◀ All Reading Plans / M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan / Family: 1 Kings 21; 1 Thessalonians 4. Secret: Daniel 3; Psalm 107. (New Catholic Bible)

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The classic M'Cheyne plan--read the Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms or Gospels every day.

Duration: 365 days

1 Kings 21

Chapter 21

Naboth’s Vineyard. ¹After these things, it happened that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel near the palace of Ahab, the king of Samaria. ²Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so that I can use it as a vegetable garden since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, I will pay you its worth in money.” ³But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

⁴^[a]So Ahab entered his palace furious that Naboth, the Jezreelite, had said to him, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He laid down upon his bed and turned his face away, refusing to eat anything.

⁵Jezebel his wife entered and said to him, “Why is your spirit so depressed that you refuse to eat anything?” ⁶He said to her, “It is because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and I said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard in exchange for money, or, if you like, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ But he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ”

⁷Jezebel, his wife, said to him, “Do you not reign over the kingdom of Israel? Get up and eat something. Cheer up, and I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

⁸So she wrote some letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived in Naboth’s city. ⁹In the letters she wrote, “Proclaim a fast, and have Naboth sit in a prominent place among the people. ¹⁰But place two sons of Belial opposite him to bear false witness, saying, ‘You blasphemed God and the king.’ Then carry him out and stone him to death.”

¹¹So the men in his city, the elders, and the nobles who lived in his city did what had been written in the letters that had been sent to them. ¹²They proclaimed a fast and had Naboth sit in a prominent place among the people. ¹³Two men then came in, sons of Belial, and they sat opposite him. The sons of Belial bore witness before the people saying, “Naboth blasphemed God and the king.” They carried him out of the city and they stoned him to death.

¹⁴They then sent word to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned to death.” ¹⁵As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Get up, and take possession of the vineyard that Naboth the Jezreelite refused to sell you. Naboth is no longer alive; he is dead.” ¹⁶When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab got up and went down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to take possession of it.

¹⁷The word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁸“Get up, and go down to meet Ahab, the king of Israel, who is in Samaria. He is now in the vineyard of Naboth. He had gone down there to take possession of it. ¹⁹Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Have you killed someone to take possession of his property?” ’ Say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick up your blood as well.” ’ ”

²⁰Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy.” He answered, “I have found you because you have sold yourself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord: ²¹‘Behold, I will bring disaster down upon you. I will consume your descendants and I will cut off from Ahab all of those who pee against the wall, whether slave or free. ²²I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin.’ ²³And of Jezebel the Lord says, ‘The dogs will devour Jezebel by the walls of Jezreel.’ ²⁴Those who belong to Ahab and who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by the birds of the air.”

²⁵There was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel, his wife. ²⁶He was detestable in the way that he followed after idols, just as the Amorites had whom the Lord had cast out from before the Israelites.

²⁷When Ahab heard these things, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay in sackcloth, and went around in mourning. ²⁸The word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ²⁹“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster during his days. I will bring disaster upon his house during the days of his son.”

1 Thessalonians 4

God Wills Your Sanctification^[a]

Chapter 4

Respect for the Body.^[b] ¹Finally, brethren, you learned from us how you ought to live so that you may be pleasing to God—and as you are indeed doing. Now we ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus to do so even more. ²For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

³It is the will of God that you should lead a life of sanctity. You must refrain from sexual immorality. ⁴Each of you must learn to acquire a wife from pure and honorable motives, ⁵not to gratify passion^[c] like the Gentiles who do not know God. ⁶No one is ever to wrong or take advantage of a brother in this regard.

As we have previously instructed you and solemnly warned you, the Lord is the avenger in all this. ⁷For God has called us to holiness, not to impurity. ⁸Therefore, anyone who rejects these instructions^[d] rejects not human authority but the God who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.

An Honorable Life.^[e] ⁹In respect to brotherly love, there is no necessity to write to you about that, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. ¹⁰And indeed you have shown your love to all the brethren throughout Macedonia. However, we urge you, brethren, to make even greater progress in this regard.

¹¹Strive to live quietly, to attend to your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you.^[f] ¹²In this way, you will earn the respect of outsiders and not have to be dependent on anyone.

¹³The Dead and the Living at the Lord’s Coming.^[g] We do not wish you to be uncertain, brethren, about those who have fallen asleep.^[h] You should not grieve as do those who have no hope. ¹⁴For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so too do we believe that God will bring forth with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

¹⁵Indeed, we can assure you, on the word of the Lord himself, that we who are still alive at the coming of the Lord will not have any advantage over those who have fallen asleep.^[i] ¹⁶When the command is given, at the sound of the archangel’s voice and the call of God’s trumpet, the Lord himself will descend from heaven, and those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise.

¹⁷Then those of us who are still alive and are left will be caught up^[j] together with them on clouds in the air to meet the Lord. And so, we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸Therefore, comfort one another^[k] with these words.

Footnotes

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Conversion to Christ involves a total rejection of the values and the way of life that one previously led. Speaking of sanctification and holiness in Biblical language, we are conscious of being in the presence of the Lord. This gives new value to the destiny, action, and relationships of human beings—nothing is any longer lost in insignificance. In his correspondence, Paul always underlines some important traits for one’s way of life, in keeping with the needs of the community. He does so usually by way of a warm exhortation, but sometimes also by way of a warning. The Christian life is a journey toward a goal: union with God in Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4:1 In the language of the period, two interpretations are possible: that each person should take a spouse in order to live honorably (see 1 Cor 7:2); or that each should exercise self-control and self-respect. In either case, and in light of the dissolute morals of the period, the affirmation of marriage and of sexual morality was a rejection of a meaningless and sordid existence. Paul has a high idea of human beings, for he views them in the call of God addressed to him. The effort of Christians arises from living ties with the divine Persons.
1 Thessalonians 4:5 Acquire a wife . . . gratify passion: another possible translation is: “control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable and not to succumb to lustful passion.”
1 Thessalonians 4:8 Instructions: this word does not necessarily refer to the sayings of Jesus but rather to guidelines set forth in the Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 God pours the Spirit into the hearts of believers and that Spirit guides them in God’s ways. However, other questions remain: certain Christians, awaiting the imminent coming of the Lord, experience a crisis of laziness (see 2 Thes 3:6-12); they must be seriously reminded of the personal and social life, without which love is but a futile word.
1 Thessalonians 4:11 The early Church strongly believed in the need of Christians to earn their living. However, some of the converts—possibly as a result of their belief in Christ’s imminent return (see 2 Thes 3:11)—were not working and so were letting others support them.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 We are now at the heart of the Letter. Some Christians of Thessalonica have a few difficulties. One or other believer has died, and they cannot shake the image of those beautiful cemeteries built at the edge of cities like “high places” of despair. Christ must appear; this definitive coming mobilizes the hope of all; but will not Christians who have died be deprived of this grand and triumphant coming?
In speaking of this resurrection, Paul uses the images and symbols of the Jewish apocalypses, just as in describing the return of Christ he compares it to the “parousias” or official visits of the emperors to the great cities, where the people escorted them in a lengthy procession. The scene has its grandeur, but the essential is to be found elsewhere: the solid conviction of believers that they are with Christ forever. These words sum up the final message of Christian hope.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 Those who have fallen asleep: sleep was an especially apt metaphor for death, since the finality and horror of death disappear in the assurance of the resurrection.
1 Thessalonians 4:15 Here Paul seems to be hoping that the parousia would take place within his own lifetime. We can say that while entertaining the possibility of his own death (see 2 Tim 4:6-8) and not wanting to go against Christ’s teaching about the date of the parousia (see Mt 24:48; 25:5; Lk 19:11-27), Paul (and all the first Christians) reckoned on the prospect of remaining alive until Christ’s return (Rom 13:11; 1 Cor 7:26, 29; 10:11; 15:51-52; 16:22; Phil 4:5). The word of the Lord: this may refer to a special revelation or simply be a general reference to the teachings of Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Will be caught up: literally, “will be carried away,” which in the Vulgate is translated by rapiemur. This Latin word has given birth to the idea of the “Rapture,” i.e., that believers will be carried away from the troubles of this world. It simply means that those who are alive on the Last Day will not have to die; they will be transformed.
1 Thessalonians 4:18 Comfort one another: vv. 13-18 are not primarily intended to provide a chronology of future events but rather to urge the Thessalonians to comfort one another.

Daniel 3

Chapter 3 The Three Young Men in the Fiery Furnace^[a]

The Trial of Daniel’s Companions.^[b] King Nebuchadnezzar ordered a golden statue^[c] to be made, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and he decre ed that it be placed on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. ²King Nebuchadnezzar then commanded the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to assemble for the dedication of the statue that he had set up. ³Therefore, the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

⁴Then a herald proclaimed in a loud voice, “Peoples and nations of every language: when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, zither, harp, bagpipe, and every other musical instrument, ⁵you are commanded to prostrate yourselves and worship the golden statue set up by King Nebuchadnezzar. ⁶Anyone who refuses to prostrate himself and worship shall immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

⁷Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, zither, harp, bagpipe, and every other musical instrument, all the peoples and nations of every language prostrated themselves and worshiped the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

⁸Immediately some Chaldeans came forward before the king and made a malicious accusation against the Jews. ⁹They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, may you live forever! ¹⁰You have issued a decree, Your Majesty, that when the people hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, zither, harp, bagpipe, and every other musical instrument, they are to prostrate themselves and worship the golden statue, ¹¹and that whoever fails to do so is to be cast into a furnace of blazing fire.

¹²“Now there are certain Jews whom you have put in charge of the affairs of the province of Babylon. These men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, have ignored your command, O king. They do not serve your God, and they refuse to worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

¹³On hearing this, Nebuchadnezzar became infuriated and was filled with rage, and he sent for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When the three men were brought into his presence, ¹⁴King Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my god or worship the golden statue that I have set up? ¹⁵When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, zither, harp, bagpipe, and every other musical instrument, are you ready to fall down and worship the statue that I have made? If you refuse to worship it, you shall be immediately thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. What god is there that can deliver you from my power?”

¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, “There is no need for us to defend ourselves to you in this regard. ¹⁷If our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the white-hot blazing furnace and from your power, O king, let him deliver us. ¹⁸But even if he does not do so, Your Majesty, be assured that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue you have set up.”

¹⁹This reply so infuriated Nebuchadnezzar against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his countenance became distorted. He ordered that the furnace was to be heated seven times more than customary, ²⁰and he commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and hurl them into the fiery furnace.

²¹The three young men were then bound while still wearing their cloaks, their trousers, their head coverings, and their other garments and thrown into the fiery furnace. ²²Because the king’s command was so urgent and the heat of the furnace was so intense, the raging flames killed the men who were carrying Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. ²³However, the three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell, bound, into the fiery furnace.

Two Inspired Additions of Prayer Texts

²⁴The Prayer of Azariah.^[d] They walked amidst the flames, all the while singing hymns to God and blessing the Lord. ²⁵Azariah then stood up, surrounded by flames, and said this prayer:

²⁶“Blessed are you and deserving of all praise,
    O Lord, the God of our fathers,
    and glorious is your name forever.
²⁷For you have shown justice in all you have done for us;
    all your deeds are true, all your ways are right,
    and all your judgments are correct.
²⁸You have made proper judgments
    in all that you have brought upon us
    and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors.
By a judgment, you have done all this
    because of our sins.
²⁹“For we have sinned and broken your law
    in our rebellion against you;
    we have fallen short in every way.
³⁰We have neglected to obey your commandments
    and have failed to do what you commanded for our own good.
³¹Therefore, in all the misfortunes you have inflicted upon us,
    in all you have done to us,
    you have executed proper judgments.
³²You have handed us over to our enemies,
    lawless and godless rebels,
    and to a wicked king, the most evil in the entire world.
³³“Now we cannot open our mouths;
    we, your servants who worship you,
    have become a cause of shame and dishonor.
³⁴For your name’s sake, do not abandon us forever
    or renounce your covenant.
³⁵Do not withdraw your mercy from us
    for the love of Abraham, your friend,
    Isaac, your servant, and Israel, your holy one,
³⁶to whom you spoke, promising to make their descendants
    as numerous as the stars in the heavens
    and the grains of sand on the seashore.
³⁷“For we, O Lord, have become the least of all nations,
    humiliated throughout the world in our day
    because of our sins.
³⁸We now have no ruler, no prophet, no leader,
    no burnt offering or sacrifice or oblation of incense,
    no place to make an offering before you and to find mercy.
³⁹But may we be accepted by you
    as we approach you with a contrite heart
    and with a submissive spirit.
⁴⁰As though we were presenting burnt offerings of rams and bulls
    or thousands of fat lambs,
so may our sacrifice be in your presence today
    as we follow you unreservedly,
    for those who trust in you will never be put to shame.
⁴¹“And now with all our heart we shall follow you;
    even though we fear you, we seek your face.
⁴²Do not let us be put to shame,
    but deal with us in your patience
    and in your great mercy.
⁴³Deliver us by your wonderful deeds,
    and let your name be glorified, O Lord.
⁴⁴Let those who harm your servants be brought low;
    let them be put to shame and rendered powerless,
    and may their strength be crushed.
⁴⁵Let them know that you alone are the Lord God,
    glorious throughout the whole world.”

⁴⁶Now the king’s servants who had thrown the three young men into the furnace continued to stoke it with brimstone, pitch, tow, and brushwood ⁴⁷until the flames rose forty-nine cubits above the furnace ⁴⁸and spread out, burning to death those Chaldeans who were standing nearby. ⁴⁹But the angel of the Lord came down into the furnace where Azariah and his companions had been cast. He drove the fiery flames out of the furnace ⁵⁰and made the inside of the furnace as though a dewy breeze was wafting through it. The fire did not touch them in the least way and caused them no pain or harm.

⁵¹The Canticle of the Three Young Men.^[e] Then those three men in the furnace began to sing in unison, glorifying and blessing God:

⁵²“Blessed are you, Lord, the God of our ancestors,
    worthy of praise and glory forever.
Blessed is your holy and glorious name,
    worthy of praise and glory forever.
⁵³Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
    worthy of praise and glory forever.
⁵⁴Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
    worthy of praise and glory forever.
⁵⁵Blessed are you who behold the depths
    from your throne upon the cherubim,
    worthy of praise and glory forever.
⁵⁶Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
    worthy of praise and glory forever.
⁵⁷“Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁵⁸Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁵⁹You heavens, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁶⁰All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁶¹All you powers of the Lord, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁶²Sun and moon, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁶³Stars of heaven, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁶⁴“All rain and dew, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁶⁵All you winds, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁶⁶Fire and heat, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁶⁷Cold and chill, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁶⁸Dew and rain, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁶⁹Frost and chill, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁷⁰Ice and snow, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁷¹Nights and days, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁷²Light and darkness, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁷³Lightning and clouds, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁷⁴“Let the earth bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁷⁵Mountains and hills, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁷⁶Every plant that grows, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁷⁷Springs of water, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁷⁸Seas and rivers, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁷⁹Dolphins and all creatures that live in water, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁸⁰Every kind of bird, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁸¹All animals, wild and tame, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁸²“All the human race, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁸³O Israel, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁸⁴You priests of the Lord, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁸⁵You servants of the Lord, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁸⁶Spirits and souls of the upright, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁸⁷You who are holy and humble in heart, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
⁸⁸“Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, bless the Lord;
    praise and exalt him forever.
For he has rescued us from the netherworld
    and saved us from the power of death.
He has liberated us from the fiery furnace,
    and from the fire he has delivered us.
⁸⁹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his mercy endures forever.
⁹⁰Bless the God of gods, all you who fear the Lord;
    praise him and give thanks to him,
    for his mercy endures forever.”

⁹¹The Miracle Is Accomplished.^[f] Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisors, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, O king.”

⁹²He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of God.”^[g]

⁹³Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire, ⁹⁴and the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisors crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

⁹⁵Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ⁹⁶Therefore, I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other God can save in this way.”

⁹⁷Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

King Nebuchadnezzar’s Madness

⁹⁸Vision of the Great Tree. King Nebuchadnezzar, to the nations and peoples of every language dwelling throughout the entire world: May you prosper abundantly. ⁹⁹I am pleased to make known the signs and wonders with which I have been favored by the Most High God.

¹⁰⁰How great are his signs,
how mighty are his wonders.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and his sovereignty endures through all generations.

Psalm 107

Book V—Psalms 107–150^[a]

Psalm 107^[b]

God, Savior of Those in Distress

¹“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his kindness^[c] endures forever.”
²Let this be the prayer of the redeemed of the Lord,
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe
³and gathered together from the lands,^[d]
    from east and west, north and south.
⁴^[e]Some wandered in a barren wilderness,
    unable to discover a path to an inhabited city.
⁵They were hungry and thirsty,
    and their life was wasting away.
⁶Then they cried out to the Lord in their anguish,
    and he saved them from their distress.
⁷He led them by a direct route
    to a city in which they could dwell.
⁸Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness^[f]
    and for the wonders he does for people.
⁹He has satisfied the thirsty
    and filled the hungry with good things.
¹⁰^[g]Some sat in darkness and the shadow of death,^[h]
    bound in misery and in chains,
¹¹because they had rebelled against the words of God
    and spurned the plan of the Most High.
¹²He humbled their hearts with hard labor;^[i]
    when they stumbled, no one was there to offer help.
¹³Then they cried out to the Lord in their need,
    and he rescued them from their distress.
¹⁴He brought them forth from darkness and the shadow of death
    and tore their chains to pieces.
¹⁵Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness
    and for the wonders he does for people.
¹⁶He has broken down gates of bronze
    and cut through iron bars.
¹⁷^[j]Some were made foolish by their wicked ways
    and were afflicted because of their iniquities.
¹⁸All types of food became loathsome to them,
    and they were nearing the gates of death.^[k]
¹⁹Then they cried out to the Lord in their anguish,
    and he rescued them from their distress.
²⁰He sent forth his word^[l] and healed them,
    saving them from the grave.
²¹Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness
    and for the wonders he does for people.
²²Let them offer sacrifices in thanksgiving
    and recount his deeds with jubilation.
²³^[m]Some went down to the sea in ships
    and engaged in commerce on the mighty waters.
²⁴^[n]They beheld the works of the Lord
    and his wonders in the deep.
²⁵He spoke and raised up a storm wind
    that stirred up the waves of the sea.
²⁶They were lifted up to the heavens, then cast down to the depths;
    their courage melted away in their plight.
²⁷They reeled and staggered like drunkards,
    and they were at their wits’ end.
²⁸They cried out to the Lord in their anguish,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
²⁹He reduced the storm to a whisper,
    and the waves of the sea were hushed.
³⁰They rejoiced because of the calm,
    and he guided them to the port they sought.
³¹Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness
    and for the wonders he does for people.
³²Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
    and praise him in the council of the elders.^[o]
³³^[p]He turns rivers into wasteland,
    springs of water into parched ground,^[q]
³⁴and fertile land into a salt waste,
    because of the wickedness of those who live there.^[r]
³⁵He turns the wasteland into pools of water
    and the parched ground into bubbling springs.
³⁶^[s]There he provides the hungry with a home,
    and they build a city where they can settle.
³⁷They sow fields and plant vineyards
    that yield crops for the harvest.
³⁸He blesses them and they greatly increase in number,
    and he does not let their cattle decrease.
³⁹Eventually their numbers diminish and they are humbled
    because of oppression, adversity, and affliction;
⁴⁰he who pours forth his contempt on princes
    makes them wander in trackless wastes,
⁴¹while he raises the needy from their misery
    and increases their families like flocks.
⁴²The upright see and exult,
    while the wicked^[t] are reduced to silence.
⁴³Let whoever is wise reflect on these things
    and understand the merciful love of the Lord.^[u]

Footnotes

Psalm 107:1 Book V of the Psalter. Two collections are included in this final part: the pilgrimage chants or “Songs of Ascent” (Pss 120–134) and the Hallel or “Praise” psalms (113–118; 120–136; 146–150). In addition, we see a further group of psalms attributed to David (Pss 138–145). Jewish tradition also groups together Pss 113–118, known as the Egyptian Hallel, for use at the Passover. The “hymn” sung at the Last Supper (see Mk 14:26) was probably part of that Hallel.
Although cries of supplication still form part of the prayer of the psalmist, joy begins to radiate upon the face of the pilgrim who draws near to the Lord; the acclamation voiced in the presence of God will transform the conclusion of the Psalter into a prodigious symphony of happiness.
Psalm 107:1 Even though this psalm is not part of Book IV, many believe that it was originally associated with Pss 105–106 and served as a kind of conclusion to the theme-related Pss 104–107. After the account of God’s works in creation (see Ps 104:2-26) and his care for the animal world (see Ps 104:27-30) it recounts “the wonders [God] does for people” (Ps 107:8).
Psalm 107 is a thanksgiving for “God’s deliverances.” Persons in distress have cried out to him and obtained help: wandering voyagers (vv. 4-9), prisoners (vv. 10-16), the sick (vv. 17-22), and the shipwrecked (vv. 23-32). The Lord reverses situations as he pleases (vv. 33-41), but only the believer can discern the divine action. Beneath the concrete life of the era, evoked at times with humor (vv. 26-27 remind us that the Israelites were not very seaworthy), we see the history of the chosen people: the journeys of the Exodus and the Exile, their temptations and their sins.
Visibly the author takes his inspiration from the Book of Consolation (see Isa 40–55) and the writings of the sages (see Job; Wis 16). Thanksgivings that are at first private, ultimately express the gratitude of an entire people. For the believer, the events become signs: they invite him to discover in his life and that of the community of peoples a secret presence of God.
Christians pray this psalm to praise the Father for redeeming us in Christ. We have been saved by him from the hand of the infernal oppressor, gathered by him into the Church, and delivered by his love from the spiritual death to which we were doomed by the state in which Satan bound us and which was symbolized by the image of the wilderness, captivity, sickness, and the storm.
Psalm 107:1 A conventional cry of praise in the liturgy of the temple often cited in the Old Testament (see Pss 106:1; 118:1; 136:1; 1 Chr 16:34; 1 Mac 4:24; Jer 33:11; Dan 3:89). Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.
Psalm 107:3 From the lands: e.g., Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, and Moab, into which the catastrophe of 587 B.C. had dispersed the chosen people (see 2 Ki 17:6; 24:12-16; Isa 11:11f; 43:5f; Jer 52:28-30). South: literally, “[the] sea.”
Psalm 107:4 The psalmist evokes the Lord’s deliverances of his people from the wilderness in which they were lost, hungry, thirsty, and exhausted, especially during the Exodus (see Jos 5:6), which prefigured the just completed return from the Exile (see Neh 1:3). Jesus would later indicate that he delivered people from the same four situations as the Way to the Father (see Jn 14:6), the Bread of Heaven (see Jn 6:41), the Water of Life (see Jn 4:14), and the Giver of Rest (see Mt 11:28).
Psalm 107:8 This refrain is repeated in verses 15, 21, 31. Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5. Wonders: see note on Ps 9:2 concerning God’s wonders.
Psalm 107:10 The psalmist evokes God’s deliverance of his people from foreign bondage, especially in the return from the Exile (see Isa 43:5f; 49:12; Zec 8:7f). In addition, guilt, darkness, grinding toil, and the constriction of chains, gates, and bars are apt figures for the fallen state of human beings.
Psalm 107:10 See Pss 105:18; 149:8; Isa 42:7; 49:9. The Exile was a chastisement (see Lev 26:41ff; Job 33:19; 36:8ff; Prov 3:12), announced by the Prophets. Shadow of death: see note on Ps 23:4.
Psalm 107:12 Humbled their hearts with hard labor: i.e., a labor that broke their spirit. Another translation is: “subjected them to bitter labor.”
Psalm 107:17 The psalmist evokes God’s deliverance of his people from the chastisement of sickness unto death incurred because of sin.
Psalm 107:18 Gates of death: metaphorical description for death (see Pss 9:14; 88:4) in keeping with the ancient custom of picturing the realm of death as a city in the netherworld with a series of gates that prevented return to the land of the living (see Job 38:17; Mt 16:18).
Psalm 107:20 The word is here personified as God’s messenger of healing and deliverance from the grave (see Ps 147:15; Job 33:23ff; Wis 16:12; Isa 55:11; Mt 8:8; Jn 1:1).
Psalm 107:23 The psalmist evokes God’s deliverance of his people from the perils of the sea.
Psalm 107:24 The merchants who cross the seas in search of wealth witness God’s wonderful deeds at sea (see Ps 104:24-26) and his ability to calm a storm on the surging waters (see Pss 65:8; 77:20).
Psalm 107:32 The merchants are urged to render worship to God by declaring, both in communal worship and in places of leadership, what he has done for them.
Psalm 107:33 The psalmist evokes God’s deliverance of his people by a “reversal of fortune.”
Psalm 107:33 Imagery like that found in Isa 35:6f; 41:18; 42:15; 43:19f; 50:2.
Psalm 107:34 Allusion to Sodom and Gomorrah (see Gen 13:10; 19; Deut 29:22; Sir 39:23). Salt was cast on cities that had been destroyed (see Jdg 9:45).
Psalm 107:36 These verses are written in general terms; however, scholars believe the psalmist is most likely referring here to the settlement and development of the Promised Land (vv. 36ff), the hardships during the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions (v. 39), the humiliation and exile of the last kings of Judah (v. 40), and the restoration of Zion after the Exile (v. 41).
Psalm 107:42 Upright . . . wicked: a comparison often made in the Old Testament (see Prov 2:21f; 11:6f; 12:6; 14:11; 15:8; 21:18; 29:27).
Psalm 107:43 This conclusion transforms the hymn of thanksgiving and praise into a wisdom psalm. The righteous will become wise by studying the Lord’s deliverances of his people.

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 21

Footnotes

God Wills Your Sanctification[a]

Chapter 4

Footnotes

Chapter 3

The Three Young Men in the Fiery Furnace[a]

Two Inspired Additions of Prayer Texts

King Nebuchadnezzar’s Madness

Footnotes

Book V—Psalms 107–150[a]

Psalm 107[b]

God, Savior of Those in Distress

Footnotes

God Wills Your Sanctification^[a]

The Three Young Men in the Fiery Furnace^[a]

Book V—Psalms 107–150^[a]

Psalm 107^[b]