Title: Let's Give Thanks for God's Mercy
Let us give thanks for your kindness (Psalm 136:1-26)
The worship of thanksgiving is the spring of all worship. Psalm 100:4-5 tells us to start with thanksgiving and worship when we worship. In Psalm 136, where the word “give thanks” appears twenty-six times, why is the phrase “thank you” emphasized versely? Because God is good and His mercy is everlasting.
1. What?br>
(1) God is good and His mercy is eternal (verse 1).
The title of God is ‘Jehovah’ in verse 1, ‘God’ in verse 2, and ‘Lord’ in verse 3. ‘Jehovah’ (Yahweh) means ‘I AM’. God is not who created, dominates, or controls, but He is the manifestation of the eternal existence of Himself. 'God' (Elohim) represents the omnipotent, omnipotent. The word ‘Lord’ emphasizes “the ruler and owner of all things.” Praise be to the God who is, Almighty, Ruler and Own.
What does this psalm mean to us? In any case, we should worship God with thanksgiving. The Hebrew word for "kindness" is "hesed". The word chesed refers to something like the loving love of parents for their children. It is the equivalent of agape, which means unconditional love. And this 'hesed' was revealed on the cross of Jesus Christ (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). Be sure of this unity. Please also worship that such unity is eternal.
From verses 1 to 26, the phrase “forever” is repeated in every verse. Everything God does is not a one-time thing, it is eternal. Salvation, guidance, protection, and blessing are not only done once, but forever.
(2) Who is God? He is superior to all gods (verses 2-3).
There are many gods in this world. People make idols for themselves. But God is not in man-made hands. And he is not man-controlled. In that sense, God is superior to all gods.
⑶ God alone does great wonders (verse 4).
The word "alone" in verse 4 means to be unique. We must be able to confess Israel's belief in one God and that there is no such thing as God. Only then will our salvation and our faith be sure. How did Peter confess his saving faith at this time? (Acts 4:12) God gave Jesus Christ life and eternal life by dying on the cross and resurrecting on the third day (John 17:3).
2. God the Creator (verses 5-9)
(1) God who made the heavens and the earth (verses 5-6)
In verses 5-10, it says that God created the heavens and the earth with wisdom. In the order in Genesis, on the first day, He created light, divided the firmament to form heaven and earth, and created the sun, moon, and stars. Indeed, the more we explore nature, the deeper we come to know that God exists.
We Christians meet the Creator God through faith in Jesus as our Savior. because you are born again. This regeneration means being born again spiritually from God. Therefore, God creates us. The God who made Jacob created and blessed Israel (Isaiah 43:1).
(2) God who made light (verses 7-9)
In verses 7-9, it says, “He is in control of the light, the sun, the moon, and the stars.” Even if you are in a difficult situation, how much hope does heaven give you and plant hope in your heart? How much would a desert traveler appreciate the moon at night? How grateful the sun is to those who tremble in the cold. Therefore, if you are truly human, you should praise the God who rules the light.
3. God in charge of Israel’s history (verses 10-22)
(1) We should be thankful for the grace that saved us (verses 10-12).
Of course, in the text, the salvation of Israel is recorded. However, if you put yourself in Israel and read it, you can meet the God who controls our lives. The central content of history is the salvation of God's people. But it has to do with the history of saving us. It is because history has continued since the creation of the world. In this way, there are various and special events that take place under the background in order to make history. In the case of Israel, the event of the Exodus is related to salvation. When they escaped from Egypt and were saved, there was a plague in Egypt where the firstborn died (verses 10-12).
Likewise, there may be personal events, such as the Exodus, for us individually. Some people were rescued from disease, revived from bankruptcy in business, rescued from family breakdown, and in all personal history, there was a helping hand.
(2) We should be thankful for the grace that protected us from danger (verses 13-22).
The Israelites parted the Red Sea through Moses to avoid the Egyptian soldiers from behind, and after the Israelites had safely crossed the Red Sea, he made the sea flow again so that all the Egyptian soldiers died (verses 13-15). Also, when the people of Israel passed through the wilderness, God guided their way with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He also destroyed the enemies that stood in their way (verses 16-20). Likewise, God saved us by protecting us from the attacks of Satan and the enemy the devil (Luke 10:19).
Also, when Israel passed through the wilderness, the Israelites faced many hardships and adversity, but it was a period full of good works and grace from God. Ultimately, God gave us the blessing of entering the land of Canaan (verses 21-22). Likewise, we too experience the grace of God's total protection while we live in a world like the wilderness. In other words, He guides and protects our lives with the pillar of fire and cloud of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, even if we live in a world like a wilderness, please believe that we will enjoy it when we live looking at the eternal fume.
4. Gratitude for the grace of redemption (verses 23-26)
(1) God who made a remembrance (verse 23)
There are things that we must not forget and remember and live. Grace. We are the recipients of two graces. One is ordinary grace and the other is special grace. For example, the grace given to us through all things in this universe is called ordinary grace. But we, believers in Jesus Christ, have more special grace. Colossians 2:6 says, “Therefore, since you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, abound in thanksgiving.” Those who have received this special grace can be thankful for everything (Romans 8:28).
(2) God delivered from the enemy (verse 24)
Delivering us from the hand of the enemy is the same personally, at home, and nationally. How reassured are you that God is holding you? Thank you Almighty God for your help.
⑶ God gave us our daily bread (verse 25)
God gave the land to the Israelites as an inheritance. In the same way, God has given us today a workplace and a company as a gift to solve the problem of food, clothing, and shelter on this earth and to save souls in the kingdom of God.
We've been living our lives for the past half year, full of mistakes and faults. You must have experienced great setbacks and misfortunes due to failure and trial and error in life. However, at least we are still valid today 楣蓆窄? 括渼?.
Only when we are thankful for this kind of love, we can praise and worship God the Creator, recognize God who intervenes in our actual history, and find things to be thankful for. 括渼? It's endless. That is why, for us Christians, it is said, “For in everything it is God’s will for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, Psalm 50:23).
Ministry: Let's find something to be thankful for and give thanks for ourselves, our family, our church, and our nation.