Before They Reached Bangkok: Gutzlaff, Tomlin, and Psalm 106
On August 23, 1828, the first two Protestant missionaries arrived in Thailand, Karl Gutzlaff and Jacob Tomlin. Gutzlaff was German and Tomlin was English. They had a desire to reach people with the Gospel, especially Chinese. And during the reign of King Rama 3 in the early 19th century, there were tens of thousands of Chinese in Siam. Various missionaries had wanted to go to Siam but did not succeed.
In early August, 1828, they set sailed from Singapore on a Chinese junk for Bangkok. Two week later, the boat was still traveling. As their new field of labor got closer, excitement and anxiety grew, but their hearts were at peace because they were confident in the Lord’s goodness and mercy had accompanied them every step of their journey. At sunset on the evening of August 18, 1828, the crew caught sight of land in the distance to their left. This was an unexpected but happy surprise for the junk had made much further progress on its northward journey than they had realized. The crew expressed their joy and gratitude by giving to their idols double the normal offering. But Gutzlaff and Tomlin turned their hearts and minds to Lord of heaven as they gathered for evening worship. Tomlin recalls,
The captain, and several others, joined us in reading the 106th Psalm. Gutzlaff suddenly rose at the end of the spirited and energetic song of praise, and with peculiar vehemence of manner, commanded everyone to kneel down, and praise to God of heaven, for his mercies; instantly, as if moved by a sudden and irresistible impulse, one and all were down upon their knees, and Gutzlaff poured forth a strain of impassioned praise to the Most High, and in the name of all, gave thanks for His preserving and tender mercies to us, during the voyage. (Tomlin, Missionary Journeys and Letters, pgs. 108-109.)
Psalm 106 is a psalm of praise that recalls God’s steadfast love to his people in spite of their repeated rebellion and sin. The final two verses read:
106:47 Save us, O Lord our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!
Westerners traveled overseas for many reasons in the 19th century, especially trade. Since that time, many foreigners have come to Thailand for business, education, tourism, community development, and more. But the first two Protestant missionaries came to Thailand because they were compelled by the steadfast love of God for people. Chinese people, Thai people, and all peoples needed to know the God of heaven and earth who saves and redeems sinners. Gutzlaff and Tomlin shared the Gospel diligently, distributed a lot of Christian literature, and gave away many medicines. They did not see many people profess faith in Christ. But by God’s grace and providence, they started a movement that continues to this day.