September 14, 2023 — Psalm 136

“O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; who spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever; who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever; who struck Egypt through their firstborn, for his steadfast love endures forever; and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever; with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever; who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever; and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever…” (Verses 1-15)

It is a unique psalm in that the same refrain is repeated 26 times. The only other Psalm that has anything close to this kind of pattern is when Psalm 118:1-4 repeats, “His lovingkindness is everlasting” four times.

Psalm 136 was most likely designed for public worship. The Jews called it the Great Hallel (= Praise), and it was especially sung at the Passover. Perhaps the worship leader would recite the first line of each verse, followed by the congregation repeating together the response, “for His loving-kindness is everlasting.” There are times throughout the year where our worship liturgy will offer a similar pattern of call and response.

John Calvin famously said that the repeated refrain teaches us that to praise the Lord properly, we must acknowledge that everything we receive from Him is bestowed by G-d’s grace. Commentators note how similar this psalm is to Psalm 135, and that both psalms cite frequently from other Scriptures, especially Deuteronomy. In fact, there are many other phrases or themes in the psalm that come directly from other Old Testament Scriptures.

The lesson for us is that it is important for us to know Scripture (including the Old Testament!) so well that when we are confronted with trials and difficulties, we can respond to such trials with biblical language and prayer. This is why we started this endeavor in the first place – to familiarize ourselves with parts of scripture we may never have read before. Charles Spurgeon once said of John Bunyan, “Prick that man anywhere and his blood runs bibline.” He meant that Bunyan was so full of the Bible that it ran in his veins. Let me ask you, how “bibline” is your blood?

The stories in the Old Testament that Psalm 136 alludes to “were written for our instruction.” If you are familiar with these stories, so much so that they shape your thinking, then you will be able to apply them when you need them most. That is why responsive scripture reading in worship is so helpful for our everyday life.

Let us Pray:

God of everlasting love, through your Word you made all things in heaven and on earth; you have opened to us the path from death to life. Listen to the song of the universe, the hymn of resurrection sung by your church, and give us your blessing; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

Pastor Dave