God's Mercy Endures Forever

Psalm 136

Our psalm reading this morning proclaims a great truth, one which we, as believers, should never forget.  The truth is that God’s mercy never ends, it endures forever. This psalm was written as a song which was to be recited antiphonally, that is, by two groups.  One would recite the first part of each verse, and the other responding with the second part of each verse.

Mercy is when God withholds His duly deserved punishment and wrath from us, showing instead His compassion, love, and forgiveness.  The mercy and love we receive from Him every day is so wonderful and gracious that the psalmist repeated it 26 times throughout the psalm, in each and every verse. He knew that God’s love and compassion to us, His forgiveness of our sins, and the mercy He pours out on us is never ending. It will endure forever.

The psalm begins with a call for thanksgiving to God for His goodness and His mercy (vs. 1-3).  He proclaims that Yahweh is God and Lord over all. He is over all other false gods and false lords. These other false gods do not exist. Yahweh isn’t just a superior God, who is higher and more powerful than a host of other lesser gods.  They do not exist, but the Israelites had a tendency to stray from Yahweh and worship the gods of the other nations. Our psalmist is emphasizing that God was over them all, that He is God and Lord over all.

In verses 4-9 we read of the wonders of nature that Yahweh has created, and through His great mercy has provided us with.  He made the earth and all upon it, the oceans, and of greatest emphasis in this psalm, the heavens, the sun, moon, and stars.  When I have a chance to get away from the urban light at night which hinders the view of the stars, I love to look out at the night sky and see their great expanse and grandeur.  I love to try and identify as many constellations as I can. God, in His love and mercy has provided us with them. He has provided us with all the beauty and wonder on earth, from the mountains to the oceans.  God provided us all of creation, from the beauty of the flowers and birds, to every animal we know of, out of the love and mercy He has for us.

The psalmist them rehearses a segment of the people of Israel’s past, one that was pivotal in their history, and that is their deliverance from Egypt, and the crossing of the Red Sea (vs. 10-15).  The people of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for several centuries. God, in His love and mercy for them, brought them out of slavery, and parted the Red Sea, allowing them to cross on dry ground.  If the people ever questioned whether God loved or cared about them, the psalmist gave a reminder of the great deliverance He gave them over Pharaoh and his army.

The psalm proceeds in verses 16-22 to recount how God brought them through the wilderness, conquering many kings and nations, and providing them with the Promised Land.  Although the people repeatedly sinned against Him, following after false gods and worshipping them, God showed them His love and mercy, fulfilling His promise to Abraham by giving them the Promised Land.  This was not something they deserved, but nonetheless God showed love and mercy.

The psalm closes with calling to mind God’s mercies of food and protection to all of us (vs. 23-26).  Can you recall the many signs of God’s mercies that He has blessed you with? None of us deserve any of God’s blessings, whether it is the beautiful creation He has created, deliverance and protection from enemies and harm, or the daily food He provides.  We have all failed Him, and are deserving of His wrath instead. It is God’s deep love and mercy for us that has provided us with everything. This is especially evident in that it was His love and mercy for us that sent Jesus to the cross to die for our sins.  May we sing out with the psalmist that God’s love and mercy endures forever, and give Him due praise and thanks for these!