04/08/2021 – Day 326 – Psalms 134 – 136 // Psalm 136- twenty six times-26 verses all ending with: “His love endures forever”
Take notice that Psalm 134 & Psalm 135: “Praise the name of the Lord; praise him, you servants of the Lord, you who minister in the house of the Lord...” I recall the story of the headmaster of a Christian worldview school in Bellaire, Texas : ” He recounted how his wife proclaimed to him upon his acceptance of the job : “You are a professional christian now!” His comment was funny, except perhaps as much as he loved his wife, he said it to proclaim that he was never going to graduate from “thirsting for the Lord like a deep panting for water.” Wisely, it would be followed with prayer in beseeching the Holy Spirit. No play acting here. Do you recall Michel rebuking David for dancing like a joyful child in the streets in front of the common people? Indeed , for all his sins, the Bible notes more than once that David had a heart for God! And that only comes by God’s grace and David humbly recognized that as well.
As noted in the title: twenty six times in Psalm 136 , the verse ends with “mercy endures forever”. I am going to share once again what Matthew Henry says on this: What does it all mean? But first two verses in 2 Chronicles:
Please read:
II Chronicles 5: 13-14 and II Chronicles 20: 21-22, with respect to the later: Do you think if the people would have responded wholeheartedly to Jonathan’s call for a national day of repenentence in D.C. back in September, 2020, that Joe Biden would be president today? I submit that in answer to my own question, it doesn’t matter now, we just need to fight for His Holy name and to His glory from this day forward and where we stand. We just read in Ezra how God blessed the remnant returning from exile after they whole heartedly repented of their sin of marrying outside of their faith.
Here is what Matthew Henry says about the repetition in Psalm 136:
“The repetition of it here twenty-six times intimates, 1) That God’s mercies to his people are thus repeated and drawn, as it were, with a continuando from the beginning to the end. 2. That in every particular favour we ought to take notice of the mercy of God. 3. That the everlasting continuance of the mercy that God’s mercy endureth for ever, is magnified above all the truths concerning God, not only by the repetition of it here, but by the signal tokens of divine acceptance with which God owned the singing of it. (2 Chronicles 5:13; ch 20 verse 21,22) We must praise God, I . As great and good in himself, verses 1-3. II As the Creator of the World, verses 5-9. III. As Israel’s God and Saviour, verses 10 -22. IV As our Redeemer, verses 23, 24. V As the great benefactor of the whole creation, and God over all, blessed for evermore, verses 25, 26.”
And , I rarely if ever do I get to post everything from my notes, but when I am looking for a sublime articulate and pithy interpretation of a single verse, John Gill is my closer (messenger) of choice in the 9th inning:
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/psalms-135-3.html
Soli Deo Gloria!