Psalm 107 speaks of the many ways in which Israel suffered. Those sufferings had a greater purpose. As Israel meditated on their journey they would remember the many ways God has protected and provided. They were to give thanks to Yahweh (Ps. 107:2) for rescuing them from their hunger and thirst, but also–as Paul says in I Corinthians 10–for providing them a new baptism. God was preparing them to be a royal nation. Ultimately, as Augustine observes, God was preparing them to be baptized so that they might make an end to their enemies. Psalm 107 is a sacramental psalm. It is suffering for the sake of glory; thirst for the sake of living waters.
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