Arrows of Praise

Psalm 136

Rescue at the Battle in Dunkirk

In May 1940, at the battle of France during WWII, Germany troops were sweeping through Western Europe , advancing against hundreds of thousands of British & French troops, eventually trapping them at the French port of Dunkirk. Being pinned in with no real hope for escape, it looked like this part of the war would end in an absolute bloodbath. Admiral Bertram Ramsay, with the support of Winston Churchill, enacted a rescue operation called DYNAMO. Along with air support, over 800 naval vessels helped evacuate troops across the English Channel. The Admiral even appealed to owners of private vessels and yachts to join the rescue mission. It was estimated that maybe 20,000 - 30,000 men could be saved. With the last of the troops being evacuated on 3 June, it was realized that this unlikely and daring rescue attempt saved over 330,000 lives.

Put yourself in the shoes of one of these soldiers. The hopelessness, followed by the depth of gratitude toward the rescuers.

With that in mind, let’s turn to Ps. 136

This is known as the chief songs of praise found in scripture, being called the Great Hallel (or Great Psalm of Praise).

It does not use the words hallelujah, yet it commands Israel to praise God for his merciful and steadfast love.

It is also a liturgy for the entire nation. They would have sung this together in the great assembly as they remembered God’s great deeds.

3 objects: God, Thanks, & Love

Before we dig into the text, however, we need to define these terms

God

we’ll discuss in more detail in just a moment

Thankful

Imperative, which means a command

‘Thanks’ mentioned 3x at the start and ends with it. Ancient way of highlighting.

yada: praise, give thanks. To revere or worship intensively. Not only thanksgiving but a confession of.

Don’t miss the confessional nature. You’re not just saying ‘thanks’ like saying thank you for the pizza to the delivery boy. It is a confession of gratitude, reliance, & dependance.

To throw a stone or shoot an arrow.

Bow-and-arrow: passion pulls back the string, take your intentional aim, and fire your praise to the throne

Love

hesed: merciful, steadfast, lovingkindness toward the needs of his creatures.

Hesed in Greek is eleos - mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them

Hesed is one of the most fundamental characteristics of God, consistent with what we know about His covenantal nature. Hesed is “wrapping up in itself all the positive attributes of God: love, covenant faithfulness, mercy, grace, kindness, loyalty–in short, acts of devotion and loving-kindness that go beyond the requirements of duty,” elaborates Bible scholar Darrell L. Bock. Theologian John Oswalt said hesed is “… a completely undeserved kindness and generosity”.

We see this clearly as the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ

TRANSITION STATEMENT: Now that we have those things defined, let’s see what we are supposed to do with them.

Worship God for who He is (vv. 1-3)

3 different names of God: Yahweh, Elohim, & Adonai –

“By whatever name God is known, he is worthy of our highest praise.” – Charles Spurgeon

Yahweh

occurs more than 6,800 times in the Old Testament. It appears in every book but Esther, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs.

Ex. 3 :13-15 First time it is used

Is the self-Existent or Eternal; sacred, personal name of the God of Israel. It was eventually spoken aloud only by priests worshiping in the Jerusalem temple.

Yahweh is the name that is most closely linked to God's redeeming acts in the history of his chosen people.

Elohim

appears some 2,750 times in the Old Testament.

It is this word which is used in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth.”

plural - of the supreme God; occasionally applied as references to magistrates, angels, gods, judges.

emphasize God’s power and might, judicial rulership

Adonai

Adonai, and its variations, is found in more than 400 times

means sovereign, i.e. controller (human or divine): — lord, master, owner. Has a possessive nature, one of ownership and stewardship

Lord of lords is a forceful statement of God's eternal nature as ruler.

APPLICATION: At the onset, the psalmist is instructing Israel to cast their reverential worship and thanksgiving specifically to the only sovereign, just, omnipotent, holy, sacred, eternal God whom has rulership over us and has mercifully entered into a covenant relationship with his unworthy creatures.

Today, it is easy to worship a version of God that is less offensive and more acceptable in our culture. A docile God. We want the cuddly lion that has been de-fanged. One who will let me be me and not require much from me. One who loves and never judges. One who is fine with the current, broken version of my sinful self without a call to rid myself of all my impurities . One attribute of God is elevated over the others. The psalmist doesn’t allow for such things. We are called to worship God for who he has revealed himself to be, not as we wish him to be.

TRANSITION STATEMENT: Now that we have clearly defined the object of our thanksgiving and how we are to worship him, we can now explore the why.

Outline

You could break this psalm up into 2 sections: (1) to whom we are to give thanks and (2) why we are to thank him. But, it would be helpful to go a bit further, so if you are the notetaker type, here is the outline for today:

Worship God for who He is (vv. 1-3)

Worship God for His Creative Power (vv. 4-9)

Worship God for His Mercy & Judgment (vv. 10-22)

Worship God for who He is (vv. 23-26)

[read Psalm 136 together]

Worship God for His Creative Power (vv. 4-9)

As human beings, especially in 21st Century America, we are so used to our comforts and so inclined to think we alone are responsible for them, that we forget that it is God who provides all things, especially the basics of life. That is what the psalmist now turns our attention to.

He alone does great Wonders

What wonders? Wonders like the plagues of Egypt? Like the provisions in the wilderness?

Is it the beauty of creation, like the artistic beauty in a sunrise?

Is it the creative power in the universe beyond our atmosphere we see through a telescope or the equally vast world that can only be seen through a microscope?

Yes to all, but the main focus isn’t just wonders, but HE ALONE. It highlights that the other pagan religions around them are worshiping gods who really aren’t gods.

He made the Heavens skillfully

can mean God’s dwelling place or the universe, but here, the Psalmist is referencing the earthly sky and now skillfully it is made.

From the protection of the atmosphere, to the ecosystem of life for birds, to the life-giving rain it provides.

He spread the Land over the waters

Moving on from the atmospheric conditions, we have now the provision of dry land and all it produces. We aren’t stuck in a Waterworld. We have stable ground, shelter, and food.

He made the great Heavenly lights (sun & moon)

Sun- we are not abandoned to darkness, but get to live, move, and have our being in the light.

Whenever we sit in the sunshine, our gratitude should be kindled because mercy gleams in every ray of light.

APPLICATION: We worship God as the one who has meticulously created the conditions for life. Let our thanks be as many as the stars, and let our lives reflect the goodness of the Lord, just as the moon reflects the light of the sun.

TRANSITION STATEMENT: But that’s only the beginning!

Worship God for His Mercy & Judgment (vv. 10-22)

3 stories: Egyptians & Sihon the Amorite king and Og, king of Bashan

With a mighty hand and outstretched arm, God pronounced:

Judgment

The death of the firstborn

Pharaoh's army defeated in the Red Sea

Defeat Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan (Num 21:21–30; Deut 2:26–37; Judg 11:19–26)

not just by the hand, but by the whole arm, signifying the fullness of his wrath and power. The full arm reaches back and strikes will full force.

This is a hard concept for many, because God seems unjust

Justice: Ps 89:14. Romans 9 (Pharaoh made to display God’s patience and wrath). You don’t want a weak Judge. You want one who will protect the victim and punish the guilty

In his judgements, his merciful, steadfast love endures forever.

Mercy

Brought them out of Egypt

Divided the Red Sea

Led them through the wilderness

God provided in incredible ways (dry ground in the Red Sea, his presence in the cloud/fire pillar, manna in the wilderness, water from rocks, supernatural longevity in their clothing)

He did not promise comfort. They still had to navigate, fight, and trust.

A righteous judge can also show mercy (Romans 9). We don’t want him to be fully just when dealing with us, right? Because we know what we deserve. By definition, mercy is receiving what we do not deserve. For his covenant people, his merciful, steadfast love endures forever.

As Spurgeon put it:

“Mercy cleared the road, mercy cheered the host, mercy led them down, and mercy brought them up again. Even to the depth of the sea mercy reaches—there is no end to it, no obstacle in the way of it, no danger to believers in it, while Jehovah is all around. By Moses, and Aaron, and Jethro, and the pillar of cloud he led them. What a multitude of mercies are comprehended in the conduct of such an enormous host through a region wherein there was no provision even for single travelers; yet the Lord by his infinite power and wisdom conducted a whole nation for forty years through a desert land, and their feet did not swell, neither did their garments wax old in all the journey. Their conduct in the wilderness tested his mercy most severely, but it bore the strain; Their faithfulness soon failed, but his did not: the fiery, cloudy pillar which never ceased to lead the nation was the visible proof of his immutable love. For his mercy endureth forever.”

APPLICATION: Israel had a promised land flowing with milk and honey, but they had to endure much and trust in God’s provision until they got there. We also have a heavenly promised land and our own battles to fight on our way. We live in a broken and sin-stained world, but this is not our home. While we are here, we exalt and give thanks to our God as we trust him to lead us, fight for us, and to empower us to do his work through us. How? Because his merciful, faithful love endures forever.

Worship God for who He is (vv. 23-26)

He remembers us in the lowest lows

It’s an amazing thing that the creator of the universe knows us at all, let alone remember us in our lowest times.

What lows have you had in recent memory? God was there. Why? Mercy.

He rescues us from our foes

rescues implies we had already been captured/conquered

by the kingdom of darkness (we were all once part of)

by sin (you were once dead in it)

by our own shortcomings (what habitual sins still have you trapped)?

Take heart, because you are redeemed from it! Live in that liberty!

He gives food to every creature

common providence that God cares for all his creatures

Pulls us back to focus on God as creator & sustainer of the entire universe

Matthew eludes to this when saying if God can clothe the field with flowers, he can care for you, so don’t worry about your needs. Your heavenly Father will provide.

how much more the members of his own household - his own sons and daughters!

GIVE THANKS!!

we end where we began - to a call of reverential gratitude.

SUMMARY

In this new year, let this Psalm serve as a reminder to be in a continual state of thankfulness to God… specifically Yahweh - Elohim - Adonai - the eternal, sovereign, just, ruler of all creation. And not just a transcendent God somewhere in space, but one who is near and knows you intimately. And we don’t just give thanks, but we cast out our reverent worship and confessions of gratitude toward this amazing God who loves… not with a general love, but with a merciful, steadfast, and unchanging love that extends a completely undeserved kindness toward us. In every aspect of life we get to live, in 2022 and beyond, let us give thanks for his faithful love endures forever.

Let’s Pray