His Love Endures Forever
November 30, 2022
Psalm 136:2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
The God of gods… Our God is not just the God of the gentiles, but the God of them all. This psalm is very similar to yesterday’s scripture. This one was most likely composed by David and given to the Levites to sing every day. Even his son Solomon used it in dedicating the temple. I can here this as a call and response where the priest says, “Give thanks to the God of gods” and the people all reply back, “His love endures forever!” Such a great way to praise God together, in unison.
This version says, His love endures forever. Other versions say for His mercy endureth forever. It’s meant to show that blessings of every kind flow from the grace, goodness, and mercy of God. This is the first of 26 times that this phrase is repeated in this psalm!
This verse reminds me of the ocean… I love the beach! I could sit and watch the waves come and go and come and go, no matter what is going on around the world, those waves just keep coming and going. To me, those waves represent the power of God and his care and love for us. The wind at times can be strong and the waves go further onto the beach than normal, but then they return to the sea from where they came. At high tide, they go just a few feet more than that last wave, but they stay in the boundaries that God has set for it. Got is in control of those waves.
I’m going to read verses 1-9 of this chapter, and I want you to envision the waves coming and going as I read it… Think of it as the waves swelling for the first part, and then receding with the second part.
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.
God is so powerful that He can make those waves follow His rules. And He is so powerful that He can and does love us with that same power. His love endures forever because God is love. It’s so much more than just saying He chose to love us. God IS love.