Why Give Thanks to the Lord?

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1

Psalm 136 is unique in that each of the twenty-six verses ends with the phrase, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

In other words, it repeats this refrain at the end of every verse.

In Jewish liturgy, this psalm is called “the Great Hallel.” It is recited at the Passover meal after the “Lesser Hallel” (Psalm 113).

It begins and ends with a call to praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

In between, it focuses on four ways God’s steadfast love endures forever with specific reasons to give thanks.

What are they?

Let’s find out.

Table of Contents

Psalm 136 (ESV) says, “his steadfast love endures forever” twenty-six times. The NASB says, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” So, an overarching reason we thank the Lord is because of His enduring love. Furthermore, we see His love in four ways: He is good (v.1), His great works in creation (v.4-9), His redemption of Israel in history (v.10-22), and His mercy toward everyone (v.23-25).

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

The Hebrew word for “steadfast love” is hesed. Various translations use different words to describe God’s hesed which means loyal, steadfast, or faithful love. And it stresses the idea that those in a love relationship belong together.

ESV – steadfast love
NASB – lovingkindness
CSB, NLT – faithful love
NIV – love
NKJV, KJV – mercy

Hesed is used 250 times in the Old Testament. One example is God’s faithful love for His unfaithful people in Hosea 2:19.

Another is Joel 2:12-13, where the Lord calls for His people to return to Him.

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting of evil.

In the Old Testament, God’s hesed is based on His communion, salvation, empowerment, enlightenment, guidance, forgiveness, hope, praise, and preservation.

He is Good

From the time I was little, I knew God was good. I may not have understood its significance until later, but I didn’t question it.

You may have heard the child’s prayer:

God is great
God is good
Let us thank Him
For our food.

There is truth in this little prayer. However, we base our understanding of who God is from what the Bible says.

And the Bible is clear: God is good.

We see it when Moses is on the mountain and asks God to show him His glory. God says:

Exodus 33:19a I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you…

And when the Lord passed in front of Moses, He proclaimed:

Exodus 34:6 “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.”

When David brought the ark of God back, he gave Asaph and his fellow Levites a song of thanksgiving to the Lord (1 Chronicles 16:8-36). Toward the end of the song, they declare that the Lord is good.

1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.

When Solomon brought the ark to Jerusalem, the Levites and priests joined together to praise the Lord and declare His goodness.

2 Chronicles 5:13 The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the Lord with these words: “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!”

And that’s just the beginning. You can find more verses here.

He Does Great Wonders in Nature – Psalm 136:4-9

God has done many great wonders in nature, and this psalm names a few.

1. He made the heavens with skill (v.5)

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Jeremiah 10:12 It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom; and by His understanding He stretched out the heavens.

2. He spread out the earth above the waters (v.6)

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the Lord‘s, and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.

3. He made the great lights – the sun to rule by day and the moon and stars to rule by night (v.7-9)

Genesis 1:14 The God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.

Genesis 1:16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.

RELATED > > > > > Why Give Thanks to the Lord? – Psalm 92

His Graciousness in the History of Israel – Psalm 136:10-22

You see God’s gracious hand for His people when you read about the redemptive history of Israel. We don’t always understand why God does what He does, but we trust in His goodness and know His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).

This psalm highlights several ways God was gracious to Israel:

1. He smote the Egyptians in their first-born (v.10)

Exodus 12:29 Now it came about at midnight that the Lord struck all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharoah who sat on his throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of cattle.

Psalm 135:8 He smote the first-born of Egypt, both man and beast.

2. He brought Israel out from their midst with a strong hand and outstretched arm (v.11-12)

Exodus 12:51 And it came about on that same day that the Lord brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

Jeremiah 32:21 And Thou didst bring Thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror.

3. He divided the Red Sea and made Israel pass through the midst of it (v.13-14)

Exodus 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.

Psalm 78:13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and He made the waters stand up like a heap.

4. He overthrew Pharoah and his army in the Red Sea (v.15)

Exodus 14:27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

Psalm 106:11 And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.

5. He led His people through the wilderness (v.16)

Exodus 15:22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.

Deuteronomy 8:15 He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.

6. He smote and slew great and mighty kings such as Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan (v.17-20)

Numbers 21:21-24a Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, “Let me pass through your land…” But Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his border. So, Sihon gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. Then Israel struck him with the edge of the sword…

Numbers 21:33-35 Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan, and Og, the king of Bashan went out with all his people, for battle at Edrei. But the Lord said, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand…” So they killed him and his sons and all his people…

7. He gave their land as a heritage to Israel, His servant (v.21-22)

Joshua 12:1a Now these are the kings of the land whom the sons of Israel defeated…

Psalm 135:10,12 He smote many nations and slew mighty kings–and gave their land as a heritage.

Why would believers today thank the Lord for what He did for Israel in the days of Moses and Joshua?

We give thanks because we recognize God’s power, love, and faithfulness. It may look different for us today, but He’s the same God as He was with Israel when He rescued them out of Egypt and brought them safely into the Promise Land.

His Mercy Toward All – Psalm 136:23-25

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is good, His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness is to all generations (Psalm 100:5).

Who He was in the past is who He is today.

This psalm mentions three things that were true then and still are for us:

1. He remembered us in our weakness (v.23)

Psalm 103:14 For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.

Mark 14:38 Keep watching and praying, that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

2. He saved us from our enemies (v.24)

Judges 6:9 And I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land.

Colossians 1:12-14 Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

3. He gives food to all (v.25)

Psalm 145:15 The eyes of all look to Thee, and Thou dost give them their food in due time.

2 Corinthians 9:10a (NLT) For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat.

God’s mercy toward all is ultimately found in Jesus Christ. Jesus died for everyone, and God offers His gift of salvation to anyone who believes. When you believe what Jesus did for you, you are born-again and transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

Psalm 136

Final Thoughts

As you can see, Psalm 136 answers the question as to why you should give thanks to the Lord.

Although there are many reasons, this psalm highlights four:

God is good
He does great wonders in nature
His graciousness to Israel in history
God offers mercy to all

Why do you give thanks to the Lord?

Are any of the reasons in this psalm meaningful to you?

Why Give Thanks to the Lord? – Psalm 136