Saturday, March 16: John & Jan Wang

Psalm 107:33-43.

He turns rivers into a desert,

 springs of water into thirsty ground,

a fruitful land into a salty waste,

 because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.

He turns a desert into pools of water,

 a parched land into springs of water.

And there he lets the hungry live,

 and they establish a town to live in;

they sow fields, and plant vineyards,

 and get a fruitful yield.

By his blessing they multiply greatly,

 and he does not let their cattle decrease.

When they are diminished and brought low

 through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,

he pours contempt on princes

 and makes them wander in trackless wastes;

but he raises up the needy out of distress,

 and makes their families like flocks.

The upright see it and are glad;

 and all wickedness stops its mouth.

Let those who are wise give heed to these things,

 and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

In this final portion of Psalm 107, the writer emphasizes the theme of good and evil and uses contrasting images to depict each. The passage also reiterates and reinforces the message from the preceding stanzas:

“it is good to give thanks to the Lord, for his love

and for the marvelous things he has done for mankind.”

More importantly, we are reminded that all good things come from God and are not man-made.

Good and Evil are elaborated by images of fruitful fields and vineyards, pools and springs of water and successful harvests [the good]; parched ground, failed crops and decimated populace [the evil]. Goodness is rewarded by God with good fortune, happiness and well-being. Evil is punished with misfortune, humiliation, sorrow and all manner of troubles.

The choice to do good or evil is ours to make but we should remember what happens to the “upright” and the “evildoers.” If we are truly remorseful and repentant, God will forgive our mistakes. God will redeem us unendingly if we take responsibility for our actions and are truly sorry for our sins. The psalmist closes with this final admonition to be wise:

”Whoever is wise, let him lay these things to heart,

And ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.”

           

—   John & Jan Wang