As I prepared this week I listened to a sermon on Psalm 136 where a pastor asked his congregation to write down “One thing God has changed, saved, or redeemed in my life.” We’re going to do the same thing. Would you write down “one thing God has changed, saved, or redeemed in my life”? We’re going to come back to these as part of the service, so write something you’re comfortable with others hearing. Would you do that? (pause for writing) Once you’ve written your one thing would you pass the piece of paper to our volunteers? Thank you. Let me pray.
Our Psalm today is all about the ways God has been faithful to the nation of Israel. We don’t know when it was written but this Psalm is a salvation-history Psalm. That means it recounts the ways God has saved his people, specifically the nation of Israel. It starts with creation, then how God brought his people out of slavery in Egypt, the Red Sea crossing, Israel’s wandering in the wilderness, when they encountered two kings, Sihon and Og, and ends with God giving them the promised land.
According to tradition, Psalm 136 is known as “The Great Hallel.” Hallel is the Hebrew verb for “praise.” It’s where we get the word hallelujah, which means “praise Yahweh.” Although that Hebrew word isn’t in our Psalm. There was a number of other “Hallel” Psalms but only this one is known as the Great Hallel and would have been recited more often. Tradition says the Israelites sang this song during Passover and other festivals and celebrations like Pentecost.
The Priests or Levites could have sang the first half of the verse, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.” Then the people would have responded with the second half of the verse, “His love endures forever.” (1 Chr 16:41; 2 Chr 5:13, 7:3, 6; Ezra 3:11) It’s a call and response Psalm. So today I’m going to read through the text and I’d like you to call the refrain back to me, “His love endures forever.” Do you think you can do that? Does anyone need a Bible? Let’s give it a try with the first three verses.
Psalm 136
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His love endures forever. (NIV)
The beauty of this Psalm is it gives the congregation a chance to praise God together. In other words, it gives us a chance to praise God in unison. Together, we can recount God’s faithfulness and praise him for it. This Psalm truly is a corporate prayer. It’s an opportunity for us in one voice to pray and praise. As we pray and praise through this song, I want you to have my big idea, since it can be easy to miss in our text…
His love endures forever. (v1-3)
I’m not kidding. This refrain is so common it’s easy to let your eyes gloss right over it and miss it. But let’s pause and think about it. We’ve just heard about the character of God in verses 1-3. We’ve heard about the Lord, who is good, who is the God of gods (that means the only one true God), and who is the Lord of Lords (which means he is in control over everything). And this God. This good, true, all-powerful God loves us! His love for us with an everlasting love.
This word for love is a word I’ve talked about so many times it’s easy to let it grow dull and boring. It’s the “hesed.” But don’t let it grow dull and boring because this is a special covenant love. That means this good, true, all-powerful God doesn’t just give his people his love and then revoke it. No. It means God loves his people no matter what, even when we don’t deserve it. He promises his love to us.
I’m married. My wife made vows to love me even when she doesn’t feel like it. I made vows to love her even when I don’t feel like it. We promised to give our love to each other and then signed our names on a marriage certificate, a binding promise with legal ramifications. We live in a culture that says, “If you really love each other, you don’t need to get married.” That’s a love you can walk away from at any moment. That’s not safe. That’s not secure. God’s love is a special, covenantal, unbreakable promise.
Do you want that kind of love? Do you need that kind of love? Maybe you’ve experienced that kind of loving promise in your own life? That’s a dim picture of the kind of love God offers you. Or maybe you’ve never experienced love that’s lasting and safe. God offers it to you tonight. His love endures forever!
His love has endured from our beginning (v4-9)
We’re going to read responsively from verse 4 through 9. As we read these verses, notice where the Israelites start their song of praise. They thank God for the beginning, for creation all the way back from Genesis 1. As we recite these words, thank God for creating this world, the sun, and moon, and stars, oceans, and human beings like you.
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever. (NIV)
I know our heads aren’t bowed and our eyes aren’t closed, but we’re praying. We’re speaking to God. We’re thanking him. We’re praising him. That’s what prayer is. His love has endured from our beginning.
His love endures in both captivity and deliverance. (v10-15)
Although we don’t know who wrote this Psalm, it’s written for the nation of Israel because it jumps over most of the book of Genesis and goes straight to Exodus and the formation of Israel as they came out of captivity in Egypt. As we recite verses 10 through 15 notice how we praise God for two events, the Exodus from Egypt and the crossing at the Red Sea.
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.
13 to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever. (NIV)
Egypt was one of the first-world countries of its time, and the Lord absolutely crushes them to deliver his people. But that was only after 400 to 430 years of captivity in Egypt under hard cruel slave-labor (Gen 15:13; Exod 12:40). Do you think in those 400 years the Israelites ever despaired? Do you think they ever doubted God and wondered where he was? Do you think they ever wondered when they would be free?
When we’re captive to something it’s easy to despair. When you’re tied-up by a boss or coworker who is cruel, by a sickness you just can’t shake, by an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or pictures, by bitterness so deep you don’t know if it will ever leave, God doesn’t love you any less. Even if the captivity is your fault, if you’ve chosen your shame, God still loves you. He loves us because he poured out all his anger at our sin upon his Son, Christ Jesus. Jesus suffered and died to set the captives free. The cross displays God’s love.
God supernaturally delivered the Israelites by sending plagues on the Egyptians, striking down their firstborn and drowning Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea. Just like it’s a real temptation to believe God loves me less when I’m trapped in my sins or life’s not going well it’s just as much a temptation to believe that when God finally delivers me from those things it must be because I’ve finally gotten something right and God can really love me now. God promised his people his love no matter what. His love endures in both captivity and deliverance.
His love endures even when we wander. (v16)
We’re just responding to one verse this time.
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever. (NIV)
I just want to point out that God took the Israelites out of Egypt and then to Sinai and all the way to the border of the promised land, but because they didn’t believe they had to spend the next 40 years wandering in the wilderness. Having you ever seen a missing persons poster? Families put those up not because they’re mad at their family member for being lost, but because they love their family member and want them to come home. When our hearts wander, when we run away from our church family, when we get into relationships we shouldn’t, when we fail, his love still endures. His love endures even when we wander.
His love endures when others attack us. (v17-22)
As the Israelites wandered the wilderness they encountered hostile kings and their armies, but rejoiced because even in the face of aggression God’s love endured.
17 to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever. (NIV)
You can read the story of the Lord delivering the Israelites from Sihon and Og in Numbers 21:21-35. Moses had to lead the Israelites through the land of the Amorites and so he sent word to king Sihon saying he and his people wouldn’t eat from their vineyards or drink from their wells if Sihon would let them pass through. But Sihon was an evil king and he attacked them. God defeated him and gave Israel their lands. When people attack and hurt you unfairly, God can use it for your good because he loves you.
When the Israelites sang verse 19 it reminded them of God’s love for them in the past. When we recite verse 20, how God defeated the mighty Og king of Bashan, it can remind us of God’s love for us today. Bashan was a lush countryside full of wild bulls. When have we talked about Bashan before in our sermon series in the Psalms?
Psalm 22:12
Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. (NIV)
Do you remember how Psalm 22 is a prophecy of the Messiah? When Jesus was surrounded by a whole company of soldiers (Matt 27:27-31), as many as 600 men who struck him, beat him, and spit on him, I think he was symbolically surrounded by the forces of darkness, the spiritual descendants of Og king of Bashan. Moses defeated Og king of Bashan foreshadowing how one day Christ Jesus would defeat the bulls of Bashan by dying and rising again. Jesus died to defeat our bulls of Bashan, to defeat our sin and rebellion and the hurt and attacks in this world.
Did you know according to tradition the Priests, Levites, and people sang Psalm 136, the Great Hallel, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb? The Bible tells us Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn as they left the Passover meal to go to the Mount of Olives (Matt 26:30; Mark 14:26). Jesus fulfilled Psalm 22 as he hung on the cross and he may have sung Psalm 136 on his way to that cross. Can you hear Jesus singing out, “His love endures forever” as he walks towards the cross?
When I feel like I’m surrounded by strong bulls of Bashan, when people as powerful as Sihon and Og attack me, or I am oppressed by the spiritual forces of darkness, I can think of Jesus surrounded by strong bulls of Bashan, reciting, “His love endures forever.” If you trust in Jesus you too can whisper, “Jesus’ love endures forever.” His love endures when others attack us.
His love endures forever! (v23-26)
As we think about everything Jesus did, would you join me as we recite the last part of our Psalm? This section brings us full circle back to the same God who made the heavens.
23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever. (NIV)
Andy has gathered the ways God has changed, saved, and redeemed our lives. He is going to lead us in our own brand-new Cornerstone worship song. When I listened to the other church do this, I was so encouraged I thought this would also be a nice moment for us to share. He’s gone through the slips of paper and removed any ones that were repetitive or too private and now he’s going to come up and read them. And after he’s read one, we’ll all recite, “His love endures forever.” We’ll keep going until Andy finishes them and that will lead us into our final worship song and the offering. Would you join me in proclaiming, “His love endures forever!”
Pastor Jonathan Romig preached this message at Cornerstone Congregational Church.
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