Day748: Something worth repeating – Psalm 136

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skilfully. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights. His faithful love endures forever. The sun to rule the day, His faithful love endures forever. And the moon and stars to rule the night. His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136 vs 1-9 Christian Standard Bible

Repetition can be monotonous and boring - but it can also be very helpful. It's the way many of us learned the multiplication tables and other lessons when we were young. Some things are also well worth repeating. Psalm 136 is an example. Twenty-six times it repeats the phrase “His faithful love endures forever.” The word 'faithful' is translated in other Bible versions as 'mercy', 'loving kindness', and 'loyal love'. All those words describe God's character and nature. In the 9 verses above we were reminded that God is above all other 'gods' that people have imagined because He created all things. Creation itself is a mighty miracle!

In verses 10-16 the writer moves on to look back on how God saved Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Though it starts with what may seem to us as a shocking statement of the death of Egypt's firstborn, we need to remember that the Egyptians had been killing the male children born to the Jews. So the writer says “Give thanks to Him who killed the firstborn of Egypt; He brought Israel out of Egypt; He acted with a strong hand and powerful arm. Give thanks to Him who parted the Red Sea; He led Israel safely through; But He hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; Give thanks to Him who led his people through the wilderness.” And after each of those statements he repeated the phrase: “His faithful love endures forever.”

Verses 17-26 then go on to describe how God gave His rescued people stunning victories over strong and fierce kingdoms so they would have a land of their own. He writes: “Give thanks to Him who struck down mighty kings; Sihon king of the Amorites; And Og king of Bashan; God gave the land of these kings as an inheritance; A special possession to His servant Israel: He remembered us in our weakness: He saved us from our enemies: He gives food to every living thing. Give thanks to the God of heaven!” Again, after each of those statements he says: “His faithful love endures forever.”

It's been a different type of Psalm but it is still instructive. Firstly, it reminds us that it's because of God’s faithful enduring love that Israel was never blotted out as they often deserved to be. Malachi 3:6 says: “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed!” That should encourage us to persevere in loving Christ despite times we’ve been unfaithful. It’s His unchanging love for us that is our hope.

Secondly, the apostle Paul spoke of the power and supremacy of Jesus Christ in the same way that vs 1-9 of this Psalm speak of God. Paul said: “God rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” He then says of Jesus: “He is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. For through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together.” (Colossians 1:13-17)

The last verse of Psalm 136 said: “Give thanks to the God of heaven; His faithful love endures forever”. That statement is just as true of Jesus Christ and should cause us to give thanks and praise whenever we think of Him. His faithful love (mercy and loving kindness) endures forever! Remind yourself of it often – it's well worth repeating.