Psa 136:1-3 | KingComments | STEP | Psalm 136 can be seen as the response to the call of the remnant in the previous psalm to praise the LORD ( ). This call is connected to the reality of Israel’s restoration in the realm of peace. It is as it is prophesied by Jeremiah that we hear “the voice of those who say, “Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting”” ( ). We hear that voice in this psalm, which is characterized by the phrase “for His lovingkindness is everlasting”. This expression reflects the unchanging goodness of the LORD toward Israel. It occurs in every verse of this psalm, that is, twenty-six times. It is an echo that will reverberate through eternity. This psalm has been called the ‘national anthem’ of the people of God in the realm of peace. The Jews call Psalms 113-118 ’the little hallel’, while they call Psalm 136 ‘the great hallel’ – hallel is praise song. It is a retrospective of the creation and the history of God’s people. Every act in creation and in connection with His people is an occasion to sing His lovingkindness. All that is mentioned are particularities in which the lovingkindness of God is manifest. The psalmist mentions one particular after another and says of each particular that its origin is God’s lovingkindness and that this lovingkindness is everlasting. We might list all those particulars and then point out in one sentence that they are all proves of God’s lovingkindness. However, the psalmist does not do that. He mentions the origin of each individual act: the lovingkindness of God. This teaches us that we must have an eye for every detail of the many particulars of God’s action in our lives and the lives of all His own, and that we praise Him for it. The construction of the psalm indicates that when worshiping God, the psalm is sung as a turn on turn song. We can imagine a cantor singing the line that mentions an act of God and the people responding with the words “for His lovingkindness is everlasting” (cf. ; ). The lovingkindness of the LORD is the source of all His actions in creation and in the redemption of His people. He acts in this way because He is good. The occasions for praising Him for His lovingkindness are inexhaustible. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a selection of God’s actions has been made by the psalmist to sing of them. We may add to this our experiences. We will do so for all eternity. The LORD’s lovingkindness to Israel, God’s earthly people, is evident in creation and in their redemption. As God’s heavenly people, we are joined to the Lord Jesus in heaven ( ). We may praise Him on the basis of His work on the cross ( ). Through this we are joined to Him in the most intimate way imaginable, namely as a body, the church, to the Head, Christ. We are made one with Him in His death, in His resurrection from the dead ( ) and in His glorification ( ). The fact that we have occasion to praise Him is in itself a testimony to the fact that His lovingkindness is everlasting. Every step of our pilgrimage on earth, every new challenge, every new struggle, even our weakness or failure, is an occasion to praise and glorify the LORD because of His lovingkindness, for it is everlasting. Division of the psalm The division of this psalm is in the form of a reclining pyramid, with the center, or culmination, the inheritance that the LORD gives to His people in the realm of peace ( ): A. Call to give thanks by Israel ( ) --B. The Creator of the universe ( ) ----C. The Redeemer in the past ( ) ------D. The inheritance for Israel ( ) ----C. The Redeemer in the present ( ) --B. The Sustainer of the universe ( ) A. Call to give thanks by all ( ) The psalm begins with three calls to give thanks to God ( ). To give thanks means to ‘confess’ or ‘acknowledge’. It is a confessing that goes on continuously, without ever stopping. Thereby, the three great Old Testament names of God are mentioned: “LORD”, Yahweh, ( ), “God”, Elohim , ( ) and “Lord”, Adonai, ( ). The “LORD” is only and alone in His glory. The LORD is to be compared to no one and nothing. “God” and “Lord” are mentioned in comparison with gods and lords. The first name is in connection with Israel, the second in connection with earthly and heavenly rulers, and third in connection with all who are rulers and exercise influence. The psalm begins with the call to praise the LORD, Yahweh ( ). It is His special Name in connection with His people. The people praise that Name because He is worthy of it, “for He is good”. His goodness is evidenced by His lovingkindness, that is, by His covenant faithfulness. He has not been good just once, or for a certain period of time, no, He is truly, perfectly, completely and eternally good. It is His Being. His people will experience and acknowledge this perfectly in the realm of peace. They will, while deeply impressed by His goodness, say that “His lovingkindness is everlasting”. It implies that what He does is unchanging, inexhaustible, visible in all His actions, and that the results of His actions endure forever (cf. ). The first time the phrase “for His lovingkindness is everlasting” appears in Scripture is in connection with the placing of the ark in the tent that David pitched for it ( ). In response, David gives thanks to the LORD. At the end of that thanksgiving he says, what is written here in : “O give thanks to the LORD, for [He is] good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting” ( ). The same thing happens when the ark is brought into the temple by Solomon ( ). And here, in this psalm, it happens when the people have entered into the millennial rest of the promised land and give thanks to the LORD in the new temple ( ). God, Elohim , is also due all thanksgiving, for He is “the God of gods” ( ). The ‘gods’ are all human powers, good and wrong or false, and all chosen and fallen angels. All those powers were created by Him and are subject to Him. He is far above them. No man or angel can ever challenge His power, let alone ever remove Him from the throne and take away His power. He is the God of gods because His lovingkindness is everlasting. Giving thanks is also due to the Lord, Adonai ( ). He is the sovereign Ruler in the universe He created. He governs and commands all the elements that make up the universe and all life in the universe. There may be many ‘lords’, persons of certain authority, but they are completely subject to Him (cf. ; ; ). He governs everything according to His will. He is the origin of all things and brings everything to the destination determined by Him. He does this because His lovingkindness is everlasting.

‏ Psalms 136:1-3

Introduction

Psalm 136 can be seen as the response to the call of the remnant in the previous psalm to praise the LORD (Psa 135:19-20). This call is connected to the reality of Israel’s restoration in the realm of peace. It is as it is prophesied by Jeremiah that we hear “the voice of those who say, “Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting”” (Jer 33:10-12).

We hear that voice in this psalm, which is characterized by the phrase “for His lovingkindness is everlasting”. This expression reflects the unchanging goodness of the LORD toward Israel. It occurs in every verse of this psalm, that is, twenty-six times. It is an echo that will reverberate through eternity.

This psalm has been called the ‘national anthem’ of the people of God in the realm of peace. The Jews call Psalms 113-118 ’the little hallel’, while they call Psalm 136 ‘the great hallel’ – hallel is praise song. It is a retrospective of the creation and the history of God’s people. Every act in creation and in connection with His people is an occasion to sing His lovingkindness.

All that is mentioned are particularities in which the lovingkindness of God is manifest. The psalmist mentions one particular after another and says of each particular that its origin is God’s lovingkindness and that this lovingkindness is everlasting.

We might list all those particulars and then point out in one sentence that they are all proves of God’s lovingkindness. However, the psalmist does not do that. He mentions the origin of each individual act: the lovingkindness of God. This teaches us that we must have an eye for every detail of the many particulars of God’s action in our lives and the lives of all His own, and that we praise Him for it.

The construction of the psalm indicates that when worshiping God, the psalm is sung as a turn on turn song. We can imagine a cantor singing the line that mentions an act of God and the people responding with the words “for His lovingkindness is everlasting” (cf. Ezra 3:11a; Deu 27:14-26).

The lovingkindness of the LORD is the source of all His actions in creation and in the redemption of His people. He acts in this way because He is good. The occasions for praising Him for His lovingkindness are inexhaustible. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a selection of God’s actions has been made by the psalmist to sing of them.

We may add to this our experiences. We will do so for all eternity. The LORD’s lovingkindness to Israel, God’s earthly people, is evident in creation and in their redemption. As God’s heavenly people, we are joined to the Lord Jesus in heaven (Eph 1:3). We may praise Him on the basis of His work on the cross (Eph 1:7). Through this we are joined to Him in the most intimate way imaginable, namely as a body, the church, to the Head, Christ. We are made one with Him in His death, in His resurrection from the dead (Eph 1:20) and in His glorification (Eph 1:21).

The fact that we have occasion to praise Him is in itself a testimony to the fact that His lovingkindness is everlasting. Every step of our pilgrimage on earth, every new challenge, every new struggle, even our weakness or failure, is an occasion to praise and glorify the LORD because of His lovingkindness, for it is everlasting.

Division of the psalm

The division of this psalm is in the form of a reclining pyramid, with the center, or culmination, the inheritance that the LORD gives to His people in the realm of peace (Psa 136:21-22):

A. Call to give thanks by Israel (Psa 136:1-3)

--B. The Creator of the universe (Psa 136:4-9)

----C. The Redeemer in the past (Psa 136:10-20)

------D. The inheritance for Israel (Psa 136:21-22)

----C. The Redeemer in the present (Psa 136:23-24)

--B. The Sustainer of the universe (Psa 136:25)

A. Call to give thanks by all (Psa 136:26)

Give Thanks to the LORD

The psalm begins with three calls to give thanks to God (Psa 136:1-3). To give thanks means to ‘confess’ or ‘acknowledge’. It is a confessing that goes on continuously, without ever stopping. Thereby, the three great Old Testament names of God are mentioned: “LORD”, Yahweh, (Psa 136:1), “God”, Elohim, (Psa 136:2) and “Lord”, Adonai, (Psa 136:3).

The “LORD” is only and alone in His glory. The LORD is to be compared to no one and nothing. “God” and “Lord” are mentioned in comparison with gods and lords. The first name is in connection with Israel, the second in connection with earthly and heavenly rulers, and third in connection with all who are rulers and exercise influence.

The psalm begins with the call to praise the LORD, Yahweh (Psa 136:1). It is His special Name in connection with His people. The people praise that Name because He is worthy of it, “for He is good”. His goodness is evidenced by His lovingkindness, that is, by His covenant faithfulness. He has not been good just once, or for a certain period of time, no, He is truly, perfectly, completely and eternally good. It is His Being.

His people will experience and acknowledge this perfectly in the realm of peace. They will, while deeply impressed by His goodness, say that “His lovingkindness is everlasting”. It implies that what He does is unchanging, inexhaustible, visible in all His actions, and that the results of His actions endure forever (cf. Ecc 3:14).

The first time the phrase “for His lovingkindness is everlasting” appears in Scripture is in connection with the placing of the ark in the tent that David pitched for it (1Chr 16:1). In response, David gives thanks to the LORD. At the end of that thanksgiving he says, what is written here in Psa 136:1: “O give thanks to the LORD, for [He is] good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting” (1Chr 16:34). The same thing happens when the ark is brought into the temple by Solomon (2Chr 5:4-7 ; 13). And here, in this psalm, it happens when the people have entered into the millennial rest of the promised land and give thanks to the LORD in the new temple (Jer 33:10-11).

God, Elohim, is also due all thanksgiving, for He is “the God of gods” (Psa 136:2). The ‘gods’ are all human powers, good and wrong or false, and all chosen and fallen angels. All those powers were created by Him and are subject to Him. He is far above them. No man or angel can ever challenge His power, let alone ever remove Him from the throne and take away His power. He is the God of gods because His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Giving thanks is also due to the Lord, Adonai (Psa 136:3). He is the sovereign Ruler in the universe He created. He governs and commands all the elements that make up the universe and all life in the universe. There may be many ‘lords’, persons of certain authority, but they are completely subject to Him (cf. 1Cor 8:6; Deu 10:17; Rev 19:16). He governs everything according to His will. He is the origin of all things and brings everything to the destination determined by Him. He does this because His lovingkindness is everlasting.