Explore the Bible Lesson Preview July 23, 2017 His Love Background: Psalm 136 Lesson: Psalm 136: 1-5, 10-15, 23-26Motivation: This Psalm may have been used as a responsive reading with the phrase His love is eternal (KJV: His mercy endures forever ) concluding each verse. The word l ove is the Hebrew chesed which foreshadows the New Testament concept of grace. Paul provides a full description of God s love in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. J. Vernon McGee calls this a hallelujah Psalm. It praises God s mercy in creation, in redemption, in fighting enemies, and for future glory. ( Thru the Bible, volume 2, p. 863) I. In Creation Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love is eternal. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. 4 He alone does great wonders. 5 He made the heavens skillfully. 1 / 6
(1-5, cf 6-9) A. His Goodness for He is good (1) When Jesus was questioned by the rich young ruler, He said, Why do you call Me good...no one is good but One-God. (Mark 10: 18) In a culture where truth is relative and good is in the eye of the beholder, we must remember that God sets the standard of what is good. We must trust His ways above those of shifting values. In times of doubt and darkness, we must remember that He is good, B. His Sovereignty God of gods Lord of lords (2-3) Multiple gods (idols) were accepted in most civilizations throughout history and are evident in many cultures such as India today. Such idols were believed to be limited in power by time, space and ability. By stating that Yahweh is God of gods, the psalmist was not ascribing reality to worthless idols (Jonah 2:8) but was saying that the one true God is limitless. Similarly, most ancient people swore loyalty to an earthly ruler or lord ; we see Paul alluding to that allegiance in Romans 10:9-10. Just as John recorded in Revelation 19: 16, Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. C. His Power He alone does great wonders (4) Taken together, verses 4-5 speak to God s authorship of creation. Notice that God s total control of creation is not limited to Genesis but is liberally recorded throughout the Old and New Testaments. D. His Art made the heavens skillfully (5) The KJV translates skillfully as by wisdom. Pr overbs 8:27-30 personifies wisdom as a witness to God s creation. Even today, with our powerful telescopes, we cannot even number the stars. Yet, God not only numbers the stars but calls each by name. (Psalm 147: 4) HCSB: p. 1010: 136:6-9 The psalmist summarized creation in terms of the separation of land 2 / 6
and waters and the appointment of the sun moon, and stars to regulate seasons and times (Gn 1:3-8, 14-19). Noticeably absent are references to living creatures. E. Our Response Give thanks (1, 2, 3) Giving thanks is the proper response of the created to the Creator. The New Testament writers refer to this attribute of Christianity over 125 times. Giving thanks acknowledges God s goodness, sovereignty power and art while demonstrating our love for and faith in Him. II. In Conquest He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians 11 and brought Israel out from among them 12 with a strong hand and outstretched arm. 13 He divided the Red Sea 14 and led Israel through, 15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. (10-15, cf. 16-22) Another demonstration of the unfailing love of God was His care for the Israelites during the Exodus. The plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh s army were significant events demonstrating God s faithful love for and care of the Israelites. Spurgeon elaborates on the theme of this psalm We know not by whom this psalm was written, but we do know that it was sung in Solomon s temple (2 Chron. vii. 3, 6), and by the armies of Jehoshaphat when they sang themselves into victory in the wilderness of Tekoa. From the striking form of it we should infer that it was a popular hymn among the Lord s ancient people. Most hymns with a solid, simple chorus become favorites with congregations, and this is sure to have been one of the best beloved. It contains nothing but praise. It is tuned to rapture, and 3 / 6
can only be fully enjoyed by a devoutly grateful heart. The Treasury of David, volume VII, p. 161. HCSB: p. 1010: 136:11-15 Strong hand and outstretched arm always refers to God power and the deliverance of Israel (Dt 4:34; 5:15; 26:8; Jr 32:21), but especially to Israel s crossing of the Red Sea (Ex 14:2). III. In Compassion He remembered us in our humiliation 24 and rescued us from our foes. His love is eternal. e gives food to every creature. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven! His love is eternal. (23-26) 25 H A. Remembrance He remembered us in our humiliation (23) Spurgeon, p. 169: Personal mercies awake the sweetest song he remembered us. Our prayer is, Lord, remember me, and this is our encouragement he has remembered us. For the Lord even to think of us is a wealth of mercy. Ours was a sorry estate, an estate of bankruptcy and mendicancy. Israel rested in its heritage, but we were still in bondage, groaning in captivity: the Lord seemed to have forgotten us, and left us in our sorrow; but it was not so for long: He turned again in his compassion, bethinking himself of his afflicted children. Our estate was once so low as to be at hell s mouth; since then it has been low in poverty, bereavement, despondency, sickness, and heart-sorrow, and we fear, also, sinfully low in faith, and love, and every other grace; and yet the Lord has not forgotten us as a dead thing out of mind; but he has tenderly remembered us still. We thought ourselves too small and too worthless for his memory to burden itself about us, yet he remembered us. For his mercy endureth for ever. Yes, this is one of the best proofs of the immutability of his mercy, for if he could have changed towards any, it would certainly have been towards us to who have brought ourselves low, kept ourselves low, and prepared ourselves to sink yet lower. It is memorable mercy to remember 4 / 6
us in our low estate: in our highest joys we will exalt Jehova s name, since of this we are sure, - he will not now desert us. B. Rescue rescued us from our foes (24) KJV; redeemed. Dr. WA Criswell wrote a book entitled The Scarlet Thread Through The Bible showing that redemption is the central theme of Scripture. Obviously, in our Christian context, the central foe is Satan. Paul speaks to our rescue (redemption) in Colossians 1:13; He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. C. Provision gives food to every creature (25) In context, these verses refer to the humiliation of slavery in Egypt, the rescue from Pharaoh s army, and the food (manna and quail) in the wilderness. However, the principle of provision applies to all His children. D. Praise Give thanks to the God of heaven! (26) Spurgeon, p.170: The title is full of honor. The Lord is God in the highest realms, and among celestial being. His throne is set in glory, above all, out of reach of foes, in the place of universal oversight. He who feeds ravens and sparrows is yet the glorious God of the highest realms. Angels count it their glory to proclaim his glory in every heavenly street. See herein the greatness of his nature, the depth of his condescension, and the range of his love. Mark the one sole cause of his bounty For his mercy endureth forever. He hath done all things from this motive; and becvause his mercy never ceases, he will continue to multiply deeds of love world without end. Let us with all our powers of heart and tongue give thanks unto the holy name of Jehovah for ever and ever. Application: 1. Give thanks to God always (Ephesians 5:20) 2. Honor God as our provider and protector. 5 / 6
3. Remember our humiliation in sin and His glorious redemption. Leader s Pack Item 12: Poster: Psalm 136:1 Illustrator p. 46 The Great Hallel Notes: **You may now access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: www.hfbcbiblestud y.org ; also, the Highpoint Bible Study (Downtown) is available on MP3 at the HFBC site under the Highpoint link/downloads. Dates: 7/21-27 RUSHWEEK 2017; 7/23 - SPF Birthday Bash; 8/2 RUSH Celebration; 8/2 0 Back to School Sunday; 8/23 Midlink/Milestones Preview Night; 8/27 SPF Birthday Bash; 8/30 11/15 Midlink on Wednesdays; 9/4 Labor Day Church offices closed; 9/8 - Marriage Matters. 6 / 6