Revealing God to the World – Psalm 136

“O, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:1

Psalm 136:1 cheers us forward like a cheerleader rooting for us to give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and everlasting mercy. As Hebrews 13:15 says, “the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name.” It is pleasant and beneficial to abound in gratitude toward God. Such worship and giving of thanks is a foretaste of what we will experience in heaven.

Thanks be to God because He is good and does good. As James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

“O, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. O, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:2-3

The God above all gods deserves our gratitude. Angels worship Him. He is the One from whom earthly rulers receive undeserved authority to guide the affairs of nations. [2] He watches over the peoples of nations as a shepherd tends to the needs of his flock. He is the source of life, love, joy and peace. He is happy and willing to shepherd whomsoever believes in Him and welcomes His intervention.

“To Him who alone does great wonders, for His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:4

God’s plans are wonderful because they combine infinite power with tender mercy.

Thanks be to our Heavenly Father for being merciful, not harsh, toward us. Praise the Lord that His mercy endures forever. His mercy was manifest in Biblical times and it is still being revealed today. In Hebrews 13:8, it is written, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Jesus is still healing people and presenting the good news of salvation to poor people through His body the Church.

“To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who laid out the earth above the waters, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who made great lights, for His mercy endures forever—the sun to rule by day, for His mercy endures forever; the moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:5-9

Thanks be to God for creating the heavens and stretching them out. We experience His mercy through the blessings and benefits that come from the heavens. [3]

Thanks be to God for bringing the earth up out of the waters and causing dry land to appear. He did this so that the earth would be a suitable dwelling place for us. He is merciful to give the earth to us along with everything that the earth produces. [4]

After making the heavens and the earth, God established a connection between them by creating the sun, moon, and stars. He placed them in the heavens so that they would give light and influence the earth. The sun and moon are said to rule because they help govern the seasons and provide benefits to the world. The sun rules by day, while the moon and stars rule by night. Yet all of them remain under God’s direction and control. [5]

The heavenly bodies that the Gentiles worshiped as gods are actually servants of the world and subjects of God. They do not rule independently. They operate according to God’s command and purpose. [6]

“To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, for His mercy endures forever; and brought out Israel from among them, for His mercy endures forever; with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for His mercy endures forever. To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, for His mercy endures forever; and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for His mercy endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:10-15

God’s redemption of Israel from slavery points forward to God ransoming all people from sin.

Of all the plagues God brought upon Egypt, only the death of the firstborn is mentioned in Psalm 136. It was the final and decisive plague. After the death of Egypt’s firstborn, Pharoah released Israel from serving him. [7]

God formed Israel into a nation and established His kingdom among them. These events demonstrate both God’s power and His special kindness toward Israel. [8]

After God brought Israel out from Egypt, He said to them in Exodus 20:2, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Then, God gave to them His Ten Commandments. [9]

In a similar way, after Jesus died on the cross to pay the debt for our sins, and after He resurrected from the dead, He gave to His disciples the great commission. The great commission involves taking the teaching of Christ to all people with the goal of introducing them to God and equipping them with the guidance they need to serve Him.

“To Him who led His people through the wilderness, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who struck down great kings, for His mercy endures forever; and slew famous kings, for His mercy endures forever—Sihon king of the Amorites, for His mercy endures forever; and Og king of Bashan, for His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:16-20

God destroyed powerful kings in order to make room for His people. He did not merely remove or exile these kings; He struck them down and killed them. Their destruction demonstrated God’s judgment against idolatry, while at the same time demonstrating His never-ending mercy toward those who love Him. The greatness and power of the wicked was no match for God.

Sihon and Og are specifically mentioned because they were the first two kings conquered by Israel on the other side of the Jordan River. [10]

“And gave their land as a heritage, for His mercy endures forever; a heritage to Israel His servant, for His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:21-22

God gave Israel possession of the Promised Land. The earth and everything in it belong to Him—the world and all who live in it. Therefore, God has the right to take land from one people and give it to another according to His purposes. [11]

In fulfillment of Genesis 15:16 , the time had come when “the iniquity of the Amorites was now full,” and therefore God took the land from them and gave it to Israel. [12]

Just as God said to the Egyptians, “Let my people go,” He was now saying to the Canaanites, in effect, “Let my people in,” so that Israel could serve Him. [13]

God documented the ups and downs in His relationship with Israel to help us understand how He relates with people. In Romans 15:4, the Lord says, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” In 2 Timothy 3:15, the Lord says that the “Holy Scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

The Promised Land was also a picture or foreshadowing of the heavenly Canaan—the eternal inheritance believers receive through Christ. It points us toward “the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” [14]

“Who remembered us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever; and rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy endures forever; who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever. O, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:23-26

God mercifully delivered Israel from their foes. When Israel was oppressed due to their sins, God remembered them and raised up deliverers, including the judges and, eventually, David. God conquered their oppressors through these leaders. [15]

These many acts of deliverance were especially significant because they pointed forward to the greater redemption of God’s universal church. Because of this, we have great reason to say, “He remembered us in our low estate.” He rescued us from our spiritually lost condition. [16]

We should thank God for His mercy. Jesus told of a Pharisee who turned his thanksgiving into an opportunity to praise himself, saying, “God, I thank you, that I am not like...” then, he proceeded to name certain kinds of sinners. We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory and deserve His wrath not His kindness. Thus, we thank Him for being so merciful and gracious to us.

“Abba Father, please continue to supply us Your Word warriors with the Biblical ammo we need to reveal You to the world. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.”


[1-16] Material developed and edited from Matthew Henry’s Commentary