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The spirit and motivation of this song is found in Psalms 126 and 137. The historical references that stir this song might be the Exodus from Egypt (cf. Exodus 15), the return from Exile (see Nehemiah 9), or any time of testing and trial that is answered with God’s mercy.
In stanza 2, the “chastening rod” can be referenced in Hebrews 12:4-13.
When stanza 3 warns about the danger of becoming “drunk with the wine of this world”, we might think of Deuteronomy 8:10-20 and I John 2:15-17.
The journey of the Israelites through the wilderness is a picture of God’s children as pilgrims on a long and sometimes difficult journey. Yet, through everything God has a plan, which is revealed in the unfolding of the covenant. Our World Belongs to God, paragraph 33 testifies about a “story of God’s mighty acts in the unfolding of covenant history.” This unfolding of the covenant plan is a testimony, according to Our World Belongs to God, paragraph 18, of “the long road of redemption” for the Israelites and for God’s children living today.