God’s unrelenting love
Many blame God for all the evils in the world. By contrast, the psalmist sees God’s gracious care in all of creation and celebrates his unyielding love, which fights to welcome lost prodigals back home.
1 Give thanks to Yahveh for he is good—
God’s unconditional love endures forever!
2 Give thanks to the God of gods—
for his unconditional love endures forever!
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
4 Who alone has performed great marvels—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
5 Who stretched out the heavens in wisdom—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
6 Who laid earth’s deep-sea foundations—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
7 And made great lights—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
8 The sun to reign over the day—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
9 The moon and stars to reign over the night—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
10 Who struck down Egypt’s firstborn—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
11 And brought Israel out of that morass—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
12 With a strong hand and outstretched arm—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
13 Who split the Reed Sea in two—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
14 Taking Israel right through the middle of it—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
15 But leaving Pharaoh and his army in the sea—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
16 Who led his people through the desert—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
17 Who struck down great kings—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
18 Who killed mighty kings—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
20 And Og, king of Bashan—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
21 And gave their lands as an inheritance—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
22 An inheritance to his servant Israel—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
23 Who stood by us when we were at our lowest—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
24 And rescued us from our foes—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
25 Who provides food for every creature alive—
for his unconditional love endures forever…
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven—
for his unconditional love endures forever!
This psalm focuses on God’s relentless love, as celebrated repeatedly in its refrain, likely sung antiphonally in communal worship. Framing the psalm with calls to thanksgiving, the psalmist says creation and redemption reveal God’s love in both the past and present. Not only did his love alone fire the sun and set the moon and stars in motion. It gifts us with every meal we eat, sustaining all of life.
The psalm’s core tells how God’s gracious love rescued his people from Egypt, led them, and gave them their own land. Some find it scandalous that God decimated Egypt’s firstborn, Pharoah and his army, plus other kings and nations. But to the psalmist, everyone opposing God and his good plan for his world jointly chooses death.
The real scandal is found in verses 23-24, which show God’s love fighting for his people, no matter how far they’ve fallen. Post-exilic Jews doubtless saw Israel’s Babylonian captivity and return from exile in those verses. The psalm doesn’t celebrate religious imperialism. Rather, it opens our eyes to see in all creation the same unflinching love that welcomes abject prodigals home. As Elizabeth Barrett Browning puts it, “Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes.”
Lord, open my eyes to your unflinching love in all the world around me. You could have written the whole of planet earth off—washed your hands of us. But day-by-day you still make the sun rise, the earth grow food. You still bind us to yourself in love. Thank you for such steadfast love. Amen.
In your free moments today, meditate on these words:
He stood by us when we were at our lowest—
for his unconditional love endures forever.
