Psalm 136: Everlasting Love
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good” (v.1) Psalm 136 asks us to take a moment and thank God for His goodness to us. The repeated phrase, “His love endures forever,” answers our question of why we should give thanks. God’s love is an everlasting love. It is eternal. It has no beginning or end.
The psalmist gives two illustrations of God’s love. The first is the story of God creating the cosmos. Do you know that God created the heavens and the earth, the stars, sun and moon out of His love? He lovingly created an entire cosmos. Just think of it! “His steadfast love endures forever” (v.9b).
But that was just the start of God’s expression of His love. The God of gods specifically loved the nation of Israel. He loved them so much that He rescued them out of slavery in Egypt and gave them a special land in which to dwell. God’s love is huge in that it is directed toward His entire creation, yet it is also directed toward a chosen people in a special way.
Today the Church is that chosen people. God has saved us out of bondage to sin and death. He has rescued us from His own righteous anger through the death of His only begotten Son on a wooden cross. Paul says in Romans: “God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (v.5:8). “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Truly God’s love does endure forever. “Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever” (v.26 NIV).
Prayer: I thank you, Lord for your creation and your loving hands which shaped it. I thank you for your great love in choosing to have mercy on me and giving me a great inheritance when I did not deserve it. Thank you for the death of your son for my sins.
Psalm 136:1-26
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
17 to him who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
So often I am staggered by the wonders of our LORD; how gracious He is to us and how His steadfast love shows up in so many places in our lives. His glory and power are manifest. And the future for those who love the LORD is bright, as it is explained in the Book of Joel.
Joel describes in poetic form how the “end of days” will be. He lived in about 500 b.c. The ESV Study Bible highlights that the dominant theme of Joel is “the day of the Lord”. The exact Hebrew expression, “yom yhwh” shows up five times in Joel and 13 times in the works of the other prophets (actual references not here included). It further explains that this day is not only at the end of days, but other times in prophetic literature when the Lord directs.
The ESV Bible goes on to explain some of the depths of the poetry. If the community would only reach out to the LORD not only with their physical manifestations but with their whole hearts, judgment might be averted.
In the day of the Lord (Joel 2:31), God’s promise is to pour out the Holy Spirit (2:28-32) in both its judgmental (2:30-31) and saving (2:32) manifestations. Finally, the giving of the Spirit was to be across all boundaries (2:28-29) of gender, race, social class, nationality, etc.
And how has God actually brought some of this to pass. Did He wait for the end of days to do the sorting?
No!
He first sent us the LORD JESUS, who showed us the way to salvation and then for our sins. Then He sent His Holy Spirit well in advance of the end of days.
I mean – HOW GREAT IS THAT?