◄ Psalm 107:35 ►
He turns a desert into pools of water and a dry land into flowing springs.
Study Bible
He turns
This phrase emphasizes the active role of God in transformation. The Hebrew root for "turns" is "שׁוּב" (shuv), which means to return or restore. It signifies God's power to change circumstances and His sovereignty over creation. In a spiritual sense, it reflects God's ability to transform the barren areas of our lives into places of abundance and blessing.

a desert
The word "desert" in Hebrew is "מִדְבָּר" (midbar), which refers to a wilderness or uninhabited land. Historically, deserts were seen as places of desolation and hardship. In the biblical narrative, deserts often symbolize times of testing and reliance on God, as seen in the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. This transformation from desert to abundance highlights God's provision and faithfulness.

into pools of water
The transformation into "pools of water" signifies life, refreshment, and sustenance. Water is a recurring symbol of life and purification in the Bible. The Hebrew word for "pools" is "אֲגַם" (agam), which can mean a body of water or a reservoir. This imagery evokes the idea of God providing not just enough, but an abundance that sustains and revives.

and a dry land
"Dry land" in Hebrew is "אֶרֶץ צִיָּה" (eretz tziyah), indicating a parched, barren place. This phrase underscores the severity of the initial condition before God's intervention. In biblical times, dry lands were often associated with famine and desolation, making the transformation even more miraculous and significant.

into flowing springs
The phrase "flowing springs" translates from the Hebrew "מַעְיָנוֹת מָיִם" (ma'yanot mayim), which suggests a continuous, life-giving source of water. Springs are natural sources of water that flow from the ground, symbolizing God's provision that is both natural and supernatural. This transformation speaks to the renewal and ongoing sustenance that God provides, turning lifelessness into vitality.

Persons / Places / Events
1. God
The central figure in this verse, God is depicted as the one who transforms barren landscapes into fertile and life-giving environments. This highlights His sovereignty and power over creation.

2. Desert
Represents a place of barrenness and desolation. In the biblical context, deserts often symbolize spiritual dryness or times of trial and testing.

3. Pools of Water
Symbolize abundance, life, and refreshment. Water is often used in the Bible as a metaphor for spiritual renewal and the presence of God.

4. Dry Land
Similar to the desert, it signifies a lack of resources and vitality. It can also represent the human condition without God's intervention.

5. Flowing Springs
Indicate continuous provision and sustenance. Springs are sources of life and are often associated with God's blessings and the Holy Spirit.
Teaching Points
God's Transformative Power
God has the power to change any situation, no matter how desolate or hopeless it may seem. Just as He transforms deserts into pools of water, He can bring renewal and life to our spiritual deserts.

Spiritual Renewal
Just as physical water is essential for life, spiritual renewal through God's Word and Spirit is essential for our spiritual vitality. We should seek His presence to refresh and sustain us.

Trust in God's Provision
In times of spiritual dryness or difficulty, trust that God can and will provide. He is faithful to turn our dry lands into flowing springs, meeting our needs in His perfect timing.

Symbolism of Water
Water is a powerful symbol of cleansing, renewal, and life. Reflect on how God uses the imagery of water throughout Scripture to convey His promises and blessings.

Hope in God's Promises
This verse reminds us of the hope we have in God's promises. No matter the circumstances, we can have confidence that God is able to bring about transformation and fulfillment.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of God turning a desert into pools of water speak to your current life situation or spiritual state?

2. In what ways have you experienced God's transformative power in your life, similar to the transformation described in Psalm 107:35?

3. How can you apply the concept of "flowing springs" to your daily walk with God, and what practices can help you stay spiritually refreshed?

4. Reflect on a time when you felt spiritually dry. How did God provide for you during that season, and what did you learn from it?

5. How do the additional scriptures connected to Psalm 107:35 deepen your understanding of God's promises and His ability to bring about change?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 35:6-7
This passage also speaks of God transforming the desert into a place of water and life, emphasizing His power to bring about change and renewal.

John 4:14
Jesus speaks of the living water He provides, which becomes a spring of water welling up to eternal life, connecting the physical transformation of land to spiritual transformation in believers.

Revelation 21:6
God offers the water of life freely to those who thirst, symbolizing eternal satisfaction and the fulfillment of His promises.
Sermons
God's Watchful CareC. Short Psalm 107:1-43
Wherefore Men Should Praise the LordS. Conway Psalm 107:1-43
God's Commonplace MerciesR. Tuck Psalm 107:33-39
God's Management of Man Upon the EarthHomilistPsalm 107:33-43
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Changes, Desert, Dry, Flowing, Fountains, Ground, Makes, Maketh, Parched, Pool, Pools, Springs, Standing, Turneth, Turns, Waste, Waters, Watersprings, Water-springs, Wilderness
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 107:35

     5580   thirst

Psalm 107:1-43

     5831   depression

Psalm 107:33-35

     1305   God, activity of
     4260   rivers and streams

Psalm 107:33-38

     1355   providence
     4824   famine, spiritual

Library
March 12. "They Wandered in the Wilderness in a Solitary Way" (Ps. Cvii. 4).
"They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way" (Ps. cvii. 4). All who fight the Lord's battles must be content to die to all the favorable opinions of men and all the flattery of human praise. You cannot make an exception in favor of the good opinions of the children of God. It is very easy for the insidious adversary to make this also all appeal to the flesh. It is all right when God sends us the approval of our fellow men, but we must never make it a motive in our life, but be content with …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Prayer and Science
(Preached at St. Olave's Church, Hart Street, before the Honourable Corporation of the Trinity House, 1866.) PSALM cvii. 23, 24, 28. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. These are days in which there is much dispute about religion and science--how far they agree with each other; whether they contradict or interfere …
Charles Kingsley—Discipline and Other Sermons

God's Great Deliverance of his People. --Ps. Cvii.
God's great Deliverance of His People.--Ps. cvii. part I.--The Wilderness. part II.--From Captivity. part III. From Malignant Disease. part IV. Perils on the Deep. Thank and praise Jehovah's name For his mercies firm and sure, From eternity the same, To eternity endure. Let the ransom'd thus rejoice, Gather'd out of every land; As the people of his choice, Pluck'd from the destroyer's hand. In the wilderness astray, Hither, thither, while they roam, Hungry, fainting by the way, Far from refuge, …
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

Thankfulness for Mercies Received, a Necessary Duty
Numberless marks does man bear in his soul, that he is fallen and estranged from God; but nothing gives a greater proof thereof, than that backwardness, which every one finds within himself, to the duty of praise and thanksgiving. When God placed the first man in paradise, his soul no doubt was so filled with a sense of the riches of the divine love, that he was continually employing that breath of life, which the Almighty had not long before breathed into him, in blessing and magnifying that all-bountiful, …
George Whitefield—Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

He Accuses Abaelard for Preferring his Own Opinions and Even Fancies to the Unanimous Consent of the Fathers, Especially Where He Declares that Christ did Not
He accuses Abaelard for preferring his own opinions and even fancies to the unanimous consent of the Fathers, especially where he declares that Christ did not become incarnate in order to save man from the power of the devil. 11. I find in a book of his sentences, and also in an exposition of his of the Epistle to the Romans, that this rash inquirer into the Divine Majesty attacks the mystery of our Redemption. He admits in the very beginning of his disputation that there has never been but one conclusion …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Spiritual Hunger Shall be Satisfied
They shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 I proceed now to the second part of the text. A promise annexed. They shall be filled'. A Christian fighting with sin is not like one that beats the air' (1 Corinthians 9:26), and his hungering after righteousness is not like one that sucks in only air, Blessed are they that hunger, for they shall be filled.' Those that hunger after righteousness shall be filled. God never bids us seek him in vain' (Isaiah 45:19). Here is an honeycomb dropping into the mouths of …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

How those are to be Admonished with whom Everything Succeeds According to their Wish, and those with whom Nothing Does.
(Admonition 27.) Differently to be admonished are those who prosper in what they desire in temporal matters, and those who covet indeed the things that are of this world, but yet are wearied with the labour of adversity. For those who prosper in what they desire in temporal matters are to be admonished, when all things answer to their wishes, lest, through fixing their heart on what is given, they neglect to seek the giver; lest they love their pilgrimage instead of their country; lest they turn …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

"But if the Spirit of Him that Raised up Jesus from the Dead Dwell in You, He that Raised up Christ from the Dead, Shall Also
Rom. viii. 11.--"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." As there is a twofold death,--the death of the soul, and the death of the body--so there is a double resurrection, the resurrection of the soul from the power of sin, and the resurrection of the body from the grave. As the first death is that which is spiritual, then that which is bodily, so …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Providence of God
Q-11: WHAT ARE GOD'S WORKS OF PROVIDENCE? A: God's works of providence are the acts of his most holy, wise, and powerful government of his creatures, and of their actions. Of the work of God's providence Christ says, My Father worketh hitherto and I work.' John 5:17. God has rested from the works of creation, he does not create any new species of things. He rested from all his works;' Gen 2:2; and therefore it must needs be meant of his works of providence: My Father worketh and I work.' His kingdom …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Exposition of Chap. Iii. (ii. 28-32. )
Ver. 1. "And it shall come to pass, afterwards, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." The communication of the Spirit of God was the constant prerogative of the Covenant-people. Indeed, the very idea of such a people necessarily requires it. For the Spirit of God is the only inward bond betwixt Him and that which is created; a Covenant-people, therefore, without such an inward …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Concerning the Lord's Supper
There are two passages which treat in the clearest manner of this subject, and at which we shall look,--the statements in the Gospels respecting the Lord's Supper, and the words of Paul. (1 Cor. xi.) Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree that Christ gave the whole sacrament to all His disciples; and that Paul taught both parts of it is so certain, that no one has yet been shameless enough to assert the contrary. Add to this, that according to the relation of Matthew, Christ did not say concerning the bread, …
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

Effects of Messiah's Appearance
The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped: Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing. H ow beautiful and magnificent is the imagery, by which the Prophet, in this chapter, represents the effects of MESSIAH'S appearance! The scene, proposed to our view, is a barren and desolate wilderness. But when He, who in the beginning said, Let there be light, and there was light, condescends to visit this wilderness, the face of nature is …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Concerning Christian Liberty
CHRISTIAN faith has appeared to many an easy thing; nay, not a few even reckon it among the social virtues, as it were; and this they do, because they have not made proof of it experimentally, and have never tasted of what efficacy it is. For it is not possible for any man to write well about it, or to understand well what is rightly written, who has not at some time tasted of its spirit, under the pressure of tribulation. While he who has tasted of it, even to a very small extent, can never write, …
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

Memoir of John Bunyan
THE FIRST PERIOD. THIS GREAT MAN DESCENDED FROM IGNOBLE PARENTS--BORN IN POVERTY--HIS EDUCATION AND EVIL HABITS--FOLLOWS HIS FATHER'S BUSINESS AS A BRAZIER--ENLISTS FOR A SOLDIER--RETURNS FROM THE WARS AND OBTAINS AN AMIABLE, RELIGIOUS WIFE--HER DOWER. 'We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.'--2 Cor 4:7 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.'--Isaiah 55:8. 'Though ye have lien among the …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Concerning Christian Liberty
Christian faith has appeared to many an easy thing; nay, not a few even reckon it among the social virtues, as it were; and this they do because they have not made proof of it experimentally, and have never tasted of what efficacy it is. For it is not possible for any man to write well about it, or to understand well what is rightly written, who has not at some time tasted of its spirit, under the pressure of tribulation; while he who has tasted of it, even to a very small extent, can never write, …
Martin Luther—Concerning Christian Liberty

Effectual Calling
THE second qualification of the persons to whom this privilege in the text belongs, is, They are the called of God. All things work for good "to them who are called." Though this word called is placed in order after loving of God, yet in nature it goes before it. Love is first named, but not first wrought; we must be called of God, before we can love God. Calling is made (Rom. viii. 30) the middle link of the golden chain of salvation. It is placed between predestination and glorification; and if …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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