Psalm 136

Message Transcription

Well, we're coming into the last week of our summer series called Summer Playlist. We've been thinking together, listening to the songs of the Psalter, reflecting on the ways that it shows us who God is and who God is calling us to be. If you haven't had a chance to listen to all of them, I invite you to go back. Those are online. We've heard from a few of our different voices here in our community, and it's been an exciting opportunity for us to listen to God's faithful love as it's been expressed through his people. Today, I want us to look at a psalm, Psalm 136, that we just read through together. Did you sense that repetitive nature of his love endures forever? At first you start to go, Oh, this is cool. And then about five verses in, you're like, Oh, we're doing it again. Oh, and here we go again, right? But then after a little while, you're going as love his love and you get caught up in that moment. This psalm is one of my favorites because it reminds me of of how God's faithful love endures in all kinds of different seasons. I want us to look and think together some about this because this psalm, it's important. You know, last week we wrestled with that question from Psalm 121. When I look at the mountains, when I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? That the answer to that question has so much to say about how our life is going to go and where we will go this week.

Psalm 136 helps us to answer that question by helping to reframe us of of who is the one who helps us, who is truly our helper and the psalmist here. In 136, he begins by saying, We need to be grateful people. We need to be people whose lives are built on gratitude. So he says in verse one, Give thanks to the Lord for he is good and his love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of Gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of Lords. His love endures forever. This term give thanks, give yada to the Lord. It's this idea of casting or throwing. It literally means to throw to to give our thanks, to cast our thanks on the Lord. Because his hesed his loving kindness as it's often translated all throughout the Old Testament. This word we come into contact as we wrestle with and see God's steadfast love enduring. It helps redeem his people. It helps to rescue or to save them. It also helps to keep them. God is a God of covenant and we see all throughout the Old Testament, God keeping His covenants, his promises, right? God's hesed is more than just a feeling that that God has toward his people.

It's this reality that's lived out in action and actionable moves. And we're going to hear some of those moves today as we listen to the psalmist recount the story of God that God restores and he redeems give thanks to the Lord, the God of gods, the Lord of Lords, for he is good. You see, we're restoration seems impossible. God's love makes it possible in those moments when Israel seems to be out of strength. When we are out of strength, it's God's strength who comes in, supplies us with the courage and the ability to take that next step. Now, this doesn't mean that God always does what we want, right? And we've read through Psalm 79, and if you haven't listened to that one or had a chance to go back through and listen, invite you to do so, that doesn't mean God always does what we want. And sometimes some of us are dealing with some things where we're still waiting to see how is God going to make this way possible. How's God's strength going to show? How am I going to experience God's hesed His loving kindness? Because I'm wrestling with that? In fact, some of us, it may be not on this side of heaven that we get to see and experience all of that. And so we hold on to, I think what the what the psalmist would say is, so let's stay faithful to what we already know to be true, right? Let's stay faithful to the ways that God has been present, the ways that God has his hesed has shown up in our lives.

That's one of the reasons why we try to celebrate and recount to one another the ways God has been faithful. Because some days, friends, I show up here and I'm wrestling and I'm wondering, does God's love endure forever? I mean, I'm facing some things right now in my life and I'm not sure. And until I hear the stories, let me tell you how God's been faithful to me. Let me remind you of the ways that God has been present with each and every one of us. Let me remind you of this story of God, because, see, in order for us to trust someone, we have to believe that they're good. Right? And I think the psalmist is going to argue the same thing. If we don't believe God is good, we're we're not going to trust him. And so he's going to recount for us some ways that God has been good. And he begins by saying that it starts with gratitude. We've got to be people who are grateful. Now, like you, I've come across tons of research over and over again that show. Show the different benefits of being grateful people. In fact, we did a series on this a few years ago talking about the power of being grateful people.

That study after study not just in in Christian but in secular universities, showed over. And again people who live grateful lives. There's a measurable difference not only in their emotional health, but in their physical health. A couple of years ago, August of 21, Harvard Medical School put out a kind of a telling or a retelling demonstrating all the different health benefits that people who live with Grateful Hearts what they experience. It says grateful people living with gratitude. It reminds us, acknowledges all the good stuff in our life. When we live grateful lives, we learn to see the ways that good things are happening to us. And it helps to remind us that that there's something beyond. This is Harvard study compiling all the evidence. They said. It points us to there's something happening outside of us that's bringing good into our lives. Now we know what that something is. We know what that hesed is. It's God's love at work in our lives. But gratitude also helps us to connect to things other than ourselves, right? To other people, to God's creation, His beautiful creation, to all the good things that God is doing. But it also it strongly and consistently associated with physical health benefits, with greater levels of happiness. Learning to be grateful people is so important. In fact, they would write in this article that it helps us connect to our past.

Right. Being grateful helps us to remember ways that God has been faithful, that we have experienced good in our lives. But it also helps us connect to the present, to learn not to take for granted the good things that are happening right now in this moment. And for some of us, that's so hard to do is just to to live in that moment, to to be thankful for just the presence of the people around us that we love. Sometimes we get so distracted by. Well, but in just a few days or maybe tomorrow or maybe next month, let's see. Learning to be grateful each day helps us to stay present in that moment, but also it helps us to connect to the future by knowing good things will be coming. This isn't the only time that good will happen. So from this posture of gratefulness, then the psalmist says, Now let me tell you why you can trust God. Let me let me give you an tremper. Longman, a noted Old Testament theologian, he came actually and spoke at L.s.u. A couple of years ago. But he writes about this psalm. There are at least five different ways that the psalmist tries to show us of God's faithful love and doing forever. And he starts with creation. He says to him, who does great wonders, His love endures forever, who, by his understanding, made the heavens.

His love endures forever. Who spread out the earth upon the waters. His love endures forever. Who made the great lights? His love endures forever. The sun to govern the day. His love endures forever. And the moon and the stars to govern the night. His love endures forever. God is unique in his creation. Right? In his wondrous creation. He made the heavens and the earth and all the stars. And he did it just perfectly. I know a number of you have done this. I went back and kind of re looked at this again just to to look at what it takes for life to be possible and sustainable on the planet Earth. Have you ever done this study before? There's lots of them out there. It's really fascinating that there are a number of factors that have to happen in order for life to be possible on this planet. And a planet needs water that can occur naturally in its liquid form. Most planets don't have this right, ones that are too close to the sun. It stays in vapor mode. Those that are too far away, it freezes. It's just ice caps like Mars. But for a planet to have sustainable life, you need naturally occurring liquid water. Not only that, a planet needs to be orbiting at just the right size star around just the right size star that the earth is is orbiting the sun. And the sun is a and I looked a spectral type G2 dwarf main sequence star.

Now for those of you who are like me and that just sounds like a bunch of gobbledygook. Basically what that means is the sun is just big enough that it puts out the right amount of heat for the earth. Not too much. Or we'd burn up and not too little or we'd all freeze. And it orbits around the sun in such a way. And because of its size, it orbits at the right distance. Because if it were just a little bit smaller, the earth would have to be a little bit closer. But if that were possible, if that happened, then the earth, the gravitational pull of the sun would stop the earth from spinning. So we'd have half of our globe would be facing the sun and the other half would never see the sun. It's just amazing how how just simple. Some of these. Factors, at least in theory, seem like. But the fact that they all came together at the same time that a planet needs to have an oxygen rich atmosphere to provide the right climate. In our galaxy, there's over 70. 70 plus known planetary bodies, moons and planets. And of all 70 plus, only seven have an atmosphere. And of those seven that have an atmosphere, only Earth has one that has oxygen in it that could sustain life. And only Earth has one that is transparent where you can actually see out into the universe.

Now, did that just happen or is this God's unique creation? And scientists have gone back to try to calculate what's the probability that something like this would happen? Because that question is, are we the only ones in the universe is out there all the time? And it's kind of an interesting side note. I'll let you chase that rabbit down that rabbit hole sometime if you want to see it. But but they calculate the probability is 1,000th of one trillionth. That's the probability that all these factors in so many more came together at just the right place and the right time. Like the the earth is tilted at such an angle because the moon that goes around it has to be a certain size. And our moon is a quarter of the size of the earth. That's the size we need. And if not, it would change the rotational pattern which would slow down the so many small things just happen to be right. Why God creates His beautiful creation. It's an amazing thing. When's the last time you stopped and just said, God, thank you, thank you for creation, thank you for the mountains, thank you for the valleys. Thank you for the opportunity to gather in places to live in this country. God, thank you for your creation. See, not only does the Psalmist point us to his creation, he says God is also a redeemer to Him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt.

His love endures forever and brought Israel out from among them. His love endures forever with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. His love endures forever To him who divided the Red Sea asunder, his love endures forever and brought Israel through the midst of it. His love endures forever, but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His love endures forever, and the psalmist draws Israel back to their seminal story of God saving and rescuing, bringing them out of bondage in in Egypt, the place where they thought all hope had been lost. Now there is a new hope. Church When's the last time you thanked God for bringing you out of hopelessness, for providing a way when there was no way? And again, I know some of us, and we have to be honest about this and this is where Psalm 79 is so helpful. Some of us are facing a situation where we don't see the way and maybe this side of heaven, we won't see the way. And so we need the church in one another to gather around and say, Remember, this is the God who created everything. This is the God who who has saved and rescued time and time again. And that that way it's coming. Don't lose heart. Don't lose hope.

Keep holding on. You see, God will bring redemption. It's coming. And we need to hear these stories because God is a God who creates and God is a God who redeems. But God is also the psalmist reminds us He's a God who guides us to him, who led his people through the wilderness. His love endures forever. If you know the story of the Exodus, you know it's not all rainbows and roses. You know, there were lots of peaks and valleys, lots of challenges, lots of moments when the people of Israel struggled, holding on to faith, holding on to hope they needed God to guide them. And in Exodus, we're told that God would guide them physically by a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night. Church When's the last time you stopped to celebrate? And thank God for guiding you? You know, sometimes God chooses to to guide us through the wisdom and the grace and the love of of other faithful brothers and sisters. And I've been thinking about one of those men in my life when I was in college and graduate school trying to make some decisions about where I should go. I had I had a pillar of faith who was helping God, using him to guide me. In fact, the reason I'm here today at Broadway is because of this man. In fact, I was the last preacher that he helped get connected to a church.

Right, Charles? Cyber, many of you know, doctor cyber. It's such an important pillar in my life. He died 11 years ago this month. Who are the pillars in your life? Church The ways that God has used to guide you through your wilderness. And when's the last time we stopped and said, God, thank you. Thank you for these men and these women who have been so important in helping us find our way back to you. You see, God is a God who creates and he redeems and he guides his people. But not only that, God is a God who conquers. The psalmist says to him, who struck down great kings, his love endures forever and killed mighty kings. His love endures forever. Sihon King of the Amorites. His love endures forever. And og King of Bashan, his love endures forever and gave their land as an inheritance. His love endures forever. An inheritance to his servant Israel. His love endures forever. Here, the Psalmist points them back to the ways that that God conquered. That he provided a rich inheritance, that it was God's work in their lives that made things possible, not their own. And maybe you think like I do. Of of maybe one of the most famous stories of God at work on behalf of his people in First Samuel, chapter 17. And there in the Valley of Elah, the Philistines have gathered against King Saul and all of the Israel Army.

And each day, this nine foot tall giant of a man stands out in the valley and he cries out, Israel, send out your best warrior and let's do this one on one deathmatch. And whoever wins, they get to be in charge and the others will become their slaves. 40 days this happens, we're told, and Israel is terrified. And King Saul is terrified until this squirrely little pre-teen boy shows up and he's like, What is going on? And he hears this giant beckoning. And I love David's responses. Who is this uncircumcised philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? Who does this guy think he is? And everyone's like, Shh. Don't make him angry. Be quiet. Right. But somehow David talks Saul into letting him go out to battle. And as he stands there and Goliath insults him and defies him and says, I'm going to feed your carcass to the birds. This is David's response. You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied all those gathered here. Here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves. For the battle is the Lord's. And he'll give you into my hands. And David understood.

At least in this moment, there's something powerful about when we understand it's not our battle. The battle is the Lord's. That it's not going to require us to take up our spears and just make our own way, But rather, God is a God who conquers. How has God conquered in your life? When's the last time you stopped and thanked God for fighting on your behalf? Some of us have some amazing stories of battling some serious addictions and challenges, and God has fought for us and He has rescued us. And he has brought us through not by our own strength, but by his church. When's the last time we stopped and said, God, thank you for being a God who doesn't just sit on the sidelines, who didn't just spin it up and let's see how this thing turns out, but instead is present. It says, I'll fight for you. See, the last reminder the psalmist gives is that God not only conquers, but God also provides. He remembered us in our low estate. His love endures forever. And he freed us from our enemies. His love endures forever. He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever. See, the psalmist reminds that God provides us what we need. I don't miss that church because I want to change one little word in there that God provides us what we want. That's not what the Psalmist got.

The psalmist says God provides what we need and he remembers. He knows when we're struggling and when we're being challenged. He knows when we're holding on to a string of hope. God knows when we're hurting, when we're grieving. And he provides. Sometimes it's it's a friend who at just the right time. Cos I had one of those a couple of weeks ago and I was, it was, it was a day right. We've had a day, day day. And a friend of mine just called said man I just, I just want to tell you how much I love you. Yeah. I just thinking about you. I was talking with a buddy. He's going through some stuff. And I remember I went through some of that same stuff, and. And I remember I came to you, and you just kind of walked me through. You counseled me through. Man, it's meant so much to me. Thank you. And I remember just kind of pulling the phone out and looking at it. I didn't know I needed that until it came and I stopped. God, thank you. Thank you. That there's there's someone in my life who was just willing to respond to the spirit and say, I'm going to call Carl and I'm going to encourage him. Right. Church was the last time we've done that for each other, for for someone in your life to say, God, perhaps you want to use me today to provide that that encouragement to someone who needs it.

Sometimes it's it's that caring word. Sometimes it's a financial provision that you just didn't expect it. Sometimes it's it's a change in perspective. It's rethinking something that that repentance. Right? That changing direction. You see, God remembers. The psalmist says he frees us from our enemies and he feeds those who are hungry. You know, last week at 121, we talked about God being our shade at our right hand, right providing us shelter in the sun of the day. Those things that that threaten to attack us physically or or from the moon at night, those things that attack our minds, that God is our protector. Psalmist then ends in verse 26, right where he started. So church give thanks to the God of heaven. Because his love endures forever. His love endures forever. The psalmist in 136 here points Israel back to the reality that God's love endures. And we can trust it because because God has created everything that's all around us. And he's redeeming all the time. Not only is he creating, he is recreating every day that God does that faithfully and willingly and with great joy and hope that God believes in us. In his people and he's given us an opportunity and he guides us all the time through his word, through the people in his family that he conquers. He overcomes so many challenges and obstacles, and then he provides for us what we need at just the right time.

Paul would say at just the right time. Because God so loved the world that he created. A world that had turned its back on him. And God was not willing to just sit by and watch it take place. Instead, he has a heart for redemption. And so he sent his son to help guide us back and guide us back into a relationship. And he knew that it would take a battle and it was a battle he was willing to fight, a battle with sin and a battle with death to overcome fear in order to provide us a way. See, Psalm 136 is actually our song. This is our story. This is our song. His love endures forever. Oh, God. May that be our our echo this week. That your love endures forever. May we be people who who see it. Would you give us eyes to see? Because we. We come with grateful hearts. God, I pray that you would prompt us this week to take time each day to just stop and be thankful. Be thankful for one way that you have been at work in our lives. Maybe it's a person that we just are so glad to have in our life. Maybe it's some provision that you gave to us right when we needed it. Maybe it's a way that you have been guiding us and leading us.

God, perhaps it's a way that you have redeemed us. You have brought us, helped us to overcome God. Whatever it may be. Would you help us to to take a moment this this week, each day just to be thankful. But, God, would you help us not to just keep that to ourselves? Would you help us to share it? To make a phone call, to write an email or a letter or a text message? Maybe you just show up with a with a gift. God, whatever it may be. Lord, you help us to be your tangible witness to this love that endures forever. A love that doesn't sit on the sidelines and watch how things unfold but gets involved. How would you help us to be your hands and your feet this week? Living out your hesed. And God, as we hear the song of one Psalm 136 going, we can't help but think of Jesus, the amazing gift of life that we have because he was willing to fight a battle that we could not fight to overcome and to conquer sin and death. And because of that, you've provided a way out and guidance in our life and creation and recreation. Oh, God. Would you help us to live into that great story this week? Lord, thank you for this song. May it echo in Our Lives this week In Jesus Name, Amen.