Psalm 107 (106):34Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

While we may express praise daily, we explicitly declare "Alleluia" on designated occasions, recognizing it as a heartfelt tribute to God's glory. This title’s double mention in "Hallelujah" is not unique here; it appears similarly in other instances, reflecting the collective voice of God’s people—historically Israel, now the universal Church. The repetition may be a reminder of our call to God, whom we address as "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15); in this familial relationship, the Cornerstone unites us.

Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim His goodness, as those He has rescued from the hands of their adversaries (Psalm 105:2). Though historically the Israelites were freed from Egypt’s grip, the psalm invites us to recognize a deeper redemption at work within the hearts of all who are saved. God has gathered His people from all corners of the earth (Psalm 105:3), leading them, akin to crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22), through the waters of Baptism into new life, sanctified through Christ's blood.

The journey through the wilderness reflects our spiritual pilgrimage. In their wanderings, the Israelites endured thirst and hunger, becoming weary in soul (Psalm 106:5). Yet, in His goodness, God allowed them to feel this need so that they might cry out to Him in their distress, leading them to deliverance (Psalm 105:6). God guided their path, ensuring they found their way to a dwelling place (Psalm 106:7). Although the specifics of how He met their needs aren’t detailed, let His mercies and wonders be acknowledged by the faithful (Psalm 105:8). Those who are aware of this should encourage those yet to experience His presence—He fills the empty soul and satisfies the hungry with good things (Psalm 105:9).

The plight of those dwelling in darkness and the shadow of death, confined by deprivation (Psalm 105:10), may arise from their rejection of divine grace (Luke 7:30). Their rebellious hearts led them to suffer, laboring in desolation (Psalm 105:11-12). They encountered the weight of their sin, and amidst this despair, they realized their need for God’s deliverance (Romans 7:24). When they called upon the Lord, He saved them from their troubles (Psalm 105:13) and broke the chains of their bondage (Psalm 105:14), encouraging them to share His mercies and wonders (Psalm 105:15).

He dismantled barriers of oppression, reversing the forsaken state of His people (Psalm 105:16-17). When self-promoted righteousness was pursued over God’s grace, they were humbled, realizing their true state without divine aid (Romans 10:3). Their weariness deepened into a longing for sustenance (Psalm 105:18). While some may think danger only lurks in hunger, the peril of excess is equally real. The cry of the heart in trouble reached God, who sent His Word to restore them (Psalm 106:20), liberating them from their own desolation.

Let them rejoice and offer thanks for what God has done, recognizing His sweetness and proclaiming His wondrous acts with joy (Psalm 105:21-22). The seafarers who traverse tumultuous waters (Psalm 105:23) again depict humanity in distress among nations. The psalmist recalls how the storms of life can engulf us, yet in their peril, when they called upon the Lord, He calmed the winds (Psalm 105:28-29) and guided them to safety (Psalm 105:30).

In every instance of trouble, we must declare His mercies, for it is God who saves us (Psalm 105:31). Let all nations and leaders praise Him for what He has wrought, knowing He resists the proud yet grants grace to the humble (James 4:6). Witness the divine transformation of dry land into fertile ground where the hungry are sustained (Psalm 105:35-36), a testament to God's provision through Christ’s priesthood, which transcends the Old Covenant.

As they labored in the fields, receiving the fruits of their toil (Psalm 106:37), God multiplied them greatly (Psalm 105:38), affirming the strength of His foundation (2 Timothy 2:19). Yet moments of decline, even among His chosen, occurred—not from outside forces but from internal failures (1 John 2:19). Those who stray from unity face the risk of becoming few and insignificant, while the humble are uplifted (Psalm 105:41), embracing their role in God's greater family of faith.

The psalm invites us to reflect on these profound truths. Let those who are wise consider and understand the Lord's mercy (Psalm 105:43), wholly reliant on Him for restoration in our wanderings, liberation from sin, healing from weariness, and deliverance from trials. The righteous will rejoice in recognizing His active mercy, while all that opposes unity in God will inevitably be silenced.

This barrenness is attributed to the wickedness of the Jews, which prevented their land from producing spiritual and holy figures, leaving them devoid of priests or prophets, and any remnant of their former vitality. Furthermore, God transformed the once barren Gentile church into a Christian congregation brimming with the fruits of piety and virtue, flooding it with holy baptism, which serves as a continual source of spiritual waters. Similarly, the Church, previously lacking the living waters of divine truth, has been made Christian, overflowing with the essence of God's teachings, as affirmed by the same Fathers and Didymus. According to Nyssa, God creates some rivers while annihilating others; He destroys harmful streams and allows streams of virtue to nourish areas once parched. He has turned rivers into deserts, where the rivers symbolize the overwhelming influences of sinful passions, and the outpourings of water represent the persistence of evils that perpetuate one another like a flowing current. In addition, He has converted fruitful land into salt. A soul filled with wickedness, once transformed and corrected by the salt of divine instruction, becomes thirsty, ceasing to produce its former sins and being nourished no longer by the currents of evil. Instead, that once salty soul, upon recognizing the blessed longing, has become a lake, swirling with waters like a sea, where those yearning for truth reside. Another perspective indicates that the prophet simply and broadly seeks that God be praised for His sovereign acts, altering all things according to His purpose, flooding deserts with rivers and drying up waters, creating thirst where once there was plenty; specifically, this applies to both Jews and Gentiles. The prophet marvels at how the once good and fruitful synagogue has turned into bitterness while the Gentile church, previously dry, now overflows with beneficial streams. Isaiah proclaimed, "I will turn the wilderness into a lake of waters, and the thirsty into aqueducts" (Isa. 41:18); and Solomon, in the Song of Songs, likened the eyes of the beloved to a lake in Heshbon, among the daughters of many (Song of Songs 7:4), where Isychius interprets those daughters to signify the Church, comprising the offspring of both apostles and prophets.

This once-fertile area has since become enshrouded in salt marshes, aptly echoing the words of the Psalmist, whose profound declaration captures a spiritual truth: ‘He turns the rivers into a desert, and the springs of waters into dry land, and the fertile land into salt marsh, because of the wickedness of those who dwell therein.’ In these lands, the remnants of the many villages lost to the flood now give rise to elevated hills, appearing as islands that serve as tranquil havens for devout hermits. Among these holy figures were three esteemed elders: Heremon, Nestorius, and Joseph. The eleventh discourse of Abba Heremon (the first). On perfection. Chapter 3

However, understanding the divine Providence at work in these transitions is not sufficient; we must also recognize, as the Prophet noted, that the earth is transformed into a source of glory due to the iniquities of its unworthy inhabitants, who fail to merit God's bountiful care. Instead of flourishing fields, He has created rivers and sources of water that provide nourishment where there was once dryness. The term "glory" serves as a metaphor; for nothing is more unproductive than salt, echoing Christ’s words: if salt loses its saltiness, with what will it be seasoned (Mk. 9:50)? For this reason, the ancients employed salt to render barren an area they wished to clear. In alignment with this age-old practice, the prophet aptly declared, ‘I have put the fruitful land in glory.'

In the shadow of demonic idolatry, they remain blind to the light of the true Christ. Poverty signifies a lack of God's grace, while the shackles of sin represent the cruelty of iniquity. God’s teachings are His commandments, and He advises against worshiping idols.