Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. (Psalm 107:1-3)

This psalm begins the fifth and final book of the psalms and expresses thanksgiving to God for delivering His people from the nations to which they had been scattered. Considering that this was composed long before the Jews were exiled from the land of Israel, it is obviously prophetic. It refers to those who are being gathered from the four directions of the earth — a reference to the final Ingathering that occurs at the advent of the Messianic age. That said, all who have been redeemed in any era should recognize that the good which happens to them is not by chance, but is ordained by God, the source of everything that is good.

Because He is the source of all things good, His kindness is not limited to one generation but it extends to all who are His. Not only that, the great kindness shown to one generation spills over into succeeding generations. For example, the goodness bestowed upon the patriarchs — Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — continues to be manifest in their descendants many generations later. That just goes to show how wonderful and how eternal the goodness of God truly is. At the same time, it amplifies how important it is for each generation to live in such a way as to be worthy of His mercy.

Redemption is the end result of God’s mercy. Were it not for His compassion and willingness to forgive, redemption would not be possible. Therefore history recounts the many demonstrations of His mercy and how, through the ages, the Almighty has redeemed His people. In times past, redemption has been somewhat limited in scope, for example, as it was when He brought them out of Egypt. The day is coming, however, that the redemption of the righteous will be universal — He will bring His people forth from every nation on earth, “from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.” In that day, God’s goodness will be on full display for all to see and no one will be able to deny that, “the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever!”

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill