Read Psalm 136. What thought predominates in this psalm? Where does the psalmist find evidence for his prevalent claim?

 Psalm 136 summons God’s people to praise the Lord for His mercy as revealed in creation (Ps. 136:4-9) and in Israel’s history (Ps. 136:10-22). “Mercy” (Hebrew khesed, “steadfast love”) conveys God’s goodness and loyalty to His creation and to His covenant with Israel. The psalm shows that God’s immense power and magnificence are grounded in His steadfast love.

 The Lord is “the God of gods” and “the Lord of lords,” which is a Hebrew idiom that means “the greatest God” (Ps. 136:1-3), not that there are other gods but that He is the only God.

 The Lord’s great wonders, which cannot be replicated by anyone else, are the undeniable demonstration of His dominion (Ps. 136:4). God created the heavens, the earth, and the heavenly bodies, which are worshiped by the pagans (Deut. 4:19). The Psalms, however, strip the pagan gods, and by extent every human-based source of confidence, of their authority. They are mere products of the creation. They are merely created things—not the Creator, a crucial distinction.

 The image of the Lord’s strong hand and outstretched arm (Ps. 136:12) stresses the efficacy of God’s power and the far-reaching domain of His mercy.

 God’s mercy in creation and history should inspire His people to trust in Him and to remain faithful to His covenant. The refrain “For His mercy endures forever” is repeated 26 times in Psalm 136, thus reassuring the worshipers that the Lord does not change and will repeat His past favors to each new generation. God remembers His people (Ps. 136:23) and is faithful to His covenant of grace. The belief in the Lord’s enduring mercy is at the core of biblical faith, which includes joyous worship and confidence, as well as reticence and repentance.

 Psalm 136 closes with God’s universal care of the world (Ps. 136:23-25). God’s mercy is extended not only to Israel but to all creation. The psalm thus speaks of the universality of God’s saving grace and exhorts the whole world to join Israel’s praise of the Lord (see also Luke 2:10, John 3:16, and Acts 15:17).