Oh, That Men Would Praise the Lord for His Goodness
And for His Wonderful Works to the Children of Men!
by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2014, all rights reserved.
Chapter 1
The title is from Psalm 107, verse 8.
Here is Psalm 107 from the Holy Bible, Hoehn Version--
___Psalm 107
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way, they found no city to live in.
5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
6 Then they called to the Lord in their trouble, and he gave them deliverance them out of their distresses.
7 And he led them out by the right way, so they would go to a city of habitation.
8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron,
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and held in contempt the advice of the most high,
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labor, they fell down, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bonds in pieces.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he has broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in pieces.
17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their sins, are afflicted.
18 Their soul hates all kinds of food, and they draw near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and he saves them out of their distresses.
20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters,
24 These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
25 For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, that lifts up its waves.
26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths, their soul is melted because of trouble.
27 They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
28 Then they call to the Lord in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distresses.
29 He makes the storm a calm, so that the waves of it are still.
30 Then are they glad because they are quiet, so he brings them to their desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
32 Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the water springs into dry ground,
34 A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of those who live in it.
35 He turns the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into water springs.
36 And he makes the hungry to live there, so that they can prepare a city for habitation,
37 And plant the fields, and plant vineyards, that will yield fruits of increase.
38 He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly, and doesn't allow their cattle to decrease.
39 Again, they are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow.
40 He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.
41 Yet he sets the poor on high from affliction, and makes him families like a flock.
42 The righteous shall see it, and rejoice, and all sin shall stop its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise, and will observe these things, they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord.
Chapter 2
Notice verse 2.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Are you saved? Are you born again? Are you on your way to heaven?
Then say so. Tell others about Jesus the Savior, and how he paid for our sins on the cross.
I went and did a little grocery shopping this morning. Coming home on the bus, I told the bus driver that most of my friends are in heaven.
I asked him if he's going to heaven. He said, “I'm trying.” I said Jesus said, “You must be born again. Are you born again.”
He seems to think that he is born again.
I believe he is born again.
You get born again when you hear or read the gospel message that Jesus lived a sinless life, taught the people, healed the sick, raised the dead, cast demons out of people, and then died on the cross for our sins.
When you hear the gospel and you believe the gospel.
Pray this easy prayer: “Jesus, save me!”
The Bible says “All that call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Joel chapter 2)
Something else on salvation is Romans 10:9,10--
“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you're saved. For with the heart man believes for righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made for salvation.”
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way, they found no city to live in.
5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
6 Then they called to the Lord in their trouble, and he gave them deliverance them out of their distresses.
7 And he led them out by the right way, so they would go to a city of habitation.
8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.
Whatever your situation is, the Lord can fix what's wrong.
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron,
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and held in contempt the advice of the most high,
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labor, they fell down, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bonds in pieces.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
The Apostle Paul was formerly Saul of Tarsus, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. In his zeal for God, he was persecuting Christians, until the Lord knocked him down on the road to Damascus.
The Lord said to Saul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts chapt 9)
Saul said, “Who are you, Lord.”
He answered, “I am Jesus, whom you're persecuting.”
So Saul converted and became a Messianic Jew, that is, a Jew who has accepted the Messiah, Jesus (Yeshua ha Meshia). (The Savior.)
But Saul went through a lot of persecutions.
From 2 Cor chapt 11,
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more, in labors more abundant, in strokes of the whip beyond measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often.
24 From the Jews I received thirty nine strokes of the whip, five different times.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I've been in the sea,
26 In journeys often, in dangers of waters, in dangers of robbers, in dangers by my own countrymen, in dangers by the heathen, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers in the sea, in dangers among false brothers,
27 In weariness and pain, in staying awake often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside the things that are outside, that which comes on me daily, the care of all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I don't burn?
30 If I must glory, I will glory about the things that concern my infirmities.
31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows I'm not lying.
32 In Damascus, the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a band of soldiers, wanting to arrest me,
33 And in a basket through a window I was let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
So if it sometimes seems like things are difficult, remember the difficulties of Paul the Apostle.
Notice verse 4 in this next passage.
___Hebrews chapter 12
1 So, seeing we are also surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, so you won't be wearied and faint in your minds.
4 You haven't yet resisted as far as bleeding, striving against sin.
Most of us haven't yet had to bleed some red blood for being Christians.
But the Lord brought Paul out of his troubles, and at the end of the book of Acts, chapter 28,
30 And Paul lived two whole years in his own rented house, and received all that came in to him,
31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things that concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
Another scripture that it would be good for us to remember is
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28)
20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Notice in verse 20, there is healing power in God's word.
Seems like one of Kenneth E. Hagin's books is “Hear and be Healed,” or if that's not the title, he certainly teaches on the subject of getting our healing through hearing.
Of course, the hearing doesn't produce the healing unless it's mixed with faith on the part of the listener.
Two people could hear the same preaching or teaching. One gets healed, the other doesn't. Why? Most likely because the one that got healed believed, while the other did not.
Or, another thing that could hinder healing is if there's something displeasing to God in the life of the one that needs healing.
A man went to a man of God for prayer for healing. The man of God prayed, and then said to the other man, “What is this $5,000.00 that I keep seeing?”
The other man said, “Oh, well I was the executor of an estate, and I really did put a lot of effort into it, so I kept the $5,000 for myself.”
The man of God said, “Well, I think that's what's been preventing your healing. Did you bring your checkbook with you?”
The man said, “Yes.”
The man of God said, “Well, you write out the check for the $5,000, and I have an envelope here and a stamp.”
He wrote the check, and they mailed it off to the appropriate person. The man of God prayed, and the other was healed.
28 Then they call to the Lord in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distresses.
If you'll call to the Lord in your trouble, the Lord will help his people. But “When you pray, believe that you receive the things you ask for, and you shall have them,” says Jesus. (Mark 11:24)
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
32 Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the water springs into dry ground,
34 A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of those who live in it.
35 He turns the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into water springs.
36 And he makes the hungry to live there, so that they can prepare a city for habitation,
37 And plant the fields, and plant vineyards, that will yield fruits of increase.
38 He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly, and doesn't allow their cattle to decrease.
The Lord has many blessing for us, if we'll walk in his ways.
Jesus said, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do the things I say.” (Luke 6:46)
But to do the things Jesus said, we must know the things Jesus said.
And to know what Jesus said, we must spend some time in the word, the Bible.
From 2 Tim chapt 2,
15 Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that doesn't need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
In the HBHV, it says approved to God. In the King James Version, it says, “approved unto God.”
One of my books is, “The A.U.G. Degree.”
Study to get your A.U.G. degree. (Approved unto God.)
41 Yet he sets the poor on high from affliction, and makes him families like a flock.
42 The righteous shall see it, and rejoice, and all sin shall stop its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise, and will observe these things, they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord.
May God help us to understand the loving kindness of the Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen.
___James chapter 1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings.
2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations,
3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.
7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,
10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away.
11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man,
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.
18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God.
21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror,
24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
___James chapter 2
1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also,
3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool,"
4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?
6 But you have despised the poor. Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats?
7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called?
8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well,
9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners.
10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill." Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law.
12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment.
14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works? Can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food,
16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that?
17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works."
19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."
24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
___James chapter 3
1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.
2 For in many things we offend all. If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.
4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.
5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. See how great a matter a little fire kindles!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.
7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,
8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be.
11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries? Or a vine, figs? So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.
13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth.
15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.
___James chapter 4
1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members?
2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask.
3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts.
4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.
5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?"
6 But he gives more grace. So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up.
11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers. He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge.
12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else?
13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit,"
14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.
15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that."
16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil.
17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.
___James chapter 5
1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.
3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire. You've heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.
5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter.
6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.
8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near.
9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door.
10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11 See, we count them happy that endure. You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation.
13 Is anyone among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is anyone merry? Let him sing psalms.
14 Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven.
16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good.
17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him,
20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.