Psalm Devotional
The Heartbeat of Thanksgiving
Written by Kit Swartz. This devotional was first published in the July 2017 issue of The Reformed Presbyterian Witness.
Introduction
Psalms 135 and 136 have numerous connections that make them one of many pairs in the psalter. Given their common theme of praise to God, and given the verbal connections between 134 and 135 (134:1, 2 with 135:1, 2; 134:3 with 135:21), it seems that these two psalms may serve as a grand finale following the Psalms of Ascents (120–134).
The point of Psalm 135 is found in the middle of that psalm (vv. 13–14). The same point is found at the end of Psalm 136 (vv. 23–26) as well as in the refrain that runs throughout the whole psalm. Just as God sustains His creation, so will He sustain His people; just as He saved His people throughout redemptive history, so will He save everyone who calls on Him in truth (see Rom. 10:11, 13).
The Heartbeat of Thanksgiving: The Lord’s Lovingkindness
That the Lord is good is a frequent declaration in the psalter (100:5; 106:1; 136:1). And, as here, His goodness is routinely defined as His everlasting lovingkindness. Lovingkindness is a frequent and important word in the Hebrew scriptures, so we need to understand this complex idea and its many wonderful elements. It begins with God’s unconditional love for His people, which leads to His sovereign choice of them for Himself. In the outworking of that loving choice, He enters into a covenanted relationship with them to be their God and to make them to be His people. He is fiercely loyal to His covenant people and very compassionate toward them (see Deut.7:7–9; Eph. 1:3–14).
This lovingkindness is everlasting. Everlasting is also a complex idea with manifold blessings. To summarize them, we could simply say that as God is, so is His lovingkindness; namely, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. This is a firm foundation for peace of mind and thankful faithfulness.
The importance of these things is indicated by their central place in worship. We noted above that the content of verse 1 is frequent in the Psalms. It also summarizes the work of the Levites in the praise of God from the institution of singing in worship (1 Chron. 16:8f, 34, 41) to the renewal of this ministry after the exile (Ezra 3:11). Therefore, this refrain cannot be sung too often.
We give thanks to the Lord because His love, choice, covenant, loyalty, and compassion are infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. What a wonder-filled doctrine encapsulated in such succinct poetry!
The Proofs of His Love Are the Grounds of Our Thanksgiving
The psalmist begins with a threefold call to give thanks to the covenant Lord (v. 1) who is the only true and living God (vv. 2–3). No one and nothing can frustrate His purpose to love and to care for His people (see Rom. 8:28–39). He continues with a call to give thanks to Him for His powerful and wise work in creation (vv. 4–7) and providence (vv. 8–9). Then we are called to praise Him for His work in redemption (vv. 10–22).
In the typical fashion of Hebrew poetry, the psalmist now reverses the order as he applies all these historical reasons for giving thanks to our experience (vv. 23–26). The point is that because God’s lovingkindness is everlasting, His past works are meaningful and relevant to us. Just as He redeemed His people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land (vv. 10–22), so He redeems us out of our sin and into the righteousness of Christ (vv. 23–24; see Col. 1:13; Acts 26:18). Just as He has sustained His creation throughout the ages (vv. 4–9), so He give us our daily bread (v. 25; see Matt. 6:11). And just as He was the sovereign God for His people in the past (vv. 1–3), so is He the sovereign God for us in the present (v. 26; see Matt. 6:9). Because His lovingkindness is everlasting, everything He has ever done for His people at any time is a guarantee of the same care for His people in every time. Give thanks to Him for His everlasting lovingkindness!
Do You Have a Pulse?
The psalmist returns thanks to God for each and every one of His works—works in the past for others and works in the present for himself and his brethren. The ground of thanksgiving in the Lord’s lovingkindness is like a heartbeat that keeps the psalm alive and the psalmist giving thanks. Do you have a pulse? Do you regularly return thanks to God and make your petitions to Him out of the assurance of His faithfulness to you? Give thanks (and petition) to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
