PRAISING THE GOD OF GODS
Opening Prayer
Almighty One, let the joy of Your being live in me today. Through all the ups and downs of life, I gladly sing Your praise.
Read 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.
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.
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[a] 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.
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.
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.
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.
Footnotes
- Psalm 136:13 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verse 15
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Begin today by acknowledging that there is no God but the Lord.
Think Further
Psalms 135 and 136 go together in the Jewish liturgy as psalms of great praise. God is to be praised because He ‘alone does great wonders’ (v 4). The expressions ‘God of gods’ and ‘Lord of lords’ (vs 1–3) are superlatives that once more recount God’s supremacy– there is nothing greater or higher than the Lord. This alone should be grounds for worship, but to this is added the recognition of God’s goodness (v 1). God is the benevolent Creator who has created heaven and earth (vs 4–9) and every creature (v 25). God’s love and goodness to Israel are revealed especially in His acts of salvation (vs 10–14), protection (vs 17–22), and provision (vs 16,25). These are themes that should inspire the worship of God’s people whenever they meet.
Each of the 26 verses is followed by the refrain ‘His love endures forever’, alternatively translated as ‘Indeed, his steadfast love is eternal’.1 This is the repeated response of the people gathered for worship to bless God for his faithfulness to the covenant and the favor they have been shown. It must rank as the most popular worship song in the Old Testament canon. The modern reader might be tempted to skip the refrain after the first few, but repetition speaks of absorption: the people are absorbed in their worship, so much so that they do not feel they have exhausted their expressions of praise.
This is not just a psalm for the good times. Verse 23 recounts that God ‘remembered us in our low estate’ (or ‘in our degradation’)2, and this is surely a reference to the exile in Babylon when all Israel’s beliefs in God seemed to have proven false. It was not so, however: God’s steadfast love endures forever and in all circumstances and will never be overcome.
Apply
‘… for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning’.3
Closing prayer
Dear God, I am amazed to think that Your love is forever. In a world of constant change, You are my rock!
1 See The Jewish Study Bible, Jewish Publication Society, Tanakh Translation 2 See ref 1 3 Lam 3:22,23
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