Psalm 136 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 136 Short Summary:

Psalm 136 is unique in its layout. Each of its 26 verses ends with the same phrase, “…His steadfast love endures forever.” It is a psalm of thanksgiving and worship to God, celebrating God’s power over nature and His enduring blessings on the nation of Israel. It is similar in theme to Psalm 135.

Psalm 136 Summary

AUTHOR:

• The authorship of Psalm 136 is unknown.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• No known New Testament References.

THEMES:

• God’s steadfast love endures forever.

DEFINITIONS:

• Sihon and Og (136:20) – Two kings defeated by the Israelites as they were entering into the Promised Land (Numbers 21).

• Heritage (136:21) – An allotted portion of land set aside as a special possession for an individual or group of people.

OUTLINE:

• GOD’S STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER (136:1-26):

  • Psalm 136 is similar in content to Psalm 135, with one notable difference. Every line of Psalm 136 begins with a statement of worship or thanksgiving to God and then ends with the words, “…His steadfast love endures forever.”

  • In our English Bibles, these exact words conclude each of the 26 verses in the chapter.

  • Similar to the themes of Psalm 135, the author of 136 thanked God for being superior to other gods, for working great wonders and miracles, for making the earth, for sustaining all living things, and for having power over the sun, moon, stars, and over all nature.

  • The author also offered praise and thanksgiving for God’s historical blessings on the nation of Israel.

  • He worshiped God for the plagues He sent on Egypt, for helping the Israelites cross the Red Sea, for assisting Israel in crossing the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land, and for giving them victories over powerful kings like Pharaoh, Sihon, and Og.

  • He thanked God for giving Israel a homeland in Canaan (the Promised Land).

  • The writer concluded the psalm with words of instruction, telling all his people to “Give thanks to the God of Heaven, for His steadfast love endures forever” (136:26).

APPLICATION:

• One of the things the Pharisees got wrong in the New Testament was that they spent lots of time thinking about their own faithfulness and too little about God’s enduring love and faithfulness.

• They weren’t meditating on Psalm 136, they were meditating on how good they were at keeping all the fine details of God’s law, at least as they interpreted it.

• We can grow proud like the Pharisees when we spend the majority of our time thinking about ourselves and our own perceived goodness.

• Psalm 136, and the Psalms as a whole, are a good reminder that we need to spend a lot more time thinking about God’s enduring love than our imperfect and fickle hearts that fails to love God with half as much consistency.