Commentary - Psalms 136:23-25

Bird's-eye view

This great litany of praise, Psalm 136, is structured around the relentless, repeating refrain, "For His lovingkindness endures forever." The word here is hesed, which is a rich covenantal term. It is not a sentimental, free floating benevolence; it is covenant loyalty, steadfast love, and rugged faithfulness. The psalm walks us through God's mighty works, starting with creation, moving to the great deliverance of the Exodus, and then, in our text, bringing it down to a personal and universal level. The structure is designed to build a cumulative case for gratitude. Every line gives us another reason to thank God, and every reason is grounded in the unchanging character of His hesed.

The verses before us, 23 through 25, are a summary of God's redemptive and sustaining grace. He remembers us in our humiliation, He rescues us from our foes, and He provides for all His creatures. This is not abstract theology. This is the story of Israel, and by extension, the story of the Church. God looks upon His people in their degradation, He acts decisively to save them, and He sustains them with daily bread. It is a movement from the particular grace of redemption to the general grace of providence, and all of it flows from the same fountain: His eternal hesed.

Outline

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

Verse 23

Who remembered us in our low estate,

The psalm has been recounting the great historical acts of God, the macro-deliverances. Splitting the Red Sea, smiting great kings, giving their land as a heritage. But here the focus becomes intensely personal and pastoral. "Who remembered us." This is not just what God did for our fathers, but what He does for us. And where does He find us? He finds us in our "low estate." This is a state of humiliation, of being brought low, of degradation. Think of Israel in Egypt, making bricks without straw. Think of the Church under persecution. Think of yourself, dead in your trespasses and sins. God does not remember us because we have made ourselves memorable. He remembers us because we are helpless. His memory is not a passive recollection; it is an active, covenantal turning-toward. When God "remembers" His covenant, things begin to happen. He remembered Noah, and the waters receded. He remembered Rachel, and opened her womb. He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He raised up Moses. For God to remember you in your low estate is the beginning of your salvation.

For His lovingkindness endures forever,

And why does He do this? The answer is the bedrock of the universe. He does it for His hesed. It is not because of some latent goodness He found in us. Our low estate is an estate of sin and misery. There is nothing attractive there. But God's covenant love is not reactive; it is active. It does not depend on our loveliness; it creates it. His love is steadfast, loyal, and eternal. It is the reason He would look upon a people crushed and humiliated and choose to act. This refrain is the central nerve of the psalm. Take any great act of God, and if you trace it back to its source, you will find this: His hesed is forever.

Verse 24

And has snatched us from our adversaries,

God's remembrance is not sentimental. It is a prelude to rescue. He remembered us in our low estate, and then He did something about it. He "snatched" us. The Hebrew word has the sense of being plucked out, rescued, delivered. It is a forceful action. We did not wander out of our low estate; we were snatched from it. And notice, we were snatched from our "adversaries." In the context of the Exodus, this was Pharaoh and his armies. In the context of the conquest, it was Sihon and Og. In our context, it is sin, death, and the devil. We must be clear that God's hesed toward His people means He takes sides. His love for Israel meant judgment for Egypt. His love for the Church means the final overthrow of Satan. This is not a generic, universal niceness. This is a fierce, partisan, covenantal loyalty. He loves His people, and so He rescues them from those who hate them.

For His lovingkindness endures forever;

Once again, the foundation is laid. The great deliverance from our enemies is not a standalone event. It is an expression of His eternal character. Why did God overthrow Pharaoh in the Red Sea? For His hesed. Why did Christ bind the strong man and plunder his house? For His hesed. God's love for His people and His wrath against their enemies are two sides of the same coin. Both flow from His covenant faithfulness. His mercy endures forever, and because it does, the enemies of His people will not.

Verse 25

Who gives food to all flesh,

The psalm now broadens its scope from the specific redemptive acts for Israel to God's universal providence. The same God who snatched Israel from Pharaoh is the one who "gives food to all flesh." This is what we call common grace. The sun shines and the rain falls on the just and the unjust. Every bird that finds a worm, every lion that makes a kill, every unbeliever who eats his breakfast does so by the sheer providential goodness of God. This is a staggering thought. The God of the covenant, the God of Israel, is the Lord of every molecule. He is not just our God; He is the God. This verse prevents us from having a pinched, tribalistic view of God. His particular, redemptive love for His people does not cancel out His general, providential care for all He has made. Rather, His care for all creation shows the magnificent scope of His power and goodness. The one who feeds the sparrows is the one who purchased the Church with His own blood.

For His lovingkindness endures forever.

And here is the kicker. Even this universal provision is grounded in His hesed. How can this be? Because all of creation is upheld for the sake of the Son and for the gathering of His people. The world continues, the seasons turn, and food is provided for all flesh because God is patiently gathering His elect. The entire stage of world history is sustained by God's covenant faithfulness to His Son. So when an unbeliever eats a meal, he is unwittingly living off the overflow of God's covenant grace. He is eating from the King's table, even as he rebels against the King. All of God's goodness, whether in snatching us from our adversaries or in giving us our daily bread, flows from one inexhaustible spring: His hesed, which endures forever.

Application

There are three movements here that every Christian must learn to live in. First, we must remember our low estate. We are not to walk around with a spiritual swagger, as though God chose us because we were so promising. He remembered us when we were dead, helpless, and enslaved. A regular remembrance of our former misery is a necessary ingredient for true humility and lasting gratitude.

Second, we must celebrate our deliverance. God did not leave us in that low estate. He snatched us. This was a jailbreak, and God was the one who blew the doors off. Our Christian life should be characterized by the joy of this rescue. We are not just forgiven; we are liberated. We have been snatched from the adversary.

And third, we must rest in His provision. The same God who saved your soul from hell is the one who provides your food, your breath, and your being. This means we are to live lives of radical dependence and trust, not just for the big things like eternal salvation, but for the small things, like our next meal. And all of it, from the cross to the kitchen table, is because His hesed endures forever. So give thanks. That is what this psalm is for.