Psalm 136 can be touted as the “The Psalm of Thanks” or the “Thanksgiving Psalm.” It is a Psalm that is rich in content, apropos the character of God and since each verse in the Psalm is suffixed with “For his mercy endures forever”, it is a Psalm that is easy to read and memorize as well.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, giving thanks for the ultimate reason of sending us his only begotten Son, we will be looking at each verse in Psalm 136 and glean out the character of God from these verses, which would be reason enough to be grateful and give thanks to our LORD God.
Today we look at Verses 21 and 22.
And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
From these verses, we can learn that God, who fought for his people – the Israelites – defeated the giant kings who opposed and fought against them, and when he had defeated these warrior kings (Sihon and Og), he gave their land to Israel, their land as an inheritance. Israel is referred to here in these verses as a servant, indicating that God was their Master. He was not just a Master but a good Master who cared for his people and gave them property to possess.
Points to ponder:
In this day and age, when we work for our earthly masters, seldom does one work for them as an expression of loyalty. In most situations, it is out of a sense of dread and fear – as we mistakenly feel that our jobs and future are in their hands, and we do not want to be let go (fired). Additionally, most earthly masters are generally pursuing their own desires, seeking to answer “What’s in it for me?” rarely thinking about the ones who serve them (work for them). And here, God sets the model for earthly masters – they must be seeking out to give to their servants and not take from them. That is godly leadership.
God is a good donor Master. Just as in the days of the Moses and Joshua, God fought their enemies and gave their land as an inheritance. God sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who fought the good fight against our enemy – the devil and his power, which is death – donating his very life – so that you and I could call his land (heaven) our inheritance. This is what Christmas is. Do you know and believe in God, the Good Donor Master? Are you and I his servant?
Psalm 136:21-22 (KJV)
21 And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
