Recalling the things that happened in the past to our forebearers and ourselves moves the hearts of God’s people to “Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.” Those were the sentiments of the writer of this psalm, and they are of each believer today who has experienced the grace of God in life. “How good is the God we adore, Our faithful, unchangeable Friend. Whose love is as great as His power. And knows neither measure nor end.” We who have been redeemed must express our gratitude to the Lord and others. To the Lord, we give our thanks. We testify to God's grace, mercy, and love for others.
The first testimony in this psalm is thanksgiving for redemption, undeserved, but recounted in four scenes of life’s experiences. The first is in the wilderness as pilgrims. This is illustrated by Israel’s years in the wilderness. Then, in times of darkness, we feel like prisoners with no hope of deliverance. The children of Israel knew what it was like to be captives in both Egypt and later in Babylon. The third section of the psalm is redemption for those in affliction and sickness. There were silent years in the history of Israel when “the people… sat in darkness.” Between the Old and New Testament times, there were about four hundred years of silence in which there was no word from the Lord. Problems seem overwhelming in times like that.
Sailors on the sea know when they are in trouble over which they have no power. Israel will yet experience tribulation when they are the object of open and terrible opposition like the waves of a stormy sea. Then, the psalm ends with a look ahead to a time of stable government and grace in which the hungry are fed, and redemption even affects the earth beneath our feet. That is when the Prince of Peace comes.
In the providence of God, He has redeemed us at great cost to Himself. The Almighty and Infinite God is not just a force to be reckoned with but a Person who has all of the good and positive characteristics that we see glimpses of in human beings from time to time. Love, mercy, grace, kindness, long-suffering, truth, and every other good characteristic are all infinite in our Lord God. For Him to give “His only begotten Son...” for us that we should live in and through Him causes thanksgiving to rise in every redeemed person. It is only right that “the redeemed of the Lord [should] say so.” We must tell others how good God is rather than complain and criticize.
In God’s sovereignty, He can turn rivers into a wilderness or a wilderness into standing water. A fruitful field can be made into barren land, or fields that did not produce anything can bring fruit, a blessing to many. At the conclusion of this psalm, we are instructed as to God’s right to discipline or restore what He has made. Those He has saved by His grace are wise when we recognize who we are and how grateful we should be for His salvation. When we have experienced God, we are moved to praise Him for what he has done. There is hope for fools and rebels because God’s love reaches them. We were all there until saving grace brought us into the family of God. Now we rejoice, observe, and “understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.”