Psalm 107:39

Psalm 107:39

They were humbled

The previous verse talks about how the number of Israelite settlers in the land greatly increased, and the Lord blessed them – the upside. Now, the opposite has happened, and the numbers have decreased once again – the downside. As we have noted before, this process is like a Yo-yo, first there is blessing, provision and contentment with God’s love and faithfulness, but this never lasts, before we know it the people have sunk into rebellion, idol worship and self-dependency, they have taken their eyes off the Lord their God and their foolishness is accompanied by oppression, calamity and sorrow. 

Notice that the removal of God’s provision is used to humble His people! By nature, the Jews often seem to be arrogant, in fact their pride has helped to preserve them against impossible odds! But that pride has also been their downfall, as time and again they have turned their backs on the Lord God and suffered the consequences. This process characterises the whole of their Old Testament history and a great deal of what has passed since! We need to pray that they become humble before the Lord or they may lose His present blessings and providence and, once again, have to be humbled before Him! 

What about us? Is it not true that our spiritual lives are also characterised by ups and downs? As soon as we grow complacent and dependent on our own strengths and abilities, the blessing of the Lord diminishes and the praise that He is due is restricted. This process may continue for years until we wake up and realise that our faith has grown cold, and our lives are no longer blessed with the fulness of His love and faithfulness. Are our lives full of oppression, calamity and sorrow when they should be enriched by liberation, blessing and joy?

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