Psalm 136
Each day I try to read five psalms (reading through the whole book each month). In the past, on the day I got to this psalm I would skip it or read just the first part of each verse and not read the repetitive second phrase: “His love is eternal.” This exact phrase ends each of the twenty-six verses of this psalm. I must admit, I found it boring.
And then one day I decided to try something different. Instead of reading five psalms (which included Psalm 136 that day), I decided to spend some time carefully going through this one. An amazing thing happened. As I perused this psalm in detail, it touched me. Simple, yet profound…and incredibly important in what it states. Let me show you.
In verses 1-3 the psalmist calls God: “…the Lord…the God of gods…the Lord of lords…” As he begins his ode to our God, the psalmist quotes Moses. In Deuteronomy 10 the Covenant is renewed and beginning in verse twelve, Moses makes it clear to the people what their requirements are under their covenant with God. It seems that the people may have had the desire to ask, “Why? Why should we do all this?” Moses gives them the answer in verse seventeen: “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God…” So when the psalmist begins his psalm of praise, the words of Moses are in his mind…reminding us all of the uniqueness and place God has…He Is, and He is above all other.
The psalmist begins listing attributes and actions of God, and at the same telling important moments from Israel’s history. Similar to how one would diagram a sentence, I’ve diagramed this psalm, by verse.
1 God is good
4 He along does great wonders [now the psalmist list some of those wonders, so these are indented under wonders…same pattern below.]
5 made the heavens
6 spread the land on the waters
7 made the great lights
8 sun to rule by day
9 moon and stars to rule by night
10 struck first born of the Egyptians
11 brought Israel out from among them
12 strong hand and outstretched arm
13 divided the Rea Sea
14 led Israel through
15 hurled Pharaoh…into the Red Sea
16 led His people in the wilderness
17 struck down great kings
18 slaughtered famous kings
19 Sihon
20 Og
21 gave their land as an inheritance
22 an inheritance to Israel
23 He remembered us
24 rescued us
25 He gives food to every creature
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven!
As you can see, the psalmist states three powerful things about God: He is good (vs. 1); He does great wonders (vs. 4); and we should Give thanks to Him (vs. 26). Everything else fleshes out some of the great wonders of God…a wonderful psalm.
Wait a minute.
We skipped one thing – the repetitive phrase, “His love is eternal.” Why is that included in this psalm; and why is it repeated after each attribute or action of God?
Simply this: of all the great things about God, the greatest is His love!
This is what the psalmist wanted us to hear, reflect upon, and remember. Is God good? Absolutely – no doubt about it! Has He done great wonders for us, and continues to? Yes sir, without fail! And should we give Him thanks? Yes, yes, yes!
But the greatest thing to keep in mind is the LOVE of GOD! He loves YOU! He loves you no matter who you are, nor what you have done. He loves you now. And His love for you never ends…it is ETERNAL!
Why is He willing to forgive our sins? Why was He willing to let Jesus die to pay my debt and your debt? Why does He desire to have a personal, intimate relationship with you or me? Why would He want us to join Him in Heaven for eternity?
The answer to all these questions (and so many more) is the same: Because He loves…and His love last forever!
And to think, I would skip this psalm. Not again; I look forward to the day each month when Psalm 136 is part of my morning reading! It no longer bores me; but greatly blesses me.
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