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God’s love endures forever
(Psalm 136)
Andy Nagahara
Today’s text, Psalm 136, is thought to retain well the form of a hymn sung in temple services, in which the worship leader sings the first half of the verse and the congregation follows with, “God’s love endures forever.” Even today, there are Christian churches that sing hymns of this type during worship services.
Today’s keyword is “compassion” in Japanese and “love” in English. The original Hebrew word is “hesed.” If you would like to know more, you can read it on Wikipedia in both Japanese and English.
Because this word has a broad meaning, different modern words are used in the same translation of the Bible depending on the context.
This word is also translated into different modern languages in the same passage in different Bibles. For example, the NIV translates more than half of the words “hesed” as “love,” but it also translates them as “kindness,” “unfailing love,” “great love,” and “mercy.” The same is true in Japanese.
This also shows that we must carefully consider in what sense the Bible is the word of God.
First, although we can understand the concept of “hesed” from various uses in the Bible, we must recognize that God’s intention for this word is much broader and deeper than we can understand.
Secondly, neither Japanese nor English can escape the influence of the culture of the region in which it is used.
For example, Japanese uses kanji, but many of the kanji used in the Bible originally have Buddhist concepts. Although it is an optimal translation, it is not a perfect translation. Therefore, if we place too much emphasis on superficial “literalism,” we may end up interpreting messages that are different from God’s intentions, such as “the Bible supports male supremacy” or “sexual minorities are not pleasing to God.” I see this as modern-day legalism.
Let’s go back to “Hesed.” “Hesed” can be translated as either love or kindness, but it is something much more serious than we think. “Hesed” means to love with fervent, passionate, and strong will, and it can be thought of as a strict covenant that God makes with people that can never be changed or broken. In other words, this is God’s attitude toward us that will certainly continue to exist no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, unless we turn our backs on it.
This verse is divided into three parts based on its content, so let’s enjoy each part in order.
1. The love of the Creator (1-9)
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. <His love endures forever.>
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. <His love endures forever.>
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords: <His love endures forever.>
4 to him who alone does great wonders, <His love endures forever.>
5 who by his understanding made the heavens, <His love endures forever.>
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters, <His love endures forever.>
7 who made the great lights– <His love endures forever.>
8 the sun to govern the day, <His love endures forever.>
9 the moon and stars to govern the night; <His love endures forever.>
In this part of the song, the psalmist remembers that God created the world and that his grace is everlasting.
To be precise, the first three verses are a call to “give thanks,” and they are repeated as the conclusion of the psalm in verse 26. Verse 4 is an introduction to the content of “to him who alone does great wonders ” which refers to all the things God has done that are sung about in verses 5 through 25. Then, verses 5-9 repeat the key points of the creation story recorded in the first chapter of Genesis.
It is important to be aware of the blessings of creation. This is because God has given us a major role in creation. Genesis 1:27-28 tells us:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Then, in verse 31, it says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”
So the question is, have human beings, who were created in God’s image and have lived as rulers of this extremely good world, fulfilled that role correctly? Is the world being preserved as good or is it being destroyed? As you know, humans have failed God from the very beginning. If you want to be sure, read the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis Chapter 3. It can be said that ever since then, humans have acted as if they were the owners of the world, ignoring God. And among humans, the powerful rule and oppress the weak and minorities. There has been war, plunder and environmental destruction.
But on the other hand, I feel that God is using people who recognize his sovereignty and seek justice, and that although bad things happen, the world is moving in a better direction in the long run.
Jesus explains this situation in the parable of Matthew’s Gospel chapter 13, where he teaches us our attitude toward the existence of evil: “Wait until the time of reaping, for in the field (the world) poisonous wheat is growing among the good wheat, but if you pull it out now, you may pull out the good wheat as well.
We are called to continue to do the will of God, the Creator and Sovereign of the world, without despairing about the situation.
2. The love of the Liberator (10-22)
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt <His love endures forever.>
11 and brought Israel out from among them <His love endures forever.>
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; <His love endures forever.>
13 to him who divided the Red Sea asunder <His love endures forever.>
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it, <His love endures forever.>
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; <His love endures forever.>
16 to him who led his people through the desert, <His love endures forever.>
17 who struck down great kings, <His love endures forever.>
18 and killed mighty kings– <His love endures forever.>
19 Sihon king of the Amorites <His love endures forever.>
20 and Og king of Bashan– <His love endures forever.>
21 and gave their land as an inheritance, <His love endures forever.>
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel; <His love endures forever.>
The most impressive image of God for Israel is that he is the origin of the nation and the basis of their firm faith. This is his aspect as the liberator who led the Exodus from Egypt and the settlement of Canaan. The small people did not have the strength to escape from mighty Egypt on their own. Likewise, the fact that Israel was able to maintain its independence among the nations already present in the land of Canaan could only have been due to God’s guidance.
Given the limited worldview of the people at that time, and given Abraham’s background, their actions cannot be condemned as aggression. However, it does not justify the modern-day Israeli government’s invasion of Gaza.
One of Jesus’ accomplishments to the world was that by his own life he demonstrated that treating people as inferior to us because of their race, class, nationality, or sexuality is against God’s will. God does not allow us to be under any kind of bondage. Without exception, all of us are free “under God.”
It is important to say “under God,” otherwise the exercise of freedom can become greed and deprive others of their freedom.
Let us continue to pray, expecting God to deliver us.
3. The love of the Companion (23-26)
23 to the One who remembered us in our low estate <His love endures forever.>
24 and freed us from our enemies, <His love endures forever.>
25 and who gives food to every creature. <His love endures forever.>
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. <His love endures forever.>
As we have read so far, Israel trusted in God through various miraculous guidance, but I imagine that what was most lacking in Israel in Jesus’ time was the sense that God was walking alongside them. Instead, empty legalism would rule, and God’s love and justice would be pushed aside. I think the law had become like an idol to them. This had a negative impact on faith in God and on the strength of the nation, and Israel was at a political and spiritual deadlock.
Let’s move forward to now. Jesus came, walked with his disciples, and gave his life for us. So that everyone, neither Greek nor Roman, neither male nor female, could walk through life with Jesus. Jesus was crucified, rose from the dead on the third day, appeared to his disciples, and then returned to heaven. Once again, he became invisible to human eyes.
Do we no longer have our companion Jesus? It is not. Jesus’ own words are recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 14.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and Jesus. As recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit is God who dwells within believers. This means that God has promised us that we will always and forever be made alive with the Triune God, beyond physical death.
To you, God’s mercy endures forever.
(Prayer) Thank you, God, that you created the heavens and the earth and that you rule now and forever.
We are grateful that, through your grace, you give life, joy, and are with us, even though, because of our sinful nature, we have not managed this world properly.
Speak to us so that we may hear and do your will.
Please release those who are suffering in various ways.
We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, thanking you that you are with us always and forever.
Summary
Although it is impossible for us to fully understand God, the Bible can help us understand who He is. This verse teaches us that God is our creator, liberator and companion. And God has promised to never change these things.
For Discussion
1. When do you realize that God is your creator?
2. What liberation do you need?
3. When do you feel that God is with you?