Psalms 107:23-31
...past. To sing psalms is the proper way to read them. Some of the chapters tell of love and faith, while others talk of sin and the law. Psalms 107 is a hymn inviting those who have been rescued by God to give praise to him. As is with all psalms, it is a look at history, in this cause of Israel. This chapter consists of four archetypal divine rescues. Each rescue ends in giving thanks: from the sterile desert, from imprisonment in gloom, from mortal illness, and from the angry sea. It is said that the number four signifies totality, all the possible varieties of rescue. The same saving activity of God is shown in Israel's history whenever the people were endangered God rescued them. The last verses invite people to ponder the persistent saving acts of God. Psalm 107:23-31 is all about being saved from the angry sea.
"They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;" Those that go down to the sea in ships, as merchants, fisherman, passengers, or mariners, that do business in great waters have all seen the power of God at work at sea. These people see the works of the Lord, and his wonders. These wonders are more amazing then those found on land, in that all are born and raised upon the land, and what happens on the sea is strange and unusual. From rogue waves to whirlpools and sunny skies to sudden storms, all see the power of God at work in the great waters of the sea. The deep, open water is a wonder unto itself with its tidal currents, animals, salinity, and great vastness. This is written not to stop people from entering the sea but to go safely upon the sea and observe God's creation with its unending perfections.
Wonders begin to appear in the deep when the wind is strong. "For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves thereof." As with all storms at sea, the high winds kick up large...
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