His steadfast love endures forever

HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER

Psalm 136:1–26 (Go to the ESV Bible Verses)

Key Verse: 1, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever."

Why should we give thanks to the LORD? Let’s reflect on each reason.

1. What is God’s basic command (1a)? Why should we give thanks to the LORD (1b)? What does it mean that “he is good”? That “his steadfast love endures forever”? Why is this phrase repeated in every verse of this psalm?
2. Read verses 2–3. Who is our God (1 Tim.1:17)? Read verses 4–9. To give thanks to God, why is it so important to know that he created the heavens and the earth, and to know his purpose, power, and wisdom?
3. Why do we all need to know and remember the history of God’s people (1 Cor.10:11; Rom.15:4)? How can we see Christ in their escape from Egypt (10–12; 1 Cor.5:7b; Col.1:13; John 8:34–36)? In their crossing the Red Sea (13–15; Heb.11:29)? In their wilderness life (16; 1 Cor.10:1–4; John 6:49–51)?
4. Read verses 17–22. How can we see Christ in their conquest of these kings (Eph.6:12; Col.2:15) and in their receiving the land as their “heritage” (Heb.11:16)? What was God’s purpose in training them and us (Ex.19:6?
5. Read verses 23–26. How did God help us in our “low estate” (23; see Phil.2:7–8), in being “rescued from our foes” (24; see Heb.2:14–15), and in being given “food” (25; see John 6:35)? How does remembering Christ on the cross help us to give thanks to the LORD?

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References:

Q2: 1 Tim.1:17: “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Q3: 1 Cor.10:11: “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”

Rom.15:4: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

1 Cor.5:7b: “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

Col.1:13: “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son…”

John 8:34–36: “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’”

Heb.11:29: “By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.”

1 Cor.10:1–4: “For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all ate the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”

John 6:49–51: “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Q4: Eph.6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Ex.19:6: “‘...and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

Q5: Phil.2:7–8: “...but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Heb.2:14–15: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”