Let
the redeemed by Yahweh say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
Psalm 107:2
Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,
from everlasting even to everlasting!
Let all the people say, “Amen.”
Praise Yah!
Psalm 107 [1.] Give thanks to Yahweh,
for he is good,
for his loving kindness endures forever.
Let the redeemed by Yahweh say so,
whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
And gathered out of the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way.
They found no city to live in.
Meaning:
Psalm 107 opens the fifth and final book of the Psalms. It begins with a call to give thanks to Yahweh “for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever,” and then, in verse 2, turns to the people who have the most reason to give thanks: “Let the redeemed by Yahweh say so.” Those whom God has rescued should not keep quiet. The rest of the psalm paints four pictures of rescue, each ending with the refrain, “Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!”
- Who Are the Redeemed?
The Hebrew word for “redeem” (ga’al) describes a close relative who buys back a family member from slavery or recovers lost property. God had acted as Israel’s Redeemer when he brought them out of Egypt. In the setting of Psalm 107, the redeemed are those “gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south,” probably the exiles who returned from Babylon and the scattered nations.
They were redeemed “from the hand of the adversary.” Their rescue was not their own achievement; God had stepped in when they were helpless.
- Four Pictures of Rescue
The psalm describes wanderers lost in the desert, prisoners sitting in darkness and bound in iron, fools brought near to death by their own rebellion (Psalm 107:17), and sailors caught in a terrible storm (Psalm 107:23-30). In every case “they cry to Yahweh in their trouble, he saves them out of their distresses. He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves” (Psalm 107:19-20).
- Pictures Fulfilled in the Gospel of Mark
Mark 4 and 5 read almost like a commentary on this psalm. Jesus calmed a storm on the sea, as God does for the sailors (Mark 4:39). He then freed a man who lived among the graves, whom no chains could hold (Mark 5:1-8). And when that man asked to follow him, Jesus told him, “Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you” (Mark 5:19). In other words: let the redeemed say so.
The Significance of Psalm 107:2
- Redeemed at a Great Price
Believers today are the redeemed in the fullest sense: “in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Ephesians 1:7). Peter reminds us that we were redeemed “not with corruptible things, with silver or gold ... but with precious blood, as of a faultless and pure lamb, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
- Say So!
Gratitude that stays silent is incomplete. Every Christian has a story of what God has done, and that story can encourage others and point them to him. We should be “ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). Speaking of God’s goodness in our homes, churches and workplaces is part of our worship.
Cross-References:
Mark 5:19: "He didn’t allow him, but said to him, “Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you.”" A redeemed man is sent to say so.
Psalm 107:19-21: "Then they cry to Yahweh in their trouble, he saves them out of their distresses. He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves. Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!" The pattern of rescue and praise that runs through the psalm.
1 Peter 1:18-19: "knowing that you were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from the useless way of life handed down from your fathers, but with precious blood, as of a faultless and pure lamb, the blood of Christ;" The price of our redemption.
Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth." The redeemed are empowered to be witnesses.
Conclusion: Psalm 107:2 is a simple, joyful command: if God has rescued you, say so. The psalm’s pictures of wanderers, prisoners, the sick and storm-tossed sailors all find their fullest answer in Jesus, who calms storms, breaks chains and heals by his word. Those he has redeemed have the best story in the world to tell.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible