Context No. 3672 of 4322 · Psalms

Psalms 136:1-16: in context

1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever. 2Give thanks to the God of gods, for his loving kindness endures forever. 3Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his loving kindness endures forever; 4to him who alone does great wonders, for his loving kindness endures forever; 5to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his loving kindness endures forever; 6to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his loving kindness endures forever; 7to him who made the great lights, for his loving kindness endures forever; 8the sun to rule by day, for his loving kindness endures forever; 9the moon and stars to rule by night, for his loving kindness endures forever; 10to him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn, for his loving kindness endures forever; 11and brought out Israel from among them, for his loving kindness endures forever; 12with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for his loving kindness endures forever; 13to him who divided the Red Sea apart, for his loving kindness endures forever; 14and made Israel to pass through the middle of it, for his loving kindness endures forever; 15but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his loving kindness endures forever; 16to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his loving kindness endures forever;

This psalm has a simple, memorable structure: after each line, the refrain returns, for his steadfast love endures forever. Again and again the psalm names something God has done, made the heavens, spread out the earth, delivered Israel from Egypt, parted the sea, and after each one comes the same steady drumbeat: his steadfast love endures forever.

The repetition is the whole point. It hammers home one truth until it sinks deep: everything God does, from creating the stars to saving his people, flows from a love that never ends. His steadfast love is the constant beneath every act, the enduring reality behind creation and redemption alike. There is something worth learning here about how to remember God's goodness: to rehearse his deeds one by one, and after each to return to the same anchoring truth, his love endures forever. Whatever God has done in our lives, great or small, it all rests on a love that does not fail and will not end.

Can I rehearse the things God has done, in the world and in my life, and after each return to the anchoring truth that his steadfast love endures forever?

Sources

Psalm 136:1: "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever."
Psalm 136:4: "To him who alone does great wonders, for his loving kindness endures forever."
Psalm 136:12: "With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for his loving kindness endures forever."