Psalms 107: part 3; trouble, cry, deliverance, praise, repeat
October 31, 2017
Now we tackle the second section of Psalms 107!
Psalms 107
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
What do these 3 aspects of verse 10 mean?
- Sitting in darkness
- Shadow of death
- Bound in affliction and iron
Isaiah 42
7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
8 I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Acts 26:18
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Shadow of Death
Valley of the shadow of death
Psalms 107:10
Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
The phrase “shadow of death” occurs 19 times in the bible [17x in the OT & 2 in the gospels]. 2 of them [10.5%] are right here in Psalms 107.
This means that whatever happened from the day of Pentecost in 28A.D. and onward annihilated the shadow of death.
Although the Israelites were prisoners of war in captivity in Babylon, there are mental prisons too.
Hebrews 2
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Once again, Jesus Christ did his job right!
1 John 3:8
…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Luke 4
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Since death isn’t a physical, tangible object, you can’t literally shine physical light on it. Therefore, it’s literally impossible for death to have a shadow.
That doesn’t mean the bible is wrong; it means that the phrase “shadow of death” has to be a figure of speech.
Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:This is talking about being bound up in metal chains and shackles.
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
When you put all the phrases of Psalms 107:10 & 12 together, based upon their usages in the bible [and all the commentaries are in agreement with this], plus history, you have a description of the Israelites being in their enemies’ captivity for 70 years in Babylon [According to E.W. Bullinger’s Companion Reference Bible: 489BC to 419BC, although other sources give different dates].
The Israelites were in a dark prison cell, bound with iron chains, subjected to heavy labor and maltreatment.
This is why nobody would help them.
Although we don’t know exactly what the prisons were like in ancient Babylon, the Mamertine prison in Rome gives us a general idea.
Mamertine prison in Rome.
“The Architecture of Mamertine Prison
Between 600 and 500 BC, Mamertine was constructed as a cistern for a spring in the floor. Once the site was converted into a jail, two cells were created one on top of the other.
Modern steps now lead down to the upper level of the prison which is at the original ground level of ancient Rome and thought to date back to the 2nd century BC. The upper room of the prison is trapezoidal in shape, the walls are made of blocks of tufa [a type of porous limestone], and there is a plaque on the right side naming some of the more famous prisoners and listing how and when each one died.
A second plaque names the martyrs and saints who were held here along with the names of their persecutors. In the back is an altar with the busts of Saints Peter and Paul.
The circular, lower room of the jail, known as the Tullianum, is named after its builder, Servius Tullius, from the 6th century BC. This “dungeon” was located within a sewer system below the city and could only be reached by being lowered through a hole in the floor, now covered by a metal gate.
At the top, there is a stone said to have the imprint of St. Peter’s head from when he was hurled down into the room. The Tullianum was the most inner and secret part of the complex and served not as a place of punishment or torture but of detention and execution for condemned criminals.
The ancient historian Sallust said it was twelve feet underground and described its appearance as: “ disgusting and vile by reason of the filth, the darkness and the stench.”
It was in this room, measuring 6.5 feet (2 meters) high, 30 feet (9 meters) long and 22 feet (6.7 meters) wide, that prisoners who had been condemned to die, either by strangulation or starvation, awaited their fate. An iron door at the end of the chamber opened to the Cloaca Maxima (the city’s main sewer), where dead bodies are said to have been dumped into the Tiber River.”
God wasn’t punishing them; they reaped what they sowed.
Galatians 6
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Verb: to be contentious, refractory, rebellious
Rebel [from www.dictionary.com]
verb (used without object), rebel, rebelled, rebelling.
5. to reject, resist, or rise in arms against one’s government or ruler.
6. to resist or rise against some authority, control, or tradition.
7. to show or feel utter repugnance: His very soul rebelled at spanking the child.
Refractory definition: [from www.dictionary.com]
adjective
1. hard or impossible to manage; stubbornly disobedient: a refractory child.
2. resisting ordinary methods of treatment.
3. difficult to fuse, reduce, or work, as an ore or metal.
contemned = contempt
Definition of contempt [from www.dictionary.com]
noun
1. the feeling with which a person regards anything considered mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn.
2. the state of being despised; dishonor; disgrace.
3. Law.
a) willful disobedience to or open disrespect for the rules or orders of a court (contempt of court) or legislative body.
b) an act showing such disrespect.
The word rebel [verb] is used 4 times in Psalms 106, translated “provoked”.
Here is just one of those usages.
Psalms 106
43 Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:
45 And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.
46 He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.
47 Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord.
Look at the unfathomable mercy of the Lord!!
Despite all the Israelites repeated rebellion, he still saved them!
No wonder all 26 verses of Psalms 136 end with the phrase “for his mercy endureth for ever“! Verse 24 is particularly relevant to the Israelites.
And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Galatians 3:13
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Ephesians 1:7
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
A perfect example of rebellion against God is in I Kings 13. Its a great record, but time and space prohibit going over the entire event.
God has foreknowledge, so since he knows what’s going to happen before it occurs, he can point us in a safe direction.
However, if we decide to do our own will, then there may be consequences.
I Kings 13:26
And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto him.
The usage of the word lion is significant because there are physical and spiritual lions.
I Peter 5
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Amen!
This wraps up the third article on Psalms 107.
God bless you all.
