Psalm 136

²⁶ Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven!
For His mercy endures forever.

This psalm (sometimes in combination with Psalm 135) is known in Jewish tradition as “The Great Hallel,” i.e.,the Giving of Praise par excellence) because of its comprehensive focus on the reasons for praising God—from His Creation of the Universe and general solicitude for humanity to His special, paternal solicitude for His people—and because of its unique repetition/emphasis (more so than in any other biblical [passage]) on that divine attribute that most epitomizes (i.e., sums up) any and all good that God has ever done for man—His lovingkindnesss. For this reason also this psalm is recited after the “Egyptian Hallel” on Passover, in connection with the Fourth Cup that symbolizes “Redemption” in connection with God’s fourth and final promise in Exodus 6:7: “I will take you for My people, and I will be your God”—a promise whose fulfillment is ultimately linked by Scripture to God’s final historical act of paternal redemption, when He brings His people Israel (together with the “grafted-in” branches of righteous Gentiles: cf, Romans 11:17), renewed in imperishable purity, into their home of renewed creation (Revelation 21:3). — Wechsler, pages 324-325.

In the opening call (vs.1-3) the three great names or titles of God—Jehovah, Elohim, Adonai—are used.

In the opening section (vs.1-3) the psalmist focuses not on any specific manifestation of God’s expressed attributes (attributes that becomes “active” in what God does), but rather on the essential attributes (attributes that are “active” in what God is) of His goodness and transcendence (His being “above” or greater than all other authorities and powers, whether human or divine, in every respect). — Wechsler, page 325.

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God’s transcendence over creation is stressed [in vs.4-9] by focusing on His role as Creator—specifically, His creation of the more “awe-inspiring” parts of the universe on the second through fourth days of the creation week, i.e.: the sky (heavens, v.5), the earth (dry land, v.6), and the great lights—that is, the sun and the moon and the stars. … In addition to the obvious benefit of these things to humanity, the “goodness” component of God’s lovingkindness manifest in His creation of these things is intimated by the psalmist’s initial reference, in v.4, to God doing (or “making”) great wonders, which term specifically signifies God’s manifest acts of deliverance. — Wechsler, page 326.

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God’s attribute in its most intimate or “relational” manner is the explicit focus of [vs.10-22], which briefly surveys the various ways in which God, having sovereignly chosen Israel, preserved them from destruction and delivered them from affliction. The arrangement of this survey follows the same essential pattern as in vs.8-14 of Psalm 135. — Wechsler, page 326.

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[Verses 23-24 reiterate in abbreviated fashion the entire spectrum of God’s [attributes] in the Hebrew Bible as expressed in Israel’s deliverance, from Egypt (to which the expression “who remembered us” alludes; cf. Exodus 2:24) to the post-exilic period (to which the expression “He has rescued us” alludes. — Wechsler, page 327.

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By concluding the psalm with the same exhortation to give thanks employed thrice at the beginning we are reminded that, though “The Great Praise” itself here draws to a close, our obligation to continue giving thanks to God does not. … This continuous, or “pan-temporal” perspective on thanksgiving is reinforced not only by its obvious correlation to everlasting expression of God’s [attributes], but also by the closing epithet “the God of heaven,” which is a fairly rare divine title that, considering where it does occur, recalls the expression of God’s transcendent [attributes] throughout the Old Testament history of Israel … — Wechsler, pages 327-328.

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This Psalm is Israel’s response to the call of the prior Psalm to worship and praise Messiah. … It will yet be sung by the tribes of Israel in the future day of their deliverance, when Messiah will appear in majesty and destroy all their adversaries. In the first twenty-two verses His glory as Creator and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth (Colossians 1:16-17), and His grace and power on behalf of His ancient people in the past, are set out. The remaining verses apply to their future deliverance from Anti-Christ—Israel’s greatest enemy—and from the misery of their low estate, and that of the flesh under his oppression. — Williams, pages 406-407.