His mercy endureth for ever

"O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever."

Psalm 136:26 [KJV]

During the week, I read Psalm 136 in my morning devotions. It’s a uniquely arranged Psalm, made up of 26 verses, each ending with the phrase, “for his mercy endureth for ever”. And it’s a Psalm I’ve long dismissed as rather (ahem) boring.

Let me explain. When I was 10 or so years old, someone at church preached on this Psalm. He organised half the congregation to read the first part of each verse, and the second half to read the remainder. My family happened to be sitting on the “for his mercy endureth for ever” side of the church. By the time I had repeated the phrase for the 26^th time, my mind had long wandered elsewhere.

But “all scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16a), so it would be wrong to dismiss Psalm 136’s repetition as merely a poetic technique. God’s mercy is a key theme of the Bible, and Psalm 136 highlights three areas: Creation, Israel’s journey from Egypt to Canaan, and God’s general benevolence. Let’s look briefly at each topic, particularly focusing on how they remind us of God’s ongoing mercy towards us, His children.

God is the Creator, who does great wonders (v4), and made the heavens, earth, the sun, moon and stars (vs5-9). We probably more associate Creation with God’s power and might, but Creation does highlight God’s mercy too. Creation is a universal language that testifies of God’s existence to all humanity and declares His glory (Psalm 19:1-3). God “formed [earth] to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18), creating the right environmental conditions to sustain human, animal and plant life. He provides for all, from the smallest of birds to the lilies of the field, and this gives us confidence that He will provide for our needs too (Matthew 6:25-30). Despite mankind’s wickedness, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8), and the Lord made a post-flood promise that the rainbow would be a sign of the “everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth” (Genesis 9:16b). Ultimately too, as we look at a Creation corrupted by sin, that “groaneth and travaileth in pain together”, we’re reminded that God has provided for future redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:22-23) and will also make a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1).

God’s leading of Israel from Egypt to Canaan is both a powerful demonstration of His mercy, and a reminder that God watches over His children. The Psalmist highlights four specific instances, each of which teach us an encouraging truth about how God protects and leads His people. God’s miraculous delivery of Israel from Egypt through the plagues (vs 10-12), highlights how God will deal with any opposition to His will. The Bible declares, “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psalm 115:3), and God’s counsel will stand (Isaiah 46:10). God promised to bring Israel out of Egypt, and His fulfilment of this promise (Exodus 12:51) reminds us of His abiding faithfulness in keeping His Word (Numbers 23:19). The dividing of the Red Sea to provide safe passage for Israel when pursued by the vengeful Egyptians (vs 13-15) speaks of God’s mercy when we find ourselves seemingly trapped. There will be those times in our lives when we cannot think of a solution to our difficulties, but like King Jehoshaphat, we can pray in faith, “neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (2 Chronicles 20:12b). And the Lord will answer, “even mak[ing] a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19b) and working all things together for good (Romans 8:28). God’s leading of Israel step by step (v16) reminds us that “he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5b). Jesus promised in Matthew 28:20b, “And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” and His presence with us enables us to face anything He allows to happen in our lives. God’s defeat of Israel’s opponents (vs 17-22), particularly Sihon king of the Amorites (v19) and Og king of Bashan (v20) also speaks of His mercy in time of injustice. These two kings attacked Israel without provocation, unfairly making assumptions about Israel’s motives (Numbers 21). Although we will sometimes encounter injustice when seeking to do God’s will, Matthew 5:10 reminds us, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, and Jesus promised that those who give up relationships and property for the sake of the gospel, will receive rewards (Mark 10:29-30).

The last section of verses in the Psalm highlight God’s saving mercies. The Lord “remembered us in our low estate” (v23). It’s likely a reference to Israel being slaves in Egypt, and it reminds us of our previous sinful state, and that, “being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:18). In a similar thought, the Psalmist says God “hath redeemed us from our enemies” (v24), and again this reminds us of how God redeemed us from our number one enemy, Satan himself, the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). God in His mercy did not leave us so blinded by depravity that we could not recognise our need of a Saviour, and cry out to Him (Luke 18:13; Psalm 107:19). The Lord also gives “food to all flesh” (v25) and “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45b). This draws us back to the start of the Psalm, and the thought of God as the Creator and sustainer of life on earth.

As we reflect on God’s mercy in the past and present, we can be sure that His mercy will indeed endure in the future. And our hearts will echo the Psalmist’s prayer of praise: “Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever” (v26).