a testimony of his chesed.
The problem arises when one tries
to find an exile circumstance that fits Israel 1 Ki 10:22 ), Spurgeon remarks
that navigation was so little practiced among the Jews in the OT.[14] The
closest Jewish experience in the OT to the fourth case was what happened to
Jonah on his way to Tarshish. However, he was a prophet, not a mariner, and the
mariners were not Jews since he had to explain to them what nationality he was
(Jonah 1:9 ). Indeed
the OT seems to indicate that the sea trade was dominated by Tarshish and Tyre Ex 31:3 ) or ability to navigate
life in the midst of difficulties which is the main theme of Proverbs and some
Psalms. While one may argue that Ecclesiastes also has a negative view of
wisdom, it is important to note that its author was indecisive. Verse 27, on
the contrary, clearly says that the mariners' wisdom has failed.
The answer to the first question is
that God's chesed to deliver those in distress is extended to believing Gentiles.
In other words, the mariners in Psalm
107 represent the Gentiles included with the Jews as among the redeemed
of the Lord. This extension of chesed to non-Jews is not an exclusively
post-exilic phenomena, but has existed since the days of Abraham during which
God considered those who were not Abraham's offspring in his household to be
included in the covenant through circumcision (Gen 17:12 ). Then there were
other believing Gentiles who were recipients of God's chesed such as Rahab,
Naaman and Ruth. Therefore if God's chesed was extended to Gentiles before the
exile, it is not unreasonable that it still applies after the exile because of
his unchanging character (Mal 3:6 )
only if they would only confess their helplessness in their distresses and pray
for Yahweh's mercy to rescue them. As the mariners Jonah traveled with cried
out to Yahweh the covenant God of Israel, not their own god (Jonah 1:14 , "…they called
out to Yahweh), so the mariners in Ps 107:23-32
The answer to the second question
why wisdom is used negatively in verse 27 is because the Psalmist intends to
show the limitation of human wisdom and what happens when it is possessed and
used without the right foundation as in the mariners' case. The verse addresses
a prideful godless wisdom that leads to a sense of self-sufficiency. Proverbs
teach that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10 ). The fear of the Lord
being the basis of wisdom also applies to technical skills. It is easy for
those who possess rare and respected skills such as navigation skills to grow
conceited thinking that these are all they need in life. They are prone to
believe that they are fully in charge and have all their life under control. In causing the ordeal, God demonstrates
"his unique cosmic ability to control the storms at sea" while
simultaneously "causing the sailors to lose their wisdom, thus
subordinating human ingenuity to the necessity of praying for divine
salvation."[15] The bigger picture of
what God does here is the fact about "the ultimate superiority of God's
control over human initiative and expertise."[16]
Wisdom is still useful, but there is a need to acknowledge that it is the Giver
of wisdom who is in supreme control and determines whether or not and how
wisdom is to be used to magnify his name. The conceited ones who refuse to
acknowledge this truth will be thoroughly humbled like the mariners sooner or
later.
In his first letter to the
Corinthians, Paul picks up this theme of godless wisdom that scoffs at the
gospel. It is godless in the sense that it refuses to believe in the provision
that the true God has given in Jesus Christ to rescue humanity from sin and
eternal damnation like the mariners who were in danger of perishing at sea. Like
the mariners, the Gentiles spoken of in 1 Cor 1 1 Cor 3:19-20 ) in its effort
to save those who believe in it like the mariners' attempt to overcome the
raging storm with their wisdom. Only after they become fools, as God makes them
reeling and staggering like drunkards will they actually become wise (1 Cor 3:18 ) by calling on him
to rescue them. Similarly, to use the
language of 1 Cor 1 and
3, not until God catches these "wise" Gentiles in their craftiness,
destroys their wisdom and thwarts their discernment (1 Cor 3:19 , 1:19 ) namely when they realize
their total inability to save themselves will they become truly wise by
believing in the promise contained in the "foolishness" of God's way
of salvation through the cross of Christ.
The miracle of Jesus calming the storm
(Mat 8:23-27 , Mark 4:35-41 Psalm
107:23-32 affirms that He is Lord over nature, just as Yahweh is.
The corollary of this parallel is that Jesus must be God. There is a marked
difference in the disciples' response when their boat was hammered by a great
storm. This difference in response is the distinguishing mark between believers
and unbelievers. There is no account in both gospels of their attempt to use
their wisdom to regain control of the boat unlike what the mariners do, but
they went straight crying out to Jesus for deliverance. It is interesting to
note that when Paul was on a ship heading to Phoenix, also battered by a storm
so bad that all hope of being saved was abandoned (Acts 27:13-25 ), there is not
a single account of anyone including Paul crying out to God. Perhaps for some
reason, the passengers were comforted by the words of Paul who received a
revelation from God that they will be saved (verses 22-23). The revelation,
however, did not come right away once the storm started to hammer the ship, but
after many days and after they "had been without food for a long
time" (verses 20-21). The fact that Paul did not cry out to God
immediately may be attributed to a greater maturity of his faith, knowing that
he was going to be with the Lord even if he perished in the storm.
IV.
Applications
The ordeal at
sea first depicts life as a voyage as well as the fundamental sin of pride
manifested in vain confidence, arrogant optimism of fallen man putting his
trust either in himself or other things other than God aptly represented by the
following remark.[18]
There we are in our youth, and off we go quite confident
that nothing can ever go wrong; there will never be another cloud; nothing can
hide that gorgeous, bright sunshine because it is so powerful. Nothing can go
wrong, and nothing will go wrong. We relish new discoveries. There are things
our forefathers knew nothing at all about, and in view of all that, well, it
does not matter very much what happens, we can surely handle it.
But reality
sooner or later shows that life is not a smooth sailing as the Psalm speaks of
frail men and women facing and battling the storms of life. They are so severe
that they lead to a sense that we are at the mercy of life and a power greater
than us inside and outside. There are two ways the storm in Psalm 107:23-32 finds
applications today.[19]
Internally, it represents enslaving sins such as anger, lust and envy in the
lives of unbelievers from which they cannot escape in their own strength. It
also represents external circumstances such as temptation, illness, financial
loss, loss of employment and relational conflict that believers and unbelievers
struggle with. God ordains both internal and external storms to teach a picture
of complete hopelessness of life in a fallen world and utter futility of human
wisdom to find a way out of them.[20]
As men and women go on in life and experience these
things, they begin to be conscious of a loss of control. They talked a lot at
one time about their willpower and that they could do anything they wanted to
do, but they find that their willpower is not as powerful as they thought it
was. They are losing their grip; they are losing control. At first, their lack
of control is light and superficial, but the situation gets worse, and they
began to stagger. Then everything becomes uncertain, and they are reeling
about. They do not know where they are; they have lost their sense of
direction. They have completely lost control.
An
acknowledgement of the fact that one is ultimately not in control, but God is,
a consciousness that will power is not as powerful as one thinks it was, as
Lloyd-Jones puts it, is the first and necessary step toward deliverance. Such a
heart attitude is best expressed in prayer as the mariners did in desperation,
Prayer is good in a storm. We may pray staggering and
reeling and pray when we are at our wit's end. God will hear us amid the
thunder and answer us out of the storm. He brought their distresses upon the
mariners and therefore they did well to turn to him for the removal of them;
nor did they look in vain.[21]
Even heathen mariners, in a storm, cried every man to his
god (referring to the account in Jonah), but those that have the Lord for their
God have a present and powerful help in that and every other time of need, so
that when they are at their wits' end they are not at their faith's end.[22]
It is a wonder
that God is willing to answer and help though He is not obligated to rescue the
world that hates and rebels against him. The hostile world is more than
undeserving of God's mercy; it is ill-deserving and hell-deserving. Lloyd-Jones
points out that Psalm 107 ,
especially the ordeal at sea is a dramatic presentation of the gospel. A
particular object of prayer is Jesus Christ especially when unbelievers are
brought to a realization that they cannot do anything to save themselves from
their sin, and given the faith to trust in the gospel promise that Christ is
their only hope (1 Tim 1:15 ,
Mat 11:28 ).[23] But
the prayer of desperation amidst a storm is applicable to Christians as well to
teach them two lessons. First, Christian life is not trouble-free. It is not a
matter of if there will be storms, but when. Second, God will deliver them
sooner or later as they cry out to him for help and in the midst of a most
severe storm, they will have joy and peace within despite raging waves without
(Phil 4:6-7 ).
Ultimately, the purpose of the storms of life and the prayers in desperation is
to exalt God in Christ, his sufficiency for every occasion, his chesed to comfort,
provide for and preserve his people to the end until He brings them to the
heavenly Canaan , the eternal harbor of rest.
In Him and through Him alone is true everlasting peace by which one is
reconciled with God regardless of what happens in the world.[24]
So when in the midst of life you feel you are about to
sink, but then you meet Christ, you feel at once that here is somebody who
knows, here is somebody who understands. Here is someone who has faced the
storm at its most desperate, with all the billows of hell howling at him, but He
went through them all and came to the haven successfully. He has stepped on
board. He is in control. He understands. He masters life. He knows what He is
doing.
V.
Conclusion
From
historical point of view, the mariners' account of facing a severe storm at sea
included in Psalm 107
is likely intended by the author to teach an extension of God's chesed to the
Gentiles in redeeming them from troubles and gathering them to Himself among
his people. It also teaches the futility of godless wisdom and God not only as the
cosmic Creator, but also the cosmic Ruler. For God's people and unbelievers alike today,
it encourages a humble acknowledgement of their utter dependence on Him and that
they should look to Him alone for help in every circumstance, especially when
facing the storms of life, and give Him joyous praise for his deliverance.[25]
Cry out unto him in the midst of the ocean, in your agony
and despair, and He will deliver you out of your distresses. Blessed be the
name of God, the God of glory who so loved us that in spite of our sin and
folly and shame, He sent his only Son to pilot us through the voyage and to
bring us to the eternal haven!
[1]
Richard P. Belcher, Jr., The
Messiah and The Psalms (Fern: Mentor
[2]
Thanksgiving Psalms consist
of community and individual Psalms. Other examples of the former include Psalms 65 , 67 , 75 and 124. Examples of the latter
are Psalms 18 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 92 , 116 , 118 and 138 (Belcher, The Messiah
and The Psalms, 100).
[3] Belcher, The Messiah and The
Psalms, 143-156.
[4]
Artur Weiser, The Psalms, A
Commentary (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1962), 686.
[5]
Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. 3 (McLean: MacDonald, 1985), 650.
[6]
James M. Boice, Psalms, vol.
3 (Grand Rapids
[8] If Hezekiah's sickness was indeed
a chastisement from Yahweh because of his earlier sin which fits the pattern in
the third case of Psalm 107 ,
it might have been because of his decision to pay heavy tribute to Assyria out
of a lack of trust in Yahweh (2
Ki 18:13-16 ).
[9] מְלָאכָה may refer to work, but specifically
"merchant, formally,
worker, i.e., one who buys, sells, and barters goods," in James Swanson, Dictionary
of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament, electronic
ed.) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997). Hence in the ESV עֹשֵׂי מְלָאכָה is translated as "doing
business." יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם literally
means "going-downers of the sea." The plural
infinitive construct יוֹרְדֵי is derived from the word יָרַד, to descend.
[10]
One may ask whether it is the
waves or the mariners who are "lifted to the heavens and brought down to
the depth." It can actually go either way since the mariners יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם and גַּלִּים
(surging waves, Swanson, DBLH) are both masculine nouns. But since the phrase
יַעֲלוּ שָׁמַיִם יֵרְדוּ
תְהוֹמֹות is
a part of the same line where
נַפְשָׁם בְּרָעָה
תִתְמוֹגָג is
(their soul melts in misery), it is more likely that it is the mariners who
ascend and descend as a result of the surging waves, not the waves themselves.
[11]
וְכָל־חָכְמָתָם
תִּתְבַּלָּע, and
all their wisdom is thoroughly confused. בָּלַע is in Hitpael form which indicates
repeated actions, that the mariners' efforts fail over and over again despite
many attempts to apply various skills to overcome the storm they are facing. To use Henry's words, the mariners were in the state
of "not knowing what to do more for their preservation; all their wisdom
is swallowed up, and they are ready to give up themselves for gone" (Henry,
Commentary, 652).
[12]
נַפְשָׁם בְּרָעָה
תִתְמוֹגָג. The
ESV translates רָעָה as evil which may not be
appropriate in this context, The NASB in this case is not only more literal,
but also conveys the idea better that "their soul melted away in their
misery."
[13]
מְחוֹז חֶפְצָם,
a port of their
desire, referring to a resting place after going through a severe ordeal.
[14] Spurgeon, Treasure
of David, 404. "Navigation was so little practiced among the
Israelites that mariners were invested with a high mystery, and their craft was
looked upon as one of singular daring and peril. Tales of the sea thrilled all
hearts with awe, and he who had been to Ophir or to Tarshish and had returned
alive was looked upon as a man of renown, an ancient mariner to be listened to
with reverent attention. Voyages were looked on as descending to an abyss,
"going down to the sea in ships"; whereas now our bolder and more
accustomed sailors talk of the "high seas." That do business in great
waters. If they had not had business to do, they would never have ventured on
the ocean, for we never read in the Scriptures of any man taking his pleasure
on the sea: so averse was the Israelites' mind to seafaring, that we do not
hear of even Solomon himself keeping a pleasure boat. The Mediterranean
was "the great sea" to David and his countrymen, and they viewed
those who had business upon it with no small degree of admiration."
[15] Tova Forti, "Of Ships and
Seas, and Fish and Beasts: Viewing the Concept of Universal Providence in the
Book of Jonah through the Prism of Psalms," JSOT 35.3 (2011):369.
[16] Forti, "Of Ships and
Seas," 370.
[17] I argue that the Gentiles here
refer to unbelieving Greeks and Jews. The unbelieving Jews who demand sign (1 Cor 1:22 ) are not true Jews (Rom 2:29 ) and therefore are
considered unbelieving Gentiles.
[18] Martyn Lloyd-Jones, True
Happiness: Psalms 1 and
107 (Wheaton
[19] Lloyd-Jones, True
Happiness, 150, 152-153. Also, Boice, Psalms, 865, 868-869. Boyce interprets
the ordeal at see as a picture of peril and uses the Pilgrims' experience when
crossing the Atlantic to America
[20] Lloyd-Jones, True Happiness, 156.
[21]
Spurgeon, Treasury of David,
405.
[22]
Henry, Commentary, 652. Here Henry agrees
that the mariners Jonah went with were Gentiles.
[23]
Lloyd-Jones, True Happiness, 149.
[24] Lloyd-Jones, True Happiness, 159.
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