“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.”
~ Psalm 136:1
Hi James and Ellen,
If you could describe God with one word, what would that word be? Would that word be love? The guy who scribed Psalm 136 used His (God’s) love endures forever as his refrain for each verse of his psalm song. The guy who scribed this psalm song focuses on praising God as being the Creator God and the Redeemer of the Israelite people groups guys and gals. This psalm song is a liturgical psalm song. A song leader from the Levi tribal clan more than likely led this psalm song’s singing, chanting or reciting during a worship session in the temple of God that was located in the city of Jerusalem. The response refrain for each verse – His (God’s) love endures forever, was either sung, chanted or recited by the Levitical temple choir or by the temple worshippers who just happened to be in the temple when this psalm song was either sung, chanted or recited. A three verse call to praise God begins this psalm song. God is thanked for being good, for being the God of gods and for being the Lord of lords. The next set of six verses focuses on God being the Creator God. God alone is established as Who does great wonders, Who made the heavens by His understanding, Who spread out land on planet Earth’s waters, Who made the great lights and Who made the sun to govern days and the moon and stars to govern nights. The next set of six verses focuses on God being the Redeemer of the Israelite people groups guys and gals. God is remembered for striking down Egypt’s firstborn, for leading the Israelite people groups guys, gals and kids out of Egypt, for having a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, for opening a path through the Red Sea for the Israelite people groups guys, gals and kids to go through and for having the path that He opened through the Red Sea close to drown the Egyptian Pharaoh and his army. One verse focuses on the forty years that the Israelite people groups guys and gals spent in a barren desert. God is given the credit for being Who guiding His specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, through the desert. The next set of six verses focuses on the Israelite people group’s guys conquest of enemy people group’s guys, gals and kids. God is attributed being Who struck down some great kings, Who killed mighty kings, Who killed the Amorite people group king – King Sihon, Who killed the king – King Og, who ruled over the land of Bashan, Who gave them a portion of land as an inheritance to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . and Who blessed His specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, with a land inheritance because of their being His specially chosen servants. The final four verses is a summary of what was written to be sung, chanted or recited as a psalm song. God is acknowledged for never forgetting His specially chosen guys and gals – even in their lowest moments, for freeing His specially chosen guys and gals from their enemies, for always having food available for any and every creature and for always being the God of heaven.
If you were to write a psalm song about God and to God, what would you want to say in your psalm song? Your grandpaa thinks that it is good to begin something on a positive note. This psalm song writer begins his psalm song by saying in verse 1, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.” Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that God has been very good to them throughout their lives. Your grandmaa and grandpaa grew up in two very diverse settings in two different states in the United States. Your grandpaa’s dad was a farmer – whose small farm was located in eastern South Dakota near a small town called Volga. Your grandmaa’s dad worked for Hercules – a chemical giant in its time that had its central offices located in Wilmington, Delaware. Your grandpaa grew up in a rural setting. Your grandmaa grew up in an urban setting. Your grandpaa has only a Dutch heritage. Your grandmaa has primarily a Scotch/Irish heritage. Your grandpaa’s dad died a few years ago. Your grandpaa’s ma is still living. Your grandmaa’s dad had a fatal heart attack the night after your grandpaa asked your grandmaa’s dad permission to marry your grandmaa. Your grandmaa’s dad was okay with your grandpaa marrying his oldest daughter who he obviously really liked a lot. Your grandma’s ma several years later suffered through the treatments to beat uterine cancer and then a couple of years later – to try to beat colon cancer. Over forty years have passed since your grandmaa had to say her final goodbye to her dad and about thirty-five years have passed since your grandmaa had to say her final goodbye to her ma. Your grandmaa’s dad loved life. Your grandmaa’s ma was more serious. Your grandpaa liked to play Scramble with your grandmaa’s ma. Your grandmaa and grandpaa – and your dad. would on some Sunday afternoons take your grandmaa’s ma and little sis – your dad’s Aunt Ruthie, on long rides into eastern Pennsylvania and into Maryland.
There is an underlying desire by the psalm song writer – in spite of all the hard times and failures that God’s specially chosen guys and gals had to suffer through because . . . that the memories that they were to remember were to be brightly colored with praise for the one, true sovereign God – Whose love for His specially chosen guys and gals and for His specially elected guys, gals and kids was and is never lacking – that this love from God is to be always claimed no matter what. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that it was God’s love for them that had them meet and that it is His love for them that has your grandmaa and grandpaa loving each other. (Over sixteen years have gone by since your grandpaa first wrote this missive. Your grandpaa’s ma is no longer alive. Your grandmaa and grandpaa have moved two more time and are now living in Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community.)
Psalm 136 (696)