Psalm 136 Because His Mercy is Everlasting
We know not by whom this Psalm was written, but we do know that it was sung in Solomon's temple (2Ch 7:3,6), and by the armies of Jehoshaphat when they sang themselves into victory in the wilderness of Tekoa. From the striking form of it we should infer that it was a popular hymn among the Lord's ancient people. Most hymns with a solid, simple chorus become favorites with congregations, and this is sure to have been one of the best beloved. It contains nothing but praise. It is tuned to rapture, and can only be fully enjoyed by a devoutly grateful heart.
It commences with a threefold praise to the Triune Lord (Ps 136:1-3), then it gives us six notes of praise to the Creator (Ps 136:4-9), six more upon deliverance from Egypt (Ps 136:10-15), and seven upon the journey through the wilderness and the entrance into Canaan (Ps 136:16-22). Then we have two happy verses of personal gratitude for present mercy (Ps 134:23-24), one (Ps 134:25) to tell of the Lord's universal providence, and a closing verse to excite to never ending praise (v26). - C. H. Spurgeon
v1 - This verse is exactly repeated 5 times in the Bible including this verse.
It is repeated another 7 times in the Bible, but not with the exact same words.
Thanks are the least that we can offer, and these we ought freely to give. ...
For his mercy endureth for ever. We shall have this repeated in every verse of this song, but not once too often. It is the sweetest stanza that a man can sing. What joy that there is mercy, mercy with Jehovah, enduring mercy, mercy enduring for ever. We are ever needing it, trying it, praying for it, receiving it: therefore let us for ever sing of it. - Spurgeon
enduring mercy, mercy enduring for ever. We are ever needing it, trying it, praying for it, receiving it: therefore let us for ever sing of it. - Spurgeonv4 - from DSS and some LXX. Masoretic text says "great wonders".
lit. for His mercy is everlasting
His works are all great in wonder even when they are not great in size; in fact, in the minute objects of the microscope we behold as great wonders as even the telescope can reveal. - Spurgeon
heavens by understanding - ref Prov 3:19; etc.v7 - Thanks be to the Lord, who has not consigned us to darkness. In great mercy he has not left us to an uncertain, indistinct light, floating about fitfully, and without order; but he has concentrated light upon two grand luminaries, which, as far as we are concerned, are to us "great lights." The Psalmist is making a song for common people, not for your critical savans,—and so he sings of the sun and moon as they appear to us,—the greatest of lights. - Spurgeon
Whenever we sit in the sunshine, our gratitude should be kindled. ...
it is not the sun which we should worship, like the Parsees; but the Creator of the sun, as he did who wrote this sacred song. ...
every sunbeam is a mercy, for it falls on undeserving sinners. ...
Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, alone, can do more for us than all his servants put together.. - Spurgeon
v9 - God rules in both the day and the night. John 9:4, etc.
Let our thanks be as many as the stars, and let our lives reflect the goodness of the Lord, even as the moon reflects the light of the sun. - Spurgeon
v10 - The psalm moves on from God's creation to the Exodus, to God's care for His people.
This took place during the night. Exo 12:12
The previous verses of this psalm could be a childrens' psalm, but vv10-24 are harder for me to enjoy.
Because the monarch of Egypt stood in the way of the Lord's gracious purposes it became needful for the Lord to deal with him in justice; but the great design was mercy to Israel, and through Israel mercy to succeeding ages, and to all the world. To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn. The last and greatest of the plagues struck all Egypt to the heart. The sorrow and the terror which it caused throughout the nation it is hardly possible to exaggerate. From king to slave each one was wounded in the most tender point. The joy and hope of every household was struck down in one moment, and each family had its own wailing. The former blows had missed their aim compared with the last; but that "smote Egypt." ...
He is slow to anger, and judgment is his strange work; but when mercy to men demands severe punishments he will not hold back his hand from the needful surgery. ...
Let us even when the Lord's judgments are abroad in the earth continue to sing of his unfailing grace. - Spurgeon
v11 - This also happened by night. Exo 12:30-31,42
The unfailing mercy of the Lord is gloriously seen in his separating his elect from the world. He brings out his redeemed and they are henceforth a people who show forth his praise. - Spurgeon
v12 - lit. for His mercy is everlasting
With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm. Not only the matter but the manner of the Lord's mighty acts should be the cause of our praise. We ought to bless the Lord for adverbs as well as adjectives. In the Exodus the great power and glory of Jehovah were seen. He dashed in pieces the enemy with his right hand. He led forth his people in no mean or clandestine manner. "He brought them forth also with silver and gold, and there was not one feeble person in all their tribes." ...
If one plague will not set them free there shall be ten;...
God will not only use his hand but his arm—his extraordinary power shall be put to the work sooner than his purpose of mercy shall fail. - Spurgeon
v13 - lit. Red Sea
This also happened by night. Exo 14:21
Men deny miracles; but, granted that there is a God, they become easy of belief. Since it requires me to be an atheist that I may logically reject miracles, I prefer the far smaller difficulty of believing in the infinite power of God. - Spurgeon
HE gave the people courage to follow the predestined track through the yawning abyss, which might well have terrified a veteran host. - Spurgeon.
v15 - lit. for His mercy is everlasting
This took place in the morning. Exo 14:24
Yes, mercy continued to protect its children, and therefore called in the aid of justice to fulfil the capital sentence on their foes. Taken red handed, in the very act of rebellion against their sovereign Lord, the adversaries met the fate which they had themselves invited.
The finally impenitent, terrible their doom, will not be witnesses against mercy; but rather this shall aggravate their misery, that they went on in defiance of mercy, and would yield themselves to him whose mercy endureth for ever. To the Israelites as they sung this song their one thought would be of the rescue of their fathers from fierce oppressor. - Spurgeon
v16 - lit. To him leading His people in the wilderness for His mercy is everlasting
ref. Deut 8:2,15
What a multitude of mercies are comprehended in the conduct of such an enormous host through a region wherein there was no provision even for single travelers; yet the Lord by his infinite power and wisdom conducted a whole nation for forty years through a desert land, and their feet did not swell, neither did their garments wax old in all the journey. For his mercy endureth for ever. Their conduct in the wilderness tested his mercy most severely, but it bore the strain; many a time he forgave them; and though he smote them for their transgressions, yet he waited to be gracious and speedily turned to them in compassion. - Spurgeon
v17 - Remember this when we are persecuted by worldly powers.
Within sight of their inheritance Israel had to face powerful enemies. Kings judged to be great because of the armies at their back blocked up their road. ...
He who had subdued the really mighty ruler of Egypt made short work of these petty sovereigns, great though they were in the esteem of neighboring princes. For his mercy endureth for ever. Mercy, which had brought the chosen tribes so far, would not be balked by the opposition of boastful foes. The Lord who smote Pharaoh at the beginning of the wilderness march, smote Sihon and Og at the close of it. How could these kings hope to succeed when even mercy itself was in arms against them. - Spurgeon
What good was their fame to them? As they opposed God they became infamous rather than famous. Their deaths made the Lord's fame to increase among the nations while their fame ended in disgraceful defeat. For his mercy endureth for ever. ...
v19 - His mercy is no respecter of persons, and neither the greatness nor the fame of Sihon could protect him after he had dared to attack Israel. The Lord will not forsake his people because Sihon blusters. - Spurgeon
v20 - He was of the race of the giants, but he was routed like a pygmy when he entered the lists with Israel's God. ...
He who delivers us out of one trouble will rescue us out of another, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his grace in us. - Spurgeon
v21 - Both our temporal and our spiritual estates come to us by royal charter. What God gives us is ours by the best of titles. Inheritance by God's gift is tenure which even Satan cannot dispute. For his mercy endureth for ever. - Spurgeon
v22 - Repetitions are effective in poetry, and the more so if there be some little variation in them, bringing out into fuller light some point which else had not been noticed. The lands of the heathen kings were given to "Israel", the name by which the chosen seed is here mentioned for the third time in the Psalm, with the addition of the words, "his servant." - Spurgeon
Personal mercies awake the sweetest song—"he remembered us." Our prayer is, "Lord, remember me", and this is our encouragement—he has remembered us. ...
Ours was a sorry estate,—an estate of bankruptcy and mendicancy (being a beggar). ...
Our state was once so low as to be at hell's mouth; since then it has been low in poverty, bereavement, despondency, sickness, and heart sorrow, and we fear, also, sinfully low in faith, and love, and every other grace; and yet the Lord has not forgotten us as a dead thing out of mind; but he has tenderly remembered us still. - Spurgeon
v24 - lit. for His mercy is everlasting
v25 - ref. Mat 6:26; etc
Common providence, which cares for all living things, deserves our most devout thanks. If we think of heavenly food, by which all saints are supplied, our praises rise to a still greater height; but meanwhile the universal goodness of God in feeding all his creatures is as worthy of praise as his special favors to the elect nation. Because the Lord feeds all life therefore we expect him to take special care of his own family. For his mercy endureth for ever. Reaching downward even to beasts and reptiles, it is, indeed, a boundless mercy, which knows no limit because of the meanness of its object. - Spurgeon
v26 "Give ye thanks unto the Lord of Lords for His mercy is everlasting", repeated here, comes from LXX and Vulgate.
Here is the narrative of the psalm without the chorus:
Give thanks to the LORD for He is good.
Give thanks to the God of Gods.
Give thanks to the Lord of Lords: (vv1-3)
To Him who alone makes great wonders,
to Him Who makes the heavens by understanding,
to Him Who spreads out the land over the waters,
to Him who makes great lights: the sun to rule by day, the moon and stars to rule by night, (vv4-9)
To Him Who smote Egypt's firstborn and brought Israel out from their midst by a strong hand and outstretched arm,
to Him Who divided the Red Sea into parts and made Israel pass through its midst, but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,
to Him Who led His people in the wilderness,
to Him Who smote great kings and slew famous kings: to Sihon king of the Amorites and to Og the king of Bashan and gave their land for a portion, a heritage unto Israel, His servant. (vv10-22)
Who remembered us in our low estate and delivered us from our foes.(v23-24)
Who gives bread to all flesh.(v25)
Give thanks to the God of the heavens for His mercy is everlasting. (v26)
Mark the one sole cause of his bounty—For his mercy endureth for ever. He hath done all things from this motive; and because his mercy never ceases, he will continue to multiply deeds of love world without end. Let us with all our powers of heart and tongue give thanks unto the holy name of Jehovah for ever and ever. - Spurgeon
5/3/2025 copyright Steve Miller voiceInWilderness.info