Commentary - Psalm 136:26

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 136 is a great litany of thanksgiving, a corporate anthem designed for responsive reading. The structure is unmistakable: a leader makes a declaration about God's glorious nature or mighty acts, and the congregation responds with the great, central refrain of the faith: "For His lovingkindness endures forever." This is not a psalm for the quiet study; it is for the boisterous assembly. It walks the people of God through the grand story of their existence, from the creation of the cosmos to their deliverance from Egypt and settlement in the land. The psalm culminates in the recognition of God's ongoing, providential care, and this final verse serves as the capstone, the all-encompassing conclusion to the entire hymn. It directs our ultimate gratitude to the ultimate source: the God of heaven, whose covenant loyalty is the bedrock of reality.

The repeated refrain, which in the King James is "for his mercy endureth forever," revolves around the magnificent Hebrew word hesed. This is not a sentimental, squishy sort of kindness. It is rugged, loyal, covenantal love. It is faithfulness that does not quit, mercy that is grounded in a promise, a goodness that is as eternal as God Himself. This psalm, therefore, is a systematic education in gratitude. It teaches us to thank God not just for what He does, but for who He is, and to see His unwavering hesed as the common thread running through creation, redemption, and our daily bread.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 136 is part of the "Great Hallel," a collection of psalms (typically 113-118, but sometimes including others like 136) sung during major Jewish festivals, most notably the Passover. Its antiphonal structure, with the repeating refrain, made it ideal for corporate worship in the Temple. It follows Psalm 135, which is also a psalm of praise that calls on the "servants of the LORD" to praise Him for His sovereign acts in creation and redemption. Psalm 136 essentially takes the themes of Psalm 135 and recasts them into this powerful liturgical form. It serves as a grand historical retrospective, reminding Israel that the God who made the heavens and the earth is the same God who struck down the firstborn of Egypt and gave them their land. The final verse, by identifying Him as the "God of heaven," brings the psalm to a majestic conclusion, lifting the worshippers' eyes from the history of Israel on earth to the throne of the sovereign Lord over all.

Key Issues

The Unblinking Refrain

The power of this psalm is in its repetition. Twenty-six times the congregation declares, "For His lovingkindness endures forever." This is not a mindless mantra. It is a deep and profound theological confession hammered into the hearts of the worshippers through liturgical repetition. The word at the center of it all is hesed. Our English translations struggle to capture it in one word: mercy, lovingkindness, steadfast love, covenant loyalty. It is all of these things. It is a love that is not based on the worthiness of the recipient, but on the character and promises of the Giver. It is a rugged, unbreakable, loyal love.

And what does this psalm teach us about this hesed? It teaches us that it is the foundation of everything. Why are there heavens? Because of His hesed. Why did He make the sun and moon? For His hesed. Why did He deliver Israel from Egypt? For His hesed. Why did He strike down mighty kings? For His hesed. Why does He give food to all flesh? For His hesed. From the grandest acts of cosmic creation to the daily provision of a meal, it is all an expression of His covenant faithfulness. This is a worldview. Everything that happens, from salvation to supper, is a manifestation of God's eternal, loyal love for His people. And the only sane response to this reality is unceasing thanksgiving.

Verse by Verse Commentary

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His lovingkindness endures forever.

We have arrived at the grand finale, the summation of all that has come before. After recounting God's mighty deeds in creation (vv. 4-9), in the Exodus (vv. 10-22), and in His ongoing care (vv. 23-25), the psalmist issues one final, all-encompassing call to worship.

The command is direct: Give thanks. This is the fundamental posture of the creature before the Creator. Unbelief is rooted in unthankfulness (Rom. 1:21). To refuse to give thanks is to deny God's sovereignty and our dependence. To give thanks is to acknowledge that He is God and we are not, that He is the giver and we are the recipients. It is the beginning of all true worship.

The object of our thanks is the God of heaven. This title is significant. It is not just "God," but the God who reigns supreme over all. He is not a local deity or a tribal god. He is the one whose throne is in heaven, from which He surveys and governs all things (Ps. 115:3). This title emphasizes His transcendence, His majesty, and His absolute authority. He is the God over all other so-called gods, the King over all kings. When Daniel or Nehemiah or Jonah speak of God to pagan kings, this is the title they use. It is a declaration of ultimate sovereignty. We are to give thanks to the God who is in charge of everything.

And the reason, the great ground of our thanksgiving, is the refrain that has anchored the entire psalm: For His lovingkindness endures forever. His hesed is eternal. This is the final word. The sovereignty of the God of heaven is not a cold, impersonal, deterministic force. It is a sovereignty that is characterized by, and driven by, covenantal love and faithfulness. His power is the power of a faithful Father and a loyal King. His rule from heaven is a rule of hesed. It has never wavered. It will never fail. It is the most stable thing in the universe, more stable than the earth and heavens He created. And because this is true, our thanksgiving should be as perpetual as His lovingkindness.

Application

This verse, and indeed the whole psalm, is a direct assault on our modern, therapeutic, man-centered sensibilities. We are taught to look within, to find our own strength, to chart our own course. This psalm commands us to look up, and to give thanks. It teaches us that the central reality of our lives is not our feelings, our circumstances, or our plans, but rather the eternal, unchanging, covenantal love of the God of heaven.

We must learn to narrate our own lives the way this psalm narrates the life of Israel. When you look back at your life, what is the refrain? Is it "for my luck held out," or "for I worked really hard," or "for it was one darn thing after another"? The Christian must learn to look at his conversion, his marriage, his children, his job, his trials, and his blessings, and to say of each one, "For His lovingkindness endures forever." God's hesed is the unifying principle of your personal history.

This is profoundly practical. When we are tempted to despair, we are to give thanks to the God of heaven, for His lovingkindness endures forever. When we are puffed up with pride, we are to give thanks to the God of heaven, for His lovingkindness endures forever. In seasons of plenty and in seasons of want, the task is the same. This is how we cultivate a rugged, joyful, and resilient faith. It is a faith grounded not in the shifting sands of our experience, but on the granite rock of His eternal hesed. And this hesed has a face and a name. It is revealed to us in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate expression of God's covenant loyalty. In Him, we see the God of heaven coming down to us, and in His cross, we see the lovingkindness of God absorbing the wrath we deserved, so that for all eternity we might sing this song.