His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

 

 

 

 

Psalm 136:1-22

 

November 29, 2022

 

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.  Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.   Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;  the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures forever; and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever; with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever; and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; and killed mighty kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures forever; and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures forever; and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures forever; a heritage to Israel his servant, for his steadfast love endures forever.

 

My dad often would say when He prepared to discipline me with his belt, Bobby, I love you too much to allow you to act like that.  Now at that moment, his actions did not seem all that loving.  Often I forgot the message of love and repeated my bad actions, and Dad also repeated his.  As we look at the Jewish people, a chosen people by God, we often see God, telling them “I love you too much to allow you to be like your pagan neighbors, and often they found themselves captivated for long periods.  I also have been in captivity to my desires and wants outside of God’s plan for my life, and have had to wake up once more to leave the God who loves me for gods that have no breath in them.

 

You may have wondered why the Psalmist repeated this line in the Psalms so many times; “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”   The New Testament gives us a clear understanding of the why.  Galatians 5:17, “For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.”  Also 1 Peter 2:11, “Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.”

 

I’m not sure about you but for me, I often need a reminder that God has put my sins that are many out of His mind when they are confessed with a broken and contrite heart.  Philippians 3:13b-14, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

 

Never forget that Israel is God's chosen people and His steadfast love endures forever.  That is why Israel is hated by those who are of their father the devil.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice